Power Book 2: Ghost
This week marks the final episode of the third season of Power Book II: Ghost.
And it wrapped up with a satisfying conclusion of the story that started at the end of the second season while also having me on the edge of my seat to see the shootout at the stash house. Follow that up with a cliffhanger, there is a ton to look forward to on the fourth season.
This is also the episode where loyalty is tested as Cane, Dru, Tariq, Brayden, and Effie all switched sides on eachother. This all tied up when we got flashbacks to fill in the gaps from the previous episode as we saw who orchestrated everything after Saxe’s death. So good that Monet’s children outsmarted her. Plus, Tasha shot down Monet and it is currently unclear if she survived or not. Can I also say how anti-climactic the first encounter between Monet and Noma’s first meeting was?
I would have never thought that Junior is Angela’s nephew. Now that is a reality, it makes sense since his on-screen presence during the season was more than usual when it came to the police developing the R.I.C.O case. Speaking of which, Jenny thought that Lauren would be on her side in the court room. But what she did not expect, is for Lauren to pull a fast one on her, effectively ending the R.I.C.O case for good. She got outsmarted by a college student!
Effie holding her own in the prison was a standout scene as this is the first time that she was in a dangerous situation without anyone’s help. I liked what I saw and it reminded me of when Ghost held his own when he was in prison. Tate also won the election and his soon to be wife is not happy since she found out more information she overheard based on his conversation with Davis.
With everything going on, it seems like the fourth season of Power Book II: Ghost will be a story on revenge as it will be Tariq and Brayden vs. the world. That is how I take it for now. Overall, this is the strongest season of the Power spinoffs so far and everyone excelled on the storytelling, suspense, acting, and the drama!
I have to admit, Tommy Egan showing up at Tasha’s house to cause chaos is the peak of “did that just happen?” on this season of Power Book II: Ghost.
His, along with 2-Bit’s unexpected return are highlights because Ghost’s past will keep haunting Tariq no matter where he goes or what he does. I am more interested to know what lead Tommy to come back to New York City as he was in Chicago on Power Book IV: Force. Hopefully we will get the answers soon. But overall, I like the direction this is heading. Especially since Tommy and Tariq have unsettled business.
At the same time, Tariq needs to learn how to fight. When him and Cane were about to come to blows, there was no way I could suspend my disbelief that Tariq could take him on. I think that Davis also saw this before stopping it. Speaking of Davis, He is now doing everything he can to have Effie out of prison and to have her not testify against Tariq.
Brayden finally had the guts to confront Lucas and things did not end well as Lucas fell to his death. It would have been more emotional for Brayden to kill him if he had been a good person but I think the setup was fantastic since I figure a Ponzi scheme runner wouldn’t be sympathetic in the first place since he’s been running the scheme for years. This actor is excellent at portraying the scheming CEO Lucas.
Evelyn and her sons also met their demise thanks to Dru and Cane. Her whole family was about to be killed by Monet and she knew that she would be powerless to stop this. It was the last thing she could do to save herself, as she had no reason any longer to keep this secret, so now she has no choice but to release this information that would destroy her.
The scene of the week is Monet finally getting exposed by her children for killing Lorenzo. It was well acted and paced and it was raw. I felt that emotion and it is terrible to find out your parents doing the wrong thing.
Overall, a strong episode of Power Book II: Ghost and the season is about to end!
There was a shocking end to Episode 5 of Power Book II: Ghost, the acclaimed Starz series which aired not too long ago. In his episode, Lorenzo Tejada (played by Berto Colon) was shown to have died. After the death of Monet’s firstborn son Zeke in Season Two, Lorenzo’s life was on the line as he awaited the day when he would know if he would still be around to see another day.
It was apparent that he was capable of diverting attention as the third season went on, but Cane did figure it out, and soon after that, Monet was starting to put the pieces together with the evidence that her lawyer Davis Maclean brought to her desk. As clear as this confession was, Monet couldn’t forgive Lorenzo for having committed the crime – even when he confessed.
Colon told us that during the filming in Brooklyn that when the memorial there was a sight to behold and that he initially filmed the scene of Lorenzo honoring the family or presenting the mural to Monet, only to have to bear witness to his death right in front of it. This was poetic and in a way, like a full circle moment, as he had to die right in front of it.
“I thought it was a very interesting choice of how they wrote that in. And I think it’s very appropriate because it’s like the sins that you do come back to haunt you. And I think that’s the symbolism behind it,” said Colon, as he added that Lorenzo’s secrets came back and “bite him in the ass.”
Colon said that he found out that Lorenzo was going to be killed in early 2022 and thus he and the writers discussed how his character would have a redemption arc for season three of Power Book II: Ghost. This came into fruition during the season as Lorenzo tried everything to redeem himself from the guilt of killing Zeke, including hiding it from his family until they all found out.
