‘Power Book II: Ghost’ Recap: ‘The Gift of the Maji’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Normally, our 18th birthday is quite the important day in our lives. For it signals our official ascension into adulthood and crossing that threshold means a great deal for us. Because this is the moment when we venture out into the world and start the work to carve out our own path for success and hopefully leave a lasting impact upon society along the way and of course… it’s also meant to be a time filled with fun. Because you only turn 18 once and you might as well enjoy the moment. But while the vast majority of us, relish in what lies ahead and party hearty on the big day, this isn’t how turning 18 goes for everyone. Because for some, this day is just another day because they’ve already been forced to step up and play adult, or it turns out to be a sour day… because their life is mired in strife… as evidenced by the next episode of Power Book II: Ghost.
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For when we catch up with Tariq in ‘The Gift of the Maji’, he’s preparing to turn 18 and well… that’s no big deal for him. Mainly because, he’s been an adult for a while now mentally, thanks to the life he’s led and that means for Tariq, life is business as usual and boy, does he have a lot of business to conduct in this particular tale and more. Since this big day does end up becoming quite sour in nature. Thanks to the fact that Davis’ plan to get Tameika to testify against Cooper Saxe, is likely going to get him in trouble. Since that would reveal that he was at Truth as well and was of course, the shooter. Which in turn motivates him to go to some dark places to try and talk Tameika out of taking the stand, a task at which he outright fails at.

Plus, he also has to deal with pressure from Monet and Saxe as well. Since she is eager to test his loyalty and see if he really is part of the family and ready to handle the big tasks that the drug trade will bring forth and Cooper… he wants dirt and he wants it bad and that led to a supremely unnerving sequence at a birthday party for Tariq that Brayden put together. Since it brought all those pressures under one roof, since the Tejada family swung by to keep an eye on Tariq and to try to test his loyalties and that definitely frustrated him to no end. To top it off, Riley drugged him and tried to get as much as possible from him for her uncle and those stresses and having some powerful drugs surge through his system… motivated Tariq to go and be alone for the remainder of his birthday and that too… brought forth trouble.

Since one of his destinations was the cemetery, to see his fallen sister and his father and while he was there, he poured his heart and sorrow out to both of them and spoke to why he shot his father. Which is something that Saxe recorded to garner a little dirt on Tariq and that paid off for sure. Since Davis was eager to strike a deal with Cooper to get this whole thing to go away and well, being presented with the truth and realizing how this could work to his advantage… motivated a different kind of unholy union to come into play. One where Davis would get his win and where Saxe would put away a killer and well… in the end, Tariq received two gifts on his birthday. One was a warm welcome from Monet since he did pass her tests and the other… was additional trouble. The kind that might change his life forever.

If anything, this was just a fascinating episode through and through. One that really showed us how hard life has been for Tariq and how much his father’s actions have forced him to grow up. Making him something of a tragic character for certain, one that continues to yearn for redemption and peace but seems unwilling to grasp it and well, it will be quite interesting to discover what Tariq actually wants out of life as this season rolls on since he really has no problem waffling between nobility and darkness. But while we wait to see his true direction, we can bask in one powerful tale. One that informed us that Tariq’s world is messy and that trouble is brewing on the horizon. For now, two powerful lawyers are working together to get theirs and it will take some serious maneuvering on Tariq’s part to avoid this devastating trap. Until next time.

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