Original subtitles

HE WHO DOESN'T KNOW HISTORY IS DOOMED TO REPEAT IT

PABLO ESCOBAR, THE LORD OF EVIL

Alberto, I'm sorry about what just happened.

The police are already sweeping the area.

There are indications that she was taken to La Calera.

But they should have sent the helicopters ages ago, Mr. President.

At this moment they could be anywhere, in Bogotá, in the Llanos. Anywhere.

Hurry, baby.

Maruja!

Alright, ladies, make yourselves at home. If you need anything, just say so.

I would like some water. I have to go to the bathroom.

This old lady seems to have cystitis, huh?

- Why are we here? - Go on, honey, go to the bathroom.

C'mon on, honey. It's better if you do it willingly.

Don't put that face on, actually you're here by mistake, so cool.

We'll let you free soon. Go ahead with Lucho.

- No, I will not leave Maruja here alone. - You see, Lucho?

That's how friendships are among women, kid.

Which group are you from? Are you drug-dealers or guerrilla?

Guerrilla. Go ahead, baby, go ahead.

I don't believe a word. I want my cigarettes.

- Please, the lady's cigarettes. - Come, on do it the nice way, okay?

- Let's be nice to each other. - Go on, go ahead.

And you, lady, I want to be very clear with you, okay?

Don't get rude with me or anything of the sort, and that's all.

We must think of a strategy, this has to be the work of Escobar.

- Why are you so sure? - Who else can it be?

Besides, Mr. President, this kidnapping is not for money.

Look, Escobar is shielding himself on all sides to make us kneel before him.

After Diana's kidnapping with the others,

the only thing left for him was to do this.

I know that Maruja's kidnapping was a dirty trick

but he knew perfectly well that the only person close to Gloria,

besides her children, was Maruja.

- No doubt about that. - Look, Mr. President,

this kidnapping is not against Gloria, or against Maruja, it's against you.

So then, what do you mean you're resigning?

That's right, Don Pablo, I renounce being your lawyer.

Please understand,

but I don't agree with the things you are doing.

You leave me very badly and a lawyer owes himself to his reputation.

So then? What do you think I'm supposed to do?

What about those kidnappings today?

And where do you get I have something to do with the kidnappings? Answer me.

What proof do you have to incriminate me in such a serious and delicate thing?

Then, Don Pablo, allow me to ask you a question.

Do you have those people?

Look, attorney,

you are the intermediary of the Extraditable,

not mine, you understand?

I have never sent a message with you as a personal favor.

I need you to understand that.

Now I need you to please understand something.

If talks between the Extraditable and the Government

have not produced any results, that means my presence here is useless.

If you don't want to work, don't, and that's it.

Anyhow, please do understand me, Don Pablo.

Good night. Please get out.

Good night.

- Boss, is everything alright? - Yes, more or less.

- Earrings? - Sir.

I want to make sure that you and Vulture

don't even think of letting that other woman go.

Yes, sir.

Sir, that other woman is a sister of Villamizar.

- Is that so? - Yes.

Well... come on, kid, let's go.

Where are you taking us?

Cool, lady, and don't ask so many questions.

Tell me, what is the relationship between you two?

- Sisters-in-law. - Sisters-in-law, you see, Lucho?

Sister-in-law and all on board.

You are going to put us in there? We don't fit there. We don't fit.

- No, please not in the car's trunk, no. - Get in, get in.

- Go ahead, honey. - I am not your honey, you hear me?

Some respect please. And how are we going to breathe?

- Cool it. I'll leave a little hole. - Let go of me, don't touch me!

- Oh hell, what an old bag she is, get in. - Alright, alright.

Hurry up, hurry up.

Let's separate, kid.

- Where do you think we are? - I don't know.

I know we were in La Calera before, but now I don't know.

My God, do you think they are going to kill us?

No, no, if they wanted to kill us they would have done so already.

Now I don't believe a word of the message.

Prepare yourself, Berenice, because this is going to be long.

Oh, no, no.

Can you believe this, Mrs. Diana?

