This week's episode of Power, entitled "Reversal Of Fortune," presented viewers with the calm before the storm. After the violence and the emotional ups and downs of last week's episode, Courtney Kemp slowed things down a bit. Hopeful politician Rashad Tate took the mainstage in "Reversal Of Fortune." The clock rewinds back to the moment that St. Patrick and Tate split ways, and we witness the enraged politician have a night out on the town. In a drunken stupor, he puts a hit on Ghost which leads to a guest-starring role for Cedric the Entertainer. Viewers saw Cedric (who is named Croop in the show) get killed by Tommy before the mid-season break, and now Power illustrates how it reached that point.
After his night of drunken bliss, Tate wakes up in his brother Kamal's home. Kamal is a cop, and is both supportive and wary of his brother. It's in his brother's home that Tate gets the news of Ghost joining rival Loretta Walsh's campaign. The family dynamic between Tate, his brother, his nephew, and sister-in-law is on full display here. Kemp does the same thing here that the show did with Paz two episodes earlier. Tate is given a solid family background that helps make his character more relatable. He loves his nephew and plays the supporting uncle role. As interesting as it is, it's also strange to see a show devote so much time to a supporting character that is presumably at the end of his run. With the amount they've invested into his backstory this late in the game, it could just be an indicator of Tate's involvement in a spin-off show.
Tate tries to plead his case to the DNC after Ghost and Loretta team up, but they advise him to concede. That isn't an option for Tate though and he storms off only to be greeted by Croop and his son. The young politician tries to call off the hit on Ghost, but Croop wants his money. He gives Tate an ultimatum: tell him where to find Ghost or die. The obvious answer is given and Croop is on his way to tail Mr. St. Patrick.
This could have been a game-changing moment. Ghost has a chance to save his own life here, but he lets his pride destroy him. Tate heads to Truth to speak with Ghost and warn him about the hit, but the former drug kingpin's arrogance causes Tate to rethink his strategy. If Ghost had just been humble, Tate would have warned him about the hit and he would have beefed up his security. Instead, Ghost allowed his power trip to consume him to the point of letting his guard down. Tate becomes even more determined to take Ghost down, and later, Dre gives him the ammo he needs. The treacherous thug mentions Tariq suspiciously, and Tate then tries to use that information to agitate Tasha. He tells Tasha that Ghost is planning to get his son locked up for the murder of Raymond Jones, but she doesn't buy it. Something tells me this piece of information is crucial though, and may have been heard or passed to Tariq at some point. None the less, Tate leaves empty-handed. Viewers are treated to a repeat of the scene where Tate hires Dre to kill Ghost out of desperation, but we all know how that one turns out.
Later, while Tate is taking out the trash, he is approached by Croop's vengeful son. Before Tate can meet his doom though, Kamal kills Croop's son, which ties up that loose end nicely for the councilman. It seems like Tate is in the clear at first, but his brother is rightfully suspicious. Kamal takes Tate down to the station to file a report, and this is where they learn that there was a shooting at Truth. Now, Tate has an alibi and we know he didn't kill Ghost because he was already at the police station at the time of the gunshot. Tate rides along with Kamal to the crime scene, and begrudgingly admits that Dre might have killed Ghost and he may be implicated. Kamal's suspicions grow even more when they are informed at Truth that Ghost is dead.
Tate spins the story of Ghost's death into a beautiful press moment and wins back the hearts of his constituents. Slick work for a man who was desperate just hours before. The next day, the DNC comes crawling back to Tate and Kamal informs him that Dre was killed in prison. "Reversal Of Fortune" is true to the title: Tate goes from political homicide to earning the Democratic nomination in a matter of days. To cap things off Tate sullies Romona's career by telling the press that she was sleeping with Ghost. Once again, this move implies that there is more story to tell in regards to Tate. It would be pointless to show Rashad still creating enemies if the show didn't plan to explore these relationships at some point. Before the episode ends, Tate is enjoying the spoils of his victory when the local news announces Ghost's killer. Tate is in shock, and the audience is left clueless. I believe the most important part of this episode may be Tate telling Tasha that Ghost planned to let Tariq go to jail. That has been an unresolved plot line for most of the season, and Ghost at one point did consider letting his son take the fall to learn a lesson. Could that have motivated Tasha and Tariq to kill Ghost? We'll see next week.
"Power" Recap: Tommy’s Episode Is The Most Revealing Yet
Another suspect off the table.
SPOILERS AHEAD.
Tommy and Ghost have been boys since day one, which is why their time as enemies has been so dramatic. This week's episode of Power mends the relationship between the two brothers, and also gives fans a hint as to who shot Ghost. Entitled "It's All Your Fault," the thirteenth episode of the season focuses on Tommy. After last week's somewhat slow episode, this week Courtney Kemp and 50 Cent deliver the strongest episode mid-season yet. "It's All Your Fault" begins back at the moment that Tommy kills Proctor's cousin Benny. At this time, Tommy has one goal in mind: Kill Ghost.
