Power Book II: Ghost The Complete First Season
review by Bobby Blakey
In 2014 Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and Courtney A. Kemp teamed up with the new STARZ series Power. The show ran for six seasons and I loved every minute of it. When it came to an end in 2020 I thought that was it and had a great ending that not only wrapped everything up, it set the tone for the future of the surviving characters. In 2020 they kicked off a new chapter of the St. Patrick’s with Power Book II: Ghost starring Michael Rainey Jr., Shane Johnson, Gianni Paolo, and Naturi Naughton along with new additions to the story Method Man, Mary J. Blige and so many more.
Power Book II “Power Book II: Ghost” picks up after the events of “Power” as Tariq St. Patrick grapples with his father’s death while his mother, Tasha, faces charges for the murder her son committed. Tariq is forced to split his time between school and hustling to pay for Davis MacLean, the defense lawyer who is Tasha’s only hope of escaping prosecution by U.S. Attorney Cooper Saxe. Tariq turns to the drug game, entangling himself with a family headed by Monet Stewart Tejada. He figures out the only way to avoid the same fate his father met is to become him — only better.
I am always concerned with these sorts of spin-off shows. This one has everything it needs to be good in its history, but could I buy into Rainey Jr. as the new head of the family and essentially taking on the mantle of Ghost? I was skeptical and while his baby face does make it unlikely it works great. He is really in his element and has not only grown in the show, but into this more adult role. He carries this show and showcases a great sense of the direction and pulling off the aspects of aggression and deception like a pro.
The rest of the cast are great as well, but I think my favorite is Method Man. I have been a fan of his music and as an actor for years, but this was different. He is fully invested into this role and brings the swagger and believability to the role that makes it easily one of his best roles I think he’s done to date. Mary J. Blige steps in as the defacto crime boss this time around and does a hell of a job as both a vicious criminal but the leader of this new dysfunctional crime family.
As the show moves along it follows a lot of the same ideals of the original show, but with the college locale and younger cast it brings a fresh new direction to not only the dynasty, but how they handle business differently. There are so many twists and turns throughout the season complete with some surprise returns and familiar faces that keep it firmly planted in the Power saga while still standing out on its own much like the evolution of Tariq.
By the end of the season I loved it as much as I loved the original series and cannot wait to see what’s in store for the next season. I also hope the plan for the other book series happen because I am intrigued to the tales of the other characters they will be spotlighting.
Grab your copy of Power Book II: Ghost the Complete First Season available now on DVD from STARZ and Lionsgate Home Entertainment.