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Power Book II: Ghost

Source: Starz / Power Book II: Ghost

Previously on Power Book II: Ghost, business picked up substantially after Riq (Michael Rainey Jr.) decided to use an app to move drugs around Stansfield. Monet sent Drew to investigate Riq’s operation. Still, instead of doing what his mother asked, he got distracted and decided to get his boots smoked by a member of the university’s basketball team. Saxe recruited his niece to spy on Riq while MacLean decided hitting Tameika with a subpoena could help Tasha get out prison. Tameika’s potentially testifying complicates things for everyone.

Monet Teaches Diana Some Game

Power Book II: Ghost

Source: Starz / Power Book II: Ghost

The mid-season finale opens up with a guest appearance from Riq’s twin sister Raina (Donshea Hopkins). Of course, we all know she is dead due to riq’s bonehead behavior, so you should already know her showing this is clearly a dream. Tasha is clearly missing life on the outside and wishes she was celebrating the twin’s 18th birthday. Tasha snaps back to reality when someone walks by her cell, and she immediately calls Riq to wish him a happy birthday. She wants to see her son, but he tells her he is busy after he spots Cane waiting for him. Monet wants to have a conversation with Riq, but Cane doesn’t know the wants to talk to Riq about it.

Before Cane and Riq arrive at the house, Monet and Diana are having a mother-daughter conversation. Since Drew failed to deliver the information she needed, Monet recruits Diana and schools her on the power she potentially has over men and how she can use that tool on Riq. Their conversation is interrupted when Monet’s cop bae shows up. Monet uses the moment as a quick lesson on how to exert power over men. Monet clowns Detective Ramirez and tells him to beat it for no reason.

As Ramirez is leaving, Cane and Riq pull up, and Monet’s enforcer is not happy to see him there. Cane explains to Riq how Ramirez helps the family out, giving the clever St.Patrick some information he could use against them later. Once inside, a brief argument about Detective Ramirez takes between Cane and Monet takes place. Monet quickly dismisses her goon/son and shifts her focus back on Riq. Monet shows Riq the sketch of the basketball player she found in Drew’s bag and asks him if he knows who it is? Riq tells her that he’s too busy doing her nephew’s reports as well as his own schoolwork plus moving her drugs to be worried about who Drew is smashing. Riq hints that Zeke may know who that person.

Riq gets a text from Saxe telling him they have to link up immediately, and Riq leaves.

The Tameika Factor Complicates The Hell out of Things

Power Book II: Ghost

Source: Starz / Power Book II: Ghost

Last week after a pound session with his lead investigator Paula, MacLean had an epiphany and decided that Tameika would be his best bet to help his case and sink Saxe. Unfortunately, MacLean has no idea that Tameika’s involvement could also spell trouble for Riq because it could reveal he was the one who shot his father.

After an unsuccessful conversation with Tameika, Saxe wastes no time telling Riq that his lawyer subpoenaed his former boss to testify against him. Saxe details Riq that if she does testify, it could reveal the arrangement the two of them have between each other. With that new piece of information, Riq immediately calls his mother to break the bad news to her. Riq also reveals to Tasha that he has been blackmailing Saxe, and she is not pleased to learn that immediately comparing his actions to that of his now-deceased father. Tasha then drops the bomb on Riq that Tameika already thinks that he killed his father. After they call each other out for lying, Tasha tells Riq that Tameika can’t testify because if she does, it could ruin the whole timeline, and she will instruct MacLean to pull the subpoena.

Power Book II: Ghost

Source: Starz / Power Book II: Ghost

Tasha quickly learns that getting MacLean to pull the subpoena won’t be easy. MacLean is a very proud man and doesn’t like to lose cases, so the idea of telling Tameika not to testify isn’t something he is about to do. After her conversation with MacLean, she immediately calls Riq and tells him that he needs to go to Tameika’s house and speak to her and if he has to “make her” agree not to testify.

Riq gets her second visitor of the episode when Riq shows up, and he’s not just there to talk. He does reveal that he saw Saxe at Club Truth the night he shot his father. Tameika still doesn’t indicate that she will not testify, so Riq decides to get his gun ready to threaten her. Right before he is about to pull out his piece, there is a loud knock on the door, its MacLean. He is also there to talk about her testifying, but Tameika doesn’t want to let him in the house. MacLean becomes suspicious and believes that Saxe is in the house, Riq is hiding in the back.

MacLean eventually gets in the house, and Riq manages to sneak out without being detected. Tameika then tells MacLean that two of them need to talk and more than likely tells him about the developments she has learned.

Professor Jabari and Milgram Are Both A Mess

Power Book II: Ghost

Source: Starz / Power Book II: Ghost

It’s no secret; nobody cares about the horny professors Jabari and Milgram’s storyline. We know the two educators have a very toxic history with Jabari using his former flame’s addiction to sex against her and as a plotline for his book. Despite being taken advantage of, Milgram just can’t seem to move on from Jabari regardless of how messy he is and knowing that he has sex with his students.

Their storylines don’t get any better, but we do learn that they both ain’t shit. Professor Jabari feels the pressure to deliver another book, or he will be dropped by his publisher. He is experiencing a serious case of writer’s block because he can no longer use Milgram to write about. He does the next best thing, he decides to plagiarize a 25-page report he made Riq write as punishment for showing up late to his class.

