#qots meta

[mymostimaginaryfriend]

QUEENPIN: visions vs. reality

Okay, so this might be a stretch but I couldn’t help but notice Teresa has been making some mistakes that Queenpin has warned her about in her visions.  The nature of having a show with so many callbacks is that you can basically find “evidence” for any perspective and I’m sure this wasn’t even on purpose but: one of my favorite Queenpin vision theories is that they are her future self warning her of her mistakes to try and prevent the Piloto opening scene. Who knows, guess we’ll see, etc etc but I thought these were interesting either way.

[teresa-moyocoyotzin]

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!

[folie-lex]

Queen of the South - Episodes 5.01 to 5.06 – Review

[kalena-henden]

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!

[northcountry39]

QOTS Tarot Symbolism 3x08-3x11

Eyyy so I got way behind on these, and since I really want to wrap it up before the start of S4, here is a more general overview of the tarot card symbolism for the back end of S3 (eps 8-11). Will hopefully finish up the last two tomorrow - thanks for all your support for this series. It’s been fun!! 

Let’s get started with Episode 8 “El Carro” or “The Chariot.” Very fitting for an ep that is full of fast cars!

Episode 3x08 El Carro/The Chariot

This tarot card depicts a warrior riding a chariot and symbolizes victory, determination, and achieving your goals. The fact that he’s driving the chariot without reins shows that he’s achieving success through strength of will, and his standing position indicates that he’s all about action and moving forward.

If this card turns up in a reading, it can indicate that you will win an upcoming battle and that you will be able to overcome any setbacks through hard work, aggressive action, and courage. 

This episode we see Teresa making some moves and laying a lot of the groundwork for the defeat of Pecas and takeover of la Comision in the following ep. And there are certainly bumps in the road - losing some of their product, KG’s capture, Tonto’s death and Lil T’s injuries, to name a few. But their strategic move in making a deal with Mayo at the end of the ep is setting them up nicely – as Teresa says, “when the time is right, we’ll kill them all.” Victory is ahead! 

From a relationship standpoint, this card emphasizes the need to work through rough patches with good communication. We see Teresa having some honest conversations with James (both in the car and in the bathroom later) as well as with Pote to help clear the air after everything that went down in the previous ep (wine cellar etc).

Episode 3x09 El Diablo/The Devil

The Devil card shows, well…the Devil! This one is interesting. It can appear when you are on the verge of a big breakthrough or upward movement, which is certainly the case for Teresa in her takeover of Phoenix. She’s also making a “deal with the devil” (however briefly) in working with Mayo to eliminate Pecas. 

The Devil can represent entrapment, too, and Teresa and the gang pull off a clever ploy that ends with their enemies all dead otherwise “trapped” in jail. Plus my main man KG is sadly languishing in captivity, imprisoned by Cortez and his goons.

Teresa is also flirting with the “dark side” in her ruthless elimination of her competition - this card can symbolize a conscious choice to embark on a darker path with confidence and courage, and I think there are shades of that here (in particular executing Pecas + her phone call with Mayo at the end).

Pleasure, lust, and raw sexuality are also associated with the Devil, and the final moments of the ep do get pretty steamy... ;) 

On that note, in terms of relationships, the Devil encourages you to break free of any anxieties and inner fears that might be standing in the way of achieving your desires. And throughout the ep, we see James and Teresa coming back together (we’ll run Phoenix how we want, we’ll do it together) and building towards that epic moment where they tear off each other’s clothes and...yes. 

Episode 3x10 La Muerte/Death

A skeleton riding a white horse, but not as ominous as it looks! Death is about new beginnings, change, and transformation - it symbolizes closing the door on a certain phase of your life and embracing new possibilities. Letting go of the past can be challenging, but it’s to make way for a richer and more fulfilling experience in the present.

I think this is really the essence of Teresa’s hallucination experience. While in El Santo dreamland, she makes the choice to leave the familiarity and security of her memories and fantasy what-might-have-beens with Guero to embrace the life she actually has. To keep going despite all the pain and hardship and uncertainty. Quote Queenpin: “Your life is painful and ugly, but it’s yours.” 

