7/16/2018 Power Episode Recap: How Ghost is the Weakest Link, Tommy is Being Played By Everyone & How Angela’s 1-Night Stands Always Come Back to Haunt HerRead NowConsequences. For most of us, this is something we learn very early in our lives. Every action has a result or effect. Often times, it’s not immediate, but make no mistake it is a certainty. Unfortunately, when we commit acts that are anything less than above board, the consequences can be quite damaging to us individually and collaterally to those around us. In theory, we supposedly get better as we get older and learn from our mistakes. Sometimes we do, sometimes we make mistakes on even bigger scales. Last night’s episode of Power finds so many of our characters in predicaments of their own making. But what’s crazy is, they all keep making the same mistakes and poor choices and the higher the stakes get, the more deadly and dangerous the consequences. Are We on The Same Team, is the title of the episode and it alludes to every group that seemingly appears to be on the same side…
Let’s begin with Angela…the Head of Criminal for the Eastern District has NYPD (detective or sergeant?) Blanca Rodriguez hot on her heels. Angela is able to stay slightly ahead of her by pulling rank and jurisdiction. But she may have played her hand too early, sending her subordinates into Rodriguez’s office to take the files and fold them into her “investigation.” So, for those counting at home, that another obstruction of justice charge that can be tacked on to her growing list of crimes. This is the thing about lies. You have to keep lying to cover up the previous lie until it all falls apart. What makes this even more dangerous for Angela, is she has no idea that her colleagues (read: teammates) are all plotting to take her down. She’s so caught up in covering her tracks that she can’t see right in front of her. Rodriguez isn’t going away, it’s clear to her that Angela is hiding something and despite being officially off the case something tells me that won’t stop her. All she needs to do is find a sympathetic ear at Eastern. Lucky for her there is no shortage of people that would want to take Angela down. I could totally see her connecting with Saxe. Of course, he’ll want to smash, so that will bring its own set of issues, but comedy for us. After Rodriguez leaves Angela’s office, Angela and Tasha meet for what seems to be bi-weekly meetings between girlfriends. Anyone else notice that the frost between these two has melted? I’m not saying they’re going to become besties and hang out at the spa, but there is a shared understanding and I think respect for each other somewhere. Naturi Naughton and Lela Loren have way more screen time with each other as the seasons have gone one. I like what showrunner Courtney Kemp and the writers do with these two characters. They are consistently forced to confront each other and navigate each encounter deftly. At that moment in the restaurant, they both have a look of recognition that they are where they are, mainly because of the choices they’ve made. I truly believe they both want it to end, but how? With the discovery, by Angela and Medina, that Alicia Jimenez is, in fact, the leader of the cartel with her brother, Angela will really be locked in on trying to get a warrant to move that case forward. Something else that will keep her way too occupied to see that Mak and Saxe are running their own investigation into her connection to Ghost and Tommy. There is no way she makes it all the way through this unscathed, right? Does she have any allies at work that would warn her? We spoke about Agent Donovan possibly helping her, do we think that’s still viable? Also, there is her new friend. DEA Director of Public Enrichment Steve Tampio. Anyone else, read that “I’m only here for one more night” line as bs? He’s going to be a player the rest of this season for sure. But is he a friend or foe? If Agent Medina briefed him, I’d say foe and Angela better watch her back… Speaking of friends and foes…your boy Dre is really on one right now. He’s another one that can’t see the forest for the trees. He’s so worried about making sure that everyone knows he’s in control, that in fact, he has no control or authority at all. He’s so insecure about Diego that he constantly has to flex and say how tight he runs his organization. Think back to season 1, when Ghost had a similar situation with Lobos. Ghost always managed to make Lobos feel as though he was in charge, which he was, but he did it without kowtowing and never looked weak. Can we say the same about Dre? He has a problem with managing up. Another subtlety that shouldn’t get overlooked is Dre’s inability to comprehend any Spanish. It would be great if he was fluent, but just knowing some key phrases would be helpful. That dynamic helped Ghost in his dealings with Lobos and his primeras. Dre has been around Spanish speaking people for at least three seasons now. Get it together man! Dre has a problem brewing with “Spanky” and “2-Bit.” We talked about that in our last couple recaps. With Kanan playing on “2-Bit’s” fragility it’s only a matter of time before Dre’s middle management starts becoming a real problem. Pancho doesn’t like that Cristobal’s been promoted to #2 and Arturo seems like a very shaky primera, now that he’s the leader of the Toros Locos under false pretenses. Dre is learning, the hard way, what it truly means to be a leader. Diego and Dre have such a tense relationship. You can see it every time they are in the same room. Diego dressing down Dre in front of his men yet again doesn’t sit well with the young pup, but he’s got to figure out a new way to handle