Episode 1 of Griselda opens with a profound quote from Pablo Escobar, declaring, "The only man I was ever afraid of was a woman named Griselda Blanco." The scene shifts to a breathless moment in 1978, in the heart of Medellín, Colombia. Griselda, a formidable woman, flees into a house, her body stained with blood. Without hesitation, she administers first aid to her own wound, swallowing medicine to dull the pain. Her injury, clearly visible, suggests she has been shot.
In a panic, she dials the number of an old friend, Carmen, begging for a favor. Carmen, jolted out of her sleep, agrees to shelter Griselda and her children in her Miami home. Surprised by the unexpected request, Carmen wonders why Griselda is making such a perilous journey from Colombia to Miami. Griselda offers only a vague promise to explain later.
With urgency, Griselda instructs her three sons to gather their things. In the dead of night, they set off on a journey filled with unspoken questions. As they depart, Griselda reassures her children that she will reveal everything once they reach their destination. When they inquire about their father, she offers a terse explanation: they are getting a divorce. Dixon, relieved, declares he never felt like his father's son anyway.
Upon their arrival in Miami, they settle into Carmen's warm home, and Griselda begs her children to be respectful guests. Carmen escorts Griselda to a dinner, where she listens intently to the heartbreaking tale of Griselda's departure from Alberto. Carmen, once a mob wife before fleeing to Miami to start her own travel agency, has no desire to be involved in the drug world. Griselda assures her that she has severed all ties with that life and is eager to start anew, building a secure and prosperous life for her children.
Carmen, moved by Griselda's sincerity, offers her a job at the travel agency, which Griselda gratefully accepts. But as the evening winds down and she returns to her new home, Griselda sneaks into a hidden compartment, revealing a kilo of drugs she has smuggled from Colombia. The facade of a fresh start begins to crack, revealing the dangerous secrets Griselda has brought with her to Miami.
The following day, Griselda urgently contacted her trusted confidante, Arturo. It was revealed that individuals were actively searching for her, leaving her anxious about Arturo's safety. However, to her relief, he was unscathed. She entrusted him with the task of investigating a potential drug dealer in Miami, knowing that Arturo's loyalty and friendship would ensure her interests were protected.
After wrapping up the call, Griselda handed Carmen the mail and made her way to the nearby diner for lunch. There, she struck up a conversation with a fellow Colombian who worked as a waiter, finding a sense of camaraderie amidst the unfamiliar surroundings.
As the evening drew near, Griselda ventured out to a lively club. She utilized her new acquaintance, Johnny, to introduce her to a local dealer named Amilcar. She hoped to broker a deal, offering him a single kilo of cocaine. However, Amilcar was uninterested in her offer, showing no inclination to even sample her product. He dismissed her abruptly, leaving her feeling defeated.
On her way back to her car, Johnny ambushed her, striking her and seizing the kilo of cocaine from her grasp. Despite her disappointment, Griselda refused to let the setback deter her. She returned home, comforting her youngest child who missed their father, Alberto, deeply.
A flashback revealed the tumultuous events that had transpired between Alberto and Griselda. Alberto's stubbornness had led to the loss of their shipment, leaving them in dire financial straits. Alberto's brother, Fernando, took advantage of the situation, demanding that Griselda sleep with him as a means of settling their debts. Fernando had always harbored a desire for Griselda and saw this as an opportunity to fulfill his fantasies. Alberto, in a moment of desperation, argued that since Griselda had once been a prostitute, sleeping with his brother would not be such a significant sacrifice. Heartbroken but determined to save her family, Griselda reluctantly agreed.
Returning to the present, Griselda tracked down Johnny, her anger boiling over. She chased him down and beat him with a bat until he reluctantly returned the stolen kilo of cocaine. She threatened to expose his underhanded attempt to sell her cocaine to his boss unless he arranged a meeting with the intended buyer. Johnny, fearing the consequences, agreed to set up the meeting and conveniently dropped by Griselda's workplace later.
Once Carmen discovered that Griselda was engaged in the sordid trade of drug dealing, her heart was filled with disappointment, and she demanded that Griselda vacate her home immediately. Carmen had been through hell and back with drugs, having narrowly escaped death and enduring the horrors of her mafioso husband. Griselda tried to plead her case, but Carmen was steadfast in her resolve to stay far away from such sordid affairs.
The following day, Griselda convened with Chucho, the waiter from the diner, and hired him as her bodyguard for the evening. She introduced him to Johnny, who then led them to Eddie. After a tense negotiation, Eddie agreed to purchase Griselda's stash for a hefty sum of $20,000. The deal was sealed, and Eddie invited Griselda to join him for a dance. However, as they swayed to the rhythm, a shadowy figure entered the room and unleashed a hail of bullets, targeting Eddie's men.
Chucho, loyal to his newfound charge, leaped into action to protect Griselda, but not without cost. A vicious slash tore through his right arm, staining his shirt with blood. After the dust settled, one of Amilcar's henchmen stepped in, scooped up the kilo of cocaine sitting forgotten on the table, and ordered Griselda to make a hasty exit. She obeyed without hesitation, Chucho trailing behind her.
Inside the car, Griselda counted her newly acquired wealth, her mind wandering back to that fateful night in Colombia. She remembered returning home after a night of passion with Fernando, only to be confronted by Alberto's angry accusations. The argument escalated quickly, with Alberto taunting her as a mother of three who would be lost without him. In a moment of furious retaliation, Griselda drew her gun and took Alberto's life. But her vengeance was not without cost; she was shot by one of Alberto's loyalists in the ensuing chaos.
Now, soaked in Eddie's blood, Griselda returned to Amilcar's bar with a newfound determination. She pressed her product into his hands, insisting that he taste its superior quality. She promised him riches beyond his imagination if he made her his new supplier. Amilcar, initially skeptical, was soon won over by the potency of Griselda's offering. He underestimated her, but she assured him with steely resolve that she was more than capable of handling the job.
Finally, Amilcar relented and gave Griselda her chance. He doubled his order for next month and promised to make her his exclusive supplier. As she exited the club, Griselda's chest swelled with pride and anticipation. She was ready to prove herself, ready to show the world that she was a force to be reckoned with in the dangerous game of drug dealing.
