Love, Betrayal, and Revenge Set Tone as Ghost Returns to Form

Ghost returned to form in “It’s Never Over” last night on Power

Ghost returned to form as love, mixed with betrayal, confusion, and revenge, and what should be done in the name of it, set the tone of last night’s episode of Power. There’s an overwhelming tension in the air, suggesting an impending explosion, and everyone is flirting with it, actively postponing personal disaster, in the form of their professional lives or a complete surrender to their personal demons.

Ghost, balancing a fractured family and dealing with competition in the nightclub scene, takes his first steps to completely leave the drug business. Because he cannot go to Angela for details about Lobos, knowing that those inquiries would jeopardize his claim to her of being “out,” Ghost taps his attorney, Joe Proctor, to confirm that Lobos survived the hit in prison, and discovers the extreme measures the DA’s office has taken to prosecute him. Ghost ends up putting his confidence in Proctor, albeit with a grain of salt, as the look on his face betrays him, when he’s presented with a choice to protect his girl or himself. The three-headed dragon that Ghost is probably wants to do both, and his actions reflect that, easing back into his underworld persona without hesitation.

There is also Ghost’s dealing with Dre, who’s getting used to playing the same note, reminding him—as if he needs it—of the adrenaline of the drug business. Although he reinforces the importance of being legitimate and what his new responsibility is, often concluding a handful of the same exchanges with get-back-to-word, or put-on-your-tie, Ghost doesn’t seem to know what he wants to do with Dre. But after Truth loses a famous DJ to a couple nightclub owners, sparking Dre’s aggressiveness, a sliver of hope at taming him gleams, with the decision to direct his restlessness into a planning a calculated retaliation.

Tommy would rather have his restlessness channeled into prosperity, but is instead struggling to run the drug empire. He buckles after failing to kill Ghost, understanding that his reason for stopping wouldn’t prevent Lobos from coming after him, and overdoes it with the coke, pummeling one of his guys for cracking an innocent joke.

Sandoval, who in season two was one of the most intimidating characters, finds his steely resolve diminishing by the second, finding every moment a crucial one to protect Lobos and save his career. Yet, in this episode he realizes that he cannot do both; in the season premiere, he asserted that his connection with Lobos would be over after his job was completed, only to see that slapped down in the face of his boss’ jubilation of owning a district attorney, and his plea for help to taking care of a loose end results in him learning that he is Lobos’ “prisoner.”

Trying to define what her integrity as a federal prosecutor means after choosing to be with Ghost, Angela met his children, who spent a night at her place. The nervous encounter illustrated one aspect of what a life with Ghost features and how she’d handle it. Angela awkwardly tried to connect with the kids, building bridges with their interests and perspectives—video games with his son and being a sister with his oldest daughter. Her job will only get more complicated, as her desire to be a strong, caring, female figure in their lives conflicts with their mother, Tasha—a strong, caring, woman.

Tasha articulates her growing frustration with Ghost and his decision to be clean through visits to LaKeisha, Angela, and Tommy. She shudders at the thought of working at the hair salon with LaKeisha, finds room in a silent exchange to take a shot at Angela’s apartment, and finally says, out loud, that she’s suffering at the behest of Ghost’s desires in a meeting with Tommy. Uneasy in the atmosphere of an empty home and meditating on the pain that her children are with the woman her ex-husband left her for as she gazes into a blazing fire—her frustration manifest—she resolves to help Tommy and Holly take care of Ghost.

Love prevented Angela from taking Ghost down, but her desires still aren’t clear following meeting his kids. Tasha has to consider how deep her love is for her kids in the wake of colluding against Ghost with Holly and Tommy. And Ghost’s love for his family and Angela gets increasingly compromised in his efforts to protect them. As this season’s issues sharpen, so will their consequences.

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