Queen of the South 5×08 “Todo Lo Que Toco” sees a return to the Teresa that was all heart, without truly losing what made her the Queen of the South. With two episodes to go, this sets up an interesting showdown between the crime boss she was becoming and the woman she could be if she chooses to walk away. What will Teresa end up choosing and how will the people around her react to those choices?
One of the only Latina-helmed shows currently on TV, Queen of the South is in its final season and LatinaMedia.Co and Fangirlish are teaming up to give it the coverage it deserves. So join us each week as we celebrate/commemorate/mourn Queen of the South through episode recaps, filled with our hot takes, commentary, and, of course, Latina perspective. Let’s do this!
LISSETE LANUZA SÁENZ, FANGIRLISH EIC: This was an emotional rollercoaster of an episode. Starting at the end, jumping back 18 hours earlier to right after Kelly Anne was taken, making us worry! And then Teresa with the grenade, Devon Finch, Kelly Anne saving herself. Just like last episode, I felt like there wasn’t even a moment to breathe in this one. And then the ending, with Oksana’s death, after Teresa had decided to get out of the business. Not to mention Teresa basically ordering Pote and Kelly Anne to leave. It was… a lot. Two more episodes to go, and I’m not even sure how they can top the last two.
CRISTINA ESCOBAR, CO-FOUNDER OF LATINAMEDIA.CO: I loved this episode too! They’re really giving Queen of the South an amazing goodbye. Going into it, I thought we’d see things more drawn out, like Kelly Anne in captivity for the rest of the season, but no! They’re throwing new grenades (literal and figurative) every minute and it is INTENSE. But before we move on, I’ve got to say how great it was watching Kelly Anne rescue herself! So much of the episode was everyone trying to ‘save’ her and bitch is capable. I was smiling ear to ear when she escaped Boaz’s goons and made that call to Pote.
LISSETE LANUZA SÁENZ: Of all the crimes Boaz has commited, and he’s committed a lot, I almost got angrier at him badmouthing Pote than anything else he’s done! I am glad, however, that he was trying to think strategically and didn’t hurt Kelly Anne, because Boaz isn’t always known for thinking straight. Interestingly, after setting the showdown with him up for a few episodes, Boaz seems a smaller enemy right now than Kostya, and Devon Finch. But that’s still three more enemies than Teresa needs with two episodes left to go. Who would you say is your biggest concern and why is it Kostya?
CRISTINA ESCOBAR: Ha! When Kostya told Teresa that he was coming for her and everyone she loves, I wanted her to say “join the club!” Everyone’s after her but Teresa thrives under pressure. If anything (I can’t believe I’m saying this), she’s had it too easy for most of the season – I have no doubt she’ll rise to the occasion and figure out a way to play all these men off each other. So no concerns here, more just wondering if Teresa really wants to go legit and what she’s willing to sacrifice (or not) to get out of the drug trade.
LISSETE LANUZA SÁENZ: I want to talk about James for a minute, because I’m not even sure right now why the show went to all the trouble of showing us James’ issues with the way Teresa was acting, if we were always going to end up here, with Teresa putting heart over business, and basically choosing to get out instead of getting the people around her hurt. If her decisions had been at all tied to James, I guess maybe I could understand the framing, but they’re not? It’s mostly about Pote and Kelly Anne. Plus, for all of James mourning who Teresa could have been, or once was, he hasn’t really wavered from this Teresa either. Man’s there, through thick and thin. And I guess I appreciate that about him.
CRISTINA ESCOBAR: I appreciate that about him too – James may have had his issues with Teresa but he doesn’t get all dramatic about it. He’s actually been pretty good at communicating with her, saying his concerns and then respecting (and implementing) her decisions. Even when it means killing people. So some of her choices ate at him some but in the end, he’s there for her. And I guess, that’s why he’s there? So they can have hot sex, mutual respect, and romantic love at the end? I mean, he has to be her happy ending and all that doubt was just to remind us what Teresa has at stake, right?
LISSETE LANUZA SÁENZ: One thing is for sure, at this point, for Teresa, there’s no happy ending without James. But I will say, the couple that had me feeling things this episode was, of course Pote and Kelly Anne. I have always appreciated them both as separate characters, and as a couple, but in this episode they really got to me. Pote’s desperation, Kelly Anne never giving up, the way they held each other when Pote found her by the side of the road. And then the end, with the two of them walking away together, towards the quiet life we have dreamed they could have. And yet… I don’t buy it. I don’t buy that they’re walking away, even if Teresa is seemingly forcing them. It just doesn’t feel right to me. Do you think this is the last we’ll see of Pote and Kelly Anne? Are they getting their happily ever after away from it all, or is the show setting up a final twist?
CRISTINA ESCOBAR: They are definitely going to be in the last two episodes! I was proud of all of them, Teresa, Pote, and Kelly Anne, this episode. They showed up for each other and did what was right, even though it was hard. And it was SO satisfying seeing Pote kill Boaz’s evil cousin and, of course, watching Kelly Anne take her power back. I’m predicting a happy ending for them, just with some more action before it’s all done. One of Teresa’s current foes (Boaz, Kostya, Finch, hell even Dumas) will rope them back in.
LISSETE LANUZA SÁENZ: I agree, and I won’t even be mad about it. In general, this episode really went hard on the dichotomy of what these people can do to each other, and yet the fact that they all got someone they love back home, and perhaps, if the story were framed differently, we could be rooting for someone other than Teresa. Do you think the show has effectively played with the double standards of having us, effectively, rooting for the bad guys? And do all stories about an anti-hero need to end in death? Or can Teresa have a happy ending?
CRISTINA ESCOBAR: I mean, they’re all bad guys. If you want to take a law-and-order approach, you could, I guess, root for David Finch but he’s no better than the rest. They’re all dealing drugs and getting rich, despite the dead bodies in their wake. Teresa’s just got the best code, the biggest commitment to her people. Or at least, that’s the idea. A few episodes back, I thought the only way for it to end was for her to die but now I’m not so sure. I want her and James to ride off into the sunset (and by the “sunset” I mean the waterfront property)!
LISSETE LANUZA SÁENZ: Me too! I’m feeling super hopeful right now, which also feels like a trap, but one I’m willing to walk into. I don’t want to end, though, without talking about Teresa’s decisions this hour, and what they say about the person she still is, despite the things she’s done lately. Because Teresa chose the people around her, the people she loves, over her business, and even her life. Sure, there was always a plan in place, but she was willing to take the risk for Kelly Anne. A few episodes ago we were talking about how the woman James fell in love with was gone, but is she? Maybe you never truly change who you are. And maybe, that will be Teresa’s saving grace.
CRISTINA ESCOBAR: I hope so! The old Teresa is back and I’m rooting for her to find a way to “thrive” that doesn’t mean killing parts of herself. Only two episodes left and instead of being nervous, I’m feeling excited. It’s a good place to be!
LISSETE LANUZA SÁENZ: It really, really is!
Queen of the South airs Wednesdays on USA.
