‘Queen of the South’ Season 5 Episode 2 Recap: Are the Russians Toying With Teresa?
A war is brewing on Queen of the South, but can Teresa contain it? After the season premiere brought James back into the fold with some intel, everyone was left wondering who sent the hitmen after Teresa. Her guard is up.
With Lafayette on the prowl, Boaz seeking revenge, and a fragile deal in place with Kostya, Teresa had her hands full. Only two episodes in and the show has fans worried about these alliances and truces. Here’s a recap of episode 2.
[Spoiler Alert: This article contains spoilers for Queen of the South Season 5 Episode 2, “Me Llevo Manhattan”]
Teresa calls Oksana and Kostya out
Teresa arrives at a gated safe house which is sprawling with armed guards. James arranged for ex Mossad muscle to guard them.
Kostya already paid the funds Teresa needs for her real estate deal, but she needs another $150 million. She calls Oksana who is pissed she stood Kostya up. Teresa texts her a picture of the Russian hitman and she goes silent. She’s either surprised or in on it, but Teresa wants to sever ties with Kostya. She hangs up on her.
Pote says it doesn’t make sense for Kostya to send anyone since he was happy with their first shipment. Since Teresa is shook, she has his package sent to Oscar instead. What a mess.
Teresa lines up her ducks
James and Teresa have a one-on-one about whether he should stay. He’s worried about the Russians and Teresa seems like she wants him around but tells him he should leave. Chicho comes in and says the judge is posted up at the bar.
She arrives and he demands that she helps bait Marcel out of hiding. He makes a racist threat about burning her too, which is a reference to Javier in season 4.
Pote, Teresa, and Kelly Anne huddle up and decide to sneakily fight the judge. Kelly Anne reveals she put some traceable bills in one of Lafayette’s payments. They can learn who he’s paying off.
Meanwhile, Teresa tracks down one of Marcel’s allies and they have a tense chat about Lafayette. He doesn’t trust her, but she wants to relay the message to Marcel that she wants to help.
Back at the house, Pote catches James and thanks him for letting Kelly Anne live. He also tells him what happened to Tony. James is on his way out, but Pote advises that Teresa may not want him to stay, but she needs him.
In New York, Oscar is working in a barbershop when he gets a call from Teresa about the shipment. Elsewhere in New Orleans, Russians are loading up their guns in a motel room when there’s a knock at the door. It’s Oksana with orders.
Though they’ve been in town to “keep an eye on Teresa,” Kostya wants blood since Teresa is working with the Dominicans.
Kelly Anne reveals to Teresa that Lafayette’s been paying a off a prison warden named Wheeler. They need to do some digging. On another note, Pote says Boaz is a no-show in Miami. That’s because he’s still in New Orleans waiting to make a move on the judge.
He and his cousin are getting drunk, lamenting over Javier and Teresa’s boss moves. The cousin wants to kill the judge, but Boaz says to let him handle it.
Oksana and Kostya want to ‘make up’ with Teresa, Pote makes a kill move
Oksana calls Teresa from the docks and says she has something to show her. They’re to meet at a motel. James insists on doing it his way.
When they arrive, Oksana explains that when the judge kidnapped her, Kostya grew leery. He sent men to watch Teresa not knowing they were traitors who wanted to damage his deal with her.
Oksana killed all those men in the motel room and explains Kostya wanted to make amends for allowing family drama to get in the way of business. James says no, but Teresa demands Kostya buys another shipment. They leave and Oksana looks anxious and relieved.
James believes Oksana is playing mind games. Teresa then gets a call from Oscar saying his shop was shot up. It’s war.
Kelly Anne kicks off her sting operation with Wheeler about his deal with Lafayette. She wants documentation of their illicit dealings, but he doesn’t want to play ball. Here comes Pote with the beatdown. The man and his sidekick are tied up and don’t want to talk, and Pote shoots the sidekick.
Kelly Anne vomits. Wheeler finds gives up the safe combination.
Oksana and Teresa meet up about the turf war. Teresa will only sell to Kostya if he stops the killing, but Oksana says he won’t budge. Teresa wants him to meet up with her at her hotel, and when Oksana asks why she didn’t come to her for advice, she tells her she knows how to run her business. James looks smug. They leave.
Kelly Anne learns Wheeler has been sending poor, marginalized boys to jail in exchange for money. Pote is enraged and shoots Wheeler dead.
Teresa gets Oscar and Kostya on the same page — maybe
In New York, James talks to Teresa about her operation and wants to know why she wants to expand. He’s worried she wants to work with Russian psychopaths, but she says that’s the norm for her.
She explains she wants to buy the waterfront property. It’s so they can go legit. They share a passionate kiss.
Teresa receives notification that Kostya is on his way to their meeting with Oscar. Oksana fools them again by bringing Kostya by phone. Teresa lays out her plan for them to double their business by redividing the territory.
Neither Oscar nor Kostya are down, but she threatens to cut anyone off who violates the proposed agreement. Kostya gets on board even though Oscar wants to be compensated for his dead men. They finally come to terms.
In New Orleans, Pote tells Kelly Anne why he shot those men. Their bodies are in the back of the truck. She seems shaky and admits she’s pregnant!
Pote is dumbfounded because earlier, he told James that children don’t belong in this business.
Teresa and James share a cigarette and she says they can’t be together because of the business. It’s only episode 2, so fans will have to see if they stick those boundaries.
At home in New Orleans, Kelly Anne warns that their waterfront deal will put Teresa under a public microscope, but she still wants to buy.
Lafayette is waiting in the bar whining about Marcel. They turn the tables and threaten him with the Wheeler’s files. Teresa tells him to hold a press conference to announce Marcel’s innocence.
He reluctantly agrees. As he walks to his car, someone sneaks up on his guy and shoots him in the back.
Lafayette is pushed inside his car and Boaz is waiting with a gun. It looks like that press conference may not happen.
