#but she doesn't strike me as someone content with a simple happily ever after

[calliopecalling]

Queen of the South 5x10 FINALE(!) Debrief

Well well well. WELL. Well.

I've spent much of today in a beachy daze. Like are we all living with our beloved QOTS characters inside a fluff fanfic? Or was that the actual end of the series? How did we get here? Are we happy about it?! Last night I felt underwhelmed, though that was I'm 100% sure tinged with just, that normal post-anticipatory letdown. That feeling of "was that it?" that the day after every favorite holiday brings with it. Like how could reality ever actually meet you where you swear you're not hiding your expectations?

As I've begun adjusting today to this New World in which QOTS is over (😭 it's only been my TV obsession since 2018 😭 what do I do now?!) I've settled a bit more deliciously into the hazy glow that the last 5 minutes of the finale brought on. Like wow, that long slow burn really paid off. These two people who've been dancing around each other for five years struggling to reconcile their feelings for each other with the world they're a part of -- finally giving that life the bird and deciding to lean into each other? When do we get TV that actually gives us that so wholeheartedly?! I'm digging it.

I'm also digging the many many opportunities this gives us to imagine new things into earlier scenes and seasons, and validate some of the things we've hoped we were correct in imagining all along. And I love that it's not shying away from romance in order to make some kind of depressing and cynical statement. Like there's this thing that "serious art" (of whatever medium) tries to do that can be all like, romance is "for girls." Like it's silly and unrealistic, demeaning, even. But what I love about Jeresa is that they didn't just have this electric sexual chemistry but they also saw in each other a mirror of their own values and strength; I so appreciate that the showrunners decided, you know what? That matters. That's important that two people crashed into each other's lives and made each other better people. Let's go with that.

So. I dig it.

AND, I don't think this season was well-written. I admit--I'm an academic--I like a well-written, even, consistent TV show, with a lot of attention to character development, and a keen attention to detail. Those things matter to me when I'm watching a show (or a movie, or reading a book, etc.). I'm not trying to be a snob; it's just that I take a real delight--like almost a physical sensation--in things coming together in a really cool way. I like word play and symbolism and subtle humor and body language. A lot of that, actors can pull off regardless of writing (and that's what I LOVED about Alice and Peter; they really do that so well). But a lot of my experience of this season, and this final episode, would've just been more delightful if it had been better written.

I really felt that the first three seasons of QOTS were pretty well-written. Yes, there were some scenes that required suspension of disbelief. (I will always wonder, for example, how the heck did Lil T get from Phoenix to Devon's mom at her church choir rehearsal in what I’m assuming was Chicago in the like, what, 45 minutes max lead time she was given, lol. Or are we supposed to believe his mom just happened to be in Phoenix?) There were some corners cut for the sake of moving the plot forward. But overall, those didn't outweigh the pleasure of watching Teresa's complex journey from the narco girlfriend who'd lost everything except her soul to the narco queen who was gaining everything but starting to lose her soul.

So the first three seasons I could just really buy into. If the first season or two had felt like the last two seasons have--rushed, inconsistent, and with way too many superfluous male characters (sorry/not sorry 😬)--I probably wouldn't have gotten as caught up in it as I did. (AS caught up in it, I said. Alice still carries it for me as Teresa just by herself, regardless of what crap they give her to work with, so I would have guaranteed still been a fan.) I think I liked this season better than Season 4 overall, because of how important James is as a mirror to Teresa's character, and because the tension between them creates a really interesting internal struggle for her. But it also felt even more rushed than Season 4 did and had way less Teresa screentime per episode than Season 4.

Especially this finale. I was discussing it with my coworker this morning (same coworker, unfortunately, who thinks Pote was "so stinkin cute" this season and loved his story line) and even though we will never agree on our favorite Teresa sidekick, we agreed that the finale should've given Teresa so much more. The writers set it up to try to convince us that James had killed Teresa, and decided to let that mystery be the final tension of the series, making us hold our collective breaths until the very end to finally collectively exhale when the 'big reveal' that she'd faked her own death was the big plot twist.

Only it wasn't that unexpected. I know there were people out there who legitimately believed James had killed her. And I definitely couldn't relax in utter confidence because TV SHOW WRITERS, MAN. They love to ruin good things. BUT. It just wasn't that shocking that it was faked. It was the right ending. Killing her would've totally ruined the show and while I couldn't put anything past these writers, most people I know were pretty sure it must've been staged. So what I wish they'd done instead of trying to force us all to believe she was actually dead and that everyone else was just trying to get out, was start the episode with flashbacks to when Teresa started forming her plan, and then let the central tension of the episode (and the final tension of the series) be: will they be able to pull it off?

And if they'd had Teresa be the one to kill Boaz, rather than Pote--or at least have her be the one doing the bulk of the work to track him down and stare him in the eyes one final time--then that "will they pull this off?" tension could've been pretty nail-biting. Then we would've found ourselves wondering OMG IS JAMES GOING TO DIE all episode rather than WHY THE FUCK ARE WE SEEING SO MUCH POTE. Plus, having flashbacks to the planning process start off the episode would have allowed us to actually follow along with Teresa's final transformation, the journey back to herself and coming to terms with what she really wanted.

Instead, we're going to have to fill in those gaps ourselves. You know what though? It's ok. Overall, I enjoyed myself this season. I am happy with this ending (though sorry again but I would've still preferred an ending in which Pote dies just because it's almost TOO happy). I am basking in the fantasizing about all the Teresa and Jeresa things they didn't show us that we now get to fill in--and the fact that we now know where they ended up!! And, I mean. THOSE SMILES. Smiles for days! Suggestive gazes! Sweet kisses! I die.

So it's the end of the series, sure. But I know I at least will still be around for a while, because I am a nutcase who is obsessed with these characters and now just has way more fodder to feed my madness.