The most charismatic man in Hollywood right now? Pedro Pascal. The 48-year-old Chilean actor has been gracing our screens for years, but has now reached stardom-level popularity. Although he is known for playing a variety of roles, Pascal’s most beloved ones are undoubtedly those of the father-figure. An Emmy nomination might even be in sight for his most recent role as just that. So, to everyone in their Pedro Pascal era, here are my ratings:
The Last of Us – 10/10
THIS SHOW. I am genuinely speechless at how incredible the HBO television series The Last of Us was. Pedro Pascal stars alongside Bella Ramsey, and the chemistry is unmatched. Pascal’s character, a grumpy, morally-gray man named Joel, is literally my hero. Is he a murderer? Yes, obviously, but that’s never deterred me. This is the role that has recently coined Pascal as the “daddy of the internet,” and because my actual father reads these articles, I can neither confirm nor deny this fact. Joel is my favorite character that Pascal plays, partly because it is also the role that has fueled my newfound fixation. It’s hard to believe that the storyline from a video game could enrapture so many people, but believe me when I say that this is genuinely one of the most emotional series I’ve ever watched. The characters are made more likable by their complexities, which force viewers to call into question their own views of immorality. The final episode of season one is one of my favorites, particularly because it sheds the most light on this commentary. Joel’s actions in the hospital are objectively immoral and selfish, but we don’t possess a right to judge because we have not experienced the same moral dilemma. Joel did what he needed to do in order to save Ellie’s life, who is like a daughter to him, even if it meant killing people and losing her trust. We are led to question whether we would do the same to save someone we love. Also, the relationship between Joel and Ellie is just plain beautiful. It literally makes me tear up to think about how Joel finally began to tell Ellie about Sarah, and especially the “It wasn’t time that did it” line. If you know, you know. There’s a TikTok edit of that scene with Scott Street by Phoebe Bridgers in the background, and it never fails to clear the sinuses. Granted, it should be illegal to use that song with any even slightly-emotional edit.
Narcos – 9/10
Pascal mixed with drug lords and true crime? Sign me up. The three-season Netflix series Narcos first aired in 2015, and it’s amazing. The first two seasons of the show follow two American DEA agents, Javier Peña, played by Pascal, and Steve Murphy, played by Boyd Holbrook. Peña and Murphy are stationed in Colombia, trying to take down Pablo Escobar and his cocaine enterprise. The story is biographical, and the drama is unreal. Pascal once again plays the part of a slightly morally-gray character, but it’s all in the name of catching Escobar, so who can really blame him. Besides, these events took place in from the late 70s to the early 90s, so the costumes are unmatched. Everyone was basically walking around in tight jeans and scarcely-buttoned dress shirts, sporting thick mustaches and smoking cigarettes. Obviously, Pascal had the best mustache of the bunch. Additionally, a majority of the dialogue is in Spanish. I don’t actually know Spanish, but I thoroughly enjoyed listening to it. The only reason I docked Narcos one star is because of the third and final season. While it was entertaining, with Peña was now leading the operation, it just didn’t live up to seasons one and two. Some of the cast was gone, including Peña’s partner, and Escobar had been taken down. I enjoyed the Escobar storyline more than the Gilberto and Miguel Rodríguez one, which takes place in season three. But overall this show is definitely worth the watch for lovers of true crime and Pedro Pascal alike.
Triple Frontier – 7/10
The Netflix movie Triple Frontier definitely has a star-studded cast, starring actors like Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam, Ben Affleck, Garrett Hedlund, and my king Pedro Pascal. This film shared similarities with Narcos, considering that it consisted of five ex-military operatives planning to rob a Colombian drug lord. Pascal plays Francisco Morales, the pilot of the group that’s mainly responsible for making sure the men and the money escape on a helicopter. However, things definitely don’t go as planned. Let’s just say that I’m very glad Ben Affleck got killed off instead of anyone else, due to my personal vendetta. I can’t necessarily name one specific thing I don’t like about him, but he just has an unlikeable aura. The rest of the film was decent in terms of action and plot, although by the end the whole heist seemed pointless. The characters were all getting on my nerves, especially Ben Affleck (duh) and Oscar Isaac, who were so greedy. Trust me when I say that if I had been on the team, I would’ve kept these men from being so stupid and we would’ve actually been somewhat successful. Luckily, Pascal was like the only one who didn’t get on my nerves, although I wish he would’ve had more screen time.
Wonder Woman 1984 – 5/10
I watched Wonder Woman 1984 right when it came out in 2020, so I have a hard time remembering all of my thoughts. It’s easy to forget that Pascal was in this film, and obviously I wasn’t in my Pascal era when I watched it. That being said, I recall that nobody really liked this film. I really enjoyed the first Wonder Woman, but I was admittedly in my Chris Pine era then. What I do remember is how Kristen Wiig was literally the most annoying character EVER. And that she wore animal print, which is annoying in itself. I also know that Pascal was the bad guy, which I loved, but that he was rocking the no-facial-hair look, which I didn’t love so much. Unfortunately, the lack of facial hair left me no choice but to dock a star or two. I’m sure Pascal was good in the role, but honestly the unexciting nature of this film is not compelling me to rewatch.
Kingsman: The Golden Circle – 8/10
Kingsman: The Golden Circle came out in 2017, so you already know that I barely remember what happened. Admittedly, I forgot Pascal was even in it. However, 2017 was my Taron Egerton era so I obviously was paying some attention. Pascal plays Agent Whiskey, one of the kingsman agents who is supposedly helping to save the world from the poison inside of illegal drugs. However, Agent Whiskey turns out to be one of the final antagonists of the film. Listen, Pascal is rocking the vintage cowboy look and his staple mustache, so I can forgive him. His weapon of choice is also a whip, which is mega cool. Besides, this role is what created Pascal’s most viral TikTok edit by dvcree (again, iykyk). Overall I remember this to be a very entertaining film if you like action and hot people and accents.
Lastly, I would like to give Pascal’s episode of SNL an honorary mention. It was hilarious and amazing and definitely worth the watch. But please, whatever you do, do not watch the film The Bubble on Netflix. It’s genuinely so unbearable that I could not even force myself to get to the halfway point. I love Pedro, but let this serve as a reminder that we don’t need to take every job that comes our way. Also, I apologize for being uncultured and not having seen Game of Thrones or The Mandalorian.
Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.