STARZ’S Powerbook II: Ghost returned today to kick off their second half of the second season. We last saw Tariq St. Patrick being taken away in handcuffs and today, he is out on bail.
Last week’s ending of Powerbook II: Ghost left us a question of “Who’s the daddy” with the shocking reveal by Mecca. This week’s ending went from that to “daddy’s home” with Lorenzo returning home with Monet and their family.
But that was not the only thing that left us speechless. When things seemed to be going fine with
Tariq as he gained legal guardianship of his younger sister, disaster came looming at his doorstep as he is arrested for the murder of Detective Ramirez and Jabari Reynolds. And how do you add extra salt in the wound? By having Tariq read a letter from Ghost. Ghost made sure to write that letter before he passed away and that letter was vicious! I wish Ghost’s voice was the one that narrated the reading of the letter as the scene played out.
Tariq was also lucky that he was not the guard Mecca cut open. Cane saw that in person and he must really know what he is dealing with now. I wonder if that would have happened if Cane would have confirmed that he knew Tariq when he was caught. Everything that happened with Tariq on this episode is poetic to the teacher’s topic of karma earlier on in the episode as he cannot escape his own sins as Caridad Milgram said.
It is a good thing to see Zeke free to go however. Now he can focus on getting drafted on the NBA. I do wonder if the previous interview will affect his spot. But Monet sure put her words on Caridad to stay away from Zeke however.
With all of these developments, I am intrigued on what is coming next. Especially since Lauren was also involved in getting Tariq arrested since they had a wiretapped conversation. Imagine if the both of them will stand on opposite sides in court? That would be an ugly sight to see! Great episode this week with awesome acting from the cast of Powerbook II: Ghost.
This week’s episode of Powerbook II: Ghost featured the arrest of Tariq St. Patrick for the murder of Jabari Renolds. At the scene of the arrest, Brayden was there to witness it. After that scene played out, there will be some questions that will carry over to the next few episodes.
In this exclusive interview, Brayden himself Gianni Paolo talks about that scene and much more about this season of Powerbook II: Ghost!
The Knockturnal: Tariq was arrested the moment he went back to the campus and the first person he saw was Brayden. Do you think the general discussion will shift from him being arrested to Brayden possibly telling the police that the badge belonged to Tariq?
GP: “I guess it could be. It could be perceived that way. I do not think he wouldn’t get anything out of it, in my opinion, but you never know. So yeah, I think I actually like the way how in the Power universe, it’s like anything could be anybody. Like sometimes they’ll frame, it can be like, ‘Oh, well, it could have been this’ kind of like what they did in the final season of Power. When Ghost died, they promoted the last few episodes like ‘Oh, who? Who killed Ghost? It could have been this person.’ So that’s what I kind of love about Power. They do a really good job of making the drama and being like, ‘Oh, who actually did it?’ I think at the end of this, it’s kind of like no one really knows what’s going on.”
The Knockturnal: This season we also saw Brayden with Cane again. Last season, he gave him a test of trouble and he passed, and this season, he did it again with digging up the officer’s body. So what are the conversations between yourself and Woody like when the both of you are preparing for these scenes?
GP: “I love working with Woody. He’s so much fun. Michael Rainey Jr. is obviously one of my best friends in the world. The second we get the set, there’s chemistry and we already know what we’re doing, what we’re getting into. But with Cane (Woody McClain) is kind of like a wild card because those scenes are kind of crazy. Every time I get on the set and I work with him, we’re doing something wild. So I love working with him because it’s just such a great switch up from the scenes that I have with Tariq or the normal scenes that I have with my family. And obviously it’s always action packed, which I love filming and doing too. So, yeah, working with Woody, He’s great, he’s unbelievable. He’s probably one of the best actors I’ve ever worked with. So, you know, we just have a great we have great chemistry and obviously the fans see that.”
