‘Queen of the South’: Who is the mole?

In case you were wondering if we’re paranoid, Film Daily gives you Exhibit A: we thought Teresa Mendoza had a mole in her cartel that was leaking intel to her enemies in season 4. We revisit the piece now knowing that Teresa would never, ever let a stinking rat into her midst. Enjoy.

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Sun’s out, guns out! The heartstopping Queen of the South is back on USA Network with a fourth season that began on June 6th. The gripping saga is loosely based on a true story and was adapted from Arturo Pérez-Reverte’s best-selling novel of the same name.

Queen of the South stars Alice Braga as Teresa Mendoza, a woman forced to run from a Mexican cartel and seek refuge in America. As she fights for survival, she strikes out as a drug smuggler and works her way up the drug cartel ladder while racking up a string of allies & enemies along the way.

If you haven’t seen QoTS S4 yet, catch up before you read this piece. Spoilers abound!

After watching three seasons of Teresa running for her life, S4 has seen Teresa with a little bit of stability (and success). After season three, the queenpin now owns the drug distribution trade in Phoenix and has expanded her business into New Orleans.

With a new city comes new challenges: a crooked judge and police force, a dealing operation that wants in on her product (Teresa doesn’t shit where she eats.), and enemies from the past continually rears their ugly heads (some from beyond the grave).

We last saw Teresa at the end of S4E4 in a twisted pickle. There are unaccounted-for bodies in car trunks, blood on the hands of Teresa, George, Boaz, Pote, and Javier, and potential witnesses running wild in the swamps. But enough about that drama – what we’re interested in today is: who exactly is the mole screwing up Teresa’s business?

Here are our hottest picks of who the mole of Queen of the South S4 is.

Kelly Anne

Who doesn’t love Kelly Anne? She’s a Southern belle who not only knows how to navigate a complicated legal case, but also how to shoot a gun. Even though last season Kelly Anne was the mole, we still adore her.

What exactly did Teresa and James expect would happen? Kelly Anne was thrown into a strange land (the drug world) with no training, nearly no guile, and very little street smarts. She honestly thought she was protecting Teresa by ratting on her to Devon Finch. That’s why, when James “executed” her off screen in S3, we always thought he’d allowed her to get away. This girl is pure of heart.

While we’re delighted she’s back, we honestly don’t think Kelly Anne could be the mole this season. She’s had a nightmarish few years and views Teresa as her protector, and Pote & Tony as her surrogate family. It’s highly unlikely Kelly Anne is making a revenge move against Teresa, and we can’t see any other reasons why she’d be risking her hide tempting Teresa’s wrath – again.

Likelihood of being the mole: 1/10

Tony

There’s something about the story that “Cortez paid for a hit on Tony before he died and now he’s got sicarios after him” storyline we just ain’t buying. Could Tony think Teresa is responsible for the death of his mother, Brenda? Could he be pissed that Teresa doesn’t spend much one-on-one time with him anymore? Or could he just be annoyed he has to do his homework every so often?

Whatever his teen problems, we don’t quite think Tony has a head for becoming an informant – yet.

Despite his upbringing as a young boy, Tony is pretty green when it comes to the family business. Teresa has worked hard to keep the dirty work from him, and he showed us who a noob he is when he gave his name to crooked Judge Lafayette in E4. We’re certain that little indiscretion is going to come back and bite everyone on the ass later this season.

Likelihood of being the mole: 3/10

Birdie

Birdie, Birdie, Birdie. She’s a babe that’s passionate about cock(King George’s)tails and always has a sad story about her tragic life to tell whenever the chips are down. In fact, she even carries around a sentimental poker chip that her supposed father gave her when he won big.

There are numerous reasons we think Birdie could be the mole:

She’s an OG resident of New Orleans, so she’s got to know some of the dirty creeps in town.
If her stories are true, she’s probably got a shady past (and connections) of her own.
She’s always skulking around when business talk is happening.
She just gave Teresa a talisman (a poker chip). Based on two S3 storylines (the El Santo massacre and the Camila ambush) we know to be suspicious of physical gifts as they could always contain a bug in this day & age.
We loved seeing her and King George making that sweet love – but could her seduction be a ruse to distract one of Teresa’s most loyal assets?

However, based on all these reasons and past storylines, we think Birdie being the mole is a little too obvious – and that’s why she doesn’t top our list of moles to look out for in 2019.

Likelihood of being the mole: 7/10

Eddie

Does anyone trust this gringo? He’s charming, handsome, and seemingly innocent. Eddie’s also a dab hand at that old honky-tonk piany, and he somehow owns one of the most gorgeous period properties we’ve ever seen on screen.

Did we mention he’s ripped? What professional piano player have you ever seen that didn’t have a hunchback? Our suspicions were roused the first second we saw him on screen. No one can be this perfect, which is why we’re pegging Eddie as the S4 mole!

Likelihood of being the mole: 9/10