Narcos: Mexico season 1, episode 2 recap: The Plaza System

Narcos: Mexico takes us deeper into the worlds of Felix Gallardo and Kiki Camarena in the second episode of the season.

Narcos: Mexico is intriguing in a way that sets it apart from the previous installments focused on Pablo Escobar and the Cali cartel. There is something more subtle about the dangers that are lurking about in the Mexican drug cartel and in this episode, “The Plaza System” we learn more about how the entire operation works.

Some of the best parts about the Narcos series is the way we are introduced to the true events that connect the episode’s story with what actually happened. In “The Plaza System” we learn about a group called DFS, aka Federal Security Directorate. The DFS was Mexico’s intelligence agency and were basically untouchable. Kiki first came to know about them after Jaime pointed them out at the bar, which also included El Azul.

In the hierarchy of government officials, the DFS is at the top, but they’re also the most corrupt. During the Cold War, the DFS was created to help the United States and assisted the C.I.A. with whatever they needed, including but not limited to, keeping an eye on anyone associated with the Communist party.

Basically, this episode of Narcos taught us that if you have a DFS badge, you could do anything, including getting in on the drug money that Felix was making. In order to come out on top, Felix needed the DFS on his side, which would prove even more difficult for Kiki to take down Felix.

Credit: Netflix

So, you might be wondering what the plaza system is. This is a very intricate, tedious aspect of the drug/cartel world, and it was pivotal to how Felix ran his game. Sinaloa, where Felix is from, is where the marijuana was grown and from there it was shipped around the country. But making this all come together would require a team effort, which proved to be extremely difficult, if not impossible.

Much like the other drug lords we’ve seen in Narcos, Felix is just as relentless and despite the skepticism and doubt he is getting from his colleagues, he is determined to make the plaza system prevail. And prevail he does after meeting with all the bosses and convincing them to agree to his plan. With Don Neto, and his nephew Amado, Felix meets with everyone to help bring his plan to fruition.

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Not only does he try to bring everyone together, but he also pitches his plan which involves more money and less violence. If the DFS agrees to be on their side, then all the bosses say they will meet in Guadalajara to kickstart the drug empire.

With all the major players on board, Felix is left to figure out how he will send the weed to the states, especially if he is going to ship all of America’s weed.

In order to meet with Alberto Sicilia Falcon, Felix uses one of his contacts, Isabella, as a way to get into Falcon’s headquarters to strike a deal.

But Narcos isn’t without its enemies, and even with everything in place, Felix has one major obstacle–his boss, Pedro Aviles, who doesn’t want to work with one of the bosses, Acosta. And because Pedro decides to drop out, so do all the other bosses which creates a major problem for ambitious Felix.

Unfortunately for Aviles, a DFS man heard Felix’s plan and was on board with it 100%. As they were heading back to Sinaloa, Aviles and Felix are stopped by cops and emerging from them are the DFS and Don Neto and before we know it, Felix kills Aviles and becomes the king of the Mexican drug cartel.

Narcos is making a fool out of Kiki, who is undermined by the rest of his DEA team time and time again. And little do they know, he’s onto something. Kiki is quick to realize something is wrong and with the Naranjo brothers dead, something is going down with Guadalajara. But things are completely against him because after finally getting a team to take down a lot that he suspected was being used for drug trafficking, they find nothing but plumbing materials.

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But does that stop Kiki from pursuing his suspicions? NOPE. He decides to take it a step further when he starts following trucks on foot because he believes they are transporting the drugs–and it looks like he is definitely onto something.

Meanwhile, Rafa is trying to figure out where his unique strain of marijuana can be grown since it has to be in a specific place in order for it to thrive and flourish. He forces a geology professor to help him locate a place and after hours of digging, he strikes tons and tons of water! And with only Kiki on their tail at the moment, it looks like the Mexican drug cartel is officially a go.

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