The Knockturnal: There was an interesting scene between yourself and Michael where you two used the mechanical brick wall to hide the product and to exchange. Do you have any stories of how that was built because I was convinced that was a normal wall.
GP: “I got to the set and it was already built and they had showed me it. I’m an actor. And because of that, I don’t know how to build stuff like that. So it always kind of blows my mind when you read it on the script and you’re like, ‘Good luck’ because I don’t know how this is going to come out. And then once I put the phone up to that thing that popped out., I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is crazy.’ So yeah, it was kind of cool how they did that. It’s wild to me because I don’t know anything about that world of engineering. And I saw it and I was like ‘Wow, this is nuts ‘ And everyone loved it, too. Everyone thought it was genius. Everyone’s like Brayden is really stepped it up, but I didn’t build it. But you know!”
The Knockturnal: BMF is also another successful show on STARZ and Powerbook II: Ghost has had a ton of success as well. It seems like the fans are putting the shows against each other regardless of one being fiction and another being non-fiction. What is your stance on this from the fans of both shows?
GP: “It’s a great show and I love it. It’s just that I don’t even think there really is a competition. It’s just kind of 50 Cent, you know, doing what 50 Cent does. And it’s smart. It’s a genius move because everyone’s just talked about it. And obviously, if you saw me and Meech Jr. on Instagram, you saw that we were going back and forth. Me and Michael Rainey Jr and everyone that whole day, all four of us were posting each other. We got on the Shade Room and it was on everywhere. So it was just a lot of fun like, we’re just kind of, you know, throwing digs at each other. And it’s great. The fans love it. The fans have fun and they feel like they’re involved in it. It’s great. You know, we have no bad blood with them, like it’s just kind of all fun and games. And it’s just great for the shows and I love it. I love the competition, you know? I’m a competitive kid. I grew up playing sports. I’m always like ‘Now we’re better. We’re better!'”
Powerbook II:Ghost’s Shane Johnson has played the Cooper Saxe character since the original Power series. Once made it his mission to take down the St. Patrick family, is now currently defending them. Saxe paired up with Davis MacLean (Method Man) in order to do so while also continuing his career. In this exclusive interview, I speak with Shane Johnson about the current storylines on the second season of Powerbook II: Ghost while he also gives his thoughts about the show being picked up for a third season.
The Knockturnal: You worked with Michael Rainey Jr. from when he was younger to his current age.
SJ: “it’s been really cool working with Michael because i’ve gotten to see him since he was twelve when he started on the original show. He’s really grown into a fine actor. and a great dude. We have a lot of fun. We’re friends. I could be his dad age wise. It’s been really cool to see him develop to the point where he’s carrying a show now. I think he’s a pretty formidable force on screen.”
The Knockturnal: It was announced earlier this week that Powerbook II: Ghost got renewed for a third seasion. How excited were you once you got the news?
SJ: “It’s been such an incredible ride being on this show. This will be nine years playing the same character for me. So it’s been such a blessing and I’m so thankful to the Power Universe gods that are really Courtney A. Kemp and 50 Cent. The other thing that’s kind of cool is that every year, it’s not the same. Every year layers are added and the characters get more complex. You’ve watched the show from the beginning, you know the Cooper Saxe has gone from more of a two dimensional sort of character that was really designed to be a thorn in Angela’s side to now all these years later, a guy that’s really complex that kind of waffles on both sides of the law. And it’s gotten himself a little bit into the dark side now with Davis MacClean (Method Man). He’s got a love interest and his family that pulls him in different directions. You know, he’s got a lot of complexity now. And every year there’s another layer added and it gets more and more rewarding to play and to explore.”
The Knockturnal: Now I want to bring up Saxe’s love interest because Saxe is the one defending the St. Patrick family now and the love interest is the one with the other team that’s trying to figure out the murder case. What we see these two characters clash over this soon?
