‘Power Book II: Ghost’ Recap – ‘Play the Game’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Normally in the days following the death of a loved one, we find ourselves in quite the focused place, mentally. Wherein we are ready to buckle down and live life to the fullest or change the current course we are on, because death really is a powerful wake-up call. One that reminds us of how precious the gift of life is, and how hard we should be working toward achieving our dreams. Since life is fleeting and short and can be taken away from us in a second and oddly enough, this renewed focus also helps us to heal since it gives us something to work toward while we sort out our emotions. But as is often the case in life, there is a flip side to this aspect of the grieving process, since for some… the days following the death of a loved one, can be destructive and concerning in nature… as evidenced by Tariq’s journey in the next episode of Power Book II: Ghost.
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For when we catch up with Tariq in ‘Play the Game’, is appears as though his desire to become the man his father never was… is going to be put on hold for a little while. Simply because his mother is still in jail and he knows that he cannot rest or feel good about the future until she is free and that motivates Tariq to push hard to deal all the product necessary to ensure that Davis McLean can get her off the hook and well, that in turn… has him lean into Zeke hard. All to try and get into Monet’s good graces and bring forth a partnership and well, his push to become part of the Tejada drug empire, brings about mixed results. Mainly because, Monet won’t let him near her family, regardless of the kindness and politeness that Tariq sends her way. But it turns out, that despite getting shut out, Tariq’s way in… was quickly being created online.

Because Monet was dealing with a rogue dealer named Lil’ Guap, who believed that his good standing with the company, meant that the time had come to the show the world just how awesome he was. Which is why he was constantly hopping online to live stream his lifestyle, to gain a little clout and remind everyone to feed him awe. But this of course, was something that didn’t sit right with Monet in the slightest and it forced her to spring into action and try to get permission from Lorenzo, from his jail cell, to put an end to this mess, a decision that brought about mixed results as well. Because while Monet wanted to terminate the deal with Guap, Lorzeno wanted her to talk some sense into him through Dru and that uh, that went badly. Since Guap almost exposed Dru and the family, and if it hadn’t been for Cane and Officer Ramirez, there’s a fair chance that Monet would have lost everything.

Which motivated Monet to work with Tariq after all, since she had little to lose in doing so and needed a new dealer and their alliance couldn’t have come at a better time. Because while all of this was going down, Davis McLean was teaching Tasha quite the lesson in humility. Since she firmly believed she could convince any jury that James a monster, and that prompted Davis to hold a mock trial, one that would allow for a fierce cross examination to take place, which brought forth the lesson in question. Because she buckled under the pressure and was found guilty by a mock jury. Leaving Davis vindicated in showing her that she wasn’t ready to take the stand, and it also left him unsure of how to proceed with the case. However, what makes the union of Monet and Tariq so relevant to this plot thread, is that Davis is going to need a lot of cash to win this one, the kind that this deal should hopefully produce.

But all of that aside, this really was a fascinating exploration of the darker side of the grieving process. Simply because it was refreshing and unique, since most stories that feature such an examination, lean in heavy on the emotional damage of death, rather than explore how the grey areas of life could produce a stranger grieving process. But the grey is of course, where Tariq operates and, in his mind, all of this is justifiable and noble, since he’s pushing for his mother’s freedom, and well… time will tell as to whether his machinations will pay off in a positive light. Because Monet is genuinely uneasy about this arrangement and ready to take full control if needed and that’s dangerous for Tariq. For one missed step, can result in utter disaster and well, all this episode does is leave one eager to continue the journey. To see what wild surprises await us next.

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