Power Book II: Ghost Season 2 Episode 4 Review: Gettin’ These Ends

Now how old is Zeke?

Perhaps, this review could have started more eloquently, but when the credits rolled on Power Book II: Ghost Season 2 Episode 4, the only thing I could think about was the math of it all.

We knew there was a deep history and connection between Monet and Mecca. That’s been clear since they met outside of that restaurant. But did you see the Ezekiel bomb coming?

Perhaps it should have been obvious because this is Power after all. We should spot this kind of thing from a mile away. But to be honest, it felt much more likely that maybe Cane was Monet and Mecca’s son, not Zeke.

That wouldn’t have been much of a shock, though. THIS is a shock.

Monet has been lying not just to Zeke but seemingly everyone about Zeke’s parentage. That’s a secret that will tear apart the Tejada family at the seams when exposed.

From what little we know about Lorenzo, he’s not going to take the news very well. And the kids will feel deceived, especially when you consider how much of their own lives they constantly give up for the good of the family. And the family hasn’t even been honest!

And this is to say nothing of Zeke, who half the time doesn’t even look like he knows what’s going on. He’s always had one job, play basketball. Not much more has ever been asked of him.

That’s why the writing was on the wall with that Jemele Hill interview. No matter how prepared Zeke was, he’s not Tariq. He doesn’t have an answer for everything, and he can’t talk his way out of virtually every situation.

Plus, there’s the fact that everyone holds him at arm’s length. Some of it is for his own good, but he’s smack in the middle of a murder investigation, and he should be raising holy hell until Monet tells him everything. This is his life, and even when it’s his own on the line, he’s letting Monet run the show.

Walking out of the interview puts a bigger target on his back, and perhaps this is the time Zeke finally starts to ask some more questions to the people around him. And if he doesn’t get the answers from them, then maybe he needs to understand that they don’t necessarily have his best interest as much as he’s always believed.

And when he finds out that Auntie Monet is actually Mom Monet, all bets are off for what Zeke does next. That kind of lie isn’t something Monet can explain away. And what about Mecca? Does he want to forge a relationship with Zeke?

Mecca is shady with a capital S. You can’t convince me for one second that he is doing all of this purely because he’s still in love with Monet and wants her back. If that were the case, she would know all about his arrangement with Cane.

He has to know that Monet and Cane will eventually find out about the others’ connection to him, and then what? It’s hard to buy into what he’s trying to sell Monet, even if he wraps the words in an incredibly persuasive package.

For his part, Cane is so preoccupied that he’s not too concerned about what Mecca may or may not have going on. Once Monet tasks him with helping get the money for Zeke, he enlists Brayden for help, and this partnership is one I never knew I needed.

Brayden: The gun you gave me, it jammed.
Cane: I jammed it, fool. I don’t need you shooting anybody in here, Tom Cruise.

Brayden is so green. And he’s borderline desperate for approval, but it stems more from a staunch belief in himself than any insecurities. He knows his worth, and he wants others to allow him the opportunity to show his value.

He gets that with Tariq at times, but Tariq also subtly makes it clear that he’s the one in charge without ever explicitly stating it. It’s part of the reason their partnership works because there’s an illusion of equality.

And now that Cane has planted that tiny seed of doubt into Brayden’s brain, coupled with the fact that Tariq is wholly preoccupied with Yas and literally everything else, we are getting to see this odd Cane and Brayden duo grow.

Brayden can hold his own, he can think fast on his feet, and he’s always down to do whatever. Cane is playing him to get what he wants, but even he can see there is value to having someone like Brayden on his team.

Cane looking to frame Tariq makes sense for him, but why does he need Mecca to spoon feed him all the things he should be able to figure out himself?

Cane must understand he is low on the chain when it comes to Monet. She basically shrugged her shoulders and said, ‘oh well’ when he worried about the cops connecting him to Ramirez’s murder once the body is recovered.

Why he immediately jumped to running instead of trying to shift blame elsewhere is beyond me. But either way, he’s trying to set Tariq up, and one of the stupidest moves MANY dead men have made over the years is underestimating Tariq.

He’s not new to any of this, and my money is on him finding the badge before the cops do. And if that happens, good luck to you, Cane.

Lauren made it out of the endnotes because wow, she and Tariq couldn’t even get one episode of happiness, huh? I’ve said this before, but their relationship is so much like the early Ghost and Angela days.

Ghost kept so much from her to the point that when everything went to hell, she went nuclear because he blindsided her. That feels like precisely what will happen here when Lauren ascends into her snitching era and gathers information on CourseCorrect.

All roads are going to lead back to Tariq inevitably, and she’s going to feel bamboozled. Though, he’s really not lying to her. Not in the traditional sense.

If Tariq is his daddy’s son, though, he’ll find a way to keep his business and keep the girl, if she’ll still have him. Say what you will about Angela, but she did love the version of Jamie she made up in her head. And it was enough to keep her tethered to him until the day she died.

We haven’t seen nearly enough of Lauren or Lauren and Tariq together to know just how invested she is in Tariq and a future with him. Being smitten doesn’t mean she would be willing to blow up her future potentially.

Davis and Saxe haven’t had an enormous role to play yet, but their time is going to come.

Davis is looking to get paid and make a name for himself. Representing a potential NBA lottery pick could be that key thing he needs to take him to the next level. And let’s not forget that he also has a plan we aren’t aware of yet to get his brother out of jail.

Perhaps these flashy, high-profile cases will help him to do that.

Saxe is a bit of a floundering fish this season, and right now, all we get to see is him in Jenny’s bedroom, it seems. But assuming the Lorenzo case picks up steam and Jenny finds out he’s been using her for information, the Saxe storyline could be perking up sooner rather than later.

Everything Else You Need To Know

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  Diana and Effie bonding while scamming was a pleasant little surprise. Effie is infinitely more likable when not immersed with Tariq.

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  Lorenzo is cold-blooded. Monet, the woman who holds it down while he’s locked up for the foreseeable future, asks him for one favor, and he balked without giving it a second thought.

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  I love Diana but damn, that poor contractor had to lose his life because she took that money. The whole family is cold-blooded.

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  Dru deserves to be happy, and he is head over heels for Everett, but I don’t trust Everett.

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  Carrie makes some of the dumbest decisions in the world. Did she think Zeke, with all the scrutiny surrounding him and knowing his family is bonkers, was going to meet her in the woods all alone? She’s lucky nothing worse happened to her.

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  I know this is Tariq’s show, but this does not feel like Tariq’s season. His battle with his grandmother and trying to get custody of Yas is clearly the weakest link right now.

We’re headed toward the midseason finale! I know it’s insane, but it will be here soon. And there is a lot of moving parts right now, but it’s all compelling.

There are many things to discuss, so drop a line in the comment about anything!

What did Kamaal find in Jabari’s book?

Were you surprised to learn Mecca and Monet were Zeke’s parents?

Will Cane get away with framing Tariq?

Remember you can watch Power Book II: Ghost online right now via TV Fanatic! 

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Whitney Evans is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.

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