Lorenzo tried to be the best father, be the best person, be the best leader of this family to the best of his ability, but to also empower those around them. Now that they’re (Cane, Dru, and Diana) older, they’re realistic, there’s more of a real and feasible idea that they are the ones who are going to continue to do this work,” he said.
The experience was enjoyable for actor Berto Colon while it lasted. As a member of the Tejada family and a character in the Power Universe, the Puerto Rican native is definitely most remembered for his roles in Conviction (2016), Orange Is the New Black (2013), and Show Me a Hero (2015). As he moves from one franchise to another, Colon will be appearing in Matt Reeves’ Batman spinoff Max series The Penguin.
After almost a decade in the Power universe, Cooper Saxe has finally met his demise.
I should have saw it coming due to the number of shows that I watch that gives central characters more narrative than normal. But it shocked me. He died right in front of Davis and Tariq’s eyes in the hands of Theo, who also committed suicide after killing Saxe. Despite the way he went out, Shane Johnson really shined on this episode with his best acting on the series to date. It is insane to think that on the original Power, I was rooting for anyone to kill Saxe, but I’ve grown to really like him.
With that out of the way, Cane took a woman off Tariq’s roster and it was Effie. They finally had sex and this did not last as Effie was arrested for the attempted murder of Lauren. The look on everyone’s face once they saw Lauren is priceless. However, Lauren should have not rolled down the window to keep it ambiguous. Quite fitting that this happened hours after the police found nothing at Tariq’s stash house.
The on-liners that was said by characters was funny. From Tariq telling Lucas that the whole world is the hood, to Monet telling Diana that she would give her a fresh slap across her head after her wanting a fresh start, the comedic timing was done very well. Speaking on Lucas, now that we know that Tate took a bribe deal from him to help his campaign, this is not going to end well if someone finds out that he did this while Lucas and the firm is being investigated.
With the R.I.C.O case looming in, Monet has to close her trade now and it feels like the family is getting closer to knowing that she is the one who put the hit out on Lorenzo. I cannot wait for this blow up.
The director, talent, and writers of this episode deserve a ton of praise because they all went out of their way to give us a masterpiece of an episode. Easily the best of the season.
Things got intense after last week’s ending of Power Book II: Ghost as Monet’s children are given the spotlight this week.
Dru finally put some of the puzzle pieces together as he found out that Gordo is the one who killed Lorenzo by reading the text exchange. But he does not know that Monet is the one who put out the hit. Its a sad but also satisfying scene as Dru ‘s arc for this season has lead to a dark turn compared to the second season of Ghost. He killed him without hesitation! And the family made a so-called truce with the Russians, even after Kai was framed for Lorenzo’s murder.
I cannot lie, Brayden having sex with Keke and then started to think of Tariq made me laugh a bit. But the secret information about the firm’s way of doing fraud may be coming out soon as Brayden was the first to find out about it. In a Wolf of Wall Street fashion, he was told to shut up about it and never speak on it again. For now at least. But I wonder how did they know that Tariq and Brayden was selling product under their umbrella. Especially since one of the members of law enforcement went undercover as a homeless man to get one of the cups.
Theo is finally out of prison and he is wondering how Davis managed to get him out. What he does not know, is that Saxe bribed the parole board. It still puzzles me on why STARZ recasted Redman for this role. With that said, he is a free man now and will have to adjust to today’s world. I am also curious on what is Cane’s motive on helping Effie with her school tuition and giving her product to move. Did he take an interest of her?
What I like most about this episode is how everything that started earlier in the season that is now starting to pay off. Another strong episode that kept me engaged as the season is almost over.
As Lorenzo was killed on the previous episode of Power Book II: Ghost, the after effects of his death are quickly coming to play.
Now that Dru, Diana, and Cane knows that he is dead, they have to deal with everyone Lorenzo had a connection with. Now including the Russian mafia since Dru killed the wrong person that killed Lorenzo. I am hopeful that Dru finds out sometime in the next season that Gordo was the one that accepted Monet’s hit on Lorenzo.
The standout scene for this week is the one between Tariq and Effie. Not only did we get to know more about Effie and who she is, we got a phenominal performance between Michael Rainey Jr. and Alix Lapri as their characters went from a nice date on the previous episode, to a full on argument and breakup on how Effie handled Lauren. Tariq felt that he was betrayed here so I could not blame him for his actions. Even him punching Brayden was satisfying!
The ride was long and dreadful for Effie but she came prepared with a gun at the scene of the crime. Of course nobody died, but the damage was later inflicted as Tariq had sex with Diana after his breakup with Effie. With all of that said, even Tariq’s own grandmother said that he is heading the same path as his dad once did and for once, I have to agree with her.
Saxe, Jenny, and the rest of the law enforcement involved in the R.I.C.O case is getting closer to taking down Tariq and everyone else as they installed a camera on top of the drug transport hideout so they can see who is going there and coming out. With only a few more episodes left, they have to move a little faster with this subplot.
