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calliopecalling · 2 years

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QOTS Rewatch - 5x04 - La Situacion

This episode isn't quite as hard for me to rewatch as 5x03 is, something about the scale of Teresa's moral failings isn't quite as severe as last episode, but it feels somehow out of place in the rest of the season and it's taken me a year to really figure out how to make sense of Teresa's character journey such that this episode actually makes sense to me. When you read my original debrief after watching live you can see I was clearly like ... wtf was that? What is going on with Teresa and what are they doing with her character? I've made sense of a lot of it now (and kind of processed it ad nauseam in my gifset reblog tags) but this is still in my opinion perhaps the weakest episode of the season.

I don't have a WHOLE lot to add to that original debrief, honestly. I think I captured it all pretty well and I'm still not entirely sure what the queenpin takeaway was. I know I keep saying that it would've made more sense for her journey to just be towards this chillier, stonier, inaccessible white queen rather than going down this snappy, brittle path. It is really hard to see her like this and it feels very out of character for someone who through all the trauma she's been through has always maintained an outer calm. Obviously the trauma has really kept piling on and she has a lot more to lose now than she did five seasons ago (and more people relying on her) so that's how I explain it to myself--her irritability and stress and all that. But it still feels jarring and uncomfortable. And since they never truly address it or have her apologize for it, it feels like a loose end.

I mean look: James was super irritable and gruff and snappy with her, too (I'm thinking about late season 2 especially), and I wish he'd apologized to her for it because she truly didn't deserve it. She wasn't doing anything to him back then that he wasn't doing to her here, which was stepping slightly out of line to challenge him. But James got his full redemption arc. James got all of season 3 to prove to her (and to us) that he loved her. More than anything. And that he'd literally die for her. He never apologized to her for his behavior towards her in late season 2 but it wasn't all that necessary story-wise because it was so obvious that he'd changed. She'd changed him. And he knew that and felt it deeply.

But there wasn't time in this short season for the full reverse arc to take place so we have to fill in a lot of those gaps on our own and assume it's meant to be understood this way. It all does happen eventually, in 5x07 on, and the more I've watched this season the more I do see it that way. It just doesn't really have a lot of time to truly settle that she's had this realization and it's changed her. I mean in some ways Teresa doesn't have to go through a full character transformation because she always was this person of integrity and heart. She's just here on the brink of losing it and then she luckily springs back from the edge.

A few other miscellaneous thoughts that I'm too disorganized to try to capture in a cogent way:

I do appreciate that this season humanizes Teresa to James. That he has to take her off the pedestal he's put her on and see her in all her flawed glory. How weird does it make me that I almost want to write a fic about some big retirement processing sessions where their trust issues flare up bc of the ways they've both treated each other unfairly in the past? Lol. Is that a fic genre?

Can we talk about the FBI plot for just a second and how they introduced it and wrapped it up within the span of a single episode? Whew, whiplash. They could've played that out a little bit longer as she continued expanding.

Speaking of the FBI, I realized on this rewatch that Lucien was way more deeply to blame in so much of the BS this episode than is really clear when you're just watching casually. He's the one that tipped off the FBI to her in the first place. It continues to piss me off how the havoc other people wreak becomes HER problem that SHE has to fix and somehow held accountable for.

And just in general: WHY are women held to SUCH FREAKING DOUBLE STANDARDS AT ALL TIMES???????

Just saying.

#qots s5 #5x04 #2021 rewatch #txt post #qots reaction post #qots meta #the highlight of this episode for me is that jeresa phone call where she sighs in relief and gratitude #¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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teresa-moyocoyotzin · 3 years

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QOTS 5.09 “I Love You” Scenes Meta

MAJOR SPOILERS FOR 5.09 OF QUEEN OF THE SOUTH ABOUND

Okay this is basically just me trying to place James and Teresa’s ILY scenes within the larger context of their relationship and other kisses, and analyzing their respective reactions!

(Also just a disclaimer that obviously this is just one fan’s interpretation, there’s no right or wrong here! This is just how I see it and hopefully it’ll connect w some of y’alls insight too!)

Oh boy okay so I’m just gonna do this in the style of my old Bolivia visions meta b/c I think the best in bullet point form, so we’re just gonna go thru the scenes like super in depth, w/ way more detail than necessary. Think of it as a close reading, but instead of a piece of writing, it’s a tv show, and it has no sources except My Opinions lol

I’m still planning to actually write out my reactions to the whole episode when I re-watch it, but I can’t stop picking apart the I Love You scenes b/c honestly there’s so much going on there! Come on y’all this has been building since the second episode of this show there’s a lot to unpack here. I’m mostly focusing on how these kisses are vastly different from any of their other kisses IMO and how that affects the love confessions!

THIS IS GONNA BE UNNECESSARILY LONG AND NOT VERY ORGANIZED, BE WARNED

Let’s start when James says “You wouldn’t let me do it, so why should I let you?” shall we? B/c THIS MOMENT

SO as others have pointed out, this line really feels like a love confession in and of itself, and I’m sure if they hadn’t confessed their feelings in the same scene we would all be obsessing about it. I low-key am anyways..

Sure they’ve acknowledged that they do things to protect each other etc. etc. but this is really James making sure that she knows that he knows that SHE knows that they both feel the same way, and he’s not dancing around it anymore, not when she’s throwing herself into danger yet again. Teresa doesn’t have an answer, but it does make something click in her brain. No matter what moral code she’s following these days, if James was walking into a death trap like that she wouldn’t want him to go and would try to stop him. And right now, he’s feeling the same thing for her, he knows that she cares as much about him as he cares about her and that it’s a LOT, and he’s telling it straight to her face.

When she kisses him, I think it’s an acknowledgment of that, as well as her sort of trying to return the sentiment. And also, she doesn’t have a good answer to his question and wants to kiss him so she does!! James is clearly surprised by the kiss, as evident by his posture and slowly relaxing into the kiss. But THEN

After James’ brain catches up, he kisses her again, and even tho it’s short it looks to me like a pretty powerful, strong kiss!!?? (hard to tell b/c as usual…. they filmed it in a black hole..) and to me, it reads like he really let all his true feelings come through in that kiss POSSIBLY FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER

Now, lemme explain. Their first kiss in 3.05 was undeniably full of feelings and emotions, and I’m sure that night was super passionate and full of love! However, knowing what we know now about how everything plays out, I don’t think they were really at the point of saying ILY yet. Even if they did both love each other then, and I think they did, they had a lot of trust issues and abandonment issues to work through first. And as we all know, after that night everything goes to shit and they go about 12 steps backwards. My main point here is that I think both James and Teresa are still feeling generally unsure about each other’s feelings during their first kiss. This is also true for.. literally all of their kisses? Until now. Because in 3.09, they’re just super horny from taking over Phoenix but Teresa is just barely getting over Guero’s death in that episode.. I think that kiss was more about them feeling like the King and Queen of phoenix and less about their Actual Feelings (just imo obviously). And then they kiss after Teresa gets back form Bolivia but Teresa is suspecting him then and he’s certainly feeling her hesitation so no big feelings in that kiss either. Then of course there’s the goodbye kiss at the end of s3, and yes in that one I do think they were both letting their true feelings show in their kiss but they were both misinterpreting the other’s feelings and both were in a way lying to the other in that scene. James about his reason for leaving, and Teresa about her true reasons for wanting him to stay. And THEN, the kiss at the beginning of s5 is very much a “I’m happy you’re back, I want to be with you, but we can’t” kind of kiss, and again, there were feelings there but they were both still holding something back, and still not on the same page about what they wanted and were working towards. But in this kiss, they are on the same page , working toward the same thing, which is to get themselves OUT, together. Ever since they made that decision, there is an implicit agreement between them that they’re getting out together, and I think they both know that they want to be together if they make it out. And they both are desperate to have the other know their feelings before any potential deaths. However, they don’t really KNOW that they’re on the same page until that KISS.

