On Queen of the South Season 3 Episode 7, we learned that there's something even more powerful than Teresa Mendoza.

Grief.

Teresa's devastation over Guero's death was dragging her under. She couldn't eat. She couldn't sleep, and her flying lessons had turned into a battle with her suicidal thoughts.

It was no wonder James and Pote were questioning her decision to remain in Phoenix with a target on their backs.

You know staying here isn't smart, it's suicide.
James

Permalink: You know staying here isn't smart, it's suicide.

But Teresa was tired of running. Even if it meant losing it all, she was determined to stay and hold her ground.

Or perhaps Teresa was just tired.

Grief and depression zap your energy, so I understand why Kelly Anne offered Teresa the hit of cocaine to keep her going, but I now worry that Kelly Anne has a problem.

If that's the case, it won't bode well for any of them.

Locking Teresa in that room was a risk, but I loved that Pote supplied her with a proper sandwich before he locked her in.

And where James kept reassuring them that it would all be okay, Pote was smart enough to realize that this play could go very wrong...

Pote: Remember, this was your idea.
James: She wasn't listening to reason. When she comes to her senses she'll see that we were right.
Pote: That, or put a bullet in us. You don't know Mexican women.

Permalink: That, or put a bullet in us. You don't know Mexican women.

It wasn't lost on me that the only person that Teresa came close to opening up to was Pote. With Kelly Anne and James, she had completely shut down.

But where Kelly Anne was trying to be a friend, and James wanted to play white knight and protect her, Teresa chose Pote because she trusts him completely and because he believes in her.

Teresa: How did you handle it?
Pote: What?
Teresa: When your marriage ended?
Pote: Work. I put work first. My loyalty to my bosses is more than loyalty to any woman. I vow to protect them no matter the circumstances and that's a vow that I will never break. What you say, it goes Teresita. You're the boss.

Permalink: Work. I put work first. My loyalty to my bosses is more than loyalty to any woman. I vow to...

Part of the reason Teresa doesn't want to sleep is that she doesn't want to dream of Guero. It's all just far too painful right now.

Live or die, she's putting all of her energy into the business she's built in Phoenix and she's not walking away. But staying means she'll need to take down Pecas very soon.

When the box was delivered to Pecas, my first thought was that the sicario's head was inside, but that didn't feel right. It's not Teresa's style.

So she sent her message with the man's tattoo instead. My question is, where is the rest of him? I'm guessing he's still alive. I don't think Pote would have let him scream so much if he were only going to kill him.

But the biggest surprise came at the hands, and the nailgun, of General Cortez.

I can't imagine that Cortez doesn't realize Camila is playing him, but I could be wrong. At the very least he's insecure enough to suspect it.

She totally ignored his advice about capturing Boaz, even when he promised his lead was solid and it wouldn't take long.

What Cortez advised didn't matter. Camila wanted to protect her daughter and take down Teresa. In her mind, Boaz had become secondary.

It struck me that Cortez continually stressed how he and Camila were doing this together. "Mexico is ours. Phoenix is ours." The emphasis was definitely on the "ours," and Camila agreed, although it was easy to see her heart wasn't in it.

Camila views Cortez as nothing more than her soldier. She needs him to execute her plans, but she has no real intention of splitting her power with him.

Let's face it, if Camila wasn't willing to share with Epifanio, her husband of two decades and the father of her child, Cortez has no chance in hell.

And on some level, he must have known that before Kique ever began this Queen of the South quote:

Kique: You poor bastard. She's playing you.
Cortez: What do you know about this?
Kique: I'm the son of Boaz Jimenez. I know how a cartel boss operates. You have no power, no control. You are Camila's puppet, her puppet. Isabela told me everything.

Permalink: I'm the son of Boaz Jimenez. I know how a cartel boss operates. You have no power, no...

At that moment we saw the difference between Pote and Cortez. Both are soldiers. Both have declared their loyalty, but Pote would never allow his temper to overtake his orders.

Pote would never betray Teresa the way General Cortez just betrayed Camila.

Because when Isabela finds out that Camila authorized this kidnapping, and there's no doubt she will, the girl will hate her mother even more than she hates Teresa.

Kique was the love of her young life, and Camila and Cortez took that away, permanently.

Did Cortez think this through and this was his plan all along, or was he throwing a temper tantrum when he murdered Kique?

Now he has power over Camila. He can use this to turn her daughter against her at any time.

And what about Boaz? The man cuts off people's heads and uses them as soccer balls when he only suspects they've betrayed him. How will he react when he learns his son has been killed?

Just when you thought it couldn't happen, the stakes are raised once again on Queen of the South Season 3.

Check back for my review of Queen of the South Season 3 Episode 8, and until then, you can watch Queen of the South online here at TV Fanatic.