SJ: “Well, it certainly seems like already they are hiding things from each other. In the scene that took place this week, you know, the sort of bedroom scene you see Cooper get some information from her and it immediately put it to use, you know? So I can’t imagine that friction and that sort of playing both sides of this by being involved with her doesn’t complicate issues, you know? I think the real challenge is going to be if that piece of information does blow up in their face, it’s going to call into question their ethics and what kind of people they really are. How they respond to this situation, I think will say a lot about their characters.”
The Knockturnal: We also saw Zeke being interviewed live on TV. When these interviews happen, it is Live TV meaning that there is no double takes or stopping. Zeke tried his best to not give off the impression that he knew about the murder case but it felt flat and the public eye will think otherwise about this athlete. What was your reaction to seeing this scene?
SJ: “I think that situation with him is really getting in deep. And he’s being questioned by the detective who I think does a fantastic job. Jeff Hephner is just a fantastic actor. You can see that he’s getting to Zeke and starting to like play inside of Zeke’s head. Zeke is starting to realize what his family is and he’s in a dangerous spot. that is a very interesting comment too on where we are at right now in our culture where everything is so immediate and everything is so recorded like I’m reminded of a scene a couple of episodes ago where there’s that character that comes up to Mecca’s loft and he’s filming and he’s like ‘Oh yeah, look at his oh, snap, look where I’m at right now’ while he’s doing Instagram Live. And Mecca shuts it down and breaks his hand in half. It just shows you the mentality of the different generations too. That’s one of the cool things about our show as well as you have. Different generations kind of with different mentalities and expectations playing against each other. You know, you got the college age group and then you’ve got these adults who have lived through a couple of generations now and are looking at these kids going, ‘What are you doing?’ I’m 45. I’m sitting here trying to figure out how to do Instagram and I get lost half the time and i am like ‘ Wait, what is this?’ I spend most of my time looking at like cute puppy videos or something. I’m like ‘What am I doing? I got stuff to do and why am I watching puppies run into walls and stuff.'”
This week’s Powerbook II: Ghost was full of secrets and reveals. One at the very end that I know for sure caught viewers off guard.
That huge secret is, Zeke is Mecca’s son. I can say that I was stunned as Monet’s reaction to hearing Mecca say this in front of him. This all happened hours after Zeke’s interview with the journalist on live television went south. The only thing that did, is for the general public to think that Zeke had something to do with the murder of the professor. The attention sure shifted after he walked off. With this ongoing development, I am wondering how the writers will convince us that Monet hid that secret from everyone including Lorenzo.
Cane had Brayden do two missions for him today with one of them being hilarious. First, Brayden helped Cane to rob a jewelry story. And later in the episode, Cane had Brayden help him dig up Ramierz’s body to not only exonerate Zeke, but to also retrieve his badge. This resulted in Cane planting the badge in Tariq’s desk and I am really interested to see who will be the first one to find it. Will it be Tariq, or will it be the law enforcement? We will have to wait and see.
Another development that is related to the murder of Jabari, is the situation between Saxe and Jenny. Since these two are together, they are also on the opposite sides of the case. What did Saxe do the moment Jenny leaves the room? He goes through her belongings and found Ramirez’s gun. This will be crucial to the case. I am curious to see when these two will clash over this information.
All in all, this is a strong episode as Monet carried most of the episode. The jump scare at the start of this episode set the pacing in motion that this will be the Monet show this week. Be sure to return next week for my continued coverage of Powerbook II: Ghost
This week’s episode of Powerbook II:Ghost taught a lesson. That is, unlikely partnerships can lead to a huge success. That is the case as Monet (Mary J. Blige) got Tariq (Michael Rainey Jr.) and Cain (Woody McClain) to drop their feud and to work with each other. They put their bygones aside and begin to work together for the time being. Cain is even starting to trust Brayden even more now.
While on the subject of trust, Cain is not sure yet if he can trust Mecca. Especially since he is interested in Monet. Whether if Mecca is using Monet for his own advantage or not, we will see this play out in the coming episodes with this potential love triangle. At least Cain got a chance to see what Mecca can do if he double crosses him!