SO ALL THIS TO SAY that in my eyes, the main reason Teresa’s so shocked is that this is the first time that James didn’t hold ANY of his love for her back when he kissed her, and she FELT IT babeyy. Teresa initiates this kiss to show him her true feelings, which takes him bit by surprise, but then he returns the feelings Full Force which takes Teresa totally by surprise.

I mean just look at her face after they part, before he says ILY. She looks shocked and confused, almost a little angry? I don’t think it’s really anger though, so much as it is being taken aback by the emotions that James is laying all out on the table for her to clearly see. Her face here is actually what drove me to write this meta, because at first I was so confused as to why she looked so shook up after the first kiss, cuz like girl U INITIATED IT?? I think part of it is that Teresa was a bit taken aback by the strength of her own feelings in that moments and the urge to kiss him despite them not being out of the business yet. She’s realized that if she’s gonna die tomorrow, she wants to kiss James first, and she wants that like, really bad. And also she loves him and was overcome w the urge to show him. But mainly, I really don’t think she expected to be met w/ such strong love from James’ kiss, because all the other times, he had been holding back his feelings.

James’ face after the kiss totally plays into this theory for me - he looks like he just got CAUGHT. She’s looking at him like what the Fuck was that!!! And he’s like oh SHit now I just gotta say it. The way he looks at her and shakes his head a little like, wow I’m really about to say it. I think it’s been on the tip of his tongue all episode, but he realized he just totally showed his hand with that kiss and there’s no going back now.

But omg you guys his face when he says it just SENDS ME TO THE FLOOR his little smile???? Like he’s thinking “how did we end up here? am I really about to tell Teresa I love her? YEP”

I don’t think she had any intention of telling him her feelings so outright yet, to me it totally makes sense that he tells her first. At the beginning of the season, Teresa made it clear that she does want to be with James, but she felt restricted by their life. So, James has spent the past season coming to terms with a) that Teresa still wants to be with him if they can get out of the business, b) that she’s changed a lot and no longer follows her old moral code, and c) that he still loves her even if she’s not entirely the same person he fell in love with originally.

Meanwhile Teresa came to terms w/ the fact that she wanted to be w/ him early in the season but pushed that Right down after indulging in 1 kiss (which I think was also meant to be a reassurance that she did want to be with him) but spent the rest of the season trying to grow her business, which in her mind would forever keep her from being able to be with James. So even if she acknowledged her feelings, she was not letting herself dwell on them. James, however… oh boy has he been dwelling. Especially since Dumas so kindly pointed his feelings out to him lol. So I think Teresa’s strong feelings for James have been building under the surface but she wasn’t allowing herself to acknowledge them at all, and therefore I think she kind of surprised herself a bit by kissing him, was then even more surprised by how strongly her feelings were showing, and then James hits her with a Big Feelings kiss and then an I Love You??? Oh boy

Taking this into account it totally makes sense that she looks super shocked after James tells her, even if they both have ~known~ for a long time. Y’know?

Okay so then there’s the sex scene which I LOVED omg, like absolutely zero complaints, super hot, exactly what they and we deserved. I’m not gonna get into it b/c I think it speaks for itself, but like, would happily read a meta about it if someone wrote it 👀

Anyways I think the morning after, when Teresa is laying in bed admiring James, is when Teresa is really digesting all of these feelings and the fact of them being out in the open, and she’s deciding that she needs to tell James she loves him, like ASAP. She is also at the same time having to accept that she’s going on a super dangerous mission today that she night not come back from, and if she does come back from it, they’re gonna have to still find a way Out. All in all, safe to say she’s got a lot going on in her mind, but it’s clear by her gazing at him that James is a big factor in all of it.

I love the next scene so much omg

They’ve gotten ready for the day and James is once again pulling tricks out of his bag to ensure her safety, and she’s just.. staring at him. My personal headcanon here is that Teresa’s intuition was telling her that a) the phonegun was gonna be irrelevant, and b) that she had about 30 seconds before her phone rang and she had to leave for potential death. Therefore it just blocked out literally everything but James and needing to tell him that she loved him. The moment I love the most is actually when James says “Here, try it” and he steps closer and she sort of jolts like they’re physically connected. The first time I saw the scene I literally gasped from that one step he takes because they just had this electric pull between them that was so obvious that I literally felt it. The chemistry!!!!

She’s just so focused on him in that moment and that whole scene, and the way she whispers “I love you” likes she just HAS to say it, she has to make sure he KNOWS she loves him before she runs off to risk her life. And the fact that it happens while James is actively trying to set her up for protection??? POETIC CINEMA I tell you. Kudos to Alice for that because apparently it was her idea and it’s my FAVE

Another thing that I really don’t know how to interpret but I find interesting from a cinematic point of view: James and Teresa are literally left in the dark during James’ love confession. It’s at night, and there is NO DAMN LIGHT AT ALL ON THEIR FACES (I bet the gif makers really appreciated that one huh…) so we can’t even see their reactions very well. Meanwhile, when Teresa confesses her feelings, it’s super brightly lit, in a white room, she’s wearing white, we can see all of the emotions on their faces. IDK what this is meant to symbolize exactly, so if anyone has thoughts PLEASE share them.

James seems a little in shock after, I think he really didn’t expect her to say it, even if he assumed she felt the same. And I think he was okay w/ that and had accepted it, knowing it would be really hard for her to say. After all, once she acknowledges it, it’s that much more painful if they have to say goodbye…

I think the way she says it perfectly captures how hard it is for her to get the words out, even if she feels an overwhelming urge to say them and make sure he knows. She seems very sure of her feelings, and I don’t think she hesitated to tell him at all, but it’s still a big step, and presumably the last person she said ILY to, in this context, was Guero. And his death destroyed her, so ofc she’s be scared to admit that she’s in love and put herself at the risk of losing it again. God Alice did such a good job w/ that line it really gets me every time. So sure, and soft, but with no room for doubt. Like she knows he doesn’t expect her to say it, but she can’t bear to let him think she doesn’t love him back. And it’s so simple too, like she’s saying “of COURSE I love you, how could you think I don’t?” AHHHH

And just the way she stares at him the whole time like she’s just waiting for him to stop talking so she can say it, and while she waits she’s perfectly happy to ignore the situation at hand and think about how she loves him and he loves her and also probably how good he FUCKS cuz like……………y’all saw his hand goin’ down there after he flips her over right 👀 okay ANYWAYS

So she finally tells him!!!!!! That she loves him!!! And kisses him!! Just to really drive the point home. And because, again, I think something was telling Teresa to kiss her man and tell him she loves him because she was about to get a call from Kostya’s men any second.

I really think James’ sort of blank look after she tells him is just him being in shock that she actually said it. I would have loved to know what he would have said after that, but alas.

