Summary
An eventful and highly entertaining penultimate episode, “Paradise Lost” is a truly captivating watch as the tension and paranoia are ramped up considerably throughout the installment. Viewers are invited to the party from hell as Griselda suspects all her guests of betrayal.
Griselda continues to impress in Season 1 with another compelling installment. In Episode 5, “Paradise Lost,” Griselda grows paranoid as she suspects that there is a rat in her organization. This comes to a head at Dario’s birthday bash as Griselda turns on everyone closest to her. It’s a real descent into madness as June and her task force play mind games with the drug lord.
The penultimate episode picks up 3 years later in the eighties. June and Diaz are making real headway with their elite tactical unit known as CENTAC, going to Congress to drum up better resources and funding. They ask to set up a surveillance operation to tackle Griselda’s drug empire.
In those 3 years, Griselda has gotten married to Dario and they have had a child together called Michael. Griselda has also grown closer to Rivi, who is now her hitman and second in command. Dario is visibly jealous of Griselda and Rivi’s new, blossoming relationship.
At a party, Rafa introduces Griselda to a new supplier called John Roberts. Griselda is still heartbroken after Arturo’s death and doesn’t trust Rafa or this new acquaintance though. She rejects making any deals with John, which angers Rafa greatly.
June and Diaz plan their next move, with Congress’ funding in mind. They discuss raiding one of Griselda’s stash houses, which June has been able to locate. Unfortunately, Griselda has already made her moves and has managed to push Diaz out of the task force with a perfectly executed scandal. June and newbie Al take over in Diaz’s place.
How does Griselda handle the potential informant?
The successes of the task force have left Griselda extremely paranoid though. She believes that an informant is working for them. Rivi is ordered to look into this possible threat. He kills all of the potential suspects who work for Griselda. Eight employees are killed in total.
June takes over in Diaz’s absence. She believes that the murders prove that Griselda is rattled. The drug lord thinks there is an informant in her organization, but there isn’t one at all. June wants to play on Griselda’s paranoia, to hit a stash house immediately, to add to her delusions. If her plan works, June hopes to coerce Griselda into making even bigger mistakes going forward.
Next is Dario’s birthday party celebrations. Griselda invites all of her workers and associates. She gifts Dario with a gold-plated gun. Rivi spoils their fun though, informing Griselda of the raid on the stash house in Fort Lauderdale. Griselda’s paranoia only worsens as she starts to smoke a crack pipe during the festivities.
Who does Griselda suspect is the informant?
Griselda starts to distrust many of the party guests. Firstly, she suspects John Roberts, the new supplier. Meanwhile, her son Dixon gets into a fight. Dario’s party is quickly descending into chaos. Dario urges Griselda to leave this place, to start a new life elsewhere. But Griselda is riding high, she’s finally reached the top of the pecking order and she doesn’t want to quit now. The Godmother Griselda starts to suspect everyone, even asking Dario if he is the informant. She then suspects her best friend, Carmen. Rivi promises Griselda that the task force is working on old intel, there is no informant. But Griselda’s nightmare is only just starting.
As the fireworks show begins, Griselda spies Estela and Dario chatting together. She chases Estela through the party with her golden gun, convinced that she is now the informant. Estela drives away unharmed. Then Dario argues with his crazed wife, telling her that they were discussing what a terrible mother she is. Griselda has ruined her sons’ lives; Dario doesn’t want the same to happen to Michael. In retaliation, Griselda shoots Dario’s car to pieces.
Griselda then has a full-on breakdown. She orders John to strip naked and bark like a dog. As she is making her crazed demands to the other guests, Carmen returns to the party. She has just had a run-in with June Hawkins and is spooked. Carmen tries to de-escalate the situation and comforts Griselda back in the house.
Why does Griselda attack Carmen?
Once Griselda has heard of Carmen’s interactions with a cop, she points the finger at her next suspect. The old friends end up fighting and Griselda tries to strangle Carmen to death. Luckily, Dario stops his wife from killing Carmen. Griselda and Dario have a heart-to-heart after the latest incident, but Griselda won’t listen to Dario’s plans to leave. She doesn’t trust her husband anymore and doesn’t want anything to do with him.
How does Griselda Season 1 Episode 5 end?
Elsewhere, Dixon shoots up a disco when a man comes on to his girlfriend. Running from the police, Dixon heads to Chucho’s home. He orders Chucho to hide the gun and then to take the blame for the shooting. Chucho refuses to comply and punches Dixon in the face.
Dixon runs home to his mother and tells her what Chucho has done. Griselda sees red and orders Rivi to kill Chucho immediately. She now suspects that Chucho is the informant. Rivi initially declines to kill Chucho, but Griselda manipulates him into accepting her request by challenging his loyalty to her and he submits.
Who does Rivi kill by accident?
The next morning Rivi attempts to kill Chucho in a drive-by shooting but fails. Chucho’s 2-year-old son was in the car though and he is killed in the fray. Rivi informs Griselda that he has failed to kill Chucho. Griselda is relieved, having sobered up since her mental breakdown the night before.
June blames herself for the killing, although there is one upshot to all of this violence. Carmen has decided to side with the cops now. She accepts June’s deal; she is willing to tell the police everything so that she can escape arrest and this awful situation.
What did you think of Griselda Season 1 Episode 5? Comment below.
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