Netflix's Bad Blood season 1, episode 1 recap: Scar Tissue

Because of Narcos, we’ve learned a lot about the Columbian and Mexican cartel But have you ever heard of the Montreal drug world? If not, let us introduce you to the world of Bad Blood.

Bad Blood is a whole new ballgame when it comes to the world of drugs and drug trafficking. We’ve seen the ins and outs of Narcos, but Bad Blood gives us a completely different perspective and location–Montreal. As we learned in the beginning moments of the pilot, Montreal was a big hub for drugs, namely cocaine, and heroin.

If you lived on the East Coast, drugs likely came from Montreal. And where there are drugs, there’s lots and lots of money. And where there is money, there is bloodshed (as Narcos has so vividly taught us). The city of Montreal was torn to pieces with multiple groups in control of different things.

The Irish overpowered the docks, while the Haitians worked the street ops. As far as distribution goes, the Bikers were in charge of that. And then we have the Mafia who handled importing the actual product. The Mafia also had their hands in Montreal’s construction business as well.

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Fast forwarding to the 1990s, we meet the infamous Rizzuto family. In the years prior, Papa Rizutto was the head honcho in charge but the reins of the empire were eventually handed over to his son, Vito. He had a different take on how to handle the business, and he took on this world alongside his partner-in-crime, Declan.

Due to the multiple factions present in the city, Vito wanted to see more cooperation amongst them. But that was easier said than done, considering he wanted to be the one in charge of them all. One thing was certain, if they continued to go down the path they were, everyone would most likely fail.

Bad Blood introduces us just how crazy the drug world got in Montreal after this particular meeting. According to Declan (who narrates the show), their shenanigans should have made it into history books. Their efforts brought together all the groups and brought a peace that had never been accomplished before.

They were paying off cops and ruling the streets of Montreal like nobody’s business. But how long could this peace and rest last? Not very long.

During the pilot episode, we meet the Rizzuto family along with Vito’s mistress, Michelle. It’s an interesting dynamic but seems to work for good ‘ol Vito.

The Rizutto family fathers to celebrate Vito’s son’s Nico’s birthday. Mind you, Nico isn’t exactly a big part of the family business. At least not yet.

Nico is in the real estate world, and it’s Vito’s desire that he stays there. But Nico wants more from his life, and he wants to be a bigger part of what’s going on. And his biggest frustration lies with his father’s most trusted advisor, Declan.

Nico doesn’t understand why he is not privy to the same information Declan is, and this ignites a very long war that will follow in the episodes to come. And trust me when I say, Bad Blood gets pretty darn intense.

We get a bit more of an insight into Michelle and Vito’s relationship as well in the pilot episode. Let’s just say it’s pretty volatile, and Vito isn’t exactly faithful. But he seems pretty comfortable lying about it all. After all, he is the drug kingpin of Montreal.

But Michelle isn’t going to take his crap, and she tells him she demands respect. She has adjusted to the reality of her life with him, and he better recognize it. Talk about putting your foot down.

The war is starting to escalate in Montreal and a guy named Rejean is the instigator to start it all. Men from New York are infiltrating Montreal and disrupting the peace that Vito has worked hard to establish. However, given the amount of control Vito holds over every aspect of Montreal, it will be very difficult to take him down.

But Vito also has another vision. He wants to make their businesses legit over the course of time. Yes, everything is seemingly perfect with money rolling in and the power in his hands. But at the core of everything, his priority lies with the family.

With such intentions in mind, Vito wants Nico to be the CEO of the legitimate businesses. In order to appear and gain trust, they need a face that will bring that reassurance. Hence, Nico is the perfect man to take the job.

But all this is disrupted when the cops show up with an extradition order to arrest Vito. He’s being charged with the 1981 murders of Alphonse Indelicato, Philip Giaccone, and Dominick Trinchera. Apparently, the state’s witness turned on Vito and is claiming that Vito was the one behind the murders.

According to Vito’s lawyer, there is no choice but to go to trial. The Justice Department is the one leading the charge, and things are way more complicated than he could imagine. Regardless of what is going on with Vito and his arrest, the business has to continue.

Declan is concerned over the fact that there must be some solid evidence against Vito for the Justice Department to get involved. And amidst all this, Nico is ready to step in full-time, despite Declan’s resistance. This is Nico’s moment to shine, and that is exactly what he intends to do.

The problem lies in the fact that Nico doesn’t consider Declan a part of the family–no matter what anyone says. And despite whatever Vito thinks, Nico does not believe that Declan should be in charge of anything.

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Ultimately, Vito was punished with a 10-year sentence minus the time that was already served. In order to keep him as far away from Montreal as possible, he was shipped off to Colorado Federal Penitentiary. And thus began the start of an all-out war on Bad Blood.

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