That final shot before the phone rings though ❤️ their foreheads together, her hand on his heart and his hand on her hand, also the way that visually her arm (clothed in white) is across his body (clothed in black/gray) and vice versa w/ his arm is across her body, sort of continuing the sort of yin-yang theme they have going this season, I just think is a cool touch on the behalf of whoever choreographed/directed the scene.

I also interpret it as a very grounding moment for both of them, rooted in physical touch but not sexual in any way, just comforting. They finally can completely take comfort in each other because their feelings are out in the open and they’re completely connected. AGH they really have me in a chokehold lol

Anyways this is so fucking long and rambly, I don’t know if it makes sense but I did my best to proofread, I’m so sorry but thank you for reading if you’ve made it all the way here, or like even if you made it thru 1/16 of it lol I APPRECIATE YOU

I’m not sure what the main point is here, but anyways I think the actors, writers, directors, etc. did an amazing job w/ their I Love You scenes and I’m personally feeling v satisfied w/ it!

#i have no idea if i'm even saying anything new here but somehow i could not rest until i wrote it down lol so here ya go #qots meta #queen of the south meta #queen of the south #qots #jeresa #jeresa meta #qots spoilers #queen of the south spoilers #jeresa spoilers

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la-ermitana · 3 years

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I want you to stay.

inspired by this post from @medievalraven

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allthingsjeresa · 3 years

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5x09 Jeresa thoughts:

I know I’m doing this a week late and right before the finale but can you blame me? It only took me that long to process everything. I mean HOLY. SHIT. What an episode. The Jeresa scenes were perfect IMO. I wouldn’t have changed much. *This is strictly speaking on the love scene. Not the season as a whole.* They gave us a lot when I was expecting way less, so props to them for that. This is gonna be very long, so read it all if you want or don’t :)

The scene where they spoke to Samara on the couch: this scene is kinda adorable to me even though in context it’s not a romantic scene at all. If you pay attention to their body language, they really operate like magnets. They’re speaking to Samara but their bodies eventually lean towards each other- heads tilted together, sitting pretty flush their thighs just about touch. I checked and it was a big couch! They remind me of two parents trying to soothe their child. It was sweet. At some point along the way these two became one unit. He really is her right hand, so it’s very fitting he was sitting to the right of her in this scene.

Brainstorming how to take out Kostya. I love that James was ready to go in and kill someone in an embassy of all places just to get them out of this mess. But she shut it down so quickly! No suicide missions for this man. I also liked that when she said this it came out as an order and not just as a statement. Because… well, she is la jefa and she pretty much just said he’s not allowed to insert himself in any situations where his death is practically guaranteed.

OK. *DEEP BREATH* OK. OK. So we’ve finally made it to THAT big moment. Well, we already knew James did not approve of this little decision she made to kill Kostya herself and his face said it all in the scene right before. Love that he knew just by her face she was already thinking up a plan of her own by the way. These two can read each other so well. Onto balcony moment! He approaches her outside, so close they can touch each other and demands to know why he should let her do the very same thing she wouldn’t allow him to do. I really think based off his serious tone and the way he came outside he was geared up to put on a fight this time. Teresa was out there alone, stuck in scary dark thought presumably and looking like the world was on her shoulders. I get the sense it hit her at some point that day she might die and she was already thinking about her feelings for James before he even walked outside. That’s why she had that sad look of longing on her face. And boy was she longing for him.. so much that she said fuck it all and just kissed him. She could die at some point but she wanted nothing else but James in the moment. He was caught off guard by her kiss at first but it’s actually funny how fast it put him in a daze. This man was so, so in love that he couldn’t hold back any longer and finally blurted out those three words. I love that her hands were right on his chest (and his heart) as he literally told her he loved her. Symbolic or what? This time he grabs her and kisses her with so much passion. No more holding back. As it pans to them making out he pulls her body even more towards him; this is a move he’s done in all their make out scenes I’ve noticed. I would say “get a room” but they did that right after ;)

The actual love scene! This is what Jeresa shipper dreams are made of. It really transcended everything- I mean that eye contact, the way he pushed her hair back, the lip touching and of course those smiles! Let me just remind you that the world was pretty much crumbling around them. Her empire crashing and burning. Devon/CIA ordering them around. Kostya and Boaz both on her ass. But for that one night, it was like the world stopped spinning. She finally had him and he had her, and everything was suddenly ok. They smiled and were both happy in their little bubble despite everything going on. He’d just said he loved her and neither of them would hide from each other ever again. That love scene was pure happiness, relief, passion and bliss all wrapped into one. Can I just say the way his hands went up and down all over her back while she was on top? I just about died. Nothing says desire like hands raking up and down your spine. Whole time he’s looking at her like she’s some goddess he’s worshiping. The heavy panting and the writhing… ok I won’t lie, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Not that I will ever complain! I mean it’s Jeresa. And the way he flipped them over and took control? Yeah I died. His hand grabbing onto her wrist while she touched his lip? Death. The nose touch? More death. Some of us were trying to figure out where his hand went at one point because it looked like it very much traveled down south to a certain…. area that I will not mention. Anyways 👀The smiles, you guys. THE SMILES. They were happily and utterly in love. As Jeresa shippers we got crumbs for years and then we suddenly got everything all at once. My brain is still catching up.

The morning after. I love that they show their clothes scattered all over the floor. Yeah they were total goners. The whole room is white so you don’t miss it! The way she caressed him so gently. Just completely basking in him and knowing she’s in love. Then it’s like she remembers it’s now the next day and she’ll have to do what she has to do. You can see the moment she gets sad because she absolutely loves this man and yet she could die. I think that moment as she stared at him in bed was when she realized she had to say it. Not because he’d already said it first but because they were out of time and she needed him to know the truth just in case she didn’t make it.

Her love confession. One thing I adore about this scene- it’s so them! It gave me James mentoring Teresa in season 1 vibes but softer. He’s completely serious because he’s intent on training her to protect herself but her attention is all on him. She was so caught up in staring at him, all deeply in love that she says the words right after he tries to hand her a gun. It’s the way both Jeresa got completely dazed by each other right before saying ILY! Her tone was everything here and this was what actually elevated the scene for me. She sort of whispered it- like it was something only meant for them, for him to hear… while her tone might’ve been soft and light as a feather, there was such a heavy bluntness behind it. She said it like it was a simple fact of the universe. As a viewer, I felt like we were watching something forbidden and intimate. It might’ve felt a little more intimate than the love scene itself. I don’t know how to explain it. Maybe it’s because she’s been a wall for the majority of the season. Maybe it’s because there was a weight of gloom behind those words since she could die. His face right after she says it tells me it might be the latter… And I love that they kiss out in the open at the island table where anyone could see them, but who cares. They’re in love and nothing else really matters. Not her crew walking in on them or some gun phone that could potentially protect her. I love how her hands end up on his chest again and he holds onto them. Everything about that moment was perfect.

Jeresa in NOLA. At first this last scene didn’t stick out to me but on my second, third (and fourth) rewatch it’s very telling! Remember what I said about them finally being one unit? I think this scene is a good example of that. She comes out and hands Chicho the keys to her business, literally. James follows right behind her and stands to her right ;) he then directs Chicho to escort Samara to the car. I feel like that scene conveyed how they are finally becoming equals- standing side by side, in black and white. Both are giving orders and there’s finally a sense of balance that’s righted itself within their dynamic. Not necessarily a queenpin and her soldier but two partners. Pote asks her if she’ll miss Nola. She undoubtedly says no, and I think James even smirks a little bit but I can’t be sure. I love that he pats Pote on the shoulder right after she gives that answer and then follows his girl out to the car. The time for “another life” has finally arrived and neither James nor Teresa are looking back. That was the message being sent in my opinion!