We've been in this nightmare for two months

and now they have two others kidnapped.

Oh, my God, this is crazy, this is terrible, Azucena.

Surely those who have them are the same people who have us.

Each time I remember the moment when we realized we were kidnapped,

I get so angry.

I just can't believe it.

But relax, relax, don't be upset.

At least we are alive and we are treated decently.

It's a question of time before we leave this place.

We must have faith and be strong.

Azucena, I ask you from the bottom of my heart to please forgive me.

I'm the one who got you in all this.

I am depriving you of your family, your husband,

and all the rest of your relatives.

I don't know at what point I got you all in this trouble. Please forgive me.

Mrs. Diana, I have nothing to forgive you.

If you had known,

you would not have exposed yourself because of your children.

- Are you sleeping? - No, the TV doesn't let me.

If you want, I can turn it off.

No, leave it on, the news is interesting.

Mrs. Maruja Pachón de Villamizar

and her sister-in-law Berenice Villamizar were kidnapped.

It seems that the authors of this kidnapping

are the same group that in past days...

What?

...have kidnapped several other people in the country.

- But don't they have enough? - There you go again.

I've already told you I only obey orders.

Don't you speak with Pablo Escobar? Doesn't he tell you anything?

- He only gives you orders? - I don't know the man.

Besides you are here because of the Extraditable,

not because of Pablo Escobar.

The message I recorded the other day for my family was never delivered, right?

Good night.

Well, when one is young you just finish school and start looking for a living,

and I got interested in this. You know?

What I like is the picture, the rolling of the cameras, the lights,

but actually what one wants is to be a journalist.

Imagine, each month I take 10% of my salary

to take a course in journalism, that's my dream,

but after seeing all this that has happened to us, brother,

I no longer feel like it anymore. After seeing Mrs. Diana like that,

Azucena, José and you, man, it's damn hard.

We can't work in this country and much less be a journalist.

I'll go for your ten beans and put ten more.

This is a tough situation but one ends up tolerating it, right?

What hurts me the most is to think of our families out there.

- What they are feeling. - Yes.

Carmiña?

- It's me, Maruja, Maruja Pachón. - Hello.

- She is Berenice, my sister-in-law. - I'm so sorry you are here.

Here are some sweatshirts so you can change.

Some clean underwear. Put your dirty clothes in a bag.

I'm going to sleep, don't make noise, don't make noise.

- I must talk to your boss. - What you have to do is to obey, lady.

Give me your jewels.

Here, take them.

- Your earrings. - I will not give you my earrings.

Look, honey, for your sake, please obey.

I am not your honey and as I said, I will not give them to you.

Maruja, please obey him. And where are you going to put them?

- This is not the... - I'll bring you a mattress.

And I want you to know something.

Don't bother the host because he is already at ease, okay?

Yes, sir, right.

Oh, the humidity here is terrible.

Carmiña, have you been here all the time since they kidnapped you?

- Yes. - This must be terrible for your health.

Don't talk so loud, don't make any noise.

Yes, of course, I'll keep you informed.

Okay, good bye.

- I already spoke with all my brothers. - Thank you, Son.

Please tell them to forgive me

because I can't see them at this moment.

Would you like a scotch, Dad?

No, I don't think it's a good idea to mix a drink in the midst of this tragedy.

But I'll have one, kid. Anyhow, tomorrow I won't be going to work.

What psychiatrist can go to work with such a problem?

I'll bring one for you.

I promise you that very soon the four of us will be together again.

Starting today my only task is to release Maruja and Berenice

and if I have to face Pablo Escobar again, well I'll do it.

- So go ahead and write. - Yes.

The Extraditable...

admit having...

the group of disappeared journalists.

Likewise, we regret with sadness...

No, without sadness.

We regret the withdrawal of the Notables

who were generously going to mediate

in solving this conflict.

Period.

- Conflict. - Period.

We would also like to announce

a unilateral ceasefire

in the struggle against the Colombian Government.

Pablo, a ceasefire?

Yes, but listen to this, listen to the entire idea.

