Whitney Evans
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Even in death, Cooper Saxe chose VIOLENCE.
A series of letters found their way all over the country on Power Book II: Ghost Season 3 Episode 9, and they were all designed to bring Tariq down, which was a pretty bold move by Mr. Saxe. Who knows how long this plan was in the making, but the ramifications of those letters will last for a very long time.
And Tariq may be in more danger than ever before.
This was vintage Power Book II: Ghost in that it was just non-stop intrigue, deception, and crazy from start to finish.
And it may be the best hour of the season.
Tariq was running all over the city, trying to save himself from the RICO, and it was wild watching him jump from one thing to another. But he didn’t have a choice, as he could feel the walls closing on him.
When Power Book II: Ghost Season 3 started, it was essentially him, Effie, and Brayden against the world, but once Tariq found out they betrayed him, he really was on his own. And he’s been trying to do things on his own now, but he would always need help.
The only person Tariq has been able to count on over the last few years was Brayden. And he needed Brayden here, even if their relationship was strained.
Even though they made a deal with Lucas, the threat of him knowing about the drug dealings through Weston Holdings was too much to let sly. He needed to go, and Tariq, quite frankly, didn’t have the time to do it himself.
For a trust fund baby, Brayden has proven over and over again to be a valuable asset when needed. He’s stepped into some pretty dangerous situations and handled himself. But he’s never been able to step in and put a bullet through someone’s head with the careless ease with which Tariq and Cane do it.
But he’s about the life, right? He can run the drugs and get his hands dirty, but there’s always been a limit with Brayden. A line he couldn’t find within himself to cross.
He’s had a front-row seat to Tariq’s descent into madness, and while he’s seemingly okay with Tariq doing the killing, he hasn’t wanted to get to that level. But hasn’t he figured out by now that in life, it’s ALWAYS going to come to that?
On the one hand, Brayden made some excellent points about wanting to keep a shred of his humanity intact and not become the kind of person who could callously murder their own father, no matter how bad he was.
But the minute Brayden decided that he was going to commit crimes and try to get away with it, he had to know the day would come when he’d have to make a decision that tested his moral compass.
Everyone has had to do it. And it’s not so much about saving yourself sometimes as it is about protecting the people you care about. The people who care about you. The people who have your back.
Lucas was family, but Lucas didn’t have his back. He was ready to not just throw him under the bus but make sure it rolled back over him for good measure. He was only ever going to save himself, and once he put that out into the universe, Brayden found the thing within himself he needed to catch his first body.
Brayden: Dad, you don’t have to do this.
Robert: If not me, then who? Brayden, sometimes doing the hard thing is the only thing we can do.
The threat of him and Tariq going down and Robert, who was genuinely innocent, and Kiki, someone he’d grown to care for, gave him the moxy to kill. And he’s never going to be the same again.
Brayden never wanted to turn into Tariq, but he should have thought about the first time he decided what direction to take his life in.
Killing Lucas was something Tariq was ready to do, but that death was just a pitstop on a long day for Tariq.
Tariq was worried about Tasha after listening to Saxe’s message, but his hands were also tied because he didn’t know if Saxe was bluffing or if the threat was actually real.
It wasn’t until 2-Bit came creeping out of the shadows with another one of those Saxe letters that Tariq realized just how serious things were.
Leave it to Saxe to try to ruin the St. Patrick’s one last time from beyond the grave. The family that bested him time and time again.
If he was going to die, he wanted to ensure he could bring down a few more people to join him at the cemetery.
Tariq was so unmoved by 2-Bit’s appearance. You could see that he was totally worn out. He could barely find it in himself to talk 2-Bit out of killing him if that’s what he wanted to do.
But 2-Bit, ever the hustler, was looking for a payday, not outdated revenge. And this Tariq was off on his final mission of the day to ensure his family was safe.
When the series started, it appeared at first like it was going to be equal parts Tariq’s story and equal parts Tasha’s story, and it was during Power Book II: Ghost Season 1, but now it’s Tariq’s journey, and the show does a great job of bringing Tasha in during different times when it makes sense.
Now, bringing thee TOMMY EGAN back was something I didn’t see coming here, but it sets an exciting picture for the finale, especially with Tariq knowing that Monet was the one to out Tasha to him.
Tommy has never been one to let anything go, and his beef with Tasha runs very deep. Remember LaKeisha?
Tommy made that trek from Chicago to kill Tasha once and for all, but he wasn’t anticipating another showdown with Tariq.
Thinking back to how Power started, would you have ever imagined a scenario where Tommy would be ready to kill Tasha AND Tariq?
