Netflix’s Narcos is excellent. Wagner Moura’s Escobar is iconic. However, the Narcos version of the “fall of Escobar” is compressed and often focuses on the American DEA agents (Murphy and Peña). El Patrón del Mal does something Narcos never achieves: it makes you feel the squalor of the fall.

While Narcos is stylized for an international audience, El Patrón del Mal was produced by Colombia’s Caracol TV and created by victims of Escobar’s violence. This perspective shifts the narrative from a "cat-and-mouse" thriller to a painful historical accounting.

The better aspect of this episode lies in its refusal to glorify. It shows the crumbling of an empire from the inside out.

Escobar's rise to power was marked by violence and terror. He was known for his brutal tactics, including murder, kidnapping, and bombings. Escobar's organization was responsible for the deaths of thousands of people, including police officers, politicians, and civilians. His tactics were designed to intimidate and silence his enemies, as well as to demonstrate his power and control.

Episode 104 heavily employs Catholic imagery. As Escobar hides in safe houses, he prays before a crucifix while ordering the murders of former allies suspected of betrayal. The title — La Crucifixión de Pablo — refers not to his death (which comes much later) but to his self-perception as a martyr. Directors use low-angle shots of Escobar kneeling beneath religious icons, then cut immediately to sicarios carrying out executions. This juxtaposition is more sophisticated than typical telenovela moralizing. It echoes Escobar’s historical justification of violence as “defense of the poor,” exposing his delusion. Episode 104 thus surpasses earlier episodes by refusing to let the protagonist claim victimhood without visual contradiction.

(titled "Un sacerdote es intermediario para la paz") marks a critical turning point in the series as it leads into the final arc of Escobar's surrender. Critical Review: Episode 104

If you have only seen the Netflix version of Pablo Escobar, Episode 104 of El Patrón del Mal will feel like a revelation. It strips away the myth of the “gentleman drug lord” and shows you the boring, terrifying, human machinery of evil.