The conclusion of last night’s episode leaves us with just 2 episodes left in this season and the plot lines are boiling over. Trust Me is the perfect name for an episode where everyone asks for trust but nobody is willing to give it. Families are broken and there are serious threats facing everyone. When under duress, stress, or fear for life, self preservation reigns supreme. Everybody is worried about saving their own ass, and that makes for a good episode.
These are perilous times for Ghost and Tommy. They are trying to find a balance in their new working relationship and have a lot of situations that need their immediate attention. It’s the aftermath of the Lobos murder and the boys are in full reactionary mode. Being proactive was one of the hallmarks of this duo and their ability to remain on top and one step ahead. The consequences of their previous actions and the real threats that await have robbed them of that luxury. On one hand they need to fend off the justice system and prison time. The Feds know the Lobos escape and murder was an inside job and there are loose ends around Angela that need to be tied up. On the other, Milan is continuing to apply the pressure and is very deliberate and measured in his threats.
The Feds found Lobos’ body, and two sets of footprints in addition to Lobos’. The manner in which Lobos was killed suggests an attack that was personal in nature. Greg knows Ghost and Tommy are the suspects to focus on, which means Angela is the likely mole. Angela must now come up with evidence to prove she is not the mole, despite knowing that Ghost and Tommy are in fact responsible for Lobos’ murders.
With the tip from Greg that Angela’s relationship with Ghost should be examined closely, MJ and the Office of Professional Responsibility pay a visit to Truth and question Ghost. While MJ certainly has her talents (southern drawl?), she was not going to be able to rattle Ghost. However MJ snooping around asking questions means the Feds are very close. Between Ghost, Tommy and Angela they need to get the name of the real mole or they face serious consequences.
In terms of great scenes, MJ and Ghost wasn’t particularly memorable. But, the scene opens with Ghost arranging for pickup of Tariq from school and explicit instructions for Dre to keep him away from Truth (more on Traiq, Dre, etc. later). I thought that was an interesting way to get the scene started. Particularly if you contrast this scene with the later scene of a hungover Ghost in the office inside the penthouse where Tasha and the kids live. It has become increasingly difficult for Ghost to separate his domestic life from his other life. There is too much overlap and he is very distracted, this will cause a fatal problem by season’s end.
Angela appears on edge in the early parts of this episode. She knows Greg is coming for her and will not rest until she’s taken down. She needs to work with Ghost to prove she is not the mole. Of course complicating matters is the fact that she is still very much in love with Ghost but is love scorned and angry. Angela was able to receive video footage corroborating Tasha’s alibi that she and Ghost were at Karen Bassett’s hotel during the Lobos escape and murder. Angela and Ghost meet and he provides her with the cellphone Lobos used to communicate with the mole. In an attempt to try and convince Greg that she isn’t the mole, Angela shows up at his apartment and plays the video footage of Ghost and Tasha at the hotel. In an effort to manipulate Greg, Angela shows vulnerability. Perhaps trying to say to Greg, I know how you feel. I did something similar to you. It appears to work. The two ex-lovers engage in sympathy sex and Angela appears to have the upper hand. But, Greg isn’t falling for Angela’s tricks this time. He is convinced that she and Ghost are in cahoots and will not rest until they both go down.
A major source of tension in this weeks episode is Milan. As mentioned in the previous two recaps, Milan is a different kind of evil. If for nothing else than he is unknown to Ghost and Tommy. Although at this point they are starting to “know” him. If Ghost and Tommy thought they could free themselves from his grip, they are certainly aware now that it will be more difficult. What makes Milan particularly challenging is the knowledge he possesses. He knows everything about Ghost and Tommy professionally and personally. For Milan, personal relationships and family are weak spots, and he is using them all to control Ghost and Tommy. Milan is also adept at using physicality and psychology to get inside the minds of those he wishes to control.
Milan has Tommy call a meeting of all the Primeras at Truth to discuss the new products being pushed. The dynamic in this meeting was fascinating. Milan is the man pulling all the strings but just sits back and watches Tommy break down the new arrangements. Seeing Tommy and not Ghost lead a major network meeting was a flip. In this new scenario Tommy appears to be the man with the upper hand. You have to wonder what Milan’s ultimate plan is. There is no way he is going to let Tommy be in total control over the network. Tommy and Ghost both stole his product in season 2. He is not going to let either one of them slide for that. But Milan is using Tommy’s distrust of Ghost to “empower” him and then ultimately eliminate him.
I mentioned Milan’s use of the physical and the psychological. His goons beat the crap out of Tommy and then Milan commends Tommy for his fight. He helps Tommy “recover” and asks for his advice in how they should move the new product. Milan knows Tommy is emotionally fragile and uses that to his advantage. Tommy is broken over killing Holly and the deterioration of his relationship with Ghost. Milan’s consistent references to being completely free and whether or not Tommy can trust Ghost are seeds he hopes yields fruit.
Is it me or is the Kanan, Dre, Tariq triangle creepy? We all know what Kanan wants to do here. But man, every time he appears on screen I get a little shook. In this situation Kanan is clearly the man in charge and holds all the cards. Dre is worried about his own life and by extension his daughter, so he will do whatever Kanan tells him. But, he has developed a bond with Tariq and as a father, he doesn’t want Ghost to have to deal with anything happening to Tariq. Kanan is hell bent on making Ghost pay for sending him to prison years ago and is using Tariq as the means by which he will exact his revenge. Tariq has so much anger towards his father and Kanan is using that to his advantage. Kanan is developing a bond with Tariq and is getting ready to blow up Ghost’s entire world. The thing about this bomb is Ghost does not see it coming.
Overall, another solid episode in what is the best season yet for Power. There are a few loose ends to tie up and I have a feeling another character or two will not make it to season 4.
A few extra thoughts:
- Ghost and the imported cigs. We knew this was going to be important as he stared at the box of Drina at the end of the previous episode. Ghost now has some knowledge about Milan and hopes to use it to gain the upper hand.
- Surprise! Ghost discovers Tommy has been lying to him about his knowledge of Milan. Just add Tommy to the list of threats Ghost has to thwart by season’s end. You know they are not going to kill of Ghost. I wonder…
- Tariq going to get hooked on that Lean…Tariq is about 12 or 13. Kids are so impressionable and you couple that with animosity towards your parents, puberty, etc. I said it before. This situation will not end well.
- Callan Mulvey, the actor that plays Milan, goes in and out on his accents pretty seamlessly. LOL. He is actually a New Zealand born Australian, go figure.
- Speaking of Milan. We can’t seem to escape this guy. How eerie was the scene when he came into the weave shop?
- As for LaKeisha Grant, is this R.I.P. for her? We know Tommy went in the shop presumably to kill her. But, as is often the case with Power, don’t jump to any conclusions. For the record, we predicted at the beginning of the season that the Tasha Keisha dynamic would change. It apparently has forever…
- With Hugo dead, does this mean Sandoval gets away?
- Tommy to Lobos’ man Hugo. “You ever been set on fire before Hugo? It smells like bacon, except…it’s more personal.”
- Tasha and Angela have their weekly ladies meetings. “You keep showing up here in the middle of the day like it ain’t nothing. Ain’t you got a goddamn job?” “I do! Putting murdering drug dealers away. What do you do?”
- We saw the return of Tommy’s mother Kate this week. “Most men don’t like spending time with their mothers. But Tommy and I, we’re different.” Did you see Angela’s face when Kate said that?
What do you all think? Get at me on Twitter @jshector Please share with your friends and people you think would enjoy the show. As always thanks for reading and visiting BSO. See you next week!