Nowadays, cable TV is not the first option when it comes to entertainment. There’s just so many other choices for content. Thanks to the major streaming services and social media, viewers can now watch content that doesn’t take much of an investment or requires the viewer to sit down at a certain time to catch it on TV.
The cherry on the top, but also injurious, is that most entertainment out today can be quickly consumed. Yet, during a time like this, it’s nice to go back to the old days when slow-developing characters and complicated plot lines were treasured traits of a good show.
Sundays seem to be one of the best nights for that. So, when the premiere of Power Book II: Ghost came on, it was only right to tune in to see what the unhinging crime family, known as the St. Patricks, were up to now.
With the characters Angela, Tommy and Ghost (by the way, fans still think he’s alive) not included in the new series as far as we know, the show is resting on the storylines of the mother and son duo that includes an enervated Tasha and the fumbling fool Tariq.
Fans are already preparing for disappointment as the premise stands on Tariq, played by Michael Rainey Jr., having to complete college before he can get his hands on his deceased father’s fortune. Meanwhile, Tasha, who is portrayed by the stellar Naturi Naughton, is battling against accusations that she is the person who pulled the trigger targeting the infamous Ghost. Cooper Saxe, played by Shane Johnson, steps in the role of his former co-worker and Assistant U.S. Attorney Angela as he risks being found culpable for Ghost’s murder.
It’s a scenario that we’ve seen before from the Starz franchise, just with different characters stepping into the roles.
Michael Rainey Jr. is a superb actor, so it’s not so much that his character is not believable. The consensus that Tariq is annoying emanates from character development.
In Tariq’s desperate attempt to fill his father’s shoes, he makes so many misguided steps stemming from a lack of commonsense. It’s hard to believe that he’s built this way being that he’s the offspring of a very competent and sharp-witted crime boss.
Now, viewers are being forced to watch him go through growing pains to become the man we expect him to be. How long will we be waiting is the question?
To add depth to the story, he’s immersed in two possible love interests, playing into the same fallacies that his father possessed. Again, we’ve seen it all before. Luckily, there’s two new characters that have been added to intrigue viewers’ interest.
The moment Mary J. Blige made an appearance, all the enthusiasm that slowing dissipated with the realization of possibly being duped into watching a new series with the same storylines as the original Power series came back with a vengeance.
Blige, who plays the role of Monet, is not a woman of many words. But, her presence is authentically felt as she moves with the reverence of a stern, black mother. Interestingly, her demeanor is similar to that of Ghost’s, except she’s the female version. Her character is definitely one to take seriously, that’s for sure.
The mystery surrounding her connection and involvement with the St. Patricks and how that will play out is enough to make viewers return to the show for another week.
The second new character, Davis Maclean, is another highlight of the series. Played by Method Man, his brilliant presentation as the clever and shrewd attorney leaves viewers with the impression that there’s much more to him than is shown. Now, that he’s enthralled in the federal case as Tasha’s legal representation, the curiosity of how he will get her out of this mess is a good reason to keep watching.
So, we will be watching again. But, we sure hope that the writer and showrunner Courtney A. Kemp has some solid surprises around the corner that will keep viewers engaged.
As far as our recommendation to viewers, it seems that watching this series will be essential for tying in all the other series that will be coming out in 2021.
Much like the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Lucasfilms’ Star Wars, the developing Power universe will include Power Book V: Force, Power Book III: Raising Kanan, and Power Book IV: Influence, delving in-depth into the back-stories and future development of the characters.
It’s worth a watch because we definitely want this type of content. Even so, the writing will have to evolve in order to outdo the success of the first Power series or risk viewers taking a hint and abandoning the series for good.