All I will say about that last scene.. no I don’t think he really killed her. Shipping aside, it just wouldn’t make any logical sense. Everything he’s ever done has been to keep her safe so unless the show has taken a sci-fi spin and he’s become a robot, there’s no way.

Well that concludes my analysis/meta. That was pretty long so I won’t linger but I hope you enjoyed my perspective on the best episode all season. And then we have one more to go… I’m not ready at all but here goes nothing.

#jeresa #queen of the south #james valdez #teresa mendoza #qots #otp #alice braga #qots spoilers #shippers gonna ship #peter gadiot #long reads #qots season 5 #qots meta #pote galvez #kelly anne van awken

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charmingwords23 · 3 years

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Thoughts on the Game Boy Incident. AKA: Proving James’s Innocence

If you’re like me, you’ve been confused at some point by the events of QOTS 2x11. In this episode, Teresa and Kelly Anne are hiding from Camila at Kelly Anne’s family’s cabin. Then, Camila’s men - led by her mole in the police department (Denny) - show up and ambush them. During the chaos, Teresa discovers a tracking device in the Game Boy that was a gift to Tony from James. The implication of this scene is that James tracked the Game Boy and turned over her location to Camila’s sicarios, seemingly to get her killed.

Again, if you’re like me, you may have found this development confusing considering earlier in the season this man had quite literally shoved his gun toward her, told her to run, and run off into DEA gunfire to spare her. It’s confusing considering earlier in the same episode he had earnestly asked her to come back with him and promised to protect her - knowing that would surely be at odds with Camila’s intentions. It’s confusing considering in the episode after this he intentionally misses his shot at her from close range - something he later tells Guero he did because he would “never hurt her.”

All these actions are of a man who does NOT want to hurt Teresa. These are actions of a man who has had multiple opportunities to cause her harm, or at the very least, stand by while she’s injured or killed, and has passed on all of them in the name of trying to protect her.

So then how does it add up that this same man - sandwiched between protective and self-sacrificing events - would give up her location to Camila’s hit men?

My theory: He didn’t.

It sounds crazy at first. After all, we saw the tracker in the Game Boy! But let’s examine the evidence. Here’s what we know about the context of this event and the inferences we can draw from each:

James gave Teresa the Game Boy and some money for Tony. The money was stolen from Camila’s bag and blamed on the man who worked at the horse race. James says Camila won’t know unless Teresa tells her (2x02). We can conclude from this that the tracker was James’s idea and Camila knew nothing about it; he never told Camila that Tony existed, and Camila didn’t know to ask him about the tracker later in the season or else she would have demanded he activate it as soon as Teresa ran off.

Teresa tells James that Camila framed her and that she’s leaving. James asks her to come back with him and promises to “fix” it and “protect” her. Teresa declines and requests that James not be the one who comes after her. He doesn’t say anything but her name, but as she walks away, he has the opportunity to kill her right there - after all, she’s “betraying” Camila - but he doesn’t take it. (2x11) We can conclude that James doesn’t intend to kill her. After all, this would have been an easy shot and a way to get back into Camila’s good graces.

James meets with Camila in prison. Camila says James should have “drug her back by her teeth” and James deflects and says there are “more immediate threats to deal with.” Camila pushes him to “find Teresa” and he continues to argue that they “don’t have time for that right now.” Camila then makes comments about how some other men will “take care of Teresa,” how James “can’t save her now,” and how he “crossed” Camila already once to protect Teresa and she won’t let it happen again. (2x11) We can conclude from this that even Camila can tell James wouldn’t kill Teresa, even if ordered to, so she’s going to find someone else to get the job done.

So the lead-up all points to James lacking the desire and the will to hurt or kill Teresa. Now let’s look objectively at the order of events at the cabin:

Camila shares a phone call with her police officer mole, Denny. Denny says the El Lobos brothers (the sicarios) are there. He says James told him he had a “line on” Teresa and now the mole and the Sicarios are waiting for his call to tell them where she is.

At the Cabin, Agent Loya from the DEA and his partner show up. His partner is (coincidentally?) the woman who is having an affair with Denny.

While Teresa and Loya talk, Denny and the sicarios show up and instigate a firefight.

In the midst of the firefight, the Game Boy James had given to Tony breaks and Teresa finds a small tracking device chip hidden inside it.

This seems pretty damning at first glance. It seems James really has sold her out despite spending so much time leading up to this demonstrating the opposite. But what comes next? Do the subsequent episodes show that he has, indeed, changed course and is now prepared to kill her because of her betrayal of Camila? Nope.

When James comes face to face with her again, guns drawn, he initially lowers his first. (2x12)

James tells Teresa that he and Camila had trusted her, and Teresa asks him “Is that why you put a tracking device on Tony’s toy? Because of trust?” He doesn’t respond - only asks again where Camila is. He never denies adding the tracking device, but that’s a different accusation than using that device to turn her location over to Camila. (2x12)

He stands 15 feet away from her and fires off a sloppy shot in her direction. (2x12)

James admits to Guero that he missed that shot intentionally and that he would never hurt Teresa. (2x13) This seems a pretty big turnaround for a guy who allegedly gave her location to assassins two episodes ago, no?

And then perhaps the most confusing piece of this situation to reconcile is the brief argument James and Teresa have about it in 3x02.

Teresa: “Camila was trying to kill me and you betrayed me.” / James: “I didn’t betray you. I was protecting you.”

Teresa: “I don’t trust you.” / James: “You don’t trust me? You’re only alive because of me.”

Teresa: “You put a tracking device in Tony’s Game Boy and sent sicarios after me. Do you not remember that?” / James, with furrowed eyebrows: “I tried to make Camila let you go. That’s why I wasn’t at the cabin. She didn’t trust me to kill you.”

Teresa: “Why should I believe you?” / James: “Since the first day we met, I’ve been trying to keep you alive. And whether you want to believe it or not, I’m still trying to.”

Through all this, a few questions come to mind:

WHY would James say he’s been trying to keep her alive since the first day they met if he was the one who knowingly gave her location to sicarios (literal hit men)?

WHY would James go from protecting her, to trying to get her killed, to protecting her again in the span of one episode?

WHY was Denny, the mole from the police department, even relevant to the scene at the cabin? What purpose did he have, and why not just have the sicarios taking their orders directly from Camila? Why would he be the middleman?

The theory then is this: James did NOT give Teresa’s location to Denny and the sicarios.

James instead spent this episode (off screen) stalling and obstructing. Denny and the sicarios found out where Teresa was because the DEA found her, and the police officer either got that information from his capacity in law enforcement or from his connection to the DEA agent who was Loya’s partner. The sicarios showed up at the cabin not because James told them where to go, but because Denny found the location himself.

Let’s revisit some of that evidence:

Denny said James had a “line on” Teresa and was supposed to call back to let them know her location. If James had tracked the Game Boy, it wouldn’t take more than a minute or two to look up her location and then send that information to the sicarios. Why would this step possibly take so long that it would require James to spend so much time following her trail, tracking her down, communicating regularly with Denny to let him know his progress, etc.? Unless he was purposely stalling.

Why was Denny even there? Story-wise, he served no purpose and the story could have and would have been exactly the same if James and/or Camila were communicating with the sicario brothers directly. Unless...his presence was vital because he is the only one who could have gotten Teresa’s location from someone other than James: the DEA.