A unilateral ceasefire in the struggle against the Colombian State

while the election process concludes

for the formation of the Assembly...

No, listen to me.

For the formation of a new National Constituent Assembly,

the New National Constituent Assembly.

- Assembly... - National Constituent Assembly.

Period.

Okay? Now read it all over to me.

We, the Extraditable, state that all the journalists are in our hands.

No, I said we do accept.

NOVEMBER 20, 1990

Irma, thank you so much for receiving me in your house.

Mrs. Nidia, it is a pleasure for me to have you here in Medellín.

You know this will always be your house,

but what a shame to have you here in these circumstances.

Yes, I know you went through what Diana is living right now.

That's why I've come to ask you for a favor,

because you know how she's feeling.

Yes, that's the worst thing that can happen to any human being.

Please help me. It's been two months since I last saw her.

I'd love to but I really don't know how.

Your brothers.

My brothers have nothing to do with that kidnapping.

People say they are very close to Escobar, that they whisper in his ear.

Please understand, Irma,

that what I want is for Escobar to have mercy on my daughter.

For him to resolve his problems however he wishes,

but not with Diana in the middle.

Mrs. Nidia, I really feel so sorry for you,

but there's nothing I can do.

What's more, I shouldn't tell you this,

but my brothers are looking for the way to submit to justice.

They can't do anything with Pablo.

Irma, I'm going to ask you this favor

and I will be eternally grateful to you.

Please pass this letter on to Escobar.

You know what Diana must be feeling and what I'm feeling. Please.

Shut up! Don't make so much noise.

They are going to get angry.

But, Carmiña, what can I do? I have bronchitis.

Alright, alright, who is the one who coughs all the time?

Can't you let us sleep or what?

What do you want me to do? This place is killing me.

So now it's this place? It's all those cigarettes you smoke, honey.

- Look, why don't you stop smoking? - I will not stop anything

because this cough I have is not from the cigarettes.

It's from the humidity of the past 15 days in this place.

Just touch that wall, it's soaking wet.

Look, dreary, be thankful that you have a blanket.

You know what? Let go of me, you respect me.

You respect me, lady, because you're going to die of that cough, you hear?

- And don't open those eyes. - Are you threatening me?

If you are going to kill me, kill me,

but I'm not going to live terrorized in this place.

- Please, please. - Relax, Carmiña.

Look, let's treat each other nicely, okay?

You know what? If you want me to shut up, give me a sleeping pill.

Why are you complaining so much if you have everything, you crazy old lady?

Go to sleep, calm down, calm down,

because otherwise they will treat us worse

and they won't even let us go to the bathroom.

Carmiña, forgive me for talking to you this way.

It's that I can't stand to see you so submissive.

I know you've been here for two months but we have to stop those people,

otherwise they will finish us and they will do whatever they feel with us.

Well, at least you're no longer coughing, Maruja.

Let's please go to sleep. Go to bed.

You know? When this nightmare comes to an end,

I'm going to invite both of you to have lunch together at the restaurant

and then we can recall this moment and laugh.

Good evening, gentlemen. Did I wake you up?

- What is this? - Take it, José.

What is this?

Nice clean clothes and razor blades because you're leaving tomorrow.

Sorry, Harold, you have to wait, brother.

What? Where are you taking me?

Well, you're leaving tomorrow so that you don't bother anymore.

That's good news, José. Good for you, José.

That is not good, Harold. They are not going to release me,

they are going to kill me. They are going to kill me, Harold.

Come on, man, what a bore you are, José!

We are not going to kill you. Maybe I am going to kill you,

but when you are sleeping so you don't bother us anymore.

If I had wanted to kill you, I would have done it ages ago.

What a bore. Harold, how can you stand this guy?

Harold, they are going to kill me, they are going to kill me!

Relax, calm down, José, calm down.

Relax, cool.

- Ismael? - No, Mr. President, thank you.

- Alberto. - Well, yes, thank you.

I must confess I was the first one to suspect of that so-called ceasefire,

knowing that Extraditable have no word.

