Okay, let’s talk Thomesa.
I know it’s a controversial ship among the Maze Runner fandom, but hear me out. It’s a very tragic and emotional love story.
Most of the controversy in his topic to due to the fact that it is Teresa on the other side of it. We all love Thomas, as there’s no denying that he’s a pretty, great protagonist and leader. But most of us are split in the idea of Teresa. Whether she was good or bad, whether she was doing the right thing or not, or if her betrayal was really necessary. I am Team Thomas all the way, mostly because I enjoy both Brenda and Teresa, and enjoy them with Thomas, either it’s platonic or romantic. But if I had to choose which of the two I like the most, I’d prefer Teresa, and there are probably many others who think the same.
To be honest, I believe that if Teresa hadn’t died in the Death Cure, Thomas would’ve ended up with her either way. It’s very clear that he always loved her, and saw her intentions through and through. Thomas isn’t small minded, but he is stubborn, and does what he thinks is right. Teresa is the same. She is open minded, and always thinking of others before herself. That’s what makes her death so symbolic. She died because she loved for Thomas, and wanted him to go on, and died knowing that he was going to have a long life ahead of him.
Let’s talk about this kiss. Now, throughout the entirety of the film, Thomas and Teresa always have this tension between them. Of course, it’s mostly because of the fact that he’s seeing her again, because of what she did. After all, if Teresa hadn’t called WICKED, Minho would’ve never ended up in the Last City. But this kiss. This kiss tells us everything we need to know about both characters, and their motives throughout the trilogy. It’s always clear that they had each other’s backs, and are always looking out for one another. It’s clear Thomas loves Teresa as much as she loves him. Why else would he kiss her, instead of her kissing him, when it’s clear she still loves him? This kiss confirms that Thomas is, too, in love with Teresa. And he forgives for what she did, because he understands her beliefs, and that she had no intention in harming anyone.
So let’s go farther into this. Remember when we see Teresa monitoring Minho for the first time in The Death Cure? You can see it in her face, that she is completely hurt, and can’t stand seeing her friend in pain. She even looks away, regret storming on her face. Later on, when Ava Paige is speaking with her after their meeting, she says she can have Teresa’s memories of Thomas wiped so she could focus. Teresa denies this. She never wants to forget him. It’s even clear that she’ll never get over Thomas. She keeps seeing him. Even when she sees him a the train station, she chases after him, because she needs him. She needs him to guide her through this mess she made.
But even Thomas doesn’t hate her, he’s just confused. He wants to hate her, but something inside of him still cares for her. When they speak, you actually can see the sadness in his face seeing her—not because she’s the reason he’s there, but also because he misses her, and wanted her with him the entire time. Teresa and Thomas have always been a team.
Even when they were kids, Thomas and Teresa were always together. They were the ones that shared that connection and knew that there was something binding them together. Remember in the Scorch Trials how Thomas was protective and always wondering and thinking of Teresa? When she pasted his windows, he literally got up from his chair, and kept calling her name, trying to make sure she was okay. Teresa was always at his side when he passed out, and in his dreams while he was out. When he woke up from the Changing, she was there. When he woke up from being drugged with Brenda, she was there.
Even in his dreams, she was there with him. Everything and everything was about them both. Holding hands before going under the Swipe. It’s clear there was something before all of this even started.
I don’t think Thomas ever even meant harm to Teresa, either. It’s very clear he loves her, and is willing to do what is necessary. Let’s think for a moment. Look at his face. He’s so starstruck, and in awe of her. He’s almost proud. He’s relieved. He’s in love. But that’s not the only thing that portrays his affections towards her. It’s also even before the betrayal.
After he kissed Brenda, he immediately sees Teresa instead of Brenda, who will later go on to be his endgame when the series is over. This is a clear statement that he has feelings to her. He even says afterwards:
“No,” he said, resisting.
[Brenda] stopped, a hurt looked washing over her face. Her moving, blurring face.
“Why?” she asked.
The darkness almost had him fully now. “You’re not... her.” His voice, distant. A mere echo. “You could never be her.”
And she fell away, and his mind did the same.
So yeah. Thomas is hung up on Teresa. Even when Newt mentions her when they see the Last City, months after her betrayal, you can see the straint on his face. Seeing her is bring a strange feeling inside him.
Moral of the story, Thomas and Teresa were always, from what I can tell, the true love story of the Maze Runner. Yeah, I know, the romance isn’t a big part of the story, but let’s also put in the fact that they both love each other very deeply, and it sucks that they’ll never actually get to be together, because moments after that kiss they share, Teresa dies, and Thomas is screaming as she falls. But also think that Thomas’s last words in the films was “No!” when he saw Teresa fall. Also, when he had the chance to carve a name into the Memorial Stone, he chose whose name? You guessed it—Teresa. But again, I am team Thomas. Not team Teresa, not team Brenda. I’m on Thomas’s side. I just think people are a little too bias on him and Teresa, because clearly, they belong together—they just never had the chance.
