SPOILER ALERT: This article contains spoilers for the series finale of “Griselda,” now streaming on Netflix.
When you reach the end of Netflix’s new limited series “Griselda,” you may be surprised to learn that there is much more to the story. The series delves into the life and crimes of feared drug lord Griselda Blanco, but it doesn’t follow her into her post-prison years. Instead, it concludes with a scene from the worst day of her life, expertly portrayed by Sofía Vergara.
“It was very emotional for me,” says Vergara, reflecting on filming the final episode. “But I think with the help of [series director Andrés Baiz], I was able to tap into the things that, from the very beginning, made me believe that I could play her.”
In the finale, Griselda is arrested in California and sentenced to 15 years in a federal prison. But that’s just the beginning of the drama. Behind bars, Griselda orchestrates the murder of her estranged third husband, with the intention of reuniting their son with his half-brothers. When all four boys visit her in prison, she promises that they will be a family again once she is released.
Fast forward seven years, and former Detective June Hawkins delivers devastating news to Griselda: her three older sons have been murdered. Michael, her only surviving son, is living with his paternal grandmother back in Medellín. Overwhelmed with grief, Griselda retreats into the memory of the day she spent at the beach with her boys right before her arrest. The epilogue reveals that she was eventually released from prison, returned to Medellín, and was assassinated in 2012 at the age of 69.
Co-creator and executive producer Eric Newman explains the reasoning behind ending the series the way they did. “We had to show that she cared about her children,” he says. “The real loss is not her death many years later. It is the loss of the very thing she was trying to protect.”
The role of Griselda required extensive prosthetics and took a toll on Vergara. She drew from her own personal experience with the cost of the drug trade, having grown up in Colombia during that era. “I know what narco traffic does to your family, what it does to even the person who is part of that business,” says Vergara.
As the series came to a close, Newman wanted to ensure that Griselda’s actions were not softened or dismissed. “The challenge is always to humanize these people who do things that are inarguably inhuman,” he explains. “At some point, she becomes a terrorist, basically. She kills children. We do not shy away from the things that we know she did. The trick is to always get the audience on her side as quickly as possible.”
Vergara herself acknowledges the complexity of Griselda’s character. “There are things about her that I really admire, which kind of scares me,” she admits. “She was a strong woman in an era when women weren’t equal and there were only men in the narco traffic. She could have been something else with that. But I do think there were good intentions in her at the beginning.”
The series “Griselda” showcases Sofia Vergara’s talent as she brings the complicated character of Griselda Blanco to life. To fully understand Griselda’s journey, make sure to catch all six episodes now streaming on Netflix.
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