This felt like an old-school episode of Power.
Ghost and Tommy, fresh off a betrayal, trying to figure out how to salvage their business, all while leery of everyone around them, and even each other.
But they figure it out and make a move that sets them up beautifully for the long run. Until something inevitably gets in their way and causes everything to fall apart again.
Now we know Power Book II: Ghost is a whole other animal, but this had a lot of old-school vibes to it, and we even got a Ghost and Tommy mention, which further makes my case!
With Tariq and Brayden deciding they weren't content to play pretend at school and fight and claw for minimum wage (at least for Tariq), the next step was figuring out how to get back into the game.
I've said it before, and I'll repeat it: Tariq has lucked into many things. But he knew there wouldn't be some randomly meeting a connect through someone else or anything being handed to him.
And I could appreciate the series making him work for this new connect by putting him and Brayden on the defense.
If we're going to start ranking ionic Power duos, you have to put Tariq and Brayden pretty high up there.
Like all the other duos, they've had many downs, but they've also had a lot of ups, and when they're up, they're up BIG.
It was a quick little moment, but their conversation about keeping things a hundred between them and stopping the secrets felt like it would eventually come back to bite them, but for now, they seemed to want to make things work.
Brayden: Look, bro. If we're gonna do this, it needs to be a partnership.
Tariq: What the fuck else do you think it's gonna be?
Brayden: Meaning I want to be kept in the loop about everything. No more fucking secrets.
Tariq: Alright, fine. No secrets. But that means it gotta go both ways.
And they need them to work. They can't do anything without the other.
Enlisting Davis for help, especially when he was currently out of work, was a smart play on Tariq's part. If there were someone who could at least point them in the right direction, it would be someone like Davis, who's got ears all over the streets.
Zion was a piece of work. He was all bravado, and he didn't try to turn it off for even a second when he took that little meeting, which felt like just an excuse to size up a smaller version of James St. Patrick.
Zion had every right to turn down Tariq and Brayden's offer because why should he trust them? He doesn't know them from anyone else on the street, and the St. Patrick name may get you in the door, but it won't necessarily get you a seat at the table.
The idea that Ghost would be ready to solve a problem before it became a problem was a brilliant observation of who he was at his core. Ghost was a natural problem-solver, and you have to be to reach the heights he did.
Tommy has also proven himself to be a quick thinker and not someone to be played with. It was always a common misbelief that Tommy was more the muscle of the pairing and much more apt to get his hands dirty.
While true, reality has shown across all series, particularly in Power Book IV: Force, that Tommy can outsmart anyone. He can spot and exploit a weakness before you even know it's weak.
Brayden is no Tommy, and Tariq isn't quite his dad in EVERY way, but they're brilliant guys who know the game. They've lived it, and underestimating them has gotten many people killed over the years.
Related: Power Book II: Ghost Season 4 Episode 1 Review: I Don't Die Easy
Zion messed up when he gave Tariq that product because it took less than a day for him to figure out how to get one of Zion's men out. Using Effie was ingenious because he knew she would do it, and if everything went according to plan, it could cause friction within the Noma ranks.
Effie and Cane started off happy here, in their post-coital glow in the dorm rooms, and that should have been the first sign that things would go downhill rather swiftly.
Effie gets a bad rap, and sorry, but she deserves it. She has never been trustworthy, and she puts Effie first, even if, at times, she has shown that a part of her is willing to protect the people she cares about.
She clearly feels some way about Cane, whether she wants to admit it fully or not, and she showed that when she put aside a step toward her dream to help him out during Power Book II: Ghost Season 4 Episode 2.
But there's an obvious disconnect between the two, which stems from how they started their relationship. Cane will always be jealous and suspicious of Effie's allegiance, especially where Tariq is concerned, and Effie should be worried about what Cane is willing to do to get ahead.
This Cane and Dru battle has been brewing for years, and it's only intensified with each passing day as Dru gets harder and harder, the pain he's endured manifesting in his not caring about anything but himself.
He's let himself love, and it's ended disastrously. Those meant to protect him have failed, and while he's now reached a point where he's trying to move forward, he's doing so with a tremendous chip on his shoulder and a crazy amount of rage just itching to get out.
Dru is not dumb; none of the Tejada siblings are, but they all seem to be missing SOMETHING.
Dru's problem until recently was that his heart wasn't in the game. It only is now because it's necessary, and he has nothing else going on in his life.
This fantasy he's going to beat Cane and somehow lead anything feels like a pipe dream, and maybe his Daddy made him feel like it was possible, but Cane lives and breathes this game.
He marched himself right back to Noma's apartment and gave himself over on a silver platter, mostly because he was mad at Effie but also because he knew he could use that to his advantage.