But things took to an intense approach while Lorenzo’s funeral was going on. As soon as the family were about to put his casket inside the car, the Russians took it upon themselves to ambush Monet with an action-packed shootout. Nobody was hurt, but Dru and Cane got some kills that they can be proud of. I was also left wondering where did Jenny and Blanca go since they were there at the funeral?
Overall, a great and impactful episode of Power Book II: Ghost. My favorite of the season.
I came into this week’s Power Book II: Ghost thinking about what could happen, and then all of my thoughts went out the window with a few key moments that made for great television.
Lorenzo finally telling Monet that he accidentally killed Zeke was something I expected by the end of this season. But the twist of Monet hiring Gordo to kill Lorenzo came unexpectedly and I was caught off guard by it. Moreover, it was poetic for this to happen right next to Zeke’s memorial banner as now the dad and son are no longer here. Now I am curious to see how these events will play out for the rest of the season.
The classroom scenes continue to stand out this week as the subject was about immigration and inequality. Tate was also there to not only speak to the class, but to also see Tariq for valuable information. With that said, Tariq, Effie, and Brayden travels to Italy.
The trip was not all great as Brayden got interrogated by the Italians due to him sneaking in the room. Sure, they got killed later in the episode, but it makes me wonder if those three college students are ready for the intense life of the game that adults are accustomed with. Tariq and Effie’s date however, was sweet and organic. I loved that scene.
Jenny hid Lauren for so long and it was an amount of time before she was going to be exposed. Saxe did this by following her and the look on his face when he saw Lauren was priceless. Just like when Tariq saw her too in the night.
Now that Tariq knows that Lauren is not dead and that Brayden and Effie never told him this, it is about to get wild on Power Book II: Ghost!
This week’s Power Book II: Ghost pushed the limits to high gear as Monet orchestrated her plan to kill Officer Kevin.
She did this by having Diana lure him to their house. I did like the plan, but as Davis said, he was not supposed to die. I will also say this, under normal circumstances, Monet would have deserved that punch Diana gave her. But it was to make it look like she killed him in self defense. Monet does know how to think ahead!
Speaking of the family, the reveal of the banner of Zeke was a nice touch as the family is still affected by his loss. But towards the end of the episode, Monet started to piece together that Lorenzo is the one that killed Zeke as his fingerprints are on the document that Davis gave her.
Effie really wants to get out of the game as she is concerned for her future. The nice scene between her and Tariq showed some great range of acting between Michael Rainey Jr. and Alix Lapri. With that said, it is now Tariq’s job to get RSJ signed with the firm that he interns for and that became a task for him. But the class topic on institutional racism kept my attention because it is real to this day.
Once the crew got those guns, time was against everyone to get rid of it. Sure, they sold it to racist people, but that lead to a shootout at the hotel. Makes me wonder what kind of crazy items the supplier has next for Tariq and everyone else.
Cooper Saxe and Jenny are at odds at the moment as she (until she showed him) is hiding information from him. But I will admit that I laughed my ass off once Saxe and Blanca had that conversation on taking Davis down as the two clearly do not like each other.
Overall, the most plot-forward episode of the season and we are almost half way of the first half with this action packed season of Power Book II: Ghost.
In the world of Power, things can take an unexpected turn quickly and then you have to adapt to an unfortunate situation.
That is what we saw on this week’s Power Book II: Ghost as Tariq, Brayden, and Effie came up with a plan to take out Castillo’s Russian connect, Artyom as Cane ordered Brayden the hit. They did that, and casually went to a restaurant to hide out while also blending in with everyone that is there. I must say, this got a laugh out of me on how clever this was pulled off as they all had to talk about what just happened. The dynamic between Michael Rainey Jr, Alix Lapri, and Gianni Paolo continues to shine here despite the tension is up at another level.
The plot is also progressing as Saxe could not stay out of his business as he caught Tariq, Monet, and Davis all in the same room. Last week ,he found the burner phone. And now this week, he captured the photo of all of them. Saxe is doing whatever he could to take down everyone. Even while Jenny and Blanca are doing the same thing with their own investigation.
Diana did not want to get back in the drug game, but Lorenzo told her to at the college she is in. Knowing that she will obey Lorenzo due to their connection, she does this. I cannot wait for her to find out what Cane knows.
Something I did not expect is to see Davis’ brother Theo being recasted. Redman played the character on the previous season and now, the character is played by someone else. This was not announced in advance and I am curious to know why this changed. With that out of the way, we find out how Theo ended up there as Saxe knows that Davis made Theo take the fall on a murder that he did.
There is a ton of stories that moved the needle on this week’s Power Book II: Ghost and we are almost half way of the first half of the current season. Overall, a very solid episode!