‘Power Book II: Ghost’ Season 4 Episode 2 ‘To Thine Ownself’
Entertainment Editor Bianca Gregg brings you ‘Power Book II: Ghost’ recaps each Friday as the final episodes air.
A few things from this episode of ‘Ghost’ stood out to me, and I would like to dive into those things. Hopefully, this slight pivot is cool with you guys.
One of the recurring themes is Tariq being broke without the drug game. We see he has to take on three work-study jobs to secure money to pay for his tuition. His current situation further highlights his desire to be a regular college student. Remember his conversation in episode one with Brayden? He briefly fantasized about life as a regular kid, going to college, and not being involved in street life. Irony always has a funny way of appearing in the ‘Power’ universe. The only thing Ghost ever wanted for his son was for him to be a regular college student. Tariq’s education would have been paid for no matter where he decided to go, and he would not have had to look over his shoulder constantly. Tasha’s witness protection status is threatened by Detective Carter, which prompts Tariq to visit his mother.
When Tariq finds Tasha, she’s working in a low-budget convenience store to make ends meet. She wants to ensure Yaz’s future, so she tolerates the job and her handsy boss. Now I always understood that Tasha and Ghost hated one another as things progressed in the original series, but Ghost would have secured a future for Yaz. The cases of both Tariq and Tasha could be biting the hand that feeds you and reacting solely off of emotion when they decided to kill Ghost. Tariq’s possessing the skills needed to handle the type of life Ghost had was always a bit farfetched, no matter how smart he seemed. Tariq admits to Brayden that he has been outsmarted often, a rare occurrence for Ghost. Ghost was ultimately outsmarted by the people he trusted the most, his family.
Monet is facing a lot of music in this episode as well. She’s realizing her children are sick of her, even in her efforts to appear like a more loving matriarch. When she nearly blows up a deal between the Russians and Noma, Cane tells her she needs to leave the game. Things have moved beyond her scope of capabilities, according to Cane. Monet becomes suspicious that Cane may have been the one who tried to have her killed and asks her remaining children to look into it. Dru has been on the fence about Monet, but after she refuses to apologize for her actions, he plots to kill her by switching her medication. Diana stops him, and as the pair discuss their mom, she overhears the conversation. Monet later asks her sister, Janet, if she has ruined her kids. We see flashbacks of young Monet, Lorenzo, and baby Cane. Monet being involved in the business was nothing new, and having the kids close to it started in Cane’s infancy.
Effie moves into a more untouchable role within Noma’s organization. She successfully negotiated the deal with the Russians. The head of the Russian organization only wants to deal with Effie moving forward, making her an essential piece for Noma. I am ready to see Effie go! The classroom scene when she attempts to convince Tariq to like her again is so crazy. Effie caused so much stress for Tariq by aligning herself with Cane and Noma. No way does she feel a text message wipes the slate clean.
Detective Carter makes his rounds to Davis, Tariq, and Obi. Obi’s visit ends in his arrest, and I wonder if Obi will snitch on Noma. He is not her number-one fan at the moment, and with her growing closer to Cane, things may become a little turbulent. Carter tries to offer Davis his law license in exchange for Tariq, but Davis declines. Detective Carter’s conversation with Tariq sounded so personal it was almost laughable — another cop confronting a St. Patrick on speculation as opposed to having solid evidence.
Diana being pregnant was low-key on my bingo card. Of course, when she finally gives up the draws to Tariq and Salim, we find ourselves in a potential episode of Maury. She was offended by what the nurse told her, and I thought that woman was spitting out facts. As a college student, you should rethink becoming a mother, especially if you lack a support system. I am interested in seeing how this all plays out.
Tariq tracks down 2-Bit and steals his car back. It was refreshing to see 2-Bit and interesting to discover he enjoys vegan food.
We finally got the meet-up we’d all been waiting for. Tariq and Monet speak for the first time since her shooting. Monet admits she does not think Tariq was the one who shot her, but he is still angered by Monet allegedly giving Tommy a way to his mother. Monet denies ever communicating with Tommy and wants to know where that information originated. Tariq tells her it was from Kate Egan, Tommy’s mom. Monet plans to confront Kate and figure out why she is being blamed. Monet is getting closer to discovering who set her up, and I wonder if she is willing to kill her children.
Catch Part One of “Power Book II: Ghost” on Fridays, at midnight ET on the STARZ app. On linear, it will debut on STARZ at 8:00 PM ET/PT in the U.S. and 9:00 PM ET in Canada.
