WARNING: This post may contain spoilers for the Netflix show Griselda Blanco.
The Netflix series “Griselda” portrays the life of Colombian drug dealer Griselda Blanco, who flees her hometown of Medellín, Colombia, to seek a better life in Miami, Florida. In the words of Lupsha, she’s not looking to make her success through the ways of the “sucker”, a common recurring theme within the American immigrant narrative.
Throughout the series, Griselda amasses wealth and influence through involvement in organized crime, specifically cocaine distribution. In doing so, she confronts the prejudices and obstacles typical of immigrant Americans striving for a better existence upon their arrival in the United States. Griselda’s character adeptly exploits fundamental American Dream principles such as freedom, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness (in her case, purpose) to recruit predominantly immigrant Americans into her operation. The show delves into the common scenario wherein immigrants from regions such as Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Colombia arrive in the United States via boats and subsequently seek blue-collar employment, often finding themselves in circumstances no better than those they left behind.
At the end of the show, I thought of Griselda as a savvy businesswoman who, against considerable odds, attains her version of the American Dream, albeit through illicit means. Despite underestimation in a predominantly male profession, she achieves her objectives. The series explores the ‘dark-side’ of the American dream and it’s consequences, with Griselda ultimately meeting her demise.