Power Book II: Ghost

Source: Starz / Power Book II: Ghost

Professor Milgram finally managed to liberate herself from the sexual tension between herself and Jabari but, at the same time, decided to take a page out of his book, no pun intended. A few episodes back, Zeke unsuccessfully shot his shot at his professor. He will get a second shot, which is successful catching her at a very vulnerable time after she has moved on from Jabari. Milgram decides to let Zeke take her to pound town. We can only hope this will finally make Jabari and Milgram important characters in this show when it returns in December.

Riq’s 18th Birthday Bash Doesn’t Go As Planned

Power Book II: Ghost

Source: Starz / Power Book II: Ghost

Brayden decides to throw his boy a surprise birthday bash despite Riq not wanting no big celebration. We learned that both he and Saxe’s niece have gotten real close since last week’s episode, and she has been using her opportunity to get information on Riq.

While picking up Hennesy and Hypnotiq for the party, Saxe’s niece begins asking Brayden a lot of questions about Riq, and he quickly dismisses all of them. It’s finally the night of the party, and when Riq shows up, he’s really not in the mood to party after his close call at Tameika’s house. Saxe’s niece is also there, and she is still asking questions about Riq, but it finally pisses Brayden off, and he tells her to stop and to go make him another drink. While she is doing that, she decides to slip in a drug in Brayden’s drink to make him a bit more receptive.

After some convincing from Drew, Zeke, and Brayden, Riq decides to chill for a bit. Diana eventually shows up, and she’s on the mission her mother put her on, but at the same time, she is feeling Riq. Things do get rather interesting when Lauren shows up at the party and grabs Riq’s attention away from Diana, whom she learned about last week when she saw her name popping up on Riq’s phone. As Riq and Lauren are heading upstairs to talk, Brayden hands him a drink, it just happens to be the cup with the spiked alcohol, and Riq drinks it.

Speaking of Drew, he bumps into his boo, or so he thought he was. Ole boy gives him the cold shoulder, basically confirming that yeah, he’s gay, but he doesn’t want no one at his school founding out about it because it could hurt his chances at going pro.

When we finally head upstairs, Riq is already drugged out of his mind. Lauren sees the Riq is out of it and tells him that she doesn’t want their first intimate moment to happen there. He eventually passes out, and Lauren leaves. Saxe’s niece notices that Lauren left the room alone and decides to sneak in. She uses the moment to take out Riq’s phone, activate the tracking software in it, and link it with her phone.

Riq’s drug-induced slumber is interrupted by Brayden’s equally high and drunk self. He throws Riq out of his room, and Riq somehow manages to make it downstairs. Before he leaves, he and Brayden get into an argument, but Brayden has no idea his buddy has been drugged. Riq stumbles upon a disappointed Diana and sits down for a second to have a conversation with her. Diana also realizes that Riq is out of it and manages to take the gun out of his pocket before telling him that she doesn’t want to be bothered. Riq obliges and leaves.

Now somehow, Riq still manages to make it to his room, changes into the suit he wore when he killed his father and decides to pay his sister’s grave a visit. After a brief conversation with his dead twin, Riq shifts his attention to his father’s grave, and he lets out all of his frustrations. Unfortunately, Riq has no idea that Saxe’s niece sent him his location and is watched and recorded him admitting to the crime.

Riq makes back to the room and wakes up in the clothes he wore to the cemetery, confused and is trying to piece together his night as flashes of him getting dressed play in his mind. Brayden comes out of the bathroom and barks at him for his behavior at the party, and Riq finally apologizes. Brayden wants to know what’s going on; Riq is hesitant to explain what he is doing when he is not on campus. After being hesitant, Riq finally explains to Brayden that they are in business with the Tejada family, and he breaks down each member’s position using chess pieces.

The Enemy of My Enemy Is My Friend

Power Book II: Ghost

Source: Starz / Power Book II: Ghost

After the party, Riq head’s back to the Tejada house to speak with Monet. She knows that Riq protected Drew, and he reveals to her that he knows that she sent Diana to get information out of him. When Monet asks Riq which of her children she could trust the most, he says himself, Monet is impressed. She also knows that he was strapped because Diana gave her his gun, thinking it was a win, but that didn’t impress her mother at all. It only got her sent to her room.

Monet warns Riq he shouldn’t be walking around without a piece and instructs Cane to give Riq his gun. Riq is now in even deeper with the Tejada family.

Power Book II: Ghost

Source: Starz / Power Book II: Ghost

Meanwhile, at Saxe’s office, MacLean decides to stop by. Maclean reveals that he will no longer have Tameika testify against Saxe and is looking to make a deal. Unfortunately, MacLean has no idea that Tasha has already decided to make a deal. Saxe even shows MacLean the recording of Riq confessing to the crime. This is where things get interesting. MacLean reveals he wants to make a deal with Saxe and agrees to work with him. The deal is Tasha gets off not messing up his record, and in exchange, Saxe gets Riq, and he will get the needle.

A fascinating turn of events that we will have to see further playout when Power Book II: Ghost returns in December.

Photo: Starz / Power Book II: Ghost

‘Power Book II: Ghost’ Recap: It’s A Not So Happy 18th Birthday For Riq In The Mid-Season Finale  was originally published on cassiuslife.com