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Queen of the South’s pilot episode begins with a radiant woman in a white suit and huge black sunglasses walking from a helicopter in slow motion with a group of security guards dressed in black suits walking in V formation behind her. She ascends a square staircase encapsulated in glass, to her boudoir. She slips out of the suit and into a satin robe, opens the lid of a beautifully carved ceramic box filled with cocaine, dips a tiny spoon into the drug, lifts the spoon to her nostril, and inhales deeply. The rush brings a slight smile to her lips, all in slow motion with a voice over. She turns and BAM gunshot. A bullet pierces the window and slams into her chest knocking her to her back on the floor. A single stream of blood traces its way down the crease of her smile. From that moment, this Black Girl Nerd was hooked.
Alice Braga is Teresa Mendoza in this action-packed 21st-century rags-to-riches story of a woman on the run from Mexico who fights her way to the pinnacle of power at the top of her own drug cartel. BGN asked Alice Braga a few questions at the NBCU Entertainment Scripted Mid-Season Press Junket about the final chapter of Teresa’s story.
I’ve been a fan of the show since the beginning. Lord, that episode with those freaky little girls with the masks in the jungle who were following you around saying in monotone, “What are you doing, Teresa?” I was like, “Girl… RUN!!!”
[Laughs.] Thank you so much.
I’m so rooting for Teresa, all of the time, and I’m totally bummed that this is the last season. Will Teresa be able to keep her humanity as she rises to the top? Because now she’s a boss, in her white suits. But will she still have the values of that girl from Mexico who started so long ago in love?
I think that’s exactly what Season 5 guides her through. I love that you’re asking that question because it’s really, I think, where she is in her life at this moment. She loses her godson in Season 4 and that changes a lot for her because she’s driving the business. There is a mix of ambition, but at the same time a search for safety. The bigger that you are, the less people can affect you or can get to you because you have more power. There is that division inside her heart. Is it possible to keep on trying to do something, in this drug business world that is so wrong? Like, how can Teresa keep on going? Season 5 is going to be a lot about wanting revenge, about pain, and about understanding how much she cannot be pure, if she’s part of this business. She’s an anti-hero because she’s part of this growth, but at the same time, she’s a heroine of her own life and her own journey. She’s a survivor. She’s a girl that came from a harsh childhood in Mexico in Culiacán, who suddenly receives a phone call and is on the run for her life. She’s just trying to survive. Season 5 is the season that Teresa’s concluding that journey. Throughout the entire season, she’s facing those challenges and trying to understand. I’m really curious to see what the audience is gonna think about what happens at the end. I cannot wait for people to see it because it’s very connected to your question.
We saw Teresa’s end in the first moment of the pilot. So, is this really the end? And if so, do you think Queen of the South has achieved a satisfying conclusion for the audience?
It’s so interesting. I have never done TV before. Queen of the South was my first television experience. It was a dream that lasted five seasons. It’s such an honor to be able to play this character and to work with the studio with the network and to be, you know, a leader of a show for such a long time. That connection with the fans, is something I’ve never experienced in my life before because I’ve only done films and it’s a completely different experience. Having the relationship with the fans becomes part of your work because they’re so engaged in the journeys. They’re so engaged in storylines. I really hope they enjoy it. It’s a challenge because it is a journey. She goes from this girl on point A and becomes a completely different human being by point B. We see that beginning, and in these five seasons we show how Teresa got there. It’s very exciting. I cannot wait to see the reaction of the fans. We always hope that everybody likes it. We never know if everybody’s gonna like it. But I think it’s gonna be very interesting, very powerful.
You’ve got a fan over at Black Girl Nerds. Thank you so much for the fantastic work.
Thank you very much. I appreciate you saying that.
The final season of Queen of the South premieres Wednesday, April 7, 10:00pm EST starring Alice Braga as Teresa Mendoza on USA Network.
