‘Power Book II: Ghost’ Recap – ‘To Thine Own Self’

6/15/2024

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Michael Rainey Jr. and Gianni Paolo as Tariq St. Patrick and Brayden Weston in Episode 402 of ‘Power Book II: Ghost’ – ‘To Thine Own Self’. (Photo Courtesy of STARZ.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 402 of ‘Power Book II: Ghost’. To revisit the Season Four Premiere, click here.

Often times in crime dramas involving drug kingpins, the kingpin or kingpins in question… rarely deal with the realities of everyday life… and understandably so. After all, they deal in drugs and the money flows in. So, their biggest problems tend to be a drop off in revenue, problems with the product or greedy employees or the worst of the worst, overzealous law enforcement officers and true threats to their kingdom. All of which keeps them very, very busy and free from the mundane, and that is why the fourth and final season of the hit STARZ series, Power Book II: Ghost is so important to the very fabric of the genre.

For this particular year of storytelling is shaking things up through and through, by having the kingpins in this story… deal with the realities of everyday life. Granted, the show has flirted with this before, but never on this level and never in this manner. Which made ‘To Thine Own Self’ quite the powerhouse tale. For it showcased the fact that these stories can be grounded in reality and can use the struggles of everyday life to teach us why people turn to this life and its dangerous trappings, and it accomplished these amazing storytelling feats… by having Monet Tejada and Tariq St. Patrick deal with some of the everyday stuff we all handle in our day to day lives.

For Monet, that involved… down time. Simply because… Noma was making deals without her and doing her best to keep the Tejada family at bay at every turn in those dealings. Which meant, Monet had no choice… but to just… be an everyday person and rest and heal for a change and that… allowed for her to do what kingpins rarely do in these stories: reflect upon life. Because all she had now was time and that prompted her to really think upon the past, the choices she’s made and where they have brought her and that led to an emotional reckoning for Monet. Of course, her journey still featured some of her finest gangster moments since she did plot with Tariq to uncover more about the shooting and tried to take over. But what mattered more here, is that she actually reflected upon her life, showed remorse and pondered upon change and that’s stuff we all deal with at some point.

Mary J. Blige as Monet Tejada in Episode 402 of ‘Power Book II: Ghost’ – ‘To Thine Own Self’. (Photo Courtesy of STARZ.)

Speaking of Tariq, his real-world journey involved a vastly different start to the semester at Stansfield. For with the trust fund gone forever he had to apply for scholarships and work programs to pay them off and that meant, Tariq was getting the regular college experience, complete with having to work three jobs that he certainly didn’t enjoy. Not to mention, a visit from the mysterious and motivated Detective Carter also prompted him to realize… that his family’s life had come crashing down to Earth as well. For there was talk that his mother was going to be booted from the WITSEC program and that prompted Tariq to go on a reflective journey of his own.

Wherein he visited his mother in Pennsylvania and asked her to settle down to find safety and where he found shame in her working an everyday gig and taking flak from everyday guys and that, combined with the failure of his car, just pushed Tariq to the edge. Wherein he decided with Brayden, to get back in the game. Because the normal life was for chumps in his opinion, and this was… fascinating to say the least. Since it showcased several things. Such as Tariq dealing with life as so many others do for the first time since his dad put him in a financially protected place, as did the family trade. Plus it also explored what keeps people in the game. Since Tariq truly thinks the game is a better life than the grind others go through to find success. Pointing out that yes, drug dealing does indeed get one rich quick, but with so many risks.

Such as Noma, who will be trouble down the line for Tariq and just the dangers that surround this life period. But those lessons aside, this was… one of the best episodes the series has ever aired. Since it finally forced two key players to reflect upon their actions, their life, and the journey they’ve been upon, and this will undoubtedly be a crucial foundation point for Tariq and his journey toward the straight life or the game. Because he will have to decide which path to walk. But while we wait to see which path he chooses; we really can celebrate one brilliant tale. One that took this genre to new heights and showcased its potential from a storytelling standpoint, and it will be fascinating to see what comes out of these inflection points as the final season of this show continues along. Until next time.

Watch ‘Power Book II: Ghost’

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