Well, damn.
I’m not afraid to say that Power Book II: Ghost Season 2 Episode 8 was the most entertaining hour of this season thus far.
It was vintage Power. Emotional and action-packed, innovative, a little funny, and an excellent showcase for so many actors. It was everything we’ve come to love about the Power Universe. And we still have two more episodes to go.
Let’s start at the beginning and Tariq’s trial, which went off the rails immediately.
The introduction of the recording of Tariq via Lauren was a shock to Davis and Tariq himself. It wasn’t as if Tariq ever told Lauren straight up about any of his crimes, but it would be pretty damaging for the jury to hear because it gives a motive as to why Tariq would have wanted Jabari dead.
Naturally, the first time Tariq heard back, the recording should have been in the courtroom, with Lauren there to corroborate its authenticity. But that’s not what happened because Davis skirted the rules in a way that only Davis could.
Of all Tariq’s many romantic prospects, it was always apparent that his heart was with Lauren the most. But he was never going to be fully honest with her, and thus he was never his true self with her. She only saw the version of Tariq he wanted her to see, and therefore their whole relationship wasn’t based in reality.
Learning she would betray him threw Tariq for a loop, but Tariq is nothing if not his father’s son. And he immediately thought of a way in which he could not only help himself but also Lauren.
Lauren taking the stand doesn’t just hurt Tariq. Everything involving this case is way too immersed with the Tejada’s, and if Lauren had to testify, her life would have been in danger, and there wouldn’t be a whole lot that Tariq could do about it.
So the next best thing was to put someone in her place. And who better than Carrie?
Carrie went from irrelevant in Power Book II: Ghost Season 1 to public enemy number one in Power Book II: Ghost Season 2.
We’ve been given some insight into her struggles, meeting her sponsor, and also hearing about what Jabari’s book did to her. But as a teacher and an authority figure, Carrie continuously abused power by preying on the very people she should have been looking to protect.
When Monet threatened her, she decided she wasn’t above doing anything to defend herself. Manipulating Lauren led them to this place where any harm to Lauren would have mainly been due to Carrie’s influence.
Getting on the stand would always end terribly for Carrie, and she should have known that. But she did seem to take Tariq’s words to heart. Though, in retrospect, and when you get to the final frame of the hour, it’s clear this was her mini-redemption tour before she met her demise.
Davis: Let me ask, Ms. Milgram, how many lies have you told to cover up your relationship with Zeke Cross? Or Jabari Reynolds? Or Kevin Whitman? Or with me?
Carrie: I’m not lying about Tariq.
Davis ripped her apart limb by limb, not even afraid to expose his indiscretions, as a means of showing the jury just how interconnected Carrie was to the case.
Method Man excelled in those courtroom scenes, displaying just the right amount of tenacity and charisma that has been a staple of his acting career. When he’s given time on screen to dig into Davis and just let him be, he nails it every time.
Carrie’s subsequent ending wasn’t surprising, though the ambiguity of it all does leave room for some trickery should the series decide to do so.
But as it stands, it would appear that Monet killed Carrie and then made it look like a suicide. And considering what had just transpired in the courtroom earlier, it’s a storyline that would seem plausible, though it’ll be interesting to see the fallout. Because there were A LOT of things that happened and indirectly led to Carrie’s death.
We’ve seen Monet kill before. And we know how fiercely protective she is of Zeke, but killing Carrie was emotional and not at all rooted in intelligence.
Would Zeke always go to Carrie first? Maybe. But what will happen if he ever finds out that Monet was the one to kill her?
Before we touch on the funniest heist to ever exist, we have to dissect the bloodbath that was the Tejada family dinner.
Things started tense, as has been the case ever since Lorenzo came home, but it spiraled out of control so quickly that it was hard to keep up.
As I mentioned in my Power Book II: Ghost Season 2 Episode 7 review, everyone has been lying. And at that dinner, Monet started to stir the pot first, completely done with her daughter and feeling like she couldn’t trust her anymore.
Monet isn’t what you would call a warm person. And she often treats her children like accessories and not people. Choosing to put them in a role rather than parent them.
But her absolute disdain for Diana seems mainly rooted in the fact that she can’t control her. She spent time teaching her and molding her, but when Lorenzo’s release blindsided her, it’s like it suddenly clicked for her that Diana wasn’t who she needed her to be.
Lorenzo’s freedom does nothing for Monet, and seeing as how Diana was the one directly responsible for it, Diana’s gotten the brunt of all Monet’s anger about a potential new life seemingly ripped away from her overnight.
