WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Season 3 of Narcos: Mexico, now streaming on Netflix.
In Season 3 of Narcos: Mexico, as the cartel civil war heats up, friends turn on each other in the most ruthless fashion. Tijuana plaza's been trying to impose taxes unfairly on Sinaloa as it controls the border, but Juárez has political backing which leads to even more drama. It culminates in Tijuana seeking reprisal on Sinaloa for a hit, but as the botched airport assassination occurs, there's a really ridiculous flaw.
This follows the real-world story where Ramón, the younger brother in Tijuana's Arellano clan, had to find Sinaloa's El Chapo and execute him. El Chapo earlier led an assault that killed Ramón's brother-in-law, Claudio, to send a message Sinaloa was breaking away on their own, but as Tijuana embarked on a manhunt, Chapo hid out in Guadalajara.
However, given his ego, Chapo wanted to return home, using corrupt cops to secret him to the airport, only for Ramón's crew to ambush them. Now, whatever happened in reality, there needs to be some logic in the series, but that just doesn't exist. Firstly, Ramón's crew comes out of the airport terminal with guns in hand, around their shoulders and waists, as if it's a Michael Bay or John Woo movie.
It's ridiculous to think they could have been walking around like this in the airport or that there's no security. They then start firing at Chapo and the cops, as if their cloak of invisibility has now fallen. The shootout heads to the car park before Chapo runs back into the terminal, where shockingly, it's business as usual. The terminal was just shot up as Chapo's team fired back so one would assume the place would be evacuated, security would be around or the cops would race to the site.
Now, things like there being two cameras alone at the airport, ergo the lack of surveillance footage, can be understood in the '90s, which does fit the narrative of having these drug dealers stay off-grid. But there's no way an airport can keep operating amid gunfire. What's also laughable is Chapo and Co. then hide in the conveyor belt in full view of everyone, go through to the tarmac and run off to their plane. Once more, there are no security measures. Had they just shot the guards -- which the show could script due to the many creative liberties taken -- it'd make sense, but they simply saunter off.
What's comical as well is as the soldiers of the Tijuana empire come in pissed off, trying to find their targets, they meet people cowering instead of fleeing. It's bad scripting and visually a hot mess, as no one should be there from the time the firefight started.
It's all-out war and totally poignant as the death of a priest in the crossfire is what gets the government to turn the screws on the gangs. But honestly, some common sense could have been applied to make the episode realistic yet intense, rather than a ball of Hail Marys steeped in humorous plot convenience.
See how the Guadalajara airport hit is bungled in Season 3 of Narcos: Mexico, now streaming on Netflix.
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