“Help Me”: Power Recap, Season 3 Ep. 5
Life has a funny way of humbling you. Throughout season 3 of Power, the main characters have attempted to solve their problems unconventionally.
They resort to clandestine meetings, impulsive decisions, and won’t ask for assistance. When you invite the weight of the world upon your shoulders, you should prepare yourself if your knees start to buckle. The constant setbacks and challenges have forced the characters to discard their pride and beseech love ones and confidants for assistance.
“Help Me” becomes more than a passionate request; It becomes an ultimatum. The gauntlet has been laid down, as the characters must choose between loyalty and irreconcilable differences.
Ghost puts this ultimatum to the test after Angela confronts him about Ruiz. Ghost wants to fully commit to Angela, and commences separation procedures with Tasha.
Having already received the Ruiz intel from his lawyer Proctor (along with some strong advice to leave Angela and cut his losses), Ghost is unsure of Angela’s true intentions. Ghost pleads with Angela to “help him” with the Ruiz situation, lest he takes matters into his own hands. With his family situation crumbling, Tariq hating him, and an oblique future ahead, Ghost needs total clarity and is ready to sever ties if necessary.
Putting Angela in this position is a masterful chess move. Angela’s decision weighs heavily on her. This was a career woman who thrived on capturing bad guys, but now sees herself as an accomplice. A shell of her former self. Angela must choose between love and duty as Ghost’s fate hangs in the balance.
Knox and his quest to watch Angela’s world burn continued this week. His relentlessness to have Jamie outed as Ghost puts the entire Vibora Ruiz plea deal in jeopardy. Knox pushed all his chips to the middle of the table, gambling that he could blackmail Vibora with the death penalty for Nomar’s murder. For Knox, he lost the girl and his career for a moment, so this risky maneuver was a necessary evil for closure and one last victory. It seemed like Knox had good fortune on his side. His superiors opted to amend the plea deal to get Lobos and the organization, and Ruiz agreed to flip. Knox considered Angela as his only opponent, but didn’t realize that he was fighting this war on multiple fronts. Sandoval, equally motivated to see Lobos free (through death threats and entrapment), also plotted to sabotage the proceedings.
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Photo: Starz
While Ghost wants loyalty at the expense of others, Kanan repays betrayal with death. His surprise appearance back in NYC and in Dre’s apartment with his daughter showed the evolution of Kanan’s tactics. Had this been last season, Dre would’ve been killed in front of his child. Now he utilizes fear as leverage against Dre to infiltrate Ghost’s operation and do whatever Kanan wants. Looks like Kanan took Jukebox’s words of wisdom to heart.
Tommy’s loyalty has been unquestioned since season one. While he can be impulsive, he will die for those he loves. Which is why the decision on whether to kill Ghost tore him apart. An anecdotal story from his mother who surprise visits him and Holly, along with news from Julito that the Koreans got killed outside a Hell’s Kitchen church (where he got shot) confirm to him that Ghost saved him. The only problem is, Holly executed the hit on Ghost. During this scene where she let’s Tommy know that she chose them over Ghost, Joseph Sikora emotes on a god level. Some of the best acting and raw emotion he’s ever given in this series. This scene culminates with Holly’s death at Tommy’s hands (albeit unintentionally via strangulation). Tommy has always chosen Ghost over himself, and he does it yet again. His impulsive nature caused him to snap, and take the life out of Holly’s body.
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