Helmed by director Andrés Baiz and produced by Eric Newman and Sofía Vergara, Griselda, the biographical crime drama miniseries debuted on Netflix on January 25th, 2024.
The show delves into the tumultuous life of Griselda Blanco (played by Vergara), a notorious Colombian drug lord who was nicknamed the ‘Godmother of Cocaine.’
The show begins with Griselda fleeing Medellín in the middle of the night with her sons in 1978. As she moves to Miami to start afresh, she takes the help of every friend and ally who is willing to lend a helping hand.
Griselda’s bid to find a footing in America and build a life for her and her sons soon snowballs into a multi-billion dollar drug empire. On her way to the top, Griselda manages to make plenty of enemies—both among the law enforcement and her fellow narcos. When things are about to catch up, Blanco ends up giving herself up to the cops in order to save herself. But, if you were confused about exactly how she does it, then read on.
What happens at the end of Griselda?
In a pivotal moment, Marta Ochoa (portrayed by Julieth Restrepo) overdoses on Griselda’s watch. Marta is the wife of Griselda-hater and reluctant business associate Rafa Salazar, and sister to the Ochoa brothers, high-ranking members of the Medellín cartel. Griselda, fearing repercussions, devises a plan with her top hitman, Rivi, to clean the crime scene, steal all of Marta and Rafa’s cocaine stash and make it appear like a robbery. However, things go south when Rafa arrives home early. So, Griselda and Rivi dump Marta’s body in the jacuzzi and run away with the drugs.
Back home, Griselda discovers her third husband, Darío Sepúlveda, has left America with their son Michael Corleone—yes, Griselda named her fourth son after The Godfather character in real life. Darío had gone back to Colombia with Michael, which infuriated Griselda, who paid to have Sepúlveda assassinated.
Facing the relentless pursuit of her enemies, Griselda orchestrates her arrest to safeguard her family. She leaves her sons with Rivi, but when he gets caught, he flips on Grisleda and strikes a deal with the government. Rivi did derail the investigation against Griselda with a genius ploy: he has phone sex with the DA’s assistant and leaks the recorded call to the press. This sabotages the case, and Griselda ends up with only a seven-year sentence.
The final moments of the series reveal a devastating twist as detective June Hawkins comes to inform Griselda of the death of three of her sons—Uber, Dixon, and Ozzy. The Ochoas, seeking revenge, orchestrated the killings close to her release from prison. While Dixon was shot walking to his car. Ozzy was gunned down in a nightclub, and Uber was killed during a drug deal.
Griselda goes back to her cell and recalls the fond moments shared with her children, particularly a sunny day at the beach, replaying in her thoughts. The screen then fades to black, and it is revealed that Griselda eventually returned to Medellín, where she met her demise in 2012, shot by an unidentified assassin at the age of 69.
You can watch Griselda on Netflix and catch the trailer here:
