‘Power Book II: Ghost’ Recap – ‘Heart of Darkness’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

There is a fundamental question that each and every one of us ask ourselves at a certain point in our lives. Specifically, who is it we want to be? And we ask ourselves that question, simply because we are creatures that believe in legacy and making that decision allows for us to define that and it is a question that is important and relevant to today’s discussion, largely because it is the fundamental query that Tariq St. Patrick has been asking himself throughout season one of Power Book II: Ghost. Because he simply doesn’t know who he wants to be or where he would like his life to go. Which has motivated him to waffle between good and evil all season long and at long last… it would seem that Tariq is finally taking the time to finally answer that question.

For the season one finale of this series saw Tariq take a big step toward defining his future and his legacy and that made ‘Heart of Darkness’, one concerning tale. At least, by the end of the episode. Because early on, this was quite the joyous tale. As evidenced by what happened in court. Since he and Tameika figured out how to outplay and outwit Cooper Saxe by utterly exposing him and his plans in court. Which in turn led to Cooper’s dismissal and his mother’s freedom, in exchange for testimony that Tommy Egan was the head of the St. Patrick empire and taking this line of action, really made it seem as though Tariq finally on the right path and looking toward a better tomorrow with his family. One where the past would eventually fade away.

But the past is never that easy to walk away from and it didn’t take long for Tommy to return to New York to settle some old scores and put down Tasha for making him look bad and that’s when Tariq came to realize, that the only way to truly handle his future was to settle his present at any cost necessary and in true Ghost fashion… Tariq put in motion a grand plan that would solve all of his problems and secure a path forward where life wasn’t so stressful. Which is why he agreed to take a rights related payoff from Professor Reynolds, in the hopes of getting him isolated, so he could be dealt with. An act that was helped along by Cane and his insane quest to enact revenge upon Tariq. But when the dust settled from that moment, a man who knew too much was gone, allowing for the last loose thread to be dealt with.

Because obviously, having Tommy exact revenge upon the St. Patrick family was something that Tariq could not stomach, which is why he put together a plan where Tommy would ‘die’ to keep the authorities off his back. Which would allow for him to walk away and start over fresh. Which worked, but this is Tommy Egan we are talking about here, and just walking away isn’t his style. That’s why Tariq called in some favors to Monet and figured out how to isolate his mom, so that the FBI could whisk her away to witness protection, to keep her clear of Tommy's wrath and so that Tariq and Tommy could finally have it out safely. Allowing for the book to close on the past at last, since Tommy was off into the night, giving Tariq a fresh start… one where it would seem his legacy may end up becoming as dark as his father’s. After all, Reynolds was dead, and Tariq pulled the strings to make this happen.

But what is truly terrifying about this revelation, is how much Tariq reveled in following in his father’s footsteps. For he genuinely enjoyed playing others and putting together grand plans to win. Plus, square or no with Monet, he did enjoy raking in the cash with Effie and Brayden and well, that does leave one to wonder if we are indeed witnessing the origin story of a villain. One that is moving into an accelerated phase now that the world is Tariq’s oyster, and it will be quite interesting to see if that is the case or if redemption is in the cards for Tariq St. Patrick and the good news is… we don’t have to wait all that long to find out which way he might be headed. For season two kicks off later tonight on STARZ and as intense as this inaugural season was, season two should waste little time of informing us... who Tariq wants to be in this life. Until next time.

---