When El Santo tells Teresa that the darkness that he saw in her before had is gone, I think it’s referring at least in part to that weight being lifted. Rebirth is also kind of El Santo’s schtick, which fits well with the death card - the old version of yourself has to die so the new one can emerge and thrive. The past is behind you, and the future is up for grabs! 

Episode 3x11 Diez de Copas/Ten of Cups 

Oh boy. The Ten of Cups is the “happy family” card. It depicts a loving couple with their children, and it is all about joy, contentment, and being surrounded by loved ones. Which is how we open this ep - Teresa and her gang having a delightful family-style BBQ pool party with lots of laughs and tequila.

Sadly, this idyllic scene doesn’t last. When reversed, the Ten of Cups represents increased distance between you and your loved ones, poor communication, and breakup of familial or romantic relationships. By the end of the ep, James and Teresa have had a falling out over the mole situation, and we all know the sad way in which Teresa’s friendship with Kelly Anne ends. :(

This card can also mean you are deviating from your personal moral code. Ordering KA’s execution, for example, is not necessarily in keeping with Teresa’s earlier idealism of “a better way of doing business.” But doing what is necessary to survive AND staying true to your heart is certainly no simple matter. 

Thanks for reading! Last two eps coming soon. :) 

[floresdeldoza]

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.

[junostjames]

James was cooler toward Teresa in 2x10 than he had ever been before and the assumption has always been that it was due exclusively to Camila taking digs at him and favoring Teresa instead, that he was insecure. And while I still think that played a role I don't believe it was the only factor. I rewatched 2x08 and you guys, James realized Teresa was going to take off with Guero. As Teresa and Guero are preparing to leave Devin's people burst into their room and Teresa and Guero drops their bags in plain view. When James comes back to the room and moves to stand behind Teresa he can see the bags. (And if he didn't see them then he would've seen them soon after anyway. They're right in the middle of the living room and there's no good reason for them to be.) Which explains his comment in 2x10: "I chose Camila, you chose Guero." Like, that's pretty loaded. (And backwards; she chose Guero while Camila, hilariously, was his rebound.) She was going to leave with Guero and that hurt him so he shut himself off from her, went back to just being Camila's right hand and pushed her away. By the time he tried to course correct in 2x11 it was too late, things had already gone off the rails between Teresa and Camila.

[adamantinesky]

QOTS

I’m seeing posts about how James’ actions in the season 2 finale and leading up to that ep are OOC, or the very least inconsistent. And I disagree. Here’s my thought process, starting with 2x05 which is the ep I think James came to a few conclusions. The first being that Teresa loves Guerro or at the very least has some very unresolved feelings towards him, and the second that Teresa is not only staying in the business, but she’s ambitious. (This is also the ep where I think James accepted the depth of his feelings for Teresa. Dancing scene, to be specific).

So consider, after that ep James has this woman whom he cares about and wants to keep safe, who is tied up with her (ex?)boyfriend, and is diving headfirst into a life he has a plan to leave, alive and with money. Right after this his boss starts playing favorites, seeming to value his input less and less while giving some of his former responsibilities to a newcomer. This justifiably frustrates him considering his history with Camila and that Teresa, for all her intelligence and resourcefulness, is exactly what James said, which is inexperienced and emotional, having only been in this life for a number of weeks (maybe months? what’s the timeline? I don’t actually know).

So being emotionally tied to Teresa will derail his own plans and likely come with a lot of pain after she’s killed, something I believe he thinks is inevitable in the business, with Camila’s actions simultaneously giving him an excuse to distance himself from Teresa. I should point out that I don’t believe that James reported Teresa’s location. If he had I believe we would have seen if not the action itself, then some kind of emotional reaction to it from James considering it would have been a betrayal and loyalty is intrinsic to his character. I think Teresa was tracked through Kelly Ann, but it was deliberately left ambiguous to ramp up the tension leading into the season finale. Anyway, what James did do was stop interfering. He completed his responsibilities, did his job, stayed loyal, and got out, all while not actively trying to kill someone he's trying not to care about and believes is going to end up dead. He walked away.

tl;dr I think that while James was accepting his feelings for Teresa he was also seeing where she was headed, or thinks she is headed. And he pulled back then walked away. Whether or not he’ll be able to stay away is a question for season 3. My hope is not.

Tagging @morleybell because you’re the only one I know who watches this lol.