Tommy disposes of the body very easily, but Benny's disappearance worries Elisa Marie and her guardian, Aunt Dolores. Proctor's family was apparently mob royalty, which leaves Elisa Marie in the care of some very dangerous people. This works to her advantage though. Dolores and Vincent have a meeting where the former accuses the latter of offing Benny. In order to save face, Vincent gives Dolores two bodyguards and promises to get to the bottom of things. Elisa Marie, being a smart young girl, monitors all the mob talk and also listens to the recording her dead father left her. Dolores walks in just as the recording gets good, and the two ladies have a bonding moment. Dolores fills Elisa Marie in on the truth of the family, and Elisa identifies Tommy as the voice on the tape. This sets in motion the motivation behind Tommy leaving town, which we saw at the end of the last episode.
Elisa Marie and Dolores take the recording to Tariq, who denies knowing anyone named Tommy and Ghost. His slick act doesn't work on Dolores, who puts two and two together and quickly calls Tariq out for helping Tommy kill Proctor. Elisa Marie tries to defend Tariq, but Dolores isn't buying it. She's a smart woman, because moments later Tariq runs to Tommy, alerting him of the recording. Tariq's movements seem shadier than usual in this episode and the further we get into the show, the more guilty he begins to look.
Tommy heads over to Truth to presumably kill Ghost for murdering Lakeisha and shutting down his base of operations. His plan is foiled, but before he can exit the area Blanca approaches him. The law enforcement officer hands Tommy Lakeisha's belongings, and Mr. Egan immediately identifies Tasha's earring in the bag. Putting the pieces together rather quickly, Tommy heads over to Tasha's apartment to kill her. Their confrontation is brief, with Tasha admitting to killing Lakiesha within seconds. She gets Tommy to read the papers his deceased lover signed to snitch on him, and reminds him that all her bags were packed in the house. Tommy almost kills her, but decides to let her live at the last moment. This scene is crucial to Tommy's relationship with Ghost. After he realizes that Ghost did not kill his girl in revenge for killing Angela, Tommy begins to make a 180-degree turn.
Viewers are brought back to the scene of Tommy and Ghost meeting up, somewhat reconciling, and then getting shot at. Tommy discerns that Ghost did not know about the recording Proctor kept either, which is another moment that helps him rebuild trust with his frenemy. After fleeing the scene and escaping a still unknown third party trying to kill Ghost, Tommy heads to Dolores' house to seize the audio recording. He kills the guards, kidnaps Elisa Marie, and proceeds to pry her for more information. Tommy, who was raised in a harsh environment, ends up empathizing with the daughter of the man he murdered. Elisa Marie vents about her drug addict mother and protective father, and asks Tommy if he killed Proctor. Tommy won't admit his guilt, but his non-answer is an answer enough for the sharp young girl. While Tommy is interrogating Elisa Marie, 2Bit calls and confirms that it was Dre, not Ghost, who snitched out his operation to the police. This is the final moment of revelation for Tommy, who decides he needs to reconcile with Ghost. Tommy brings Elisa Marie back to Dolores, unharmed, and goes to speak with Tariq.
When Tommy tells Tariq that Ghost is innocent of these crimes, the younger St. Patrick cares not. Tariq tells Tommy that he believes Dre is trying to kill Ghost, but he refuses to help. If his father dies, he will not be the man to try to stop the situation. The grim outlook from Tariq makes him look suspicious, or at least complicit, in the murder of his father. Couple that with the scene last week where Tasha doesn't answer Paz when asked who killed Ghost, and it makes things seem like Tasha and Tariq had a hand in Ghost's undoing. After leaving Tariq behind, Tommy attempts to get to Truth to save Ghost from his fate. Unfortunately, Vincent catches up with Tommy and a shootout occurs. Tommy murders the Italians, giving Vincent a particularly gruesome death, and speeds off to Truth.
Here is our heartbreaking moment: Tommy arrives too late. He walks in to find a dying Ghost, bleeding on the floor, and he looks up to get a clear look at the killer-- the camera remaining closely on Tommy's visage. Tommy looks shocked, he clearly recognizes the killer but a dying Ghost tells him to "let it go." This is a very important moment. Whoever the killer is, for Tommy to allow them to live means he has some type of love or connection to the shooter. Ghost telling Tommy to "let it go" means the dying St. Patrick doesn't want his killer to die either. That makes Tariq a prime suspect at this point, since Tommy would have extra incentive to kill Tasha, considering he let her live in an earlier scene. It couldn't possibly be Saxe, because Tommy would shoot him immediately. Ghost dies in Tommy's arms, also ridding any hope viewers had that he was still alive. The episode wraps with Tommy being viciously shunned by his grieving mother, who gifts him with a present from Ghost's will before she writes him off as the killer. Tommy takes what he's given, clears his apartment, and heads on the road. First though, he meets up with Elisa Marie, who gives him the last of the recordings. Next, Tommy kills Spanky after a tip from 2Bit about his snitching ways. It's good to see Tommy make it to the end alive, driving out into the sunset as it were, but this episode raised just as many questions as it answered. It's a fitting end to Tommy's storyline, and gives enough room for him to appear in the spinoff series. The reconciliation and moment of fate between he and Ghost was an integral moment for the final season. We're one step closer to finding Ghost's killer.
