(WARNING: Spoilers for this week’s Power Book II: Ghost episode will be found below.)
Tariq, Brayden, Effie, and the Tejadas’ group effort to move Noma’s drugs hit full steam last week in episode three of Power Book II: Ghost. The group got things together at the last minute after Noma’s associate, frustrated at their lack of success, threatened them and their families in an effort to shake them into getting things right. Well, it worked. Tariq, Brayden, and Effie launched an operation to sell the drugs under the noses of the higher-ups at the Weston family company through an app that doubles as one to order coffee from. Cane and Dru eliminated the competition in order to put themselves in a prime position to be the big connect in the city. While that’s all well and good, Cooper Saxe, Jenny Sulivan, Sergeant Blanca Rodriguez, and Detective Kevin Whitman are taking rapid steps forward in building a RICO case against Tariq, the Tejadas, Davis McClean, and others.
In the fourth episode of Power Book II: Ghost season three, titled “The Land Of Opportunity,” the main cast are all presented with and even take advantage of opportunities to push their individual or group goals forward. With his internship at risk, Tariq finds a way to convince Ron Samuel Jenkins, aka RSJ, the world’s richest Black man, to sign with Weston Holdings thanks to a deal that not only helps the company, but himself and RSJ too. Effie realizes that she needs to tell Tariq about what really happened with Lauren, but the opportunity to do so is interrupted by her fear of losing Tariq’s love and loyalty to her when he learns the truth. Dru continues to knock out chances to prove that he is the most effective leader out of the Tejada kids and Cane gives up his opportunity at the throne after almost losing his life. Diana jumped at an opportunity to be welcomed back home, but it led to her being tied up with Monet’s wildest move yet, an opportunity Monet just couldn’t pass up.
Here are some of the biggest takeaways that we have after season three’s fourth episode, “The Land Of Opportunity”:
Tariq Understands Opportunity More Than Anyone Else
Time and time again this season, we’ve seen Tariq recognize the unique situations in front of him, and find a way to come out with the best result. In episode one, he stopped Noma from killing him, Brayden, and Cane by suggesting they could move Mecca’s remaining product. In episode two, he saw the value in selling drugs at Weston Holdings, and in three, came up with the idea for the coffee and made sure that the connect was killed when Brayden folded under pressure. This week, Tariq saved himself and Weston Holdings by offering RSJ the chance to knock down a building, which Tariq inherited after his father’s death, that would allow him to build a shopping mall in Queens. In exchange, RSJ would have to sign with Weston Holdings and without hesitation, RSJ accepts the deal. The thing with Tariq is he not only understands opportunity, but opportunities that yield favorable outcomes. The latter is something the other characters don’t grasp as well as Tariq which explains their mistakes and missteps.
Effie’s Truth, Unlike Others, Won’t Set Her Free
Effie isn’t the same cold-hearted woman that we were introduced to with her first appearance in Power Book II: Ghost. A closer look into her life over three seasons, specifically her growing relationship with Tariq, has softened her up a bit. Completing Noma’s orders isn’t the biggest worry to Effie at the moment. Rather, it’s finding a way to tell Tariq the truth about what happened to Lauren. In her mind, she believes Lauren is dead after she drove a car with Lauren unconscious in it into a river, but as well all know now, Lauren was rescued and remains in Jenny Sulivan’s possession as she builds her RICO case against Tariq, the Tejadas, Davis McClean, and others. “The truth will set you free” is the saying we’ve all been told and heard in multiple situations, but the fact of the matter is the truth will not set Effie free in this situation. She needs to continue working with Tariq so that she can make the money required to pay her tuition and make it to graduate school. Furthermore, her appreciation for Tariq is unlike any other she’s had for someone in her life and she fears losing that which would very much happen if he were to learn the truth about Lauren. Effie’s in a bad jam at this point of the season, and it’s only going to get worse for her.
Diana Wants The Best Of Both Worlds And Can’t Have That
Diana enrolled at Stansfield to start season three of Power Book II: Ghost and it became another reason for Monet to dislike her, in addition to Diana exposing her at the dinner table in season two. Since then, Diana has been basically ousted from the family, with Monet ignoring her at best and dismissing her from family conversations at worst. It didn’t seem like Monet would open the door to Diana any time soon, but once Monet needed Diana to help her execute a plan to take out Detective Whitman, the doors flew right open. There’s no telling if Monet will set aside her differences with Diana for good now that the mission is complete, but this interaction as well as the one with her father highlight something unique about Diana. She wants the best of both worlds and unfortunately for her, she can’t have that. She wants to be a part of the family but wants to live her own life that’s separate from the family business. Lorenzo explains this to her when he brings her more drugs to sell on campus, and it’s a harsh reality she’ll have to accept sooner or later. Though Salim’s words of wisdom fall flat because he comes off as a slightly intrusive know-it-all who in reality, knows little, he does have a point about Diana eventually having to choose herself — or choose a side at least.
Cane Got Saved So Much That He Finally Decided To Save Himself
In “The Land Of Opportunity,” Cane had his life saved by Lorenzo after they were ambushed following the gun deal they made with help from Brayden. It’s the second time this season that Cane avoided a nasty outcome thanks to help from his family. Last week, it was Dru who stopped him from diving headfirst into an all-out war all to get the opportunity to sell more product to more people in the city. This week, Lorenzo saved Cane from taking a bullet by pushing him out of the way during a tense shootout. Dru and Gordo later arrive to take out the remaining shooters, putting everyone in the clear for the night. In a rare humble moment from him, Cane thanks Lorenzo for saving him and apologizes for his recent behavior all while seemingly deciding to return the shot caller position back to Lorenzo. I’m interested to see how Cane operates for the remainder of the season because his apology to Lorenzo and promise to Effie are both things that we wouldn’t expect Cane, the one we know from season three at least, to do — if we take these actions at face value, at least. This could be a part of a new plan from Cane, but I honestly doubt it as he wasn’t forced to play nice by Lorenzo or Effie. Unfortunately, you just never know with Cane.
New episodes of ‘Power Book II: Ghost’ are available on the STARZ app on Fridays at 12:00 am EST and on the STARZ TV channel at 8:00 pm EST.