all of this. The cracks are starting to show. As a quick aside, a few of you have mentioned that Dre knows exactly what he’s doing and he’s playing Kanan with the whole “2Bit” being upset thing…let’s say that is the case. Then that would mean Kanan making it to season six is unlikely. This proposed scenario would mean a battle is coming and one of them has to die. It’s a possibility, but that’s giving Dre a lot of agency and temerity and I just don’t buy it. Is he leaps and bounds smarter and more aware than Ghost? Also, given the moves Kanan made this episode, purchasing weight with Tommy and getting back into the picture on the drug front suggest otherwise. Kanan has been planning to take over since he was in jail back in season one. He knows how all of the various systems work and who the connects are. Killing Dre is the tie that binds him, Tommy and Ghost. Once that’s done and Ghost has no “skin in the game” what’s next? As for Ghost, he and Tasha are still in the midst of coming to grips with the death of Raina; it is still so raw, and to complicate matters they are both handling their grief differently and in many ways separately. If you’ve heard about the stages of grief, no doubt you’re referring to the Kubler-Ross model. The stages include shock, denial, anger, bargaining, testing, depression and acceptance. The thing is, there is no one way to grieve and it isn’t as though you move through this in a linear fashion. Anger seems to be the trait they most often display. Understandable as it plays better for television and theirs is so visceral by nature. Tasha is at a point where all she wants to do is protect the two children she has left and get rid of the people she feels are responsible for her daughter’s death. That’s really interesting because during the confrontation with vigilante Ghost (more on him in a minute) she tells him no matter how many people he kills it won’t bring Raina back. Yet, still in all, she wants Dre and Kanan dead. Her showdown with Kanan outside of Tommy’s apartment was great stuff, you saw the lengths she would go to, against a man who in that physical space clearly had the advantage. She has no back down in her. However, her position is still precarious. Ghost and Tommy are her family but they are working with someone she wants no part of and who she knows is a threat and the reason she lost Raina. It would be one thing if she could lean on Ghost, but she really has no one. Well, except Keisha. Who has turned into a pretty good consigliere. How about Keisha telling Tasha, essentially, your kids are messed up and one of them is dead because of you? Takes a special kind of friend to deliver a message like that. You know who could use a friend like Keisha? Ghost. My man is on his drinking vigilante tear. Remember in season one, when Ghost and Angie were having their affair and Tasha talks to Tommy about why Ghost has been acting weird she asks, “do you think he’s drinking again?” Drunk vigilante Ghost gives us new depth to an already complex character. This version of Ghost makes all kinds of reckless decisions. He’s a fan of the single malt scotch (as am I) when that gets in his system who knows what he’ll do next. He’s capable of murder which we knew since the series’ pilot episode. But now, he seems to have a much lower bar to hurdle in terms of making justifications for murder. He’s been drunk dialing Angie for the last couple episodes. How much you want to bet he starts stalking and following her soon? He has the pending fight with Tasha over Raina and ultimately the choices they made to put them in the position they’re in. We spoke last week about the unholy alliance with Tommy and Kanan and if that isn’t enough he has Councilman Rashad Tate. Because of his nefarious activities, Ghost can’t go to a therapist and seek help. He’s a gangster. Shades of Tony Soprano and Dr. Melfi come to mind. Anyway, he has no proper mechanism or tools to deal with what is happening to him. What do we do in times of crisis and under major duress? Revert back to what is familiar and makes us feel safe. For Ghost, that means the game and all that it entails. That type of mindset makes him exciting to watch as a viewer but it means he is also at his most vulnerable. The situation with Tate and Linda (more on her in extra thoughts) is classic Ghost. Caught between the legitimate world and the criminal one, although one could argue, both sides are criminal. He is used to getting things done by hook or by crook and ends up getting played by Linda, who was just looking for a good time in the end. But, can we trust Tate on the Linda news? Ghost and Tate are yet another set of people that present to be on the same team but clearly have two conflicting agendas. What will happen when Ghost learns of Tate’s Gubernatorial plans? He already feels some type of way that Raina was pimped out for donations. We know where this is headed right? As for his unholy alliance with Tommy and Kanan, it’s about to get more complicated now that Tony Teresi has been released, and he appears to be working with the Feds. Will Tommy choose his want/need for a “father” over Ghost and his true “family?” Kemp and the writers have spent the first three episodes setting the scene and moving certain pieces around on the board. If you’ve been paying close attention to the show, that means things are about to get crazy. I hope you’re strapped in fans. I know the series has been a little light on the action a lot of you like, but stay patient. I think you’ll be rewarded 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!
1 Comment
7/6/2023 07:56:34 am
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