La Reina del Sur: She's Not a Princess, She's a Queen
As I've been watching La Reina del Sur I have been thinking quite heavily about this "Cinderella" motif which is most often found in telenovelas. Although La Reina del Sur is, in fact, a Narconovela, I've discovered that there are aspects of the "Cinderella" plot woven into the tapestry of the show. This telenovela is not centered around a love story-- well, it is, but the romance is torn apart by death, as opposed to some evil Mother-in-Law-- but it is the story of a woman who rises from her original stature. Teresa Mendoza is first introduced as a moneychanger on Juarez Street, but, as we see in flashbacks, she soon becomes the serious girlfriend of a wealthy cartel dealer. However, when he is murdered by his own people, she has to start again, has to uproot her life and escape to Spain where more toils await her. This is the tale-tell start of the "Cinderella" stories we see in other telenovelas, but this one is merely set against a rougher backdrop. Teresa has to adapt and change, has to mend her broken heart; but unlike our usual telenovela princesses, this one has to defend herself from the drug lords (and even prostitutes) who are out to destroy her. We see drastic shifts in her character as the story develops, and through flashbacks we are able to truly see how inexperienced and innocent she was before she got involved with Guero, the long-lost love of her life. Although she comes from a background darkened by rape and corruption, Teresa Mendoza is truly virtuous and naive at first, but she soon evolves past all of the other "Cinderella's" we see in other novelas, for she becomes a queen, a queen who uses her power to get back at all those set on destroying her, and all those who have already taken what can never be given back.
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ReplyDeleteI am also watching La Reina Del Sur and I can assure that Teresa Mendoza is most definitely a queen, not a princess. The title of the telenovela says it all as she is literally the “Queen of the South.” Throughout the telenovela, Teresa displays just how strong, independent, and badass she is. She does not need a king or prince to protect and defend her. She is able to do it all on her own! Interestingly, I never noticed how naive Teresa was portrayed while she was with Guero until you mentioned it. Like you said, she was very “inexperienced and innocent” as she did not how the narco-world worked until Guero showed her. Guero helped teach Teresa how to defend for herself as he taught her how to shoot guns and run away in a crisis. He even gave her a large lump sum of money that she could use to survive off of after he died. As the telenovela progresses, Teresa only becomes stronger as she looks back at her past self and is ashamed of how weak she was crying over Guero time and time again. Her transformation is definitely evident as you see that when her next boyfriend dies, Santiago, she is not nearly as emotional. She expected his death all along and was preparing for it from the beginning of their relationship, ever since she discovered that he was also a drug dealer. After learning Santiago died, Teresa shed only a few tears and then carried on with life. I’m very intrigued to see how much more she evolves throughout the rest of the telenovela. I can’t wait to see how she further rules the south.
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