Hello. I mean Felix here.
https://www.tumblr.com/hrh-selene-r/823943468287164416/the-more-i-learned-the-more-interesting-it-was
Because he could convince other drug kingpin to make a 'co-operation', so I want to more about 'he was seemingly a chill guy'. Thank you :)
Oh, okay. Yeah. Sorry đ
I didnât understand the question.
Well, the show paints him out to be this grumpy, sour, petty, workaholic, whoâs only interested in his business and the power it brings him. He never seems to enjoy himself. Heâs a real stick in the mud in his sonâs birthday (which can be understandableâŠbecause kids are running around. But heâs not socializing. The guy is even grumpy, frowny and stiff even in his own birthday party. Actually, the most relaxed he seemed is in this scene. And itâs so he can repeat the same stupid joke Falcon made (which I get the purpose of).
In shortâŠhe feels sort of 2 dimensional in the series overall. I am aware that this in service of focus and to move the plot forward (despite him having 20 episodes), but thatâs the problem, in the 2 seasons he has on the show we get to know the boss of bosses, not Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo (despite him being the de facto protagonist with the most screen time). Which is a shame because Miguel Angel IRL was a real interesting guy.
By most officerâs accounts, Miguel Angel was a cold and calculating killer who was very pragmatic and only killed when necessary. Itâs very obvious that he must have some disregard for human life, wether this is because of his nature or if he was desensitized due to his upbringing (which is the most likely) is up for debate (he was raised in CuliacĂĄn in the 40âs and 50âs, which were very violent times. By 1975, CuliacĂĄn was one of the worldâs murder capitals). This part does mesh well with the Diego Luna interpretation.
However, Miguel Angel was also described by those that know him as quiet, serious, but courteous, well-spoken, fiercely intelligent, clever, extremely hard-working with a strong business sense. He never cusses or raises his voice. He always seemed like someone who was watching the world around him. He was someone that would rather resolve his issues with words and only used violence as a last resort. Amadoâs lawyer said that he always seemed to premeditate or choose carefully every word he said.
This isnât to say that he wasnât a borderline workaholic (he kinda was). Felix (like most men that reach that level of success) was very energetic and driven. He always worked like there was no tomorrow (because there are no guarantees in that business). He also spent a lot of time courting politicians, traffickers and bankers and generals and wealthy businessmen. That being said, he also had a social calendar, where heâd frequently attend weddings, birthday parties etc. and party it up. He also travelled frequently and vacationed. He would travel all over Latin America, but he frequented Chile. Contrary to what the show depicts, Felix and Pablo Escobar actually got along very well. To the point that Pablo would insist in personally hosting Felix in Hacienda NĂĄpoles whenever he was in Colombia. He also liked to go to Europe and his favorite vacation spot was Geneva. He was also very confident and would do THE dumbest thing a narco could do and would go to social events and have his picture in the newspapers. But that doesnât mean that he wanted the fame of a narco. In fact, he is usually described as austere. According to Ed Heath, he was a man that wanted to control and coordinate things but quietly. Which worked out for him because a quiet and discreet narco is an unproblematic narco that can make it to old age (just look at Mayo and Azul).
He also liked to paint and make woodcuts and was a patron of the arts (like with Jose Luis Cuevas and Marta chapa). In fact, while in jail, they bought him canvases as a gift for his work managing the other inmates . He also established a business in jail where they manufactured soap and vynil paint (so successful that the prison officials would buy large quantities of it). He enjoys modern music, as opposed to more traditional northern music listened by his colleagues. In fact, according to his son, he doesnât even like corridos. Which is sooo ironic.
Heâs an admittedly avid reader (especially when he got to jail) and had a very eclectic book collection that covered topics like law, philosophy, classics, and history (especially Aztec and Mexican history). He was also interested in radio communications and would tinker with radios as a hobby. He has a unique sophistication (where show Miguel Angel has a perpetual chip on his shoulder). He also liked to wear slick suits, and designer clothes; flared jeans and polo or checkered patter shirts were his go-to outfits with custom made shoes (something that the show mentions. But it wasnât necessarily to be fancy, it was because he had big feet and needed custom shoesâŠ.đ). Like we see in the show, he basically always had the same haircut with a neat side part.
Miguel Ăngel was a man that liked nice luxurious things, but he never flaunted his wealth. He also collected luxury watches, that he never wore. Sports cars and motorcycles that he very rarely used (this is more referenced in the chapo series), collected expensive brandy and he lived in a very nice house in CuliacĂĄn. He actually owned several homes that he occupied, with his house in Guadalajara being in one of the most exclusive neighborhoods. He also had a house in mazatlan right next door to the US consulateâs/ambassadorâs house. (The government actually confiscated like 200 properties he owned).
