Casting Sofia Vergara in "Griselda" is half the battle won. Unfortunately, only half the battle is won.

Netflix really hit the jackpot when they decided to cast Sofia Vergara as the lady drug lord, Griselda. Honestly, who else in Hollywood could've nailed this role like Sofia did?

She's got the Colombian roots, her native language is Spanish, and let's not forget her fierce personality that's so typical of Latin American women. Think about it, Sofia came to Hollywood as a single mom with her son from Colombia over 20 years ago and climbed all the up to become one of the highest-paid actresses. If that doesn't scream 'fighting spirit', I don't know what does. You can just tell she's this powerhouse of a mom who wouldn't give up easily. And that's exactly the kind of energy needed to play a female drug lord who's running her own gang.

Sure, Sofia and Griselda don't exactly look alike. But they've got that Colombian background and the fiery personality of a lioness. From what we've heard, Griselda led a pretty wild life: a committed mom, clever and ambitious, creating one of the most profitable drug trafficking groups ever. In a business run by men, she had her own crew. Three marriages, three times she offed or indirectly got rid of her kids' dads. She's taken her own revenge, and ended up dying in a gang retaliation. How's that for drama?

She is not a kind and gentle person, but she is not a heartless maniac either. Her identity as a mother makes her different from the male drug lords, leaving infinite space for the audience to dramatically interpret her life. That was why I looked forward to Sofia's performance, hoping it would bring a complex and highly attractive Griselda. However, Sofia’s personal charm only made half of the show’s success. After watching six episodes, I have to say, the other half failed.

(There may be spoilers below)

Sofia's performance isn’t disappointing; it is quite touching. However, Netflix's rush to conclude Griselda's life in six episodes left out many details about her drug network's creation and maintenance. This omission hinders the audience's understanding of her character.

Furthermore, the series do not accurately portray her strategic thinking in building her drug empire. Instead, her every successful move seems to hinge on luck, often resulting from the decisions of male characters. For instance, when her ex-husband's brother is about to kill her, a hitman named Dario, whom she has no previous connection to, comes just in time and saves her. The show attributes his intervention to inexplicable sympathy for Griselda, of which she is completely unaware of.

I wonder, why not add one or two more details? By showing that Griselda had some understanding of Dario and knew that he would help at a critical moment, it could’ve reflected Griselda's ability to use and manipulate people. Isn't this a common way to shape male protagonists? But the show didn't film it this way. This makes me feel that the scriptwriters didn't do enough to shape Griselda as a person who is brave and resourceful.

Equally confusing for me is when Griselda sent someone to kill for the first time, she restlessly paced up and down in the kitchen at home. I understand that the director wanted to show her inner struggle through her unease. A struggle between ambition and conscience. However, there are many better ways. For instance, show her sit alone at home smoking, appearing calm on the surface but actually lost in thought and confusion without noticing people coming and going around her. Or, let her stay at home as comfortably as ever enjoying a happy time with her children. A phone call comes in, telling her the task is complete, then she drinks up the wine in the glass in one gulp and continues to play with her children. These are all common film languages used to shape "Godfather"-like male characters, and I think they are better than the way Griselda was filmed.

Let me just go a bit further: if Griselda were a man, the plot of this TV show would be much more complex and richer in detail, not just revolving around her female identity, her indecisiveness and gains and losses.

In past gangster movies with male protagonists, female characters are generally stereotypical and simple. They either see things in black and white or are simply ignorant clever clogs. But in reality, women are much more complex than these female characters on screen. And a woman who can establish a gang must inherently be more complex. She can't be purely good, can't be stupid, can't be meek, with small courage and no big plans. Therefore, when Netflix decided to make a movie about a female drug lord, I was very excited, thinking that the creators must be aiming to face up and present the complexity of a female character.

However, it turns out scriptwriters have once again simplified and stereotyped what could’ve been a three-dimensional female character. Observing Griselda's journey in the show, it's hard for me as a viewer to believe that any woman like her would be able to establish a powerful gang in reality. Perhaps the creative team also struggled to imagine this process, finding no way but merely add some ambition and courage to her character. Therefore, the details of her success are always unconvincing. She seems to possess only minor cleverness, and her success largely a matter of chance. Her greatest talent shown in this series is her ability to persuade men to help her achieve her goals. There seems no sign of her grasp of the overall situation, her insight into other people's psychology and behavior logic, or her analysis of everything going on. She has ambition, the ability to incite, beauty, but she can't escape the stereotype of a "femme fatale".

The story's ending seems to imply that all Griselda's success depends on the support and love of multiple men, and it is her inherent naivety and shortsightedness that lead to her ultimate failure. I think the plot's interpretation and portrayal of Griselda let down the excitement of the original story, and also let down Sofia's brilliant performance.

Let's return to the discussion about Sofia. In a recent interview, she reflected on her entry into Hollywood twenty years ago, saying, "My large breasts and body opened doors for me; when I started modeling at 20, they were my passport to the world, but today I'm 51, and I'm still here."

Sofia doesn't deny the opportunities she received from her sexy image, but she hopes that she is more than that now. Griselda could have been a role that helped challenge her typecast, and she truly demonstrated refreshing acting skills through this role. Unfortunately, it not solely a matter of her effort.

What the TV industry lacks is not good actors, but scriptwriters and creative teams with a more feminist perspective. I hope that next time, Sofia can encounter a better role and find the other half of success.