“Power Book II: Ghost” picks up shortly after the earth-shattering events of “Power” as Tariq St. … grapples with a new world order: his father James “Ghost” St. Patrick is dead, and his mother, Tasha (Naturi Naughton), is facing charges for his murder – even though Tariq pulled the trigger.
After the end of “Power,” fans were mourning the death of who we thought was the biggest power broker on the streets of New York. The mystery surrounding the death of Ghost (Omari Hardwick) almost becomes an afterthought when Tarik (Michael Rainey, Jr.) and his mother Tasha (Naturi Naughton) form a bond to protect Tariq while Tasha goes to jail for the murder of Tarik’s father. The tables turn quickly when Tariq realizes that he has to complete a degree from Stansfield before he can claim his inheritance. With the Feds on everyone’s tail, Tariq finds a way to infiltrate the college campus while still keeping the secret of whose finger was on the trigger that killed Ghost. As Tariq navigates the new competition, the biggest skill he acquires is learning how to wax eloquently about life in the literary world as he uses his street knowledge to protect his family and his technological savvy to help create an app that will funnel business onto the campus.
Even behind bars, Tasha has complete access to the outside world and she feels that as long as Tariq doesn’t expose himself as the true killer, then everything will work itself out. With Ghost no longer there to control the street traffic and Tommy Egan (Joseph Sikora) out of the picture, there are many new power players, such as Monet Stewart Tejada (Mary J. Blige), who has her entire family posted up to eliminate any unnecessary competition while working to dominate the drug scene. As Tasha attempts to make deals regarding her release from prison, she is adamant that she can continue to take the fall for Tariq until she is pushed into a corner and forced to put Tommy’s name out there for the Feds to redirect their chase. The biggest surprise is when Tommy lays low long enough to figure out what is truly going on and then comes out of hiding to take a shot at Tasha in order to get back at her and Tariq for knocking Ghost off.
An unresolved tiff between U.S. Attorney Cooper Saxe (Shane Johnson) and Davis MacLean (Method Man) sets the stage for an even bigger power play when Tasha is offered a plea deal in exchange for valuable information and a spot in the witness protection program where she would have to relocate and live anonymously. Not to be outdone, Tasha reluctantly agrees to the deal while at the same time planning an escape route that Tariq doesn’t buy into. “Power Book II”’s creator Courtney Kemp, along with producer Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, have done an excellent job with the development of characters in this extended series by serving up an insatiable mix of love, drama, power, betrayal, and redemption. Each episode exudes raw energy and enthusiasm that makes audiences look forward to more seasons of this street-savvy display of reckless abandon that definitely feeds from the St. Patrick bloodline.
Now available on DVD