All this isnât to say that he was a snob that didnât get down with his more rural (some would say hillbilly) trafficking colleagues. (Which is somewhat what the show depicts). In fact, he would easily fit and mingle with them. He was known to join those wild parties with cock fights, dancing horses, band and mariachi, barbecue and tequila/mezcal. (This is not the guy who would hate to have a pet tiger as a present). Which makes sense because he was raised on a ranch (although you could say he was raised in a middle class family). In fact, his sister once haughtily said that her family were not âhuarachudosâ (referring to the sandals Mexican native Americans and peasants wore/still wear. She was basically saying that her family werenât peasants. Like Rafaâs or Netoâs).
Miguel would also occasionally throw parties himself, but they werenât like the birthday party we saw in season 2, where he would just stay in one counter to brood, no. These were 3-day benders where there was alcohol, music, prostitutes and Felix would freebase cocaine or crack and partake in meth. (Though it is noted that he was a social drug user and that use may have escalated after Kikiâs death and fueled his paranoia and violence).
As a husband, not much is known that the show doesnât depict. Maria Elvira is his second spouse and they did have 2 (or was it 3?) children. Miguel and Abril. But wether he fell in love with Maria or used her to climb a social ladder is up for debate. Not much is known about Maria Elvira, but she was apparently a well-connected member of Sinaloan society in CuliacĂĄn (so she wasnât poor). She also had her own company (which the show neglected to mention). She was also impacted by Miguel Angelâs arrest when the Mexican government confiscated her property and impacted her business. So it seems that she wasnât a stay at home mom or a trophy wife and was smart and competent and came from a well off familyâŠso did Miguel love her? Weâll never know.
As a father, he seems to be somewhat engaged. In his diaries he mentions visiting his children with Maria Elvira every two weeks, every other month. So itâs not a complete abandonment on his part, like we see Felix do in the show. But then again, Felix has 18 children that heâs recognized (some people estimate he actually has 30). So I wouldnât exactly say he was father of the year. He probably made the children he had within wedlock his priority. Which says a lot about him.
Religiously, he is a staunch catholic (like a lot of his colleagues) and is said to have met the Pope John Paul II (he even had a photograph of the occasion in his cell) and corresponded with him and Pope Benedict. Which makes sense because both him and Rafa were big donors to the Catholic Church in Mexico, even in jail.
Politically, he leans more left. It seems operation condor left a mark on him (like most of his contemporaries) and disillusioned him. He was a patron to a lot of industries and is very vocal against unchecked capitalism and the corrupt government that allowed him to prosper.
He also liked animals but didnât have any notable pets. In his diary he mentioned how he admired Calderoniâs birds to the point that he noticed and Calderoni promised to gift them to him (something he didnât do because of the betrayal and Felixâs arrest).
Honestly, among traffickers, Felix is a bit of an odd duck. Unlike his colleagues, he is not 2nd or 3rd generation narco, or comes from a family like that. He didnât grow up in extreme poverty with a lack of education. He is a quiet, patient and meditative man who used a corrupt system to his benefit. He is somewhat of a natural intellectual who appreciated the finer things in life and navigated life with a mix of confident ease and serious courtesy that commanded respect and attention. In him, I see the duality of a cold killer and a thinker and I wish the show explored that more and show just how different and possible outsider he was among his peers. Heâs someone who was raised in violence who employed violent means and exploited a corrupt system to elevate himself. If anything, his true strength was his ability to navigate both upper and lower echelons of the Mexican classes using his manners, wits and natural intelligence. Itâs sort of how like a genius con-man can get away with convincing people and doing really incredible stuff with little resources. Thatâs whatâs so fascinating.
As far as his portrayal in the show, he hates it and has vocally complained about it. Claiming itâs inaccuracy and his innocence. Narcos: Mexico should be viewed as mostly fiction inspired by real life. It makes up a lot of things. (The show says this itself at the start) Itâs narrative revolved around Felix (to the detriment of the other characters) so it portrayed him as this genius mastermind supreme commander; obsessively controlling everything and everyone while Rafa and Neto just party in the background and occasionally talk with him. In reality, all three of them were highly influential and are more complex than the show portrays. In fact, the federation wouldâve never happened without Rafa and Netoâs collaboration. Felix didnât build the federation out of nothing, he used the foundation that Pedro had already built, but he lacked Rafa and Netoâs resources and influence. Which is why they operated in collaboration, as opposed to the strict hierarchy the show simplifies it to be. Even Joaquin Cosio has said that while he loves characters with dual nature, with Neto we only see the fun side of the man. (Which is probably why the real Neto liked his portrayal, he said). He also has agreed with the inaccuracy of his portrayal.
But itâs a shame that the show never fleshed him out more. I think if they let the man enjoy the fruits of his labor and let him relax from time to time or showed a more human side, heâd seem more well rounded. Heâs a very interesting guy with an interesting story.
Sorry for my rant. Iâll stop now.
