Power Book II: Ghost
The Greater Good Season 2 Episode 3 Editor’s Rating «Previous Next» « Previous Episode Next Episode
Power Book II: Ghost
The Greater Good Season 2 Episode 3 Editor’s Rating «Previous Next» « Previous Episode Next EpisodeNot surprisingly, power is a recurring theme in episode three. Power gives Councilman Tate, Tariq, Cane, Monet, and Diana Tejada access to the people, places, and information they need. And for those with limited power — Caridad Milgram, Zeke Cross, and Brayden — their futures appear to be in jeopardy.
In search of a favor, Tariq seeks out Councilman Rashad Tate to assist him with connecting with his younger sister, Yaz, who is currently in the foster care system. Tate’s connections land Tariq a 15-minute meeting with the social worker presiding over Yaz’s case. She outlines all that would need to occur for the college student/drug kingpin to get custody of his sister — an apartment, a stable job, proof of income, and a clean drug and criminal record. Though Tariq passive-aggressively reassures her he can accomplish said tasks, she reminds him that he wasn’t even able to secure the meeting on his own. The two have different perspectives related to what’s in the best interest of Yaz. For Tariq, Yaz belongs with him, and for the social worker, she belongs in a grounded, safe, and stable environment.
After the meeting, Tariq begins to set a plan in motion. He reaches out to Sebastian, Simon Stern’s young husband and Tariq’s CourseCorrect business partner. Because all relationships and interactions are transactional in the Power universe, Sebastian charges Tariq a whopping $30,000 to create a faux company that can generate pay stubs.
Later on in the episode, with the help of Councilman Tate again, Tariq is reunited with the social worker and, this time, Yaz as well. He brings Lauren on the trip to prove to her that getting his sister back and securing a safe home for her is the reason for his recent odd behaviors and inability to focus. She appreciates Tariq letting her into his life outside of Stansfield and assists him with planting a burner phone in Yaz’s teddy bear.
Tariq now owes Tate, and he is most interested in getting dirt on Rick Sweeney to steal his congressional seat. Not only does Tariq have direct access to Sweeney, but he’s also not a fan of the wealthy, racist politician, so he’ll enjoy finding dirt on him. The two had a pretty odd, uncomfortable exchange while at Weston’s house and the hunting trip in episode one (Sweeney fired a shot that was hella close to hitting Tariq). Dirt for politicians ranges from exposing infidelity, racial bias, or money laundering. It’ll be interesting to see where Tariq lands during “Operation Get Sweeney Out of Here.”
Meanwhile, Cane is on a few missions of his own. Let’s call them “Operation Control Tariq St. Patrick,” “Operation Get to the Rich Kid,” and “Operation Make Monet Need, Love, and Trust Me.” As of right now, his performance across his operations is subpar. He takes a few strides in building Brayden’s trust. But Brayden is an easy target. He’s a young, white, rich kid who gets to live out his drug-dealer hood dreams, so if Cane gives him an inch, he’s going to take a yard. His ultimate goal, at least one of them, is to cause tension between Tariq and Brayden and use Brayden as a target to “get the power back” from Tariq. But he has no control over Tariq yet, and Monet is pissed at him for killing Officer Ramirez. While Cane is adamant about getting back on the street, Tariq and Brayden continue to develop more innovative approaches to getting Monet’s product in customers’ hands. These brainiacs utilize a 3-D printer to install a disguisable locker on the roof of one of the buildings on campus. The locker can be operated virtually via a QR code, making the transaction discreet; this way, customers can open the locker by using their phone and money can be exchanged anonymously. This strategy also expands Tariq and Brayden’s reach since they no longer have to worry about bandwidth for delivery service.
But all isn’t well in the Power universe. Zeke is potentially in serious trouble, and Monet reminds Cane that “all he ever does is fuck shit up for this family.” Despite being back on her good side just last week, this week, she is back to threatening to kill him if something were to happen to Zeke. Quick translation: If Zeke takes the rap for the murders and loses his opportunity to go to the NBA, it will ruin his chance to save the family from the drug game.
Something did happen to Zeke, and now somebody, presumably Monet, has to fix it. On his own mission to prove that Professor Milgram is responsible for the death of Jabari Reynolds, Detective Whitman made a bold-ass move by showing up on the Stansfield campus to bring Zeke in for questioning. The entire exchange was caught on camera by a college groupie Zeke was in the middle of having sex with. Talk about an awkward moment!
While at the station, Zeke lies to Detective Whitman about his relationship with Carrie to protect his relationship with his professor. Not only does he deny having a personal relationship with her, but he also denies being with her the night Jabari was killed. Which, of course, is not a good look for Carrie. While in police custody, Whitman antagonizes Zeke by subtly hinting at his brief sexual relationship with Carrie. He takes it further and attempts to convince Zeke that Professor Reynolds and Carrie still had an ongoing relationship. After questioning Zeke for hours and noticing repeated incoming calls from Carrie, Detective Whitman draws his own conclusion — Carrie is calling to instruct him to corroborate her alibi and that she had Zeke kill Jabari. His biased perception of Carrie is that she can manipulate the men who love her. It’s pretty comical how off-base he is. However, what is not funny is the thought of two people taking the blame for a murder they were not involved in.
While Zeke is in custody, his aunty Monet is booed up with Donte (a.k.a. Mecca). The two spend the evening conversing at a romantic dinner followed by a helicopter ride, making Monet unavailable when Zeke calls her for assistance. After being there for hours, Zeke gets agitated. Although his family members are expert criminals, he’s not. He has no idea how to navigate being in police custody, and since he is never placed under arrest, he can leave whenever he wants. Without that knowledge, he does what he had previously been instructed to do — show Officer Ramirez’s card. Huge mistake! Zeke has no idea that Officer Ramirez is dead and that it was his gun that was used to kill Jabari Reynolds. By the time Whitman attempts to question Zeke about Ramirez’s whereabouts, Monet comes and snatches him out of the precinct. The video of Zeke being taken into custody has already hit social media, thanks to the groupie. Once Tariq sees the video, he acts fast and sends Maclean. Monet has little interest in engaging with the cynical lawyer, but Maclean’s presence allows him to get ahead of the narrative in the media.
As expected, Zeke is pissed at Monet, Monet is pissed at Cane, and Cane is pissed at Tariq. Talk about taking accountability — it never happens. But for some reason, everyone is under the impression that they have it all together. Tariq is confident the murders won’t come back to him and Cane. He’s also confident in Maclean’s ability to get them out of any fire. He doesn’t realize that Maclean is motivated solely by money, not the greater good. He and Saxe approach defending criminals through a business lens (repeat offenders equals repeat paying customers).
With the help of Tariq, Diana gets an appointment with Davis Maclean. She visits her father in prison and hopes Maclean can help her with her father’s appeal. Because of Lorenzo Tejada’s high profile, Saxe shuts down Diana’s request. But after finding out from Sullivan, his frenemy with benefits, that Walt Griffith, the lawyer who was over the Tejada case, didn’t necessarily follow the law, he changes his mind about taking the Tejada case.
So, in short, the world may find out that Carrie has been sleeping with her student, one of the top college basketball players in the country. Carrie and Zeke may also be charged for a murder neither of them had any involvement in. This means that Zeke may go to jail while Lorenzo Tejada may be released. Cane, Tariq, and Diana have all been lying to Monet, and Monet has been lying to Zeke — we are still on the edge of our seats!
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