James specifically says “I didn’t betray you” in 3x02. When confronted with the Game Boy offense, he never admits to giving up her location. He says he tried to make Camila let her go, he tried to protect her, and he wasn’t at the cabin because Camila knew he wouldn’t kill her. This is consistent with his scene with Camila in the prison in 2x11. In fact, James likely has no idea that she thinks he tracked the Game Boy to her - he knows Denny found her, and he would have little reason to think she assumed something else. His face scrunches up for a moment when she brings up the Game Boy - like he’s confused about why she’s even mentioning that. Would he really claim he hadn’t betrayed her if he had given up her location from the tracker in Tony’s Game Boy? I don’t think so - that break in logic just doesn’t add up.

The only question remaining then is why did he put a tracker in the Game Boy at all? We may never know, but I would assume he did it as an insurance policy like the master of chess he is. Maybe it was insurance because he didn’t fully trust Teresa in the early days and wanted to have something on her as leverage (I have my doubts considering he never told Camila, alluding to the conclusion that even then, he wasn’t trying to hurt her nor use this against her) or maybe it was insurance so he would have a way to find Tony (and/or Teresa) if there was ever trouble and he was needed.

This show has an insane pattern of trying to paint James as suspicious and then ultimately proving that he was innocent all along and had remained loyal to Teresa. They did it at the end of season 2 when they revealed he had purposely missed his shot at her in 2x12, they did it in season 3 when they made him look like a mole and then revealed the mole as Kelly Anne, and they even squeezed it in again at the end of season 3 when they wanted to make him look shady and like he was going back to working for Camila before revealing he was really turning himself over to the CIA to spare Teresa. Framing James as betraying Teresa and giving her location to assassins only to later reveal it was never him who did that would be very on brand.

So in conclusion: James did put a tracker in Tony’s Game Boy, but he did not give that location to Camila or the sicarios. Instead, Denny found that location from his capacity in law enforcement and/or his relationship with the DEA agent. Teresa assumed James’s tracker led the sicarios to her, and James assumed Teresa knew it was Denny who led them there, not him, and has no idea she thinks he is directly responsible for tracking her and sending the hit men. Everything either of them has said or done in reference to this situation supports these conclusions.

Here’s hoping this is addressed in season 5! Imagine how easily it will fit in… Tony has recently been killed, James has recently returned from whatever he was doing with the CIA, and both will surely come up in conversation. Teresa will be determining if James is trustworthy after everything; imagine this situation is brought to light as the final, definitive proof that since the first day they met, he’s been trying to keep her alive. It can be the final nail in the coffin of the “James is suspicious” narrative and we can put the “can we trust him?” arc to rest. Season 5, please deliver!

#jeresa #james valdez #meta #Queen of the South #qots #James is INNOCENT!#theory #Sorry this is so long!

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kalena-henden · 4 years

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I can't wait to see how Teresa's gonna react when she finds out why James really left. How do you think she's gonna take it?

Anonymous asked: I just watched 4x13 and wow I didn’t expect so see James in the end. What did you think about the reunion between james and teresa ?

Anonymous asked: QOTS?

Hello, nonny! I hear you. LOL I’m here. I know many people have extra time during this pandemic but I’m not one of them. Still working my full-time job but now from my living room. At least, I can do that.

I feel so rusty on the QOTS front. I have to confess, I haven’t watched the show in almost 2 years (since S3 ended). When James left, so did I. I meant to start watching again if he came back. Since that didn’t happen until the end of S4, I planned on catching up right before S5. But with S5 getting delayed... uh, I don’t know when exactly I’ll be catching up. That being said, I’m really touched you want my opinion and I do have thoughts. *grin*

I expected James to return at some point. The writers kept hinting at it on Twitter. Whereas if he was off the show for the foreseeable future, there would be no reason not to tell us that.

I have so many questions about James reappearance. Wasn’t he locked up by Devon and the CIA? Did he escape or is he working for CIA? If he’s working for the CIA that worries me. I don’t want them to turn him into Guero 2.0.

It doesn’t surprise me in the least that James would show up out of nowhere to warn and protect Teresa. He loves her and would sacrifice everything for her. Even his life, as Pote begrudgingly admitted. Honestly, you win over Pote that’s saying something. lol However, when Teresa learns the truth she will be upset. Both from a business and personal standpoint, James’s unilateral decision means he didn’t include his ‘partner’ when it mattered most. As much as they love each other and are ride or die in a very literal sense, they still both have trust issues. There are many thoughts and feelings they’ve kept to themselves that truly need to be shared to be successful partners. At times this has left Teresa and James open to doubt the other’s loyalty and love. Though I don’t think either of them doubt their own loyalty or love for the other person. There will be some relief in being reunited and strength in fighting side-by-side once more.

Still James needs to tell Teresa the truth of where he’s been before someone else does. She’s not going to be happy but it’s worse if he keeps it hidden from her. Hopefully, they can work through their personal stuff while they’re fighting their next cartel battle. I really want to see them in a committed long-term relationship. It won’t be all smooth sailing but it will be worth it. The will-they-or-won’t-they is overrated in storytelling. Let my ship be together!

Anyway, so happy Peter Gadiot is back!

#queen of the south #qots #qots meta #jeresa #my post #my meta #replies #Anonymous

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halsteadsass · 5 years

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James proving again that Teresa’s life means more to him than his own. He didn’t care that he had a bullet lodged in his abdomen causing him to bleed out. All that mattered to him was protecting her. If his dying breath gave Teresa the opportunity to save herself then he has done what he promised her. And James? He doesn’t break promises. He’s always ready.

#queen of the south #james valdez #teresa mendoza #jeresa #text #character meta #IF THEY COME FOR YOU ILL BE READY #mind if i cry #nikki talks

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northcountry39 · 5 years

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James disobeying orders and sparing someone for Teresa for @mymostimaginaryfriend (Based on THIS post)

#queen of the south #qots #qots spoilers #james valdez #jeresa #qots season 4 #qots 1x10 #qots 2x05 #qots 3x11 #qots 4x02 #ahhh these parallels #i love the way you think girl #good meta is good #mine

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reyesmp4 · 5 years

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My crackhead dissertation about QOTS S4, hidden connections, and the return of James Valdez!

I want to start out by saying these are all THEORIES. Mostly from my crackhead brain, but there are a few things that MAY actually tie my theories together. They are mainly fueled by my love for James Valdez and my unwillingness to believe that the writers, producers and cast would be stupid enough to really write him off the show. (the only time I accept that is when its the actors wishes. And if it was Peter's wish, I would respect that.) But in this case, I don’t think that’s what is happening here. I also want to mention here that when it comes to flashforward scenes in Queen Of The South, I don’t buy into them and I don’t believe they are actually real.I believe they are metaphorical warning rather than an actual depiction of teresa in the future. Thats my personal opinion/theories. With that being said, ALL OF THIS is just that, my opinion.

First of all, I know a lot of people (myself fucking included) are nervous that there WONT be a return of James Valdez. But please, don’t worry until we know something concrete.

I know a lot of people have seen that NOTHING has been posted on social media about James. Not by the cast, not by peter, nothing. But we have to remember It is really common nowadays, in the age of social media, for networks and producers to place a gag order on actors/cast/crew about the return and fate of certain characters.

