shotgun

bitchy/salty James in Bolivia

But the thing is that I know that I feel like this because of my love for the one and only Teresa Mendoza. Since the beginning we have been shown how deeply Teresa loves. She is such a tactile person, she shows love through physical intimacy (whether platonic or romantic), acts of love and sacrifice and by being open with verbal validation and affection. I have been shown how intensely she connects with the people around her. Because of that I feel and understand her losses right along with her.

A show being able to do that comes down to the care and effort that the people behind it put into it. You can tell that it’s not just that they give a shit about their characters but that they want us too as well. Not just so they can use them and our love for them to keep us watching but because they want to know that we appreciate these characters and their stories as much as they do. It makes for an entirely different viewing experience. One that’s much more meaningful and enjoyable than when you’re watching a show that feels like the reverse is true.

They also trust their writing and their story to carry the show without cheap gimmicks or overused tropes. They could have easily turned the Jeresa/Guero thing into a triangle that lasted the rest of the season or longer. Instead they honored the relationship that they have been building between Jeresa by shutting the door on her story with Guero permanently and literally having James bury the body - after showing James as the mature, selfless, good man that he is. 

And they somehow managed to do all of it without showing the last moments between Teresa and Guero as overly romantic (at least not on her end) while giving a subtle acknowledgement of why he was important to Teresa once and making the death of a not very popular character still a moment that we could feel justified feeling some sadness over. I am so impressed with this show and I can’t believe it took me nearly 2 ½ seasons to find it.