Diana has had the most remarkable character growth this season, really growing into herself and fighting back against the boxes everyone tries to put her in. And it was at the dinner table where she finally felt emboldened enough to let it all out.
Completely blowing up the Tejada family was definitely a choice that will probably haunt her because where do things go from here?
Now that Lorenzo knows about Cane and Dru’s lies, knowing him, he’s going to be pushing them further away. And if there is one thing that has become abundantly clear, it’s that Lorenzo runs everything.
He runs that family, and everyone else has to fall in line when he’s home.
He banishes Monet from her own house as if she hasn’t been the one there every damn day for the past however many years keeping those kids fed and alive.
But clearly, a lot of things with Lorenzo come from not only a place of pride but also a tiny place of love. He loves his family and his children, and finding out about the lies from his children and the biggest lie of all from his wife was enough for him to push Monet out.
Poor Zeke. What a way to find something like that out and have it happen in front of other people. There’s never a good time to receive earth-shattering news, but in the middle of a family dinner from hell is decidedly the worst way.
Because Zeke is Zeke and his draft stock has been the only thing ingrained in him since perhaps forever, he immediately latches onto the fact that his NBA dreams could be over and not the fact that his aunt is actually his mother and his whole life is based on a lie.
And damn, is that depressing when you think about it.
It’s hard to see a path for Monet and her family moving forward, though it would seem as though the only thing she cares about is the relationship with Zeke. And maybe that means some kind of reunion with Mecca down the line?
Speaking of Mecca, I don’t trust that man for a second. There is no way he fell for that who ruse with the DTG and the robbery. A man who has amassed all he has doesn’t get bamboozled that easily, right?
Mecca: You can’t ignore what we have together, Nae-Nae.
Monet: Had together, Dante. You still acting like I’m the same broke-ass bitch that you first met. If you knew me now you would know that I mean what I say, and I don’t play games.
My gut says that he’s a step ahead of everyone, but his end goal is Monet. And to get Monet, he can’t touch Cane or anyone in her world.
Since he has no recollection of what the word no means, he’s not going to give up on her. And with the truth out there, it’s the time for him to make his move. Though, it feels like we are so close to the big reveal that Monet’s long-lost love has been the connect all along.
So many lies still hanging out there waiting to be revealed!
Let’s touch on the heist real quick because bless the Ghost writers room for dreaming up a scenario where Brayden, Effie, Dru, and Guap were stuck in a minivan together.
This has been Brayden’s coming out season, and he continues to crush the humorous bits given to him that lend levity to some of the more insane moments.
The idea to get the product and frame DTG, along with stealing that Hope diamond Mecca was presumably keeping for Monet, culminated in an incredibly tense scene that shouldn’t have worked as well as it did.
Dru should have been caught about three different times, but in a few minutes’ work, he was able to kill his rival and shove him down a garbage shoot, steal a diamond and make it out in one piece. Thanks to an assist from his brother.
Again, I don’t think there is a snowball’s chance in hell that Mecca doesn’t have an idea of what’s going on. But killing Chef was a way to keep Cane off his scent and further whatever long-term plan he has in place that ends with him and Nae-Nae finding a New Edition concert and leaving Brooklyn hand-in-hand.
Everything Else You Need To Know
- The jury was a total vibe any time Davis spoke. He had them in the palm of his hand, and it was hilarious.
- Once again, Tariq needs just to quit everything and be with Effie or leave her alone.
- Ghost setting everything up for Yas to be as far away from her family after his death is such a Ghost move. He had to be in control even in death. Though, Yas going to a stable, loving home is actually the best thing for her.
- Lorenzo needs to chill like 99% of the time, but you can tell that he does seem to care about his family in his own way. He just doesn’t know the people his family has become.
- Saxe wanting to date Jenny for real when they’ve never even really kissed and don’t know anything about each other is such a Saxe thing to do.
- We better meet Davis’s wife one day because he now has his business all over front street, and we deserve to see the fallout.
- Cane flirting with Effie while they’re in the midst of planning murders and robberies is why this show is so damn good.
- I am 1000% sure you can’t get a birth certificate in a day, but it was necessary here. And we finally got the math about Zeke’s age!
- RIP Caridad Miligram. You should have minded your business, taught your classes, and gone home. You might still be alive.
Tell me this wasn’t the best episode of the season, and possibly the entire series. I dare you!
I could talk about this hour forever, but I will leave it here and let you guys tell me what you thought instead!
With two episodes left to go, all bets are off. I’m expecting more reveals and more carnage as well. Drop me a line down below with your predictions, and remember to watch Power Book II: Ghost online via TV Fanatic so you don’t miss out on the fun!
Whitney Evans is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.
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