‘Power Book II: Ghost’ Recap – ‘Selfless Acts?’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 202 of ‘Power Book II: Ghost’.

Over the course of the past month or so, our journey through the world of Power Book II: Ghost, has yielded some powerful lessons. The kind that challenges the viewer to ponder upon the nature of what comes next in just about every phase of our lives since life is full of new beginnings, alongside some powerful examinations on the grey areas of life and how to best to navigate them since they pop up more often than we know. In fact, these lessons are so profound and so engaging, that they have drawn attention away from another wondrous storytelling device in this series. In that, the title of each episode often ties into the story somehow and that is of note today, since ‘Selfless Acts?’ took the time to ponder upon whether such a thing exists in great detail.
​
For so many characters seemingly took part in a selfless act, only to show us on the back end that what they did was quite selfish and controlling in nature. Take for instance, just about everything that happened with the Tejada family in this tale. Because Monet’s desire to get Zeke to enter the draft, initially seemed to be something of a selfless act on both her and Zeke’s part. After all, it would get Zeke into his dream of playing in the pros and help his family and for Monet, pushing him to do so would provide her with a sense of pride and wonder and accomplishment. When in reality, selfishness was everywhere to be found in this decision. For it was just another box to check on Monet’s plan to get out of The Life and for Zeke, well he was having a great deal of second thoughts about going this route. Since it meant he would be away from Carrie, despite her having broken off the relationship in this tale. 

But there was mention of the family indulging in the duality of selfless acts and that rest of that exploration was handled by Cane. Because he desperately wanted two things to happen to him. First, he wanted to be part of an empire once more and he also wanted to be back in his mother’s good graces and since Mecca rejected him courtesy of Lil’ Guap’s inability to get off of his damn phone, he decided to do something seemingly selfless to accomplish both goals. Which is why he brokered a supply deal with Mecca when it turned out that the product that Monet gave to Tariq was nothing more than baking supplies. So, he could show the family he cares and wants the best for them and well… his plan worked, since Monet welcomed him home… sadly under false pretenses. Since we came to learn that all of this was a selfish act, one that he carefully orchestrated to get what he wanted, leaving him in a precarious place with Monet once again… since nothing escapes her, and it is only a matter of time before she figures out her own son played her. 

---

But what truly made these particular journeys so worth our while, is that they posed quite the important lesson. In that, some people out there, don’t really understand the notion of the selfless act and what it truly entails. Instead, we think a game of give and take and quid pro quo is somehow selfless. When, such an act is genuine sacrifice, the kind that requires no kind of return upon investment and going this route and showing us how people really view such matters, only adds to the realism of an already incredibly relatable series. But while that was definitely a worthwhile examination, one that will certainly give us pause the next time we think we are committing a selfless act, we would be negligent to not discuss the other important plot points that came about in this tale, since they helped to establish that more trouble and dark times are on the horizon for well… everyone.
​
Because despite Tariq hinting at maybe leaving the game to lead a better life, life itself keeps pulling him back into the drug dealing world. Since a DWI from his grandma, put Yaz in protective custody and well, he’s going to need to sling more product to get Davis MacLean and Cooper Saxe the money they need to get the charges dropped and get Yaz home. Plus, he still has to deal with the whole mess involving Jabari Reynolds and even that is starting to go poorly for him. Since the cops have yet to put Ramirez’s name out there to the public and are starting to close in on variables and corners that Tariq didn’t plan for. Since his hope that Detective Whitman would scrutinize Carrie harder as the suspect, blew up in his face when Whitman saw Zeke at Carrie’s place. Motivating him to bring Zeke in for questioning, an act that will undoubtedly bring heat down from Monet and potentially force Whitman to look elsewhere.

But while we wait to see what comes of that little twist, we can once again, bask in the wonder of a delightfully intelligent tale. One that really did a wonderful job of exploring the selfless act in a manner that few shows out there ever would, plus… it was filled to the brim with some stunning surprises. Since we came to learn some unexpected truths about Mecca and his past and speaking of the past, it would seem that Davis and Carrie have tangled before and that might relate to Davis’ quest to free Theodore Rollins and really in the end, all this episode does is leave us hungry for more. Because let’s be honest, we’re beyond eager to see where the surprises in this episode are going to take us and what kind of consequences these so called ‘selfless acts’ are going to bring forth and well, it is definitely safe to say we will be counting down the minutes until next Sunday’s episode, so we can enjoy resolution and more of this incredible story. Until next time.

---