This is an important episode, as we see different elements of the plot starting to affect one another. We also see hints of Félix’s weaknesses beyond his business concerns. Forward movement happens on all the major plots.
Walt’s team sets their sights on their next target, and their operation has now gotten them on Félix’s radar. In between juggling inter-plaza squabbles, Félix tries to shore up protection for the cartel against the Americans. Elsewhere, Amado reluctantly helps Acosta in his efforts to end an old feud once and for all.
I’ve said before that Amado and Acosta make an interesting onscreen pair, and in this episode, Acosta puts Amado through it. It’s not just that they’re made to remove a guy from his hospital bedroom and beat him for information, and it’s not just that Acosta is pulling Amado into an armed standoff. It’s that Amado is expected to do all these things without Acosta telling him anything. When Amado first pushes him for context at the hospital, Acosta completely ignores it, instead replying, “Just watch my back.” Later in the episode, Acosta tells him, “Enough with the questions,” and Amado explodes, “Then give me some answers!”
The next move is made in the escalating tensions between Tijuana and Sinaloa. At his sister’s urging, Benjamín takes their grievances to Félix in the hopes of securing a better position for their family. After Benjamín thanks Enedina for her suggestions, she replies pointedly, “I’ve got lots of good ideas.” She’s been a good addition this season. As we saw with Isabella in season 1, there are women in this ecosystem who have the intelligence, ambition, and ruthlessness needed for the cartel, but they’re being shut out from being major players. It can be a bit “you could be a great drug trafficker, but sexism is holding you back!”, but I like it when stories show flawed or amoral characters experiencing bigotry. After all, it’s not something that only happens to the blameless.
As per the title, Walt’s team is now after Ruben Zuno Arce. He’s Félix’s friend who introduced him to his uncle in government in season 1, and even though he isn’t that important in and of himself, he’s a very tangible link to some of the big fish the DEA hope to catch, including Félix as well as a number of government officials. If they can get Zuno in their pocket, they stand to open all manner of doors.
Félix is definitely rattled by what he’s hearing of this American operation, but he’s doing his best to convey strength within that, coldly telling his bought-and-paid-for DFS leader to take care of this for him and standing firm against suggestions that he go into hiding. Knowing that the DEA is still on the warpath would be bad news for him under any circumstances, but he’s especially focused on his plans to make an important move with Colombia and doesn’t want anything to get in the way of that.
It's while he’s dealing with all this that he gets Benjamín’s call about the Sinaloans. In what might be Félix’s motto for keeping the cartel together, he tells his nephew, “Jealousy hurts business. Money is lost. This comes to an end, today.” You can feel how done he is in this conversation—if everyone would just put their personal shit aside, they could all get on with raking in money hand over fist, but no one seems to care about that but him.
Another bold move Félix makes to protect the cartel comes when he confronts his government partner directly. Much like his interactions with Cali always seem to back him into a corner, his interactions with the government are frequently a balancing act of dominance and submission. Félix is very assertive in this episode, reminding Mr. X, “You’re going nowhere without my money,” as he insists that the government do their part to keep the DEA away. At the same time, though, he has to keep his cool and not rise to the bait of Mr. X’s insults. Mr. X tells him to lay low, saying, “Run off. Scurry into the hole rats like you crawled out of.” Some of this, yes, is about Félix being a criminal, but it also has a strong classist undercurrent. Félix isn’t just a “rat” because he’s a drug trafficker; his government partner wants to remind him that, no matter how much money he earns, he’ll always be trash simply because of where he comes from. When Félix asks Mr. X what he knows about ancient Rome, borrowing an analogy from the previous episode, he immediately sneers, “I guarantee [I know] more than you.” And even though Félix knows how powerful he is and how much he’s accomplished, he needs to respond evenly, “I’m sure you do.” It’s fascinating to watch how he navigates this rage-inducing dynamic—the way Diego Luna plays it, it’s as if we the audience can see the reaction that Félix isn’t showing to the person who’s insulting him. I’m not sure how he manages that, but it’s really effective.
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