Power Book II: Ghost continues each Sunday on Starz and explores the fallout of Ghost’s murder at the end of the original series, now available to catch up on Netflix. After killing his own father and letting his mother take the fall, Tariq is struggling to balance his double life.
Episode three, Play the Game, of Power’s brand new spin-off series aired last Sunday and saw Tariq (played by Michael Rainey Jr.) make a drastic decision.
Power’s sixth and final season ended with Tariq pulling the trigger on his own father, James ‘Ghost’ St Patrick (Omari Hardiwick).
Book II opened with Tariq starting a new life at Stansfield University, but the ambitious student can’t help but follow in his father’s footsteps.
Moreover, Tariq is torn between his studies and his mother Tasha’s (Naturi Naughton) ongoing defence case for taking the blame for her husband’s murder.
READ MORE: Power Book 2: Ghost renewed for season 2 by Starz after premiere
With the cost of Davis Maclean’s (Method Man) legal fees mounting, Tariq had to make a risky decision which could turn out to have catastrophic consequences.
Although Tariq and Brayden (Gianni Paolo) managed to sell some prescription pills on campus, he eventually turned to Monet’s (Mary J. Blige) drug-pushing business for help.
Monet’s expertise initially seemed like a valuable asset to have on board, but fans discovered the friction at home caused by her rebellious daughter Diana (LaToya Tonodeo) threatened to implode their business venture.
While Tariq stands to gain a lot of insight from his new mentor, Ghost’s hot-headed son could put himself at risk if he doesn’t do what he’s told.
Monet is already under pressure at home thanks to her unruly daughter and reluctant son Dru (Lovell Adams-Gray), who is forced to do her mother’s dirty work.
With the drug business already on edge, Tariq could be caught in the crossfire if he doesn’t play it safe.
The star continued: “If anyone messes up in our family, or outside of our family or whoever, it’s a bad thing for them. Monet Tejada is a queenpin, she does not play, so it could be bad.”
It’s unlikely Book II will kill off its lead in the first season, especially since the spin-off has officially been renewed for a second season.
However, Tonodeo’s comments indicate the series has only scraped the surface of the formidable Monet’s potential in these opening episodes.
Moreover, Tariq isn’t the only member of the St Patrick family who stands to lose a lot if things blow up in his face.
Tonodeo teased: “The Tejada family, we do not play. And I feel like, if anything, Tariq wants to make sure that he’s doing all that he can to protect his family, and vice versa for Tasha and her son.
“But I don’t know if they fully understand how cutthroat the Tejada family are just yet. I do feel like they’ll definitely find out very, very, very soon.”
This series is only just getting started, so fans are looking forward to tuning in this Sunday to find out if Tariq manages to stay one step ahead of his new business partner.
Power Book II: Ghost continues Sundays on Starz.
