‘Power Book II: Ghost’ Recap: ‘Sex Week’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

We live in quite the amazing world. Because everything we want is right at our fingertips. If it is material goods you’re looking for, you can have those on a moment’s notice via an app or trip to the store. If it is friends or love you seek, apps and social media can help you find ‘the one’ or people that share in your interests and click with your personality. And if it is information and education you want, Google and the compendium of human knowledge is right there whenever you choose. But what truly makes these accomplishments so amazing and fascinating, is that despite our ability to claim whatever we want whenever we want. We still want more. We still want all the things and power and control over others to boot and well… it turns out that there are some supremely simple reasons as to why that is the case, and they were explored in detail in the next episode of Power Book II: Ghost.
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Which made ‘Sex Week’ quite the unique and intriguing tale. Because it took the time to inform us that for some, our lust for power is all driven by standing and ego, as evidenced by the power struggle that Davis MacLean and Cooper Saxe indulged in. Since the opportunity to be seen as a hero of the Democratic Party, motivated Saxe to bring a hostile witness to the stand, one that he manipulated masterfully to make Tasha look bad and make him look like a genius hero. That is before Davis’ ego forced him to step in and set things right to preserve the deal between the two of them and the win he craved, and well, their combined journey made it clear that it is going to be a long time before we see this particular problem disappear from the face of the Earth since the need for recognition and stature runs strong in the modern world. 

However, our need for power and control isn’t always grounded in selfish notions. Take Tariq’s journey for instance. Since he was forced in this tale to take action in regard to Riley, when it became apparent, she was Saxe’s niece. For that clued him into the reality that she could leak information to the US Attorney’s office if the opportunity was right, especially since her uncle is an opportunist. Which motivated Tariq to expose her to Brayden. All so that he could keep the business running smoothly and to keep any and all heat away from them. Making it clear that sometimes we need to exert control and power to keep the peace and keep our way of life going and thankfully his plans worked. Since Brayden eventually tossed Riley to the curb, with an assist from Trace as well, giving Tariq the peace, he so desperately sought.

But while there were indeed plenty of juicy lessons to be found in this tale, this episode still found exciting ways to advance several of the plot threads that have been festering in the background. Since Carrie and Professor Reynolds’ troubled past came to a head when he expressed creepy concerns about her personal life. Plus, the problems brewing in the Tejada family are inching closer toward an explosion. Since Cane and his loose cannon ways nearly got his mother in physical trouble when a deal for product went south. And while Monet was okay with her son returning home, it’s obvious that she is aware that he needs to be taught a proper lesson. The kind that will help him to understand that he needs to choose between the business or his own personal interests and sadly, that kind of lesson might be what leads to an explosion of sorts, since Cane is so caught up in his mind that anything anyone has to say that doesn’t align with his vision is seen as a fierce attack.
 
In the end, this was simply a fascinating tale. One that did a wonderful job of exploring the human condition in a smooth and subtle manner. Because if one approached this episode without an ounce of thought, this one would just seem like a day in the life of Tariq St. Patrick, and that just lends to the brilliance of this series. Since it demonstrates the versatility of the storytelling and well… now that we’ve reached the end of this fascinating look at our thirst for power, we can turn our attention toward the dark clouds on the horizon. Because this new plan that Cooper and Davis are working toward, cannot be good in the slightest. Especially since Epiphany Turner has been actively selling drugs for Tariq and it should be interesting to see exactly how Cooper and Davis plan to use her in their efforts to put Tariq behind bars and whether or not Tariq will figure out that dark forces are working against him behind the scenes before it is too late. Until next time.

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