Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Telenovela vs. Netflix Series

My telenovela is Pablo Escobar; El Patron Del Mal, and it's very similar to the Netflix series, Narcos, but you can tell there is a big difference in the production style. I watched Narcos a couple months ago and loved it, which is one of the reasons I chose the telenovela that I did, and they both seem very factual and similar in storyline. The biggest difference other than the lack of English, since Narcos is meant for an English-speaking audience and Pablo Escobar; El Patron Del Mal is meant for a Spanish-speaking audience, is the increased dramatic effects in production of the telenovela, especially the background music. The music is purposely placed to increase the gravity of certain character's lines or behaviors, and gives the audience a clear indication of when something important is happening. There is much more relationship drama in Pablo Escobar; El Patron Del Mal as well, putting a large focus on Pablo's relationship with his wife, which was not nearly as prominent in Narcos. The increased drama really hooks you in a different aspect than the high-stakes operations carried out by Pablo and his "banditos," reaching a larger audience than Narcos.

As for the information given in the storylines, Narcos spends more time explaining the information given and how Pablo Escobar is affected by political notions through the use of a narrator, which is not present in Pablo Escobar; El Patron Del Mal. While helpful for understanding the plot, the narrator is used for informative reasons, which seems to not be as heavily focused on in the drama-filled telenovela.

There is also a huge difference in the progression of the plot in terms of speed. Narcos uses 10 episodes to tell a major chunk of Pablo's story (although it will be continued in another season), while the first 13 episodes of Pablo Escobar; El Patron Del Mal coincides with episode 7 or 8 of Narcos.

1 comment:

  1. Although I do agree that the language barrier is a big difference, I think the main difference between Narcos and El Patron de Mal is the point of view. Narcos merely depicts the United States point of view, while Pablo Escobar: El Patron del Mal represents Colombia's history with Escobar. I find that El Patron del Mal shows how Escobar crippled a country rather than focusing in drug trafficking issue in the United States. Similar to what you previously stated in your blog post, El Parton del Mal moves much slower than Narcos. By moving at a slower pace, El Patron del Mal accurately depicts how Escobar was able to attain and maintain power.

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