After an okay episode last week, Power hit hard and fast in this week’s episode titled “Happy Birthday,” which was anything but. Before we get into the depths of despair, applause up top for the acting debut of Mr. Kendrick Lamar! Power doesn’t do guest spots because frankly, the series doesn’t need any crossover celebrities from other industries to make it hot. The characters, storylines, and New York city make the series what it is for fans. When showrunner/EP Courtney Kemp decided to bring K-Dot in, it had to be authentic and we were rewarded. The various power (pun intended) dynamics are in a state of flux, Tariq is back from Choate and he ain’t no punk. Or is he? Ghost is a broken man, the drinking isn’t helping, and he’s unable to deal with the pain and consequences of his actions. Let’s get to it.
Alliances. This season began with alliances and partnerships that all seemed destined for disaster. None were formed because the parties involved wanted to, they were primarily formed out of necessity. Sure, there was a common goal each person shared. But, that’s where it ended. Their agendas and endgames are all different. The episode opens with Tommy and Sammy having to answer to Vincent for the drive by in last week’s episode. Vincent, with the assist from Kanan, thinks the drive by was a drug beef between Tommy and Dre. Problematic for Tommy because he was supposed to kill Dre and told Vincent he would handle it. As punishment for his sins, Tommy and Sammy are on their knees and Vincent orders Teresi to choose one of them to kill. (Boss move by the way). Teresi chooses Sammy but the gun wasn’t loaded, so Sammy keeps his life. But, Teresi, Sammy and Tommy are now no longer part of the business end of the “family.” Of course, the immediate problem for Tommy is, he no longer has the Italians as drug dealers. But the more dangerous problem is, he’s now vulnerable. Since Teresi “chose” to “kill” Sammy, that curried favor with Tommy. We all know how much Tommy wants to belong and be part of a family. When Tommy recants this story to Ghost and Kanan, we see an advanced game of chess being played.