Surprisingly they are complying,

because there have been no more kidnappings, right?

Yes, but we no longer have any contacts, we don't have anything,

no letters, no messages, no calls, absolutely nothing.

When the Notables and the Extraditable attorney resigned,

we no longer had any mediators. Supposedly we were the ones

who would conduct the dialogues from the Government.

Yes, Mr. President, but that has not happened.

With all due respect we haven't done much,

we've been waiting for them to propose but they don't appear.

The Motoa brothers are also firm in their decision not to surrender

unless they issue a new and more generous decree.

What do they want me to do?

Alberto, I have no communication with the kidnappers.

The only thing I can do now

is to give orders to intelligence and control so they continue to search.

Mr. President, that way they will never appear.

Please authorize me to negotiate directly with Escobar.

I'll talk to him and I'll ask what he wants

and speak on behalf of the Government, please.

President, I already have all the points ready to be included in this new decree.

Whenever you wish we can revise them.

Here is what you asked for.

Only one?

Only one each night so you can sleep and let others sleep.

And don't ask for more, you understand?

- You understand? - Perfectly.

Go to sleep.

- Does anyone want? - No, you take it.

Just in case I'll only sleep half time,

and in case I die I'll already be deeply asleep.

Maruja!

I would like to face death myself but not like this, I can't fight this way.

You sound like a broken record with that story that I'm going to kill you.

If I would have wanted to kill you, I would have done so last night,

when you were sleeping, you asshole.

You're saying that so that I don't react.

So, is that what you want? Is that what you want?

You are going to have yourself killed.

Look, man, we've treated you very well.

Take care, boss. With the paranoia that guy has,

he can throw himself on top of me and who knows what he can do to me.

Look at me, if by any chance I see a small picture of myself

or if the police come by my house, I'll look for you

and I'll kill the shit out of you, and not only will I kill you,

I'll kill all your family and anyone around there.

- Do you understand me? - No, I don't know anything...

And you can't talk about me either, understand, you idiot?

No, I don't know anything. I don't know anything.

Something else, José. If the police ask you how the house was,

where the house was, you don't know anything, okay?

The Extraditable have been very good with you, so you behave, alright?

Welcome to your freedom, you asshole.

Get out of the car, get out. What on earth.

After the release last November 26th of journalist José Vidal

who had been kidnapped by the so-called Extraditable

for more than two months, this radio station has just confirmed

through its highly credible sources of the House of Nariño

that President César Gaviria and his team,

in order to respond to this humanitarian act,

have prepared a new State of Siege decree

within the submission to the justice program.

This decree will offer new and more benefits

to those drug dealers who wish to surrender

under the premise that those who do it

will not be extradited to the United States.

However, notwithstanding the efforts made to solve this situation peacefully,

the National Police continue to look for the kidnapped,

some of which, according to indications,

are to be found in the city of Medellín.

Therefore, and although he has not accepted publicly

to be the head of the self-called Extraditable,

Pablo Escobar is considered to be by the Government and the authorities

the head behind this group.

To my wife, my children, my father and brothers

and all my family who have been worried for me,

I wish to tell you that in spite of the difficulty of being kidnapped,

I am actually very well. I also ask the families

of the other journalists and kidnapped citizens

to be strong in this moment of pain and never lose hope,

because this terrible situation will soon pass.

And I ask the Government

to do everything possible to obtain their release,

but without going over the law or the Constitution.

- So then, Pedro, what's new? - Hello, Pablo.

- Hi, Pedro, what's up? - Hi, Peluche.

- Ramada, how are you? - Mr. Motoa.

Come on, man, sit down.

What did you have to do this time in order to come and see us?

Well, with all this problem of the Assembly elections

and all those people on the streets, it's difficult for us to move around.

Congratulations, gentlemen. The boss is very happy with your work,

so don't think it's weird if the boss calls you again.

But, Mole, is all the money really there? Because that bag looks so small.

The money is in dollars. If it's not good enough for you,

just tell me. Anyhow there's an extra bonus.

Let's count it. And the bonus, you know what?

We're not going to spend it on pretty girls.

