‘Power Book II: Ghost’ Recap – ‘What’s Free?’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 206 of ‘Power Book II: Ghost’. To revisit Episode 206, ‘Coming Home to Roost’, click here.
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One thing that we can all agree upon, is that change is quite the scary venture. For we are creatures of habit who love routine and the comfort it affords. So, when our lives are upended and change must come into play, we are oft afraid and nervous about what comes next. But while we find a way to adjust and settle into a new routine when change becomes a necessity for us, there are some occasions where it upends our world and outright leaves us lost. For instance, when change involves no longer being in control of our lives, we really haven’t a clue what to do and truly such an alteration to our lifestyle, puts us at an important crossroads. The kind where we can either sit back and accept our new reality or fight to reclaim what we lost…. or… we find another way forward.

If anything, that particular problem and that particular crossroads is top of mind today, simply because it served as the focal theme of the next episode of Power Book II: Ghost. For when we catch up with Monet Tejada and Tariq St. Patrick in ‘What’s Free?’, they are struggling to adjust to the fact that they are no longer in charge of their destiny. In fact, Monet struggled so badly with the fact that Lorenzo was home at last and back in charge, that she began to lash out at her own family over losing control. To the point where her fury found its way into a private moment with Diana and her struggles didn’t end there. Since she really did become quite listless in this tale and didn’t have a clue what her life was going to look like going forward, since it really seemed as though her plans and her path were gone. Not to mention, she was getting dragged through the mud for Tariq’s arrest since Cane’s machinations there put the family business in jeopardy.

Which in turn, made it seem for a brief moment, that Monet Tejada, a brilliant schemer and opportunist was going to do the unthinkable and just give into the changes and let Lorenzo be her guide because it was the path of least resistance. Especially after she worked to cut ties with Mecca/Dante. But it turns out that Monet wasn’t going to take this lying down and opted to side with a frustrated Cane, who was being put on the back burner by dad, to revitalize the Course Connect business with Tariq to give her some semblance of control once again and time to think and breathe and for now at least… Monet is keen on playing the game and biding her time. So that eventually she can retake control of her life, and this was quite the fascinating way to see someone deal with this scenario, since one would think that lying down or fighting back is the way to handle it. But Monet is of course, always the wild card in this story, and it makes sense that she would find a third path in dealing with such matters.

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But while it was amazing to watch Monet adapt as needed, there was mention of the fact that she was back in business in with Tariq and that he had to deal with this wild scenario as well… and as fate would have it, he too dealt with this conundrum in a similar manner, after taking a moment to heal from his wounds of course. Because being outright blindsided by the whole Ramirez problem, really did leave the always clever Tariq besides himself. Because he simply couldn’t understand how he let this happen, nor could he reconcile the reality that he was genuinely under someone else’s thumb for a change. But thanks to Davis and Cooper’s hard work in the courtroom and an assist from Councilman Tate… he was able to mostly return to freedom and he too was quick to express his fury over the double cross in question.
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Making it seem as though Tariq was going to burn everything in his life to the ground out of frustration for what happened, since he went so far as to give Brayden the business. But a little time with Effie and a little time to think, helped Tariq to realize that he could in fact, use his situation to his advantage. For if he kept his nose clean and let Effie handle the business with Monet while using Brayden as his eyes and ears elsewhere… he could in fact, get the lay of the land and properly learn about his enemies’ weaknesses. Meaning that he too, will bide him time and play the game. But the difference here, is that when his time to rise to the occasion and re-take control arrives… there will be bloodshed. For Tariq is clearly ready to make those that wronged him… pay.

In the end, this was simply a brilliant episode when all is said and done, since it truly took the time to address every underlying plot thread that season two has introduced in a dynamic and wonderful manner. Which in turn, forced Tariq and Monet to ponder and grow, whether that’s for the better or not is of course… debatable. But growth is critical to making a story worth the audience’s while and we are getting that, courtesy of the incredible challenges these characters are going through right now. The kind that are engaging the viewer and putting us on the edge of our seats. Because holy cow, this season just won’t let up with the surprises and the intensity and well, once again… we are left starving for more, since each and every one of us are eager to see what the next steps are for Tariq and Monet in their quest to have power and peace over their lives. Until next time.  

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