Is it just me or does anyone else feel like there are too many minor subplots on Power right now? Last night’s episode, “A Changed Man?” had a few moments. The Ghost, Angela, Tasha scenes, Tasha being questioned by the authorities, and the “smoking gun” discovered by Angela’s colleagues that confirms she is part of a criminal conspiracy. But otherwise, the ancillary stories appear to be dragging on and there are only four episodes left in the season. Looks like it will be a messy finish to a rather uneven season and I mean that in terms of characters meeting their fate as well as the series itself…
The love triangle is a tried and true trope that has been used in various ways over the course of television history. The Ghost, Tasha, and Angela triangle has gone through its iterations and the varying shifts in power and control. We open this week’s episode with Ghost, a man that has hit rock bottom, searching for answers. He has seemingly found religion after a conversation with Reverend Macedon. He confesses to Angela that the reason he broke up with her back in season three wasn’t because of Tasha or his kids. He was saving her life. Milan threatened to kill her, along with other members of Ghost’s family, if he didn’t play ball. Of course, this revelation, while “welcomed” news sits with both of them throughout the episode. They have been through a lot. Almost all of it entirely of their own making, but nonetheless here they are again, face to face unable to escape the magnetic pull towards the other.
Enter Tasha, the third point in this triangle. A woman that has been put through the emotional and physical ringer. She isn’t exactly innocent. As Kanan pointed out to her earlier this season, she chose to marry a drug dealer. Despite her dubious choice in a husband, she played her part throughout this saga. She could’ve walked many times, some of that was purely her own self-interest. But at her core, she did want to make things work.
All of that is out the window now and while Tasha and Angela are “working together” to keep the authorities away from Tariq, the dynamics of this love triangle have shifted yet again. When Tasha shows up to Angela’s apartment, it’s Ghost who finds himself on the outside looking in. He is not privy to Angela and Tasha’s plan to keep Tariq from going to jail for the murder of Raymond Jones. This particular scene was enjoyable because Ghost continually tried to interject and ask essentially, why he wasn’t consulted. But the two women talked over him and placed him on the defensive. When the two of them are looking at him and Angela says, “we’re gonna be a while…” that was cold. That was obviously a sign for him to go and leave this to the people that can handle it. Would we have ever seen this in season one or two? Not this exact scenario, but Ghost being pushed out of a plan that has consequences for him? Shows how much agency Tasha and Angela have gained over the course of the series. When Ghost leaves and Angela and Tasha are talking, Angela wants to make it clear to Tasha that she’s not sleeping with Ghost. But Tasha couldn’t care less. She has no investment in Ghost outside of keeping herself, Tariq, and Yasmin alive and out of jail.
We’ve discussed this before, but the ineptitude of the authorities to figure out Angela’s various crimes is pretty comical. Though this week it appears that they’ve all finally caught on. NYPD Det. Blanca Rodriguez is tenacious and she is obsessed with proving her theory that Angela is conspiring to cover up the murder of Raymond Jones. Angela’s colleagues over at the U.S. Attorney’s Office are very excited about this. Maybe all except Jerry Donovan. Did you notice how the camera cut to him twice? Nothing is done by accident on this show. More on that in extra thoughts. Det. Rodriguez has made the connection to the ballistics report and the bullet found at Jones’ murder scene. She’s connected the dots that Angela and Ghost had an affair and that Angela was in contact with Jones, logged into the system to look at Tariq’s witness statement, and visited Van Allen Academy (Raina and Tariq’s school at the time). Keep it 100, how many of you got shook and thought Tasha was going to crack under pressure, particularly when Blanca played the scorned woman card? If nothing else, Tasha is a ride or die. Now, you could argue she doesn’t owe Angela or Ghost anything. But she did her part and the lie is maintained for now. But they are all on shaky ground.
Tasha didn’t crack under the pressure but somehow Saxe realized that Angela buried the ballistics report and they have her on obstruction of justice. When Tasha came back to tell Ghost and Angela about the interrogation, Angela gets wind that her office is involved because of the immunity they offered Tasha. She’s now on alert that her colleagues are closing in. There’s no way she wiggles out of this again, right? The scene that ends the episode brings us back to the triangle. But this time Tasha is the one with all the agency. Yes, she leaves Ghost and Angela in the penthouse that was once hers. But, she has her own plan to save herself. She’s convinced Terry Silver, who’s in love with her, will lie for her and keep her out of jail. Silver may just do that for her, but he has no love for Ghost and if he wants to be with Tasha without Ghost around, he may have a trick up his sleeve. Don’t be surprised if he saves Tasha at Ghost’s expense.
Now that Tameika knows Angela has obstructed justice and is criminally linked to the St. Patrick’s, how much more latitude will Saxe and Mak have to pressure Teresi to give up more dirt on Tommy, Ghost and now Angela? Also, this Tommy smuggling drugs into prison via ramen? We can all see how this Tommy/Tersei thing ends right? Teresi starts pushing Tommy for more dirt on Ghost, he lets Angela’s name slip out. Tommy says how do you know about Angela and Teresi gives some story about Ghost and when he was in jail, blah blah. Tommy has his guard all the way up and realizes Teresi is a snitch. Does that sound about right?
A lot of you think Dre is playing a long game and really has stuff figured out. This week’s episode shows us how Dre has some ability in playing the long game. But really? This dude is a hot head and the sit down between him and Ghost about killing Jason and Diego will prove who really is the master of the long game.
Speaking of the long game looks like Kanan has his prep school pill business game set. We will reserve judgment on all of that until later. Kanan has ‘Riq breaking all the way bad. What does that mean for Ghost? You can see a scenario like season two, where Kanan tells ‘Riq he has to kill Ghost. Just like he told his son Shawn. ‘Riq is maybe unable to do it and Kanan kills him. Just saying…
As mentioned up top an uneven season with too many storylines going and we’re running out of time to wrap them up. But, that’s the nature of television. The cumulative effect is what keeps us engaged and coming back week after week. Looks like we are in for some action next week.
A few extra thoughts:
- If Angela wiggles her way out of this jam Jerry Donovan could be someone that helps her. Yes, he told Tameika about Angela shutting down the investigation at the NYPD, but remember the camera panning to him in the Blanca Rodriguez scene.
- Does Angela only own white silk blouses with big bows on the front? LOL. Time to hit Barney’s and refresh that wardrobe.
- Damn, Alicia Jimenez is fly! LOL. In all seriousness, I wish she had more of a role. I mean she lights it up in her scenes, but very short chunks of time. They may have been better served fully developing the Jimenez plot and leaving out others.
- Speaking of other plot lines that could go. Done with this Rashad Tate storyline. He and Dre and Ghost, the Gubernatorial campaign. Ugh. Miss me with all that.
- Saxe is hilarious. He wants to smash Det. Blanca Rodriguez. Notice how he waves to her when she first walks in. Then the “I like her” before she interrogates Tasha. He has a thing for Latin women. We know he wants Angela, even though he hates her. LOL.
- Tommy: “Fuck your mother.” Teresi: “I did fuck your mother.” I mean, that is an unassailable fact…
- Tommy’s text to Angela regarding the tracker: “Turn it on JLo” This is a callback to an episode in season two where Tommy calls her “Angie from the block.” LOL.
- Tariq faking an asthma attack to avoid the car being searched. That was terrible on all levels. Bad acting by all three principals in that scene.
What do y’all think? Get at me on twitter and Instagram @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!