Let me ask you something.

Wouldn't it be better for your boss to have us on the payroll?

Well, first of all we have to think of the guests and after, maybe.

Why not? It's something to think about.

Tell him we can take care of them during the whole year, right, Lucho?

You know that's what we've been doing.

Oh, Mole, and something else, if you need people for security

or for anything else, we'll be here waiting.

Yes, I know, you are willing to help,

but I'm the one in charge of the boss's security.

But you know what?

Don't try to be so smart, there are lots of cops around here.

- We'll be in contact. - Stop being so hotheaded.

Go along the shade and let's leave the others.

Go on, brother.

How did your delivery come out?

More or less, slowly but surely, brother.

I believe the Government is cooking something concerning the decree

and whenever that consolidates, we'll get in.

What do you think, Ramada?

As you know, I don't like the idea very much, right?

But we'll be discussing everything with Pedro.

Yes, we'll talk about all this at the ranch, with some drinks.

Well then, the only thing now is for me to wish you all good luck

and let's hope the Government won't let you down

and that you don't end up sharing a cell in jail with that nut Marcos Herbert

for the rest of your days. Can you imagine that, Peluche?

- Oh, my goodness. - No, no, no.

Here, Pablo. It was sent by Diana Turbay's mother.

Pablo, concerning this subject,

I understand that you handle your things your way,

but what I don't is why you decided to release some of the journalists.

There's nothing for you to understand, Ramada,

and you are probably going to understand even less

because in the next few days we are going to release two other journalists.

Let me explain, Ramada.

What we are doing is trying to make the Government happy, right?

Signs of our goodwill. Just like in chess,

we are giving them the pawns while we stay with the queen.

Azucena, they've just told me they are going to release one of us!

Yes, they told me it was me.

How wonderful!

I'm so happy for you.

But, Mrs. Diana, what about you?

I'll be alright, you are the one who is important right now. How wonderful!

You will see your husband again. How long have you been married?

- Four years. - You will see him again.

I'm going to write a small note so you can take it to my house, okay? Come.

I feel so happy to be once again with my husband,

with my parents, with my brothers,

but I'm also very sad because my friends are not here with me.

Mrs. Diana.

It seems they will be back soon. How true is this?

They will probably be coming back this weekend,

according to what they told me.

Mister, will you please take a picture of me?

You only have to press this button.

- Your attention please... - Another one.

When we were only two days away

from the elections of the National Constituent Assembly,

German citizen Harold was released...

Thanks a lot!

...and two days after, on December 13,

it was journalist Azucena Lievano, editor of the News channel Plutón,

who was also in the hands of the Extraditable.

Today December 17th,

cameraman Omar Velásquez also from the same news channel,

was released in a street downtown Medellín.

Earrings, you can come to my house to pray the novena

whenever you want. - No, I will not go to your house.

If you don't promise me that your old lady

will prepare those delicious fritters she always prepares.

How fresh can you be, huh?

And also you two and your brother, thanks very much, kid,

you will come and pray the novena with us,

because the Infant Jesus has been very good to us this year.

- And next year will be even better. - Yes.

- Let's toast to my mother's fritters. - So this man doesn't eat them all.

- Look how fat he is... - Don Poncho,

I wanted to ask you if you could pay the money for the last job I did.

December is around the block, you know? The presents and all.

This guy really takes advantage of everything, huh?

I knew those beers were not for free, man.

Okay, here, here's your million.

Did you see that asshole's face? Come on, kid, you earned your money.

Sir, boss, thanks very much.

Listen, Don Poncho, could you lend me 15 more million?

- I have a girlfriend so... - Do you think I'm a bank or what?

15 million for gifts? Try to control yourself.

- All those little details. - Come on, Poncho, don't be so stingy,

go ahead and lend him those 15 million, man.

He seems to be willing to pay you back.

For you that money is nothing. Come on, don't be stingy!

Can you believe this?

Now Santa Claus and the Fairy Godmother have appeared.

- Okay, here are another 15 million. - Oh, sir...