Both Dru and Cane want to find something for themselves, away from the family, and be the head of it all. Right now, that means working beneath Noma, but I don't think for a second that's what they want long-term.
Related: Cliffhangers That Made Our Jaws Drop to The Floor
But there's no eclipsing Noma that easily or that quickly. She's proven pretty formidable, but Cane slipping into her sheets SHOULD give him a leg up in the Cane/Dru battle they barely know they're engaged in.
Speaking of being Noma's number two, is that the most appetizing position when Noma just stabbed Obi dead in his neck?
Green cards, green cards, green cards. It's ENOUGH!
RIP to Obi or whatever, but let's stop bringing up those damn cards now!
Obi made his bed, and he had to lie in it. He was loyal to Noma, but trying to pretend he wasn't looking out for himself would not be accurate.
Did he deserve to die? A lot of people have been killed over the years who maybe didn't deserve it, but Obi kept things from Noma. Too many people found out, ultimately leading to his demise.
A shame, but again, his choices have consequences.
This season has felt like a series of consequences for everyone, and maybe none more so than Monet, who's been realizing in real time that there's a real chance she can't trust anyone in her life.
These little Monet flashbacks are doing so much to shed light on the Tejada family and why everyone is the way they are. Monet had these children packaging drugs and lying at an EARLY age, and she wondered why they were not the happiest group of kids ready to protect their family at a moment's notice.
Cane, Dru, and Diana never stood a chance with Monet as their mother.
I'm not sure whether they're trying to make us feel bad for Monet, who's struggling with feeling like she's losing control of her entire life, but I do not.
Everything that happened with Zeke aside, Monet's actions are her own. She's made a lifetime out of turning her children into liars, accomplices, and killers. She can't now be surprised that they're rebelling against her when she's treated them terribly their whole lives!
Related: TV's Best Hate-Driven Relationships
Diana did a 180 from last season, choosing to forgive and forget how nasty Monet has been to her, but it was so apparent that it would come back to haunt her. Did she forget she led the charge to get Monet killed?
Everything was bound to blow up in her face eventually, and it erupting during a Tejada family dinner was the only way it could have happened.
I'm surprised they decided to reveal Diana early in the season, but it adds to the chaos!
It puts the Tejada family in an exciting place moving forward because a clear line will be drawn, with Cane and Monet on one side and Dru and Diana on the other.
And it comes at a time when Monet is feeling as expendable as ever and trying to branch out on her own. That puts Cane in a weird spot, especially as he gets closer to Noma.
Will he stick beside her? Go crawling back to his mother because she's all he has?
There are so many different ways this can go, and while they're in this fractured state, they don't even realize Tariq's still coming for them.
Tariq didn't seem hellbent on revenge when he decided to get back into the game, and it still doesn't seem to be at the forefront of his brain, but it's still in there festering.
Since Tariq was young, he's always wanted to make his own choices, decisions by which he has to live and die.
That was one of the biggest issues in his relationship with his parents. He always believed he knew what was best for him, and he didn't want anyone deciding what he would do or who he would be.
On the one hand, it's understandable to be frustrated by someone choosing on your behalf, but that's also part of life. Sometimes, things are out of our control. And sometimes it's better for you in the end, even if you can't see it.
Tariq was too close to having everything he wanted, and you couple that with a bunch of opps taking away his choice, and now you have Tariq St. Patrick on the warpath, ready to make his imprint (again) and take down his enemies (again).
Good luck to everyone who gets in his way.
Everything Else You Need To Know
- If Cane doesn't get himself back in the house! He was not going to shoot his brother and sister in the middle of the street. Please.
- Detective Carter helped get Obi killed, not that he'll care, but it'll be interesting to see what lengths he goes to this season as he looks to bring Tariq down.
- Brayden getting high off his own supply AND potentially getting into a relationship with someone we know nothing about is giving Tommy and Holly. And none of us want that again!
- Moving product through concerts feels smart for now, but Tariq and Brayden will have to find a way to hide themselves completely, and I do not see how they can do that. All it will take is Cane sniffing out there's competition and seeing the two besties at a show to put it all together.
- Seeing Davis so down is a nice change of pace from the arrogant Davis we've gotten all season. I like having him more involved with Tariq and the "dirty" side of things. It makes his character all the more interesting over these final hours.
- Do we trust Janet? I don't trust anyone in this universe, for the most part, but the way she's always staring from the outskirts is giving me pause.
- Tariq wants to burn it all down, but what will he do when he finds out about Diana?
This fascinating hour propelled the narrative forward in various ways. Knowing we're only getting five episodes now and the rest in the fall also means we should expect a lot to be thrown at us in these next two episodes.
In the meantime, let me know in the comments how you're feeling after this one and what you think we'll get before the midseason break!