So first of all, the main reason I firmly believe there WILL be a return of James Valdez, is because of the way season 3 ended. I wholeheartedly believe that it wouldn’t have ended that way, had there not been a REASON. For the most part, as for storylines QOTS has been extremely cohesive and able to have twists and turns, along with callback to previous seasons /relationships etc. If they were planning to kill off James, they would have left it at their goodbye scene in 3x13. But instead they showed an incredibly powerful scene of James, a soldier and sicario, giving up his gun for the person he loves and will die to protect. If they didn’t plan to incorporate that entire storyline back into the following season(s), it would not only be uncharacteristic of our QOTS writers who are notoriously cohesive when it comes to storylines, but it would also be incredibly STUPiD. There was no reason to add that James/Devon scene if they weren’t going to call back to it at some point. It was a huge, super poignant scene and I believe that it was put there for a reason. (though it does sometimes happen, lookin @ you ‘The Magicians’!)

So quite a few of my theories lie in episode 3x05, so I will be calling back to it a LOT. Get used to it. Don’t @ me.

3x05 truly solidified the trust between James and Teresa. In the beginning of the episode, they were sitting together cheersing their business while teresa looks at planes. Teresa says,

“Now if they come for me, ill be ready.”

James looks at her earnestly and says, “If they come for you, I’ll be ready.” (Implying he’d die before letting “them” get to her).

Later in the episode, when they learn that Kellyanne is being held hostage by Devon, Teresa instructs James to stay in the car, knowing that if he were to go in there, he would be killed on the spot because he hurt Devon’s business. She tells him to go to ‘la commission’ for help. Instead of listening to her and staying in the car, when he sees things go south, he walks in there himself and which basically translates to “Take me instead”. After agreeing to leave with Devon, James asks to tell teresa himself that he’s leaving. He informs her that She and Kellyanne are free to go, and that Devon will back off her business. Teresa asks what Devon gets in return, what the catch is, and the answer is James. To which teresa immediately says, uh “No”.

Devon asks Teresa, “Are you willing to sacrifice everything, including your life, for this man?”

To which she easily answers, Yes. Devon forces James to tell Teresa what REALLY happened in Texas, and asks if she still wants to put her life on the line for him. She answers “take him” (and you can visibly see James heart break). But she quickly tells James that she isn't going to let them take him, and that she was just buying time, and grabs the guns stored close by. James looks panicked, knowing that if they try and shoot their way out, they'd both end up dead. He tells her “We’re outnumbered, we’ll never make it.” And she answers simply, “Then, we don’t make it.” Showing that she is willing to go down swinging and die right along side him.

This interaction solidifies their trust in one another and shows how deep their feelings for one another go.

First theory- Devon has ties (possibly family ties) to New Orleans/Dumas

So we learn in 3x05, that Devon works with his family when it comes to his less than legal activities. While Devon is a CIA agent, his family (I believe) are civilians. His sister often acts as his enforcer.

Now, in 3x05 when Devon and Teresa have “dinner” together, devon steps away to take a call. Teresa observes her surroundings, taking in devons crew- who are speaking what seems to be hatian or some type of creole. Teresa looks at ‘The Professor’, Devon's sister, and asks “Are you Hatian”, to which his sister gives a weird look, asking Teresa what she said. She repeats herself, and says “Are you hatian? You sound hatian.” Teresa gets a “mind your damn business” type answer. But my point is that Teresa very OBVIOUSLY pointed out that she appears to be speaking hatian or some type of creole.

Now, in 4x04, Marcel Dumas sends his men to raid Teresa's factory. They shoot up the place, but before they go- they leave behind a voodoo doll. Now you don’t need to know much about New Orleans to know that there is a strong afro-french/hatian influence there. Creole and Voodoo often go hand in hand. The use of hatian/creole along with the voodoo doll, lead me to believe that there is some sort of connection between Devon and New Orleans. I believe, especially given what happened in 4x04, that the war with Marcel is going to BLOW UP. Possibly bringing either Devon (if he has ties to marcel or to NOLA) or possibly Castel into the picture, and that is how teresa and the team may learn that James didn’t leave on his own volition, but instead did it in order to protect Teresa.

Back to 3x05 for a minute, as I was saying earlier when they looked into Devon’s sister, because she was a civilian she had an internet presence, and they were able to find out where their mother was located and used her as collateral against the siblings. Lil tay, who was the one to go and threaten devon's mother. When she's sitting in the church, she talks about how she was impressed that the van she was driving could hit over 150mph on the highway. Telling me that she wasn’t just kickin it around phoenix, she had to have traveled a pretty long distance. Because we don’t know how long this whole sequence took it is *plausible* that his mother was located in louisiana/new orleans as well (it would have taken 6-8 hours traveling at 150mph). The song that the church choir was singing “Wade in the Water” also has strong ties to the black community, which I think is important to point out as well.

I don’t know if this is planned, if these certain points were added as fillers or if they really are important and will tie together all of these strings, while paving the way for James to come home.

The Devon and Castel Connection

Now we know that in 3x13, in the scene with James and Devon, they talk about how Devon killed El Santo to take out the competition for the columbians. Devon tells James that Castel is a “friend of the agency” meaning basically that they’re in bed together on whatever operation Devon is running (legitimate or not). We already saw that in 4x01, Teresa pledges allegiance and loyalty to Castel, who showed up in new orleans.

So the fact that James went with devon, whether he’s working for him to pay his dues or if he’s more being held captive, I honestly have no idea. I DO believe based on the title of 4x13 ‘They will come for you.’ is a callback to Teresa and James’ conversation in the beginning of 3x05 (where he says, “if they come for you, I’ll be ready) . So I don’t know if they will rescue James or if James will end up rescuing her but I am praying that there is an OBVIOUS connection there for a reason. ( thank you for your later episode theories, I AGREE! @mymostimaginaryfriend )

But the fact that Devon and Castel are in bed together ALONE tells me they are going to be calling back to that at some point, especially with Teresa pledging allegiance to Castel/the columbians. That is probably enough of a connection for Teresa to end up finding out what REALLY happened with James. (I still believe in the Devon/ New Orleans theory though.)

So where does James come in? Honestly I dont know yet. I do strongly believe he will be back. He wouldn’t put his life on the line to protect teresa without them calling back to that storyline, honestly. It would be really dumb for them not to.

@folie-lex pointed out that James is almost always seen as an equal to Teresa. For just being a sicario, he is able to call her out on her bullshit and point out how they should maybe look differently at the situation. That's an important power dynamic, and that is something that is so far EXTREMELY lacking in season four not just between Teresa and James but for the entire team. James would have NEVER pulled what Javier did in 4x03/4x04. Never. The current team that she is working with, she has no one to use as a sounding board when it comes to the *hard* decisions. She doesn’t have that same rapport she had with James with any of them. No, not even pote.

While teresa can rely on Pote, to do what he is told when he’s told. Pote is a loyal soldier, but James was able to both follow orders but also turn around and challenge Teresa in a way no one else ever has. In a way that helps her keep hold of her humanity.

If you've watched the current episodes, especially 4x04, then you know that it is a SHIT SHOW. Everything is falling apart, Javier has not only killed one of Judge Layfayettes lackeys, but in addition to doing that and then disappearing, he also got Marcel Dumas nephew KILLED, essentially triggering a gang war. Dumas will be out for blood after he learns that his nephew has been killed.