But you listen. You pay that money back to me.

Don't you worry. I'll pay you back.

Let's pay a visit over there. It doesn't look good.

Poncho, listen, are those cops?

Boss, it's a miracle that I'm alive. I got out of there running like mad.

Whoever told you to be where you shouldn't be, in the streets drinking?

I'm sorry, Don Pablo, that's not it.

I was arranging the hostages' issue, as you asked me to.

So then, they killed two of the Chuscos?

That's what it looks like, sir. In the middle of the shooting,

I don't know what happened to the bodyguards.

Besides, I don't know where they buried them.

The only one alive is Lucho.

Let me hear what those famous changes the Government has made are.

Colombians, with the new State of Siege decree,

drug traffickers who decide to benefit

from the surrender to justice of the National Government

will be able to accumulate a single sentence

for all the crimes they confess.

Likewise, they will be given a special place of detention

and shall be expressly guaranteed the non-extradition to the United States.

How about that? Now is this good enough for you?

Sir, that sounds very good.

That's pure bullshit, that's good for them but not for me.

What do you mean? So then why all that bullshit of the kidnappings?

Supposedly with the kidnappings we were going to negotiate our surrender.

Don't mix things up, Peluche.

Kidnappings are another thing, they serve us only and exclusively

so that the wealthy families of the hostages

put pressure and despair on the Government.

Who is desperate right now, the Government or us?

And the negotiation is something else

and it is not a negotiation, I am not negotiating with anybody.

My surrender will become effective only and exclusively

when it is recorded in the Charter of the New Colombian Constitution

the prohibition of extradition of Colombians to North America

and not before.

That's only an insignificant decree, forget it.

DECEMBER 24, 1990

"This letter is not addressed to Pablo Escobar,

the warrior, the fighter,

the one who has a whole country in suspense,

but the Pablo Escobar, the man,

the sensitive human being who adores his mother

and would give his life for her, the one who has a wife

and small defenseless and innocent children

whom he wishes to protect. I, like you, also have children

and I am the mother of a woman that for some reason or another,

which my heart still does not understand,

ended up in the middle of a war that is not hers,

when the only war in her life has been in favor of journalism and her family.

Right now, and because you have decided this,

my daughter Diana Turbay has been separated from her children,

from her husband, and her parents,

suffering and accepting that she has to pay with her freedom

the war between a man and the State,

just like the others kidnapped must also suffer,

as well as their families. Soon Christmas will be here,

a season when families must be together,

it is meant to join parents and children around the manger

to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Please, I beg of you,

so that in this Christmas season we may have something to celebrate.

You've already achieved what you wanted,

you've already caught the attention of the public opinion

in favor of your cause.

Mr. Escobar, do show the human being you really are

and in a big and humanitarian act,

which the whole world will understand, give us back our kidnapped."

Alright, boys, Christmas festivities are over and we had a lovely time,

and, although you are a little scared, now the time has come.

Yes, Dad, the time has come

with the issuance of the last decree of surrender to justice,

we are now ready.

So what are you waiting for?

Why are you in such a hurry? We've come to say goodbye, man.

Alright then. Say goodbye.

- God bless you, Father. - Thank you, Son, and goodbye.

Dad, please take care of our families.

Don't worry, Son, those of us who are outside will be fine.

I know you will. Besides everything has been told to Pablo and Ramada,

so you don't have to worry.

No, wait a minute, Pedro. And what about the extradition?

What if Pablo is right and the Government betrays us

and the three of us end up in jail in the United States? My God!

Are you going to go on with the same bla-bla-bla?

Goodness gracious, man!

That's why they issued the second decree,

but, Germán, you must trust people, especially our leaders.

I'm sorry, Dad, but I only trust my family.

You taught us to always follow our instincts

and that's why I am not going to surrender.

But, Germán, we already talked this over.

- Germán! - Germán!

These boys of mine...

This series is freely adapted from La Parábola de Pablo by Alonso Salazar.

Based on news articles and real events, the historical facts are surrounded

by fictional characters and dialogues that recreate non-documented situations.