The third season of "Narcos" ended with Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent Javier Pena (Pedro Pascal) returning home to Texas after having submitted his resignation. Now, showrunner Eric Newman has shed some light on the deeper meaning behind that moment.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Newman said Agent Pena's story on the show has likely come to an end. The character gave up entirely after realizing that the Cali Cartel - Gilberto Rodriguez Orejuela (Damian Alcazar), Miguel Rodriguez Orejuela (Francisco Denis), Chepe Santacruz Londono (Pepe Rapazote) and Pacho Herrera (Alberto Ammann) - had total control over the Colombian government.
"I do think that we've told Pena's story pretty effectively," said Newman. "'The only way to win is not to play' is a certain aspect of it. He has been irremovably changed by this experience, and whether he'll be happy in his life at home? I would say no. I don't think it's a particularly happy ending for him but I think it's certainly accepting the futility of this."
Indeed, even Pascal himself is doubtful that his character will return in "Narcos" season 4. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, the 42-year-old Chilean-American actor said he and the producers have yet to discuss whether the character will still be part of the show's fourth run.
"You know, they were very clear with me about seasons 1 and 2, but then it got a little bigger, and you get nervous," Pascal admitted. "You don't know. It's in their hands. I have no control over it."
With Agent Pena out of the picture and the season 3 finale passing the torch to Mexico as the next chapter, fans should expect plenty of unfamiliar faces in the fourth installment of "Narcos." However, it remains uncertain whether it will focus on Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, the drug lord of the infamous Sinaloa Cartel.
Season 3 of "Narcos" is now streaming on Netflix.