One thing I can also say that I liked, is the new “trade off” system Tariq and Brayden created that blended in with the outside wall. This is quite clever as only a QR scan is needed to open it. That means nothing would be traced back to them if they get caught. It is also a good thing that Tariq got personal with Lauren and showed her his younger sister he is trying to gain custody of. But the truth of what Tariq has been doing will come out soon.
Even so, the authorities are getting closer to the leading suspect of Jabari’s murderer. This is because Zeke gives Whitman a PBA card signed by Ramirez. That piece of evidence will be crucial to the entire investigation.
Overall, a really solid episode. And Davis McClean (Method Man) and Cooper Saxe’s (Shane Johnson) partnership is growing on me. Next week’s episode will follow up on every single situation that was presented on today’s episode of Powerbook II: Ghost.
The fifth episode of Fear The Walking Dead’s seventh season featured Aisha Tyler’s on-camera debut in the series. Aisha Tyler played as Mickey, the former wrestler turned celebrity. It was the first time that a former celebrity has been a featured character on an episode of Fear. Even Dwight (Austin Amelio) recognized Mickey as he used to be a fan of professional wrestling.
During the episode, there was a walker killing sequence that happened inside the wrestling ring that has received praise by wrestling fans and Walking Dead fans. Here to talk about everything that went down on this episode is Mickey herself Aisha Tyler in this exclusive interview.
The Knockturnal:The last time we spoke, it was you directing an episode and now this time we are speaking, you are in the episode. So how does a fit of actually play a wrestler on this episode, especially since the character Dwight recognize you as a wrestler?
AT: “This was just such an incredible experience. I mean, obviously we’ve spoken before. You know how much I loved The Walking Dead universe, and this role was just the best combination that she’s a wrestler in the western setting where I get to ride and I get to fight. And then this big emotional arc for Mickey, that was really beautiful and unexpected. I think when they asked me to guest on the show, I was like, ‘Guys, I don’t know. I love you guys so much and I definitely want to come.’ And then I read the script and I was like, ‘I’m going to cancel my whole summer to get down to Austin, TX and play Mickey.’ She was everything all at once. It was at my middle-school where I dreamed to play as a wrestler.”
The Knockturnal: The whole sequence where Mickey, Dwight, and Sherry were killing walkers inside a wrestling ring gave me flashbacks to WWE since I am also a wrestling fan. Tell me about the process of bringing that sequence together.
AT: “What was really interesting about that is I’ve never done any professional wrestling before. So we had a lot to learn. And that was such an interesting combination of elements in that scene because I’ve just lost my partner who I’ve been looking for a very long time. So there’s this big emotion. And then immediately we’re surrounded by walkers and we have to fight our way out. So to make that big transition from being devastated emotionally to having to fight our way out of this, what looks like an impossible situation was physically challenging. It was also 1000 degrees that day. it’s literally a nuclear apocalypse. So we’ve got all those clothes on. I had that armor on and I really would love to tell you that I’m a natural born wrestler. But i’m not. I felt like I had to push myself quite a bit. I was telling these guys I got old knees. I know I look young, but my knees are old. The stunt team on Fear were really patient with me and working with Christine and Austin was so great. It really was a dream come true. I mean, you know, speaking as a wrestling fan, it was a delight and and it was everything all at once because I was excited to kill Walkers, but I got to kill them in a different way because I got the kill them in wrestling style. So that was really awesome.”
The Knockturnal: I felt bad for your knees once you did a tombstone to that walker because WWE SuperstarThe Undertaker did that move for so many years and his knees got blown out. Were your knees okay after doing that move several times in between filming?