Queen of the South’s pilot episode begins with a radiant woman in a white suit and huge black sunglasses walking from a helicopter in slow motion with a group of security guards dressed in black suits walking in V formation behind her. She ascends a square staircase encapsulated in glass, to her boudoir. She slips out of the suit and into a satin robe, opens the lid of a beautifully carved ceramic box filled with cocaine, dips a tiny spoon into the drug, lifts the spoon to her nostril, and inhales deeply. The rush brings a slight smile to her lips, all in slow motion with a voice over. She turns and BAM gunshot. A bullet pierces the window and slams into her chest knocking her to her back on the floor. A single stream of blood traces its way down the crease of her smile. From that moment, this Black Girl Nerd was hooked.
Alice Braga is Teresa Mendoza in this action-packed 21st-century rags-to-riches story of a woman on the run from Mexico who fights her way to the pinnacle of power at the top of her own drug cartel. BGN asked Alice Braga a few questions at the NBCU Entertainment Scripted Mid-Season Press Junket about the final chapter of Teresa’s story.
I’ve been a fan of the show since the beginning. Lord, that episode with those freaky little girls with the masks in the jungle who were following you around saying in monotone, “What are you doing, Teresa?” I was like, “Girl… RUN!!!”
[Laughs.] Thank you so much.I’m so rooting for Teresa, all of the time, and I’m totally bummed that this is the last season. Will Teresa be able to keep her humanity as she rises to the top? Because now she’s a boss, in her white suits. But will she still have the values of that girl from Mexico who started so long ago in love?
I think that’s exactly what Season 5 guides her through. I love that you’re asking that question because it’s really, I think, where she is in her life at this moment. She loses her godson in Season 4 and that changes a lot for her because she’s driving the business. There is a mix of ambition, but at the same time a search for safety. The bigger that you are, the less people can affect you or can get to you because you have more power. There is that division inside her heart. Is it possible to keep on trying to do something, in this drug business world that is so wrong? Like, how can Teresa keep on going? Season 5 is going to be a lot about wanting revenge, about pain, and about understanding how much she cannot be pure, if she’s part of this business. She’s an anti-hero because she’s part of this growth, but at the same time, she’s a heroine of her own life and her own journey. She’s a survivor. She’s a girl that came from a harsh childhood in Mexico in Culiacán, who suddenly receives a phone call and is on the run for her life. She’s just trying to survive. Season 5 is the season that Teresa’s concluding that journey. Throughout the entire season, she’s facing those challenges and trying to understand. I’m really curious to see what the audience is gonna think about what happens at the end. I cannot wait for people to see it because it’s very connected to your question.
We saw Teresa’s end in the first moment of the pilot. So, is this really the end? And if so, do you think Queen of the South has achieved a satisfying conclusion for the audience?
It’s so interesting. I have never done TV before. Queen of the South was my first television experience. It was a dream that lasted five seasons. It’s such an honor to be able to play this character and to work with the studio with the network and to be, you know, a leader of a show for such a long time. That connection with the fans, is something I’ve never experienced in my life before because I’ve only done films and it’s a completely different experience. Having the relationship with the fans becomes part of your work because they’re so engaged in the journeys. They’re so engaged in storylines. I really hope they enjoy it. It’s a challenge because it is a journey. She goes from this girl on point A and becomes a completely different human being by point B. We see that beginning, and in these five seasons we show how Teresa got there. It’s very exciting. I cannot wait to see the reaction of the fans. We always hope that everybody likes it. We never know if everybody’s gonna like it. But I think it’s gonna be very interesting, very powerful.
You’ve got a fan over at Black Girl Nerds. Thank you so much for the fantastic work.
Thank you very much. I appreciate you saying that.
The final season of Queen of the South premieres Wednesday, April 7, 10:00pm EST starring Alice Braga as Teresa Mendoza on USA Network.
Writer: Daniel Warren Johnson / Artist: Daniel Warren Johnson / Marvel Comics
If you’re here, you’re clearly about that Beta Ray Bill life. Before we begin, I need everyone to come to terms with all the emotions involved in stanning for the backup Quarterback. There will be strife. There will be hype. There will be suffering. But we all must hope, that in the end, Beta Ray Bill will have a chance to show exactly how worthy he is again.
