After delivering the best episode of the season, Power Book II: Ghost Season 2 Episode 9 was teed up to be a letdown.
But it turned about to be a very intriguing hour for everyone, with all the pieces in place for a bloody finish.
It wouldn’t be a Power finale without somebody dying, and I’ve got my money on at least one person and possibly two people whose time on the popular spinoff may be coming to an end.
The hour was mainly about everyone trying to figure out what’s best for them and the people they love.
While thinking about his past crimes, Tariq had a sort of internal crisis about how much pain and loss can be attributed directly to him.
And it’s about time he started to think and reflect on his reign of terror.
What a cameo by all the ghosts of Power past. Kanan, LaKeisha, Proctor, Jabari, Carrie, Raina, and RAY-RAY all showing up to remind Tariq that he’s not a good person was such a treat for longtime fans of the original series.
It’s easy sometimes to get so absorbed in this new phase of Tariq’s life that you forget about the past. He has played a role in so many deaths, needless deaths at that. Even if he didn’t pull the trigger himself, those deaths should hang on his conscience.
Tariq is every bit as smart as his father, but he only has himself and his decisions to blame for the predicament he finds himself in now.
That brief interlude to Yas’s new home seemed to have really driven home that point for him. He’s not above anything, and he’s continuously put himself in positions where the outcome could be devastating for both other people and himself.
But even having said that, Tariq does have places carved out in his heart for the few people who matter to him in some way. Lauren has held a significant piece of Tariq’s heart since they met, and even though she betrayed him, he’s still trying to look out for her.
I’ve been very critical of Lauren’s character over the first two seasons because they’ve had no idea what to do with her besides being Tariq’s love interest. Her independent storylines involving her overbearing parents were boring, and the series rightfully got further away from the Canonical Studies classroom in Power Book II: Ghost Season 2.
Having her and Tariq formally get together, only to have her turn on him almost immediately, was certainly a choice. Still, it’s now put her in this position where she either runs or she’s pretty much guaranteed to die.
Tariq is such a robot in many ways. Only really showing love and consideration for his mother and sister, but his willingness to protect Lauren was almost noble in its way. Even though she hurt him, he did not want to see her hurt.
But of course, everything falls in a way where the decision is taken out of his hands, thanks to Effie.
Effie is many things. She’s intelligent, ambitious, calculating, and clever. But she’s also not someone who can be trusted because she only answers to herself at the end of the day. And yeah, that’s technically the way it should be, but sometimes things aren’t always your decision to make.
It’s easy to say Effie’s Lauren hatred was born out of jealousy, but it also did seem to be about her feeling as though she needed to protect Tariq. But Tariq was making it abundantly clear that he didn’t want Lauren hurt, and that should have been enough for Effie to leave well enough alone.
By telling Cane, she not only betrayed Tariq but also showed her cards. She isn’t above going outside their circle to get something she wants.
Silly me thinking the Tariq, Brayden, and Effie alliance was going to mean they were honest and upfront with each other moving forward. I should know better, honestly.
The Brayden angle in this was fascinating because he was having all kinds of inner dilemmas, and that was before Cane told him to kill or be killed.
Trace might be the worst character in Power history. When I quickly think about some of the worst characters we’ve ever seen (Holly, Laverne, Dre), he is right up there. And we’ve only had to see him in like three episodes.
But anyway, he, of course, has to insert him in things that don’t concern him, and suddenly Brayden is now put in a position where everything he’s been working for is on the verge of collapsing. Whether he or Trace take that stand, his place in the drug business is over.
I liked Brayden saying out loud what I’m always thinking when people talk about the drug game codes and how you know what the deal is, so stop complaining. But even if you know the game is the game, aren’t you still allowed to question the game?
Why can’t there be another option out there for specific situations?
Brayden has proven his abilities, but there are also things he’s not ready to do. He’s not prepared to look someone in the eyes and pull the trigger. Of course, he’s not.
It doesn’t matter because Lauren’s fate is left up in the air, though my gut says she’s alive for now. Effie was creeping back into that room with the weight of the world on her shoulders. But maybe that’s because she was the one unable to follow through with the rules of the game.
But if Lauren somehow is still alive out there somewhere, her days may be up soon, as are Mecca’s.
All season, we’ve been waiting for the Mecca reveal. He is a walking and talking red flag, and it was only a matter of time before we figured out his ultimate plan.
Of all the things you guessed, though, was snitch at the top of the list?
And not just an ordinary snitch. The man snitched on Felipe Lobos! The man Power trained us to fear for years.
Knowing that he’s a wanted man puts so many things into perspective now. It was pretty obvious all along that his one and true goal was to walk away with Monet, but now it’s rather apparent he also wants to take Zeke away as well.
And hell, throw in the other kids if it means that Monet is a more willing participant.
Mecca is a control freak, and part of his master plan was to put the family in a position where they absolutely were dependent on him and his influence and resources. It’s why I’m pretty convinced he was the one that leaked the Zeke information to the press.
And damn if it wasn’t a pretty good plan by the master rat.
But much like poor Lorenzo doesn’t know what his family is capable of, neither does Mecca. Whatever Monet he thinks he knows is long gone. She’s not looking to be controlled or manipulated into an arrangement she doesn’t want.
Mecca: You know, this isn’t the end of anything, Zeke. I can hire you a PR firm, we get the truth out there and get you back on track.
Zeke: It don’t work that way, man.
Mecca: It works the way I say it works, son.
She fell back in love with the idea of a life with Mecca for a few minutes, but once Lorenzo came back, she made her choice for better or worse. She will choose her family, not a fantasy, even if her heart wants much more than the marriage and life built with and without Lorenzo.
Team Mecca or Team Lorenzo seems so trivial because neither man is all that. Lorenzo is stubborn and controlling, while Mecca is manipulative and controlling. But for Monet, the choice has to be Lorenzo, right?
No one is buying this sudden interest in Monet wanting Lorenzo dead. Sure she was meant to distract Lorenzo when they went to Coney Island, but it was probably the most content she’s seemed all season walking with her husband and just living for a few hours instead of surviving.
It’s hard to see a path forward for Mecca now because no one is killing Lorenzo for him. But he’s been such a great addition to the cast that it’d be a shame not to see him back as the ultimate antagonist instead of a nebulous sort of threat.
Everything Else You Need To Know
- We are always robbed of something, and this season it was seeing Mecca Tariq interact. Tariq is such an annoying little brat sometimes, and Mecca wanted to kill him so badly, and it was grade A theater.
- I appreciate the series separating itself from Ghost and really making this about Tariq, but he’s going to show up in one of Tariq’s dreams or hallucinations eventually, right?
- Dru and Diana robbing Tariq blind was hilarious. Tariq is so busy trying to do ten things at once he won’t even realize it’s missing until he desperately needs it for something.
- Everyone walking away from that dinner mad at Diana is kind of what she deserves. You can’t put everyone’s business on front street (even if they deserve it) and then be shocked that people aren’t super thrilled with you.
- Bless Zeke’s poor, naïve heart. He’s just walking around all day with half a brain just trying to put a ball through a hoop. He needs to have some big moment in the finale because this has certainly not been his season.
- We better get a look back at Carrie’s death and exactly what happened.
- Will Tate finally having the leverage to get back into politics be the way they take us into our next Power spinoff?
We’ve reached the end of a top-tier season, and that means it’s now time to guess how it all ends.
Power Book II: Ghost Season 1 ended with a death and a dramatic appearance by someone from the past. Might we experience something like that again?
Leave all your comments and guesses down below, and make sure to watch Power Book II: Ghost online now so you can join the conversation.
Whitney Evans is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.