Had James been around he would have seen this coming for MILES. He would have been there as a sounding board for Teresa, as someone to clean up the mess, but he also would have kept everyone in line.

I understand that the network, showrunners, and writers think that action and chaos sells, but we are a rather small fanbase. Small, but loyal. For them to decide to squash our loyalty, knowing that James well loved and fan favorite, would be a (as i said previously) STUPID, and possible fatal mistake. I truly believe that they haven’t made that mistake yet, but if they were to make a permanent decision to write james off, they could be digging their own cancellation graves.

This isn’t a background, small time character. This is James Valdez. He’s been here since DAY ONE and gave an extremely vital structure to the show and added greatly to the dynamic between characters and the team. There is a visible, palpable James sized hole in this season and I hope it’s there to prove a point in how much he is needed, rather than to squander a well loved and respected series regular.

James Valdez has a big, protective heart, and is willing to die trying to protect the ones he loves, his family. Lets try to have some faith that this is all for a reason and that james is going to get the storyline and love he really deserves.

#queen of the south #qots #Meta #theories #jeresa #james x teresa #james valdez #teresa mendoza #javier jimenez #king george #qots season 4 #qots spoilers #qots theories

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folie-lex · 5 years

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“Buenas Noches Querida”

#mayans mc #mayans fx #angel reyes #adelita #angel x adelita #luisa espina #angel x luisa #mayans s1 #clayton cardenas #carla baratta #1.10 Cuervo/Tz'ikb'uul #my gifs #the jeresa meta is still not done...#I'll finish it... I promise...#this just proved faster #even if I'm not 100% happy with the colouring

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floresdeldoza · 5 years

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Hi, sorry if you've already been asked this but I just wanted to know when you think both and James and Teresa started to fall in love with one another, pretty early on there's a connection but at what point do you think it turned into more?

I honestly can’t remember if I’ve been asked this before, so… I shall attempt an answer—also, forgive me, I’m a little bit rusty when it comes to QOTS meta!

Teresa keeps her true (romantic) feelings under wraps far more effectively than James, so I feel way more confident saying that James’ feelings become obvious far sooner and are solidified with a lot less ambiguity than Teresa’s. In my opinion the height of James’ romantic feelings really come to fruition after the standoff with Devon in 3x05 (which I just watched, btw, still iconic). I think he does a pretty good job downplaying his feelings for her up until that moment. And, obviously, they finally “get it together,” at the end of that episode.

Again, Teresa is way harder to pin down, but there are several moments where you can see her kind of pause and reevaluate her estimation of this man that appeared in her life at a very traumatic time. And ya know, we gotta be honest, he doesn’t make the best first impression. I think she takes note of his somewhat… aggressive (?) concern for her life during the airport episode, but I think it’s one of those things she files away to consider at a less stressful time. And tbqh, I think that’s how she starts to genuinely care for him—by taking note of his slip-ups; moments where his “hardness,” kinda slips in her presence (and obviously, that’s a betrayal of his true feelings, which I don’t think Teresa wants to take advantage of in the same way Camila does, so she’s careful with having that responsibility, which is part of the reason why I love her so much).

All this to say, having just watched 3x05, I’m not sure Teresa is “in love” with James, even at this point. I think she cares a lot for him, I think she’s considering their potential, I think she’s going through that backlog of mental notes she’s taken about him, but… not sure she’s ready to admit to full Love™ yet, especially if you consider her shit with Guero. At this point, I think the closest we’ve gotten is the end of S3, when he tells her he’s gonna leave, and even then, she seems uncomfortable with having to reveal her romantic feelings to James (ya know, if he’s gonna leave anyway, why be that vulnerable with him).

In conclusion, anon, I 100% don’t disagree with ur assessment that they’ve been falling in love with each other since S1, I just think it’s a slower burn, and a far more emotionally complex relationship than most of the ones we’re used to seeing on television. I love them. They deserve happiness.

#*concorona #asks and replies #anons #qots meta #james x teresa #jeresa

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calliopecalling · 2 years

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QOTS Rewatch - 5x09 - A Prueba de Balas

I cannot believe this is my second-to-last episode debrief for this rewatch. This whole thing has taken way longer than I initially planned but also I'm not even ready for it to end! WHAT WILL I DO WITH MY LIFE NOW??? Who'm I kidding, I'll keep rewatching and keep writing fics and keep digging up QOTS gifsets to reblog that I haven't reblogged yet. But I'm getting ahead of myself. First, I just have a few thoughts to share about this beautiful episode beyond what I wrote last year after it aired live. When I first watched this episode I had no idea what to make of it; I was so annoyed by all the Kote and trying not to be nervous about the finale and wanting more out of the Jeresa. In some ways, it hasn't improved on rewatch, but in many ways, it totally has. I love this episode on rewatch (it is WAY less stressful knowing it all works out in the end!).

My debrief last year said that some of the things I was annoyed by in this episode -- the prolonged Kote scenes and lack of actual Jeresa conversations -- might be redeemed by the finale. In essentials, that didn't end up happening in the way I imagined at the time. I essentially thought that if (1) Pote ended up dying (or Kote in some other way had a plot twist or didn't get a happy ending) and (2) James and Teresa were revealed to have been plotting a fake death escape all along (or at least for a while), that it would satisfyingly explain both the extended Kote and the lack of Jeresa in 5x09 (and to a certain extent earlier episodes as well).

This only sorta happened, and yet, in my opinion, 5x09 aged surprisingly well. Obviously Kote did get a happy ending and there's a part of me that is still 😒 about it because their story never resonated with me as you all well know. And yes, their scenes in 5x09 are too long. But from a writing perspective, I sorta get it in hindsight; for the fanbase (apparently sizable) that DID love Pote and Kote, planting them in the suburbs and showing Pote adjusting was part of what made their happily ever after feel believable I guess. So even though their relationship does absolutely nothing for me and even though I feel profoundly irritated at how stupid and sexist they ended up writing Pote to be, I on a rational level get that writing.

But other than Kote, I honestly love 5x09's Jeresa scenes. No, we did not get a plot-twist reveal in the finale that ended up showing us substantive flashbacks to Teresa and James working out their plan. That is a disappointment for sure (one that I'm sure I'll discuss in the finale's rewatch posts lol). But we do get a lot of Jeresa in this episode and LOOK AT THEMMM. They are tethered to each other by an invisible elastic thread and literally everything about them in every scene together screams how inseparable they are, how ridiculously in love with each other they are, both of them, and how deeply they rely on each other. Completely openly now. Even before the kiss and the I love yous.

It's so freaking soft and beautiful even though most of their scenes are them working together. The thing is that them working together in synchronicity is where they began and so it's a fitting way to show them together as they near the end, too. It's also important to see how their working relationship is changed now. It's not the hierarchy of seasons 1 and 2 in which Teresa essentially reported to James (well, at least until the end of season 2). It's not the hierarchy of seasons 3 and 5 either, in which James reported to Teresa. Nothing has explicitly changed, but it's abundantly obvious in this episode that they are working together now. Teresa's the leader of the cartel but James is her partner. He may not be co-owner of the business or anything like that but he's not working for her. They are very clearly deciding things together now. She consults with him; he refers to her. There is no longer any kind of hierarchy. Just a very clear mutual respect.