What was once a solid bond has been irrevocably broken, and there’s too much pain and guilt to mend it. But even with all that pain and distance, it’s still ‘Uncle Tommy’ for Tariq, and it’s still love that he feels for him because it’s all he’s ever known.
Though it would not stop him from shooting Tommy right between the eyeballs if he hadn’t gotten knocked out first.
The only person who reasonably could have knocked him out would have been Tasha, but why? With Tommy momentarily distracted, he had a shot. And a dead Tommy would be good for her since he wants to kill her and everything.
But there must be a reason why she felt it was better to keep Tommy alive, which will hopefully play out in the finale when she’s found! Assuming Tommy doesn’t actually kill her.
Tariq was bouncing from one place to another and putting one plan in motion here and another in motion there, and he had no idea that the Tejadas were the ones he should probably be the most worried about.
When anyone gets in trouble on this series, the first words out of their mouth always seem to be Tariq. And it’s funny because how many times have we witnessed Tariq’s resourcefulness and ability to weasel his way out of a problematic situation?
He’s not new to this, and the Tejadas didn’t know Ghost. They didn’t know Kanan or the environment Tariq absorbed when he was younger and helped mold him into the man they know today.
If it’s officially turning into the Tejadas versus Tariq, even with those odds, I’d put my money firmly on Tariq.
And hell, if it comes to that, will the Tejadas even be on the same page?
Evelyn: There’s a video of Dru floating around. Know anything about that?
Monet: Do I look like I’m on Youtube?
Evelyn: Stop lying, bitch.
Monet: Have you lost your fucking mind?
It was only a matter of time before Monet’s secret got out, and good on Evelyn for leaving it as her dying declaration. She was about to lose her life, and she wanted her last words to hurt the person not only partly responsible for her death but the one who caused her and her family so much pain.
The Tejada siblings have all been operating independently of each other for a long time, and that was never more clear than when they were trying to piece together why Tariq had that police file and how all the dots connected.
Now, Tariq should have found a better hiding spot than under his bed, but there’s no way he anticipated Diana coming over to accuse him of betraying her and then simultaneously asking if they had a future together.
I don’t blame him for scurrying out of that dorm room because who has time to think about romance when a RICO is hanging over your head!
But finding the police report made Tariq public enemy number 1 to Dru and Diana. Well, maybe number 2, after their mother.
Why do all the best scenes occur in the Tejada dining room? Every season there is a scene that is outlandish and dramatic, always buoyed by Mary J. Blige.
Even when she got caught, Monet didn’t slip or even try to apologize for what she did. She wanted revenge for Zeke, plain and simple, and she didn’t care who she hurt to get it.
Monet Tejada doesn’t care about her children.
Everything she did was for her.
But now that they know the truth, what do Dru, Diana, and Cane do next? My guess is they go after Tariq and try to get the RICO put on his shoulders, but do they just let Monet get away with everything?
No matter how hurt they feel, that’s still their mother. They wouldn’t take things to THAT level, would they?
It’s not as if we haven’t seen children kill a parent in this universe, but revenge on Monet would make them no different than she is.
With only one more hour to go, buckle in for the end, folks. It looks like the world may be coming for Tariq, and he’s running out of allies.
But when has that ever stopped a St. Patrick?
Everything Else You Need To Know
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Effie still loves Tariq, and she’s not ready to throw him to the wolves, but I’m not sure that will last forever.
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Saxe admitting his feelings for Jenny in that letter had to make her feel terrible, considering their last conversation. But Saxe’s advice wasn’t bad. He spent how much time on the hunt for justice, and look what it got him.
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Jenny and Blanca have lost two people helping them or their case. Do you think that makes them even slightly nervous? They certainly don’t act like it.
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We’re due to see Noma again, and I think she won’t be as willing to work with Tariq as Obi was.
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Speaking of Noma, are they going to revisit her search for Mecca’s killer?
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Tariq was so cold-blooded during this hour. He was over Brayden’s complaining and Cane’s jealousy. He was TIRED.
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We all agree that Cane IS jealous of Tariq, though, right?
Finale time is upon us! This season flew by, and with each hour, the tension ramped up more and more.
There are a lot of storylines out there, from finding Tasha and Tommy to seeing if Jenny and Blanca can get this RICO off the ground.
Lots of questions to be answered, so jump in the comment section and let me know what you think will happen next!
And if you need a refresher about what’s gone down this season, you can watch Power Book II: Ghost online right now via TV Fanatic!
Whitney Evans is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.