Holy Hell!
That was my reaction to the last 15 minutes of Queen of the South Season 4 Episode 13 as I watched a loss I didn’t want to see, a death I’d been rooting for, and a return I’d waited for throughout Queen of the South Season 4.
But Judge LaFayette is still alive and walking free and that’s just annoying considering the way the man consistently belittles Teresa despite making millions of dollars off of her business.
I’ve indulged you, Miss Mendoza. I’ve let you and all the riffraff in your organization walk around my city like you belong here, and it appears that my reward for not showing you my teeth is you forgetting your place, little lady. Well, let me tell you something, if you don’t hand over your man, I will hand you your head.
LaFayette
Certainly, LaFayette has not survived this war unscathed. Rene is dead. Randall is dead. Davis is dead but is the old man broken enough to not be a threat?
Marcel: The judge is down but he’s not out.
Pote: As long as he’s breathing he’s going to be a problem for us.
Teresa: If he loses his power, he’s just a man and a man can be killed.
What does all of that loss mean for LaFayette’s stronghold on New Orleans and his plans to build a private prison? That’s unclear.
LaFayette mistakes fear for loyalty and Gina’s Queen of the South quote is a prime example…
Gina: He trusts me. Kind of treats me like a pet. I was doing time for solicitation and the judge got me out on early parole, so he lets me know every chance he gets that he can send me back whenever he wants.
Pote: You’re a pet in a cage.
Gina: I hate him.
The hope is, that this miscalculation in whom he can trust will eventually put LaFayette in his own prison cell, old and alone.
Davis turning on him was a shock only to him. The judge saw Davis’ humanity coupled with his mental illness as a weakness and thought he could easily control his son.
He was wrong.
Knowing that his father had ordered Emilia killed gnawed at Davis. If he couldn’t save Emilia, the least he could do was bring Javier to her body.
Javi was gutted by the loss. He would have rather believed that Emilia had left him and Boaz behind and was building a new life for herself than be faced with the reality that she paid with her life for his crime.
Then he had to call Boaz and share the news with him.
Boaz: Javi, make sure the bastard dies a painful death.
Javier: It will be done.
And then, he confessed all to Teresa.
Pote wanted Javier dead since his reckless actions and secrets were the reason Tony was killed and Teresa had been targeted, but he wouldn’t pull the trigger without Teresa’s say so.
At that moment, Javier had only one ally and it was George. He didn’t defend Javi’s actions but he put things in perspective for Teresa and Pote.
Javier’s not running, he’s a cartel soldier. He knows he disobeyed the boss’ orders and lied to her to boot. Look, he’s good with whatever you decide.
George
But as disappointed as Teresa was, she didn’t want Javi dead, which made his demise that much harder to bear.
If Javier had come to her after he killed Rene, she wouldn’t have been happy but she would have protected him.
Like with many things, the coverup can lead to worse consequences than the original crime.
As Randall hauled Javi away, I still held out hope that he’d somehow survive, but if that couldn’t happen, Javi came up with the next best thing.
Javi losing Randall after the shootout was incredibly disappointing. After killing Emilia, Randall had to die, and Javi had to be the man to kill him.
Javier had promised his cousin he would make it hurt and causing Randall to be burned alive with him kept that promise.
As much as losing Javi hurt, watching him surprise Randall and drag him into that burning trunk with him was quite satisfying.
Davis commiting suicide was less so.
As much as watching Davis kill his father would have been gratifying, it wasn’t realistic because Davis didn’t have the heart of a killer, no matter how much he grew to despise his father.
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It would have been entertaining to have Davis turn his father over to the Federal authorities but with Davis’ mental illness, his testimony would have been questionable.
The only upside of Davis’ death was that LaFayette knows that he was the cause and that can eat away at whatever is left of the man’s soul.
Marcel kept his word to Teresa and it will be curious to see if there’s any blowback for him considering that LaFayette is still alive.
Will the judge look for revenge or has losing Randall defanged him, at least for the time being?
In the middle of it all, Eddie returned wearing his heart on his sleeve and looking for answers, and this time, he got them.
Teresa: I run a drug cartel.
Eddie: Are you serious?
Teresa: Every minute you spend with me you are in danger. I need you to go away. Don’t come back.
If Eddie had shown up at her hospital room, he would have unknowingly been putting a target on his back.
Teresa was calm and straight forward. There was nothing in her words or her demeanor to make Eddie think he should stick around.
Hopefully, for his sake, he takes her advice.
Teresa has suffered her share of losses in New Orleans but her empire has grown considerably.
Phoenix, New Orleans, Atlanta, Miami, and now New York, but will there be an even steeper price to pay for teaming up with the Russian kingpin, Kostya?
Oksana: The good news is that you have his attention. The bad news is that you have his attention.
Teresa: So we’re in business with Kostya?
Oksana: Yes, for better or for worse.
For all of George’s fears over partnering with the Russians, and his anger over letting Birdie’s killer walk free, he’s still by Teresa’s side.
No matter what the loss, Teresa has created a family. Her people risk their lives for her. Pote, Kelly Anne, Javier, George, even Boaz has become a loyal soldier.
But just when things seemed to even out, a new surprise came screeching around the corner.
James is back, bloody and battered but still hopefully on Teresa’s side.
Who is coming for Teresa? Is it the Feds or some new threat?
As much as I was thrilled to see James back, I’m still shocked we never saw Camila or Isabela throughout Queen of the South Season 4.
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Could the Vargas duo be the ones coming after Teresa next?
Thankfully, we’ll find out as USA Network as renewed Queen of the South for Season 5!
So hit me up in the comments TV Fanatics and tell me what you loved about this season of Queen of the South, what you hated, and what you want to see for Season 5.
Then let’s make a date to check back in here next summer to do it all again. Until then, you can watch Queen of the South online here at TV Fanatic.
C. Orlando is a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.