AT: “I want to tell you that it was easy. I pushed myself for the role. I was well protected and practiced very well. It was very safe. I would have loved to be able to do it 100 times. I feel like I’ve got five of these and that is that it was. It was a blast. one of the great things about being an actor is to put yourself in lots of different ways physically, emotionally, and mentally. And it was really fun to do that. I’m definitely not itching to get into the ring professionally!
The stars of STARZ’s Powerbook II: Ghost appeared on the red carpet this week on the worldwide premiere of their second season.
This week marks the end of the third season of HBO Max’s Doom Patrol. As everyone is curious about how this season will end, there are a number of questions circulating among the community. In the early part of this week, Doom Patrol received a fourth season renewal that’ll air in 2022.
HBO Max’s Doom Patrol will conclude their third season this week. There are a number of questions among the community as everyone is curious on how this season will end. Earlier this week, news broke that Doom Patrol got renewed for a fourth season which will premiere in 2022. Here to preview the finale is Elasti-Woman/Rita Farr herself April Bowlby in this exclusive interview.
The Knockturnal: what can fans expect on the season three finale?
AB: “Oh my gosh! Well, they can expect a giant robot, which is very one of my favorite parts of the episode. I think they get to see that the Doom Patrol has faced their greatest fears, which is things that are the worst moments of their lives repeating over and over with their subconscious journey. And from that, they come out of it and they come out of it so much stronger than they were before, and they’re unified. And I think that from that point, certainly Rita is the leader which I enjoy a lot. And then everyone kind of just is hoping for wackiness and insanity and a feel good victory moment for the Doom Patrol.”
The Knockturnal: Rita at the start of the season felt like she was very connected with the characters, but now going towards the end of this season, the bonds are kind of shifting. What is your take on that?
AB: “I think that it’s great storytelling. I love that Rita found safety in her team and her lovely, dysfunctional family of the doomies. And I like that because she fell in love and then that love was taken from her. Now she has the drive of revenge, and I think it’s a beautiful story to tell that when you have that possession in you, you really can’t see anything else. And she does hurt the ones that she loves because she wants to punish the person who took away the love of her life. And it’s a sad thing to see. But it’s really interesting to see Rita in that new color of fearless Revenge. So I think it’s a fun storyline.”
The Knockturnal: I really think it’s fine too, especially since her interactions with Jane were also affected. Can you tell me about the development of bringing this kind of conflict together between the characters?
AB: “She’s not really been with the Doom Patrol for most of the season because Rita’s back in time with Madam Rouge. And then I think she asked Jane to like, step up and come along on this journey with her. And Jane is like trapped in underground and so many emotions are going on with that. And she doesn’t know what the pecking order is anymore and feels very vulnerable. And Rita has no time for that. And she just is like, ‘Do not fail me again and get your shit together.’ And poor Jane just can’t because her underground is falling apart and Kay is in danger. But Rita has no time for that. She’s just like excuses, excuses, and she really wants everyone to get on her page. And then a funny thing that happens towards the end of this season is that everyone’s lost their powers. And so Rita is the only one that’s leading the ship. And Kay is primary now. So it’s just like a lovely little girl, and Vic is traded his his powers to be a normal guy. And then you’ve got Robot Man who’s who’s got Parkinson’s. So it’s just not working out for Rita, and I think she’s very frustrated.”
The Knockturnal: It’s very good to see this show and Titans to get their footing on the ground now. So are you excited for the next season and are you excited that both these shows are the same shared universe is keeping the momentum up since Doom Patrol will be back for the fourth season in 2022?
AB: “Yeah, I am so excited for a fourth season because I think Doom Patrol deserves a victory moment. I feel like we’re just the wacky team that can’t quite get it together, which I love, but I feel like in the fourth season, perhaps we can really find our stride and start fighting in a fun, funky, cool way. Fighting evil to preserve the good. And with Titans, it’s a super blast that we’re in the same universe.And since Rita was born on Titans, hopefully one day we can have a crossover episode. That’s what I’m pitching.”
The season three finale of HBO Max’s Doom Patrol will stream this Sunday night!