‘Power Book II: Ghost’ Recap – ‘Free Will Is Never Free’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the season two premiere of ‘Power Book II: Ghost’.
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For the most part, television shows tend to explore one particular aspect of the human condition and move on, and it makes sense as to why. After all, there is a lot that goes into what makes us who we are and lingering upon the same concept for weeks or years on end, runs the risk of boring an audience that wants to learn more about humanity and life itself. But while changing it up definitely allows for powerful storytelling to take place and for some fine lessons to come forth, there is one inherent flaw in offering a week-to-week analysis of who we are. In that, it romanticizes life and makes it seem storybook in its own right and that’s why we need to applaud shows that take the time to avoid this particular style of storytelling.
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For those are the ones that really explore the human condition in the raw and that is precisely why Power Book II: Ghost on STARZ, deserves our attention. Because this is a series that does just that and for proof… then look no further than its season two premiere. For ‘Free Will Is Never Free’ returns to a concept that was initially explored in the show’s series premiere. Specifically, what comes next in life when we face some dark times and it managed to make a return to this concept work… by putting Tariq in quite the tough place in the season one finale. For once again, he found himself ending the life of another human being to further advance his own initiatives, and when we catch up with him, here… he is once again reconciling death and who he is as a person and that leads to one fascinating premiere.

One that saw multiple characters reeling with the concept of what comes next in both a positive and negative manner. Cooper Saxe for instance, was wrestling with that question in regard to his legal career because he was in strange new territory. Because signing up with MacLean and Associates meant he had to learn a whole new side to the lawyer business, the schmoozing and finessing side really, alongside learning how to navigate his new career path with a nemesis turned boss and well, that was about as awkward as a transition as one might expect. And oddly, this plot thread really was the only positive exploration of what comes next, since everyone else asking that question… had a lot of dark moments hanging over them.

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After all, Cane was trying to figure out what his future would look like after becoming persona non grata at the Tejada stead. To the point where Monet even shooed him away when he tried to make nice and that pushed him to work with a new stranger in town named Mecca. Who is ruthless and loaded with product and eager to get a cut of that New York action. And of course, Monet herself… made it clear that she wants what comes next… to be freedom from this business. Wherein she and her family can enjoy a life where they aren’t pulling guns in the kitchen out of the fear that someone has come to try and take what’s theirs. But that might not be an easy task, since it will take Zeke getting into the draft to make that happen, and Zeke was hesitant to fully commit, largely because he’s deeply in love with Carrie and doesn’t want to leave her. Speaking of Carrie… well it turns out she wants justice, since she is reeling from the death of Jabari Reynolds.
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Which brings us back to Tariq, because obviously he is the one responsible for the injustice in question and while he should be upset or worried about the cops sticking around campus, over Professor Reynolds death, he really is in his own world in this tale. One where death is no big deal and what is of concern instead to him… is what will become of his family and himself for that matter. Because he still hasn’t had proper time to decide who he wants to be, which leads one to wonder, if such matters will serve as the central conflict for Tariq this season. Since he seems eager to decide if he wants to follow in his father’s footsteps or forge a life free from crime and it will be quite interesting to see which path he chooses since he is so conflicted here. As evidenced by how quickly he picked up product for Monet and how rattled he was on the deer hunt when faced with the many lives he’s taken.

But while we wait to see what Tariq decides, we can revel in the wonder of a quality premiere. One that really did plunge us back into this world nicely, since it gave every character we’ve discussed today, quality screen time to remind us of what they stand for and what they’re all about. And it added new ones to the mix by way of Mecca and even took the time to follow up on Councilman Tate. But above all else, going this route and asking that question again, reminds us of the fact that life is cyclical in nature and the answers we seek don’t come easy and that’s really what makes this show stand out so well. Because it really is about the grey areas of life, and we how thrive within that more than we know and truly… this show deserves a thunderous round of applause for providing us with that powerful lesson. Until next time.

To hear more about season two of ‘Power Book II: Ghost’, swing by our Interviews page and enjoy our conversations with the cast of this dynamic series.

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