So I don't know. Sure, I would love dialogue between them like we had during the earlier seasons that lasts longer than 30 seconds but it feels like part of the point now is that there is almost too much to say, and yet none of it really needs saying. It'll be said eventually. But how could the show have possibly done justice to the years of feelings they're finally coming around to in a scene of dialogue? It's really hard to imagine. Trust me, I know, because I tried to write the extended scenes fan fic for this episode and the next, and it was HARD. I would've loved to have seen something like what I ended up writing on screen, to be sure, but would it have really felt like it belonged in the penultimate QOTS episode? I don't know. I really don't.

The one thing I do wish is that the balcony scene had had some more dialogue before Teresa kissed James. That scene did feel jarring in how fast it moved after a drawn-out Kote scene about putting together a crib in suburbia. But the juxtaposition to me also in some ways works because it really elevates Teresa and James. If I'm being honest, the episodes in which I really wanted to see more Jeresa conversations were 3 and 4, maybe even 5 or 6 -- but not these later ones. I think their scenes, unspoken feelings filling in all the empty space around them no matter where they are and what they're doing, are completely perfect. I really do. Which isn't to say I wouldn't have loved to see more of their emotional processing but that, I don't know, I'm not sure this is really the show that was ever going to do that. Most of their best conversations historically have been of the angsty processing variety.

So, well, I'll just fast-forward the Kote scenes when I watch this again and I'll be happy. Their love scene, MY GODS, it is incredible. Would I like a scene where James pushes Teresa against a wall and takes charge? Um, yes. Does that supercede the absolute joy I get from their blissful we-might-die-tomorrow-so-what-the-hell soft and sweet sex? No, it doesn't. Their softness with each other is absolutely to die for. I don't think I'll ever recover from it.

So, that concludes my thoughts on 5x09. On to the finale. I can't believe I made it. The end is near 🥺

#qots s5 #5x09 #2021 rewatch #txt post #qots reaction post #qots meta #I made the point in my original live debrief that Teresa not only didn't have substantive conversations with James #but she also didn't have substantive conversations with ANY other character #so with that in mind it seems clear to me the writers weren't trying to avoid Jeresa #they just decided that moving Teresa in the queenpin direction meant closing her off to other characters #and even though this episode is the final turnaround--she's arriving as queenpin in some ways (her killing Kostya is THE ultimate #queenpin moment) but is also abandoning queenpin once and for all--#it's easy for me to understand how she is still at a loss for words now with her world falling down around her #but her body language and eyes tell us everything we want to know about where she's at and what she's feeling #so thank you Alice for that

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mymostimaginaryfriend · 5 years

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Whats your favourite Jeresa scene? Mine is the end scene of 3x05, so beautiful.

Oh god, anon, it truly was SO beautiful, wasn’t it? At first I was gonna pretend to go through some other options (there are so many!) but I can’t lie…that 3x5 Jeresa end scene owns my entire ass.

James having the vulnerability to bare the dark parts of his soul, exposing his shame and self-loathing to Teresa, the person that means the most to him and yet….finding acceptance, validation and love? Bringing pain and trauma into the light for it to be seen, held and met with compassion? Listen I have a lot of feelings about what that must have meant to James AND Teresa.

Teresa had been asking James to open up to her all season and THE moment he does, she rises up to meet his vulnerability with her own, finally allowing herself to lower her guard, express her own emotions and act on her desires. And make no mistake, “you don’t have to hide from me” is a big fat unconditional love declaration.

Vulnerability (that fucking hand pinch hand hold) and release (James’ full body sigh when Teresa kisses his cheek). Soft (James needing a moment after their first kiss before their make-out) and hot (Teresa just going for it and James’ ass grab to get them hip to hip)—

It was a veritable OTP feast. And I loved everything about it.

#asks & replies #jeresa #qots #qots asks #these asks are a bright spot in the midst of dark and dreary hiatus #so bless u anons #txt post #qots meta

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ablindingsupernova · 6 years

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My QotS finale thoughts jeresa flavor

So I’ve been mulling over the finale and where the show left us vis a vis jeresa and I have some thoughts.

I’ve been thinking that a separation was coming for awhile now. And not because it’s a tired trope to keep the main couple apart but because of where I see each characters’ story going. We know Teresa becomes the Queen. We know that she becomes a harder person to get there. I’ve seen some speculation that the flash forwards aren’t what actually happens but are more visions of Teresa’s. I don’t know how on board I am with that theory, but that’s the subject for another post.

This turned out to be a long one, so I’m putting this under a cut. :-)

My first reaction to Teresa’s reaction to James leaving was extreme disappointment. After all of the emotion from 3x12, all we got was a hug a kiss and ‘I’ll miss you’. It was such a goodbye that my heart broke. I just expected more from their parting.

But then I thought on it some more and taking into account everything Teresa’s been through and where we know she’s going, I started to feel better about it. Don’t get me wrong - I’m not happy about it, but I think I see what’s happening here and I’m okay with it. For now.

So, Teresa’s lack of emotion. After thinking on it, I fully believe that Teresa knew after her conversation with James about running Phoenix, that he was going to leave. She knew how much she hurt him when she suspected him, and while he didn’t confess his love, asking her if that was just a business offer was pretty telling. And while I feel pretty confident in Teresa’s feelings for James, she just wasn’t in a place where she could be that open and vulnerable with him. Just this season alone, she lost Guero and was betrayed by Kelly Anne, someone she obviously felt very close to (”You said we were sisters”). I think after losing Brenda Teresa’s need for another female friend was so acute that she never even considered the most obvious person among them was the mole. All of the reasons that made her the likely candidate - her relative “innocence”, having no background in the drug business, etc. - also made her someone that Teresa believed she could trust. So when the truth came to light, she was devastated. Now, Teresa’s feelings for Kelly Anne and her feelings for James are quite different, but I think that if that situation had played out differently, she and James would’ve stayed together. But Teresa has suffered so much loss and she’s so determined to not just survive, but to thrive in this business, that she’s closing herself off emotionally.

And that brings me back to my initial comment about her reactions in 3x12. Teresa’s tears when James told her he was leaving were real. Teresa’s “I want him to stay” comment was real. As was her “I don’t want to lose you”. But I think she had been steeling herself for what she saw as the inevitable - James leaving. She built up her walls and resigned herself to the reality that she was in fact going to lose him. And I think a part of her realized that she had to let him go. She made her offer, he knew she meant it, and yet he still chose to leave. Of course, we now know WHY James actually left, but Teresa doesn’t and so she protected herself by burying her feelings.

Now, why I’m okay with it (told you this was going to be long, if you’re still reading, you’re amazing and thank you!). The separation I foresaw was a result of their characters going in two different directions. Teresa is becoming harder, cooler, more ruthless. While James is doing the opposite. He’s become more open emotionally, wants to do things differently, and in general, be better. And Teresa was the one that inspired him to do it. James did things he never did before in an effort to protect Teresa. Lied to Camila, risked his life on multiple occasions, and jumped through hoops to prove himself. All because he believed in Teresa and what she was trying to do. But the reality of the situation is that this is a ruthless business and while Teresa wants to do things differently, that doesn’t mean that everyone else will. As Teresa’s business and power grows, I think she’ll see that it will come at a price, one she wasn’t originally willing to pay. Which, IMO, will eventually lead to her wanting to get out and that’s how I see she and James reuniting. I have absolutely no idea where James storyline is going but I feel confident that their stories will come full circle and he and Teresa will find each other again. Their love story is not over.

#jeresa #queen of the south #my thoughts #my VERY long thoughts #haha #thanks for sticking around to the end #qots meta

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