Donny Cates has been doing the Lawds work on Thor for the last year and made quite a statement in the 5th issue where Thor served up Beta Ray Bill the beatdown of a lifetime (that makes this look like a slap on the wrist). Despite the loss, it really showcased the power he was capable of (with Stormbreaker) and shined a radiant light on the proud, honorable side of Beta Ray Bill. If only he got his own comic book, many thought!
Allow Me to Reintroduce Myself!
I didn’t have too many expectations going into Beta Ray Bill #1, but I loved the idea of Bill being Asgard’s “Master of War” and having to lead these people when it mattered most. Brought me back to the good ol’ Game of Thrones days of Grey Worm beating down slavers and freeing peoples all throughout Essos. Alas, Grey Worm and Bill are different people with different enemies and prep styles.
Deep inside Skuttlebutt, a fire burns inside Beta Ray Bill. The chants of “Rufio! Rufio! Rufio!” on the tube couldn’t take his mind off the loss of Stormbreaker and all the ramifications that come from its destruction. Unable to steal more time to dwell on shattered weapons, Asgard’s Master of War readies his men like Leonidas preparing his brave 300. Fin Fang Foom is knocking on Yggdrasil’s door and aint pullin his punches for anyone!
Bill Plans, Gods Laugh
The action in this book was graphic, gory and compelling. Foom make look a little doofy, but he’s got the bite to back up his bark. I didn’t mind Bill and Sif’s budding courtship in Thor, and then this book came along and managed to throw an inescapable wrench into the plans. Add it to the list.
Let’s get on thing straight; props to Daniel Warren Johnson for doing the writing and drawing on Beta Ray Bill #1, but there is certainly some room to grow. I don’t love the artwork, but there are plenty of dope, gritty panels to keep your eyes entertained. Oh, and horse face jokes? Please dial it down a few notches.
By the end of this first issue, Beta Ray Bill is knocked down, overshadowed, and emasculated in more ways than Marvel should allow in any one issue. On the bright side, it makes for one hell of a compelling comeback story.
7 Owed Drinks Out of 10
Reading Thor? Check out BNP’s other reviews here.
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The post Asgard’s Master of War: ‘Beta Ray Bill #1’ Review appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.
Source: Fort Worth Star-Telegram / Getty
Crystal Mason, the Texas woman who was sentenced to five years in prison for voting as a convicted felon in the 2016 election, will behaving her case reviewed by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, the New York Times reported. If this review doesn’t work out in Mason’s favor she will be sent to prison and will have to appeal again on a federal level.
“This is very overwhelming, waking up every day knowing that prison is on the line, trying to maintain a smile on your face in front of your kids and you don’t know the outcome,” Mason told the Times about her situation. “Your future is in someone else’s hands because of a simple error.”
When she went to vote in the 2016 election, her name didn’t appear in the voting rolls at the Tarrant County polling location. Mason then innocently filled out a provisional ballot. Mason was on supervised release at the time after serving five years for tax fraud and wasn’t aware that she couldn’t vote. This led to her being charged and convicted of illegal voting, a second degree felony, in 2018. According to FOX 4, she was convicted based on an affidavit that she signed the day she casted her vote, which wasn’t counted. The affidavit stated that “if a felon, I have completed all my punishment including any term of incarceration, parole, supervision, period of probation, or I have been pardoned.” Mason, who said she didn’t read that part of the document, was on probation at the time.
“Crystal never wanted to be a voting rights advocate,” one of Mason’s lawyers Alison Grinter told the Times. “She didn’t want to be a political football here. She just wanted to be a mom and a grandmother and put her life on track, but she’s really taken it and run with it, and she refuses to be intimidated.”
Mason requested a new trial in 2018 but her request was denied by the same judge who sentenced her, Judge Ruben Gonzalez. Mason has been able to remain free on bond due to her pending appeal.