7/9/2018 Power Episode Recap: Everyone is A Liar And There is No Way Ghost, Tommy & Kanan All Make it Out of This Season AliveRead NowWe are only two episodes in and the situation all of our main characters find themselves in is a powder keg on the verge of explosion. The unholy alliance of Ghost, Tommy, and Kanan – a partnership of necessity rather than choice – is so volatile. They have serious problems with Dre and the Jimenez Cartel and now Jason and the Serbs want a piece of them too. It’s early, but I’m going to predict one of the trio (Ghost, Tommy, Kanan) gets killed off this season! Dre is learning a valuable lesson in management vs leadership and how to truly wield power. Angela is still covering her tracks and has a threat to her career that she doesn’t know is coming. Tasha obviously still heavily grieving over the death of Raina is holding on as best she can, but she has to go through the all the stages of grief. Which means it will get worse before it gets “better.”
It was only a matter of time before Jason and the Serbs came looking for Tommy to collect on the “promises” he made them last season. As the NY distro Tommy also promised Jason, he would set up distribution on the west coast. Those chickens came home to roost so to speak at the beginning of this week’s episode. Two of Jason’s men are killed by members of the Jimenez Cartel, who quickly let them know, who the power is. The choice of weapons was very interesting in this scene. The Jimenez dudes had automatic assault weapons, while the Serbs had regular semi-automatic handguns. They had no chance. I wonder if that was deliberate by Courtney Kemp and the staff or did it just make sense logistically? The Jimenez men were patrolling the port and the Serbs were coming to check things out. The Jimenez Cartel appears to be the larger network, but there is some ambiguity there. The Feds talk about the Jimenez often, rarely if ever mention the Serbs. But there are times either in showdowns or interactions with the show’s main characters, they appear to be on equal footing. Something worth watching. In any event, Jason is livid and he wants his money and his product, and whether Ghost or Kanan like it, they are caught up with Tommy on this. But as we know that’s only half or a quarter of their problems? The hit on Dre failed and they need to regroup. Tommy is in deep with Vincent and the “Italians” now that Carmine and Marco are dead as a result of the botched Dre hit. Tommy overstepped and is in way over his head as usual. Speaking of being in over his head… Dre really comes off as a calculating guy that’s got everything under control or at least that’s what he projects. We use the moniker “Ghost 2.0” when talking about him. Does anybody think he handled that situation with 2Bit well? Getting in his face after 2Bit didn’t follow his instructions was straight emotion and instinct. He then proceeds to undress him verbally and loudly state who is in charge. True leaders, rarely if ever, have to resort to these types of actions. Think back to season one when Ghost and Tommy were trying to determine who was jacking their product. Tommy always wanted to go off instinct and emotion. Ghost would often urge him to think and use caution. If someone had to get dealt with they would, and Ghost was okay with that. He also did his best to engage in dialogue with his primeras and subordinates, flexing when necessary but always showing where the power resides. You could definitely argue that it backfired, but was that due to being a poor leader? Also, the way Dre handles the Jimenez will be very interesting to watch going forward. Diego certainly has a way of using sex to intimidate Dre and show him who is in charge. If you think about it, so did Lobos in seasons one and two. Not in the same way as Diego. Lobos used his flamboyance to try and keep Ghost off balance, whether close talking or touches, etc. Ghost always kept his cool. Ultimately he and Tommy killed Lobos, but that was for a different reason. There is a deft touch that Ghost had when managing up to Lobs and leading his subordinates that Dre hasn’t quite developed. Will he? Meanwhile, the Feds have their own version of in-fighting happening. Saxe, Tameika, and Mak all want Angela to go down. She has no clue what’s coming because she’s too busy covering her tracks and telling lies. Welcome back, Darryl. The researcher who was a huge help to Angela back in seasons two and three. He apologized for calling Angela radioactive. Don’t be so quick to make amends buddy, she did use your login to erase incriminating evidence. If someone decides to check his activity history I’m pretty sure that’s a fireable offense. The Feds kind of had a big week. They have Maria Suarez’s testimony and she stated while in the trunk of the car the ride was bumpy. Donovan figures out they must have been driving in Meatpacking district on the cobblestone streets and Ghost has a club that opened that same night in the Meatpacking district. Too easy. Angela is really something, the editor in chief of our site is on record as calling her a “horrible person.” There are countless examples of this being the case, so I can’t really disagree. But, at this point, I’m too invested to give up on her. It will be interesting to see if this plan to take her down comes to fruition or if she ends up saving herself or getting an assist from an unlikely source. In many ways, it feels as though Kemp and the writers have to keep this plotline going to keep Angela connected to the main action in the series. As she is no longer sleeping with Ghost, keeping her close required a bit more heavy lifting. But, with Ghost grieving over the death of his daughter and the voicemails he left for Angela, how long before those two are back in the sack? Grief is a powerful aphrodisiac…But before he and Angela reconcile, looks like we’re going to get vigilante, drinking Ghost from time to time. Who’s ready for that? The way he stabbed the man who drunk drove and killed the kid of one of the parents in the support group was brutal. They say nothing is worse than losing a child, we’re gonna see Ghost and Tasha do things even beyond what they’ve already done. Speaking of grief, can we give it up one time for the acting chops on Naturi Naughton. She had some difficult scenes this week. The opening in Raina’s room, sobbing uncontrollably when Tariq hears her and comes in. The tremendous guilt she feels is obvious, it’s all over her face, she can barely stand. Then when Ghost comes in later in the episode and says it’s the first time he’s been in her room since the death. Tasha responds, “You can’t come in and I can’t leave.” Powerful stuff right there. I’ve lamented this show’s lack of recognition from the Emmys. If we’re submitting a reel for Naturi, that scene should be on it as well as the speech she’s forced to give by that snake Rashad Tate. This dude is pushing a Gubernatorial campaign. Unbelievable. We knew he had his own motives, and now they’re clear. Using Raina’s death for political advancement and the charlatan minister as his “gospel spreading pimp” is foul. But, this is ripped from the headlines. This type of thing happens every day in the communities we live in. Do some research on your local politicians and the ones that make campaign runs at the state and federal level. Ghost and Tasha were ambushed by a man with his own political agenda and forced to bare their soul in front of strangers. This was a great scene because we saw all the emotion from Tasha. She almost goes too far, as the guilt weighs so heavily on her. At the end of the scene, she lambasts Ghost for putting her in this position. Sadness, guilt, anger, despair in a matter of 90 seconds or so. The line that stuck with me was, “I can’t help but feel responsible. We are all responsible..” You ain’t lying there, girl. Y’all did this. Last night’s episode was aptly titled “Damage Control” and that is exactly where we find everyone. The fallout from the individual and collective actions all appear to be converging at once. The consequences of said actions will surely claim some lives and forever alter the relationships these characters have with one another. That’s one of the things I enjoy about this series. There are real stakes at play always when attempting to acquire and maintain power. Really good start to the season, two strong episodes in a row. We’re do for a real “HOLY SHIT!!!” moment soon. A few extra thoughts:
What do y’all think? Get at me on twitter and Instagram @jshector Please share with your friends and people you think would enjoy the show. As always thanks for reading and visiting BSO. See you next week!
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