"Power" Recap: "He Always Wins" Eliminates Another "Who Shot Ghost?" Suspect
The suspects lessen and the plot thickens.
SPOILER'S AHEAD.
This week's Power episode, entitled He Always Wins, followed Angela Valdez's sister Paz in the days prior to Ghost's shooting. Paz is one of the least likely suspects to be the shooter, especially considering there are so many other suspects with records of brutal violence. Thus, it's perhaps unsurprising that she's been eliminated from the suspect pool this quickly. The episode begins with Paz having a nightmare. She is in a hospital where she finds Jamie covered in blood, taunting her about Angela's death. Out of all the characters that have died on Power, Angie's death has been the most monumental. 13 episodes after her death, we're still dealing with the emotional strife and fallout of the murder.
Tired of her nightmares, Paz decides to take matters into her own hands. She visits Saxe, only to find Warner. Warner tells her that Saxe has been fired, which prompts Paz to head to his home. At this point, Saxe has been in contact with almost every suspect in Ghost's shooting just before it happened. After learning from Saxe that Angela was about to be prosecuted before she died, Paz decides to come clean to Warner. She snitches about the incriminating cell phone she buried with Angela's body, and so Warner exhumes the corpse and finds the phone. Unfortunately for Paz, the SIM card is damaged... another dead end.
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for STARZ
While Paz is attempting to enact her revenge, we get a closer peek at her family life, which is part of what makes these individualized episodes for each character so interesting. Her father is suffering from dementia and her son Junior is taking care of him. Papi doesn't know that Angela is dead, and keeps mistaking Paz for his other daughter. One night, Junior admits to Papi that Angela has passed, which causes him to have an anxiety attack that places him in the hospital. The drama at home won't stop Paz from getting her revenge though. The distressed and grieving mother visits Tasha, who she pleads to for help. Tasha warns Paz that Ghost always wins, and that she cannot help bring him down and endanger the kids. Her spiel seems practiced or fake... Tasha is up to something. She's always been that best at spinning people, and she appears to be doing just that to Paz. Tasha stirs the pot by telling Paz about Jamie's new lover, and then allows her to leave bitter and enraged.
Still determined, Paz heads back to Warner and asks to wear a wire while questioning Jamie. For whatever idiotic reason, Warner agrees but Paz doesn't get anything substantial out of Jamie. Instead, Jamie admits that Angela was helping to keep his family out of jail, which implicates her and eradicates the pension and benefits she would have left behind. This hinders her family further, Junior won't be able to go to school and Papi's won't be able to enter a nursing home; both were dependent on Angela's pension. At the end of her rope, Paz heads to Tommy's apartment and begs him to kill Jamie. It's hard not to chuckle when Paz asks Tommy to kill the man who killed her sister, and he non-chalantly rebuffs her request. We know he killed Angela, and Paz's cries for help are just an annoyance to Tommy who kicks her out. Exasperated and angry, Paz goes home and cries herself to sleep.
Junior takes it upon himself to try and kill Jamie after he hears his mother crying. Luckily, Paz stops him in time and orders her son to go home before taking his gun. In this moment, something flips in Paz's head and she heads to Truth night club to kill Jamie. At this point, the audience sees the familiar shot of Paz cocking her gun before heading to Truth. When faced with the man she believes killed her sister, Paz ultimately cannot pull the trigger; a series of memories flash through her mind and tug at her heart strings. She heads home disappointed and goes to bed, which ultimately takes her off the suspect list. The next morning, Paz awakens to learn Jamie was shot and killed the night prior. This is the second time the show confirmed his death, perhaps for those of us who refuse to believe it is true. Courtney Kemp took some time this episode to highlight the Democratic Party's loyalty to Jamie, and the power they wield (such as firing Warner). We'll get a look at Ghost (or his body) at some point I believe, but the most interesting parts of the episode come at the end.
Paz is called in by lawyers to sort out Jamie's will. He updated his will to give Paz a sizeable chunk of money if he were to die, changing it to her name where it was once Angela. Paz refuses the money but then runs into Tasha. Paz asks Tasha straight up if she killed Ghost, but Tasha doesn't answer. She only advises Paz to take the money. After a few refusals, Tasha drops a bombshell on Paz; she tells her that it was Tommy who killed Angela. This sets a mine off in Paz's head, and she rushes to Tommy's apartment only to find it completely vacated. The two biggest takeaways from this episode come in these last few minutes. Tasha obviously has some type of knowledge when it comes to who shot Ghost. Her refusal to simply say, "No, I didn't kill him" is beyond suspicious. Next, Tommy's disappearance is strange, but Tasha telling Paz he killed Angela is even stranger. Tasha must have known that Tommy was already gone, or she would not have revealed that information. She knew that he couldn't get in trouble at that point because he was out of town. It's looking like Tasha and Tommy have an important piece to the storyline that will finally give us the answers we are looking for. Now that Paz has been taken off the board, Tommy, Tasha, Tariq, and Saxe are the only remaining suspects. My bet is on Tommy.
Who do you think shot Ghost? Let us know in the comments.
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