What’s next for Tariq on Power Book II: Ghost

Power ended with the death of James St. Patrick – the suave politician also known as the criminal mastermind Ghost. The series spinoff Power Book II: Ghost opens with his son, Tariq, in college, prepping to support his mother in court as she defends the murder charges against her for his father’s death.

A quick reminder of the non-stop drama that made us fall in love with the original show.

The spinoff follows Tariq on his journey into manhood. The type of man he will be is yet unknown, but early indicators show he will lead a double life like Ghost. Unsurprisingly, he will have to deal with shady characters as his father did, but without Ghost’s protection, of course. But Tariq is smart: he’s working in an environment with less ruthless characters, like in college, where he can sell his products without resorting to violence and guns. But he faces other enemies, like Saxe and his mother’s lawyer, Davis Maclean, who are working together to pin his father’s murder on him.

The first five episodes of Power Book II: Ghost are available to stream on Showmax. The series is currently on production break due to COVID-19, but has already been renewed for a second season. A teaser trailer was recently released for the next five episodes.

Watch the midseason trailer

We expect an explosive second half of the season. Here are four things to expect next.

Tommy’s return

Ghost’s best friend and business partner, Tommy Egan, has been MIA since the start of Power Book II: Ghost, but reports say he will make an appearance. Given that he’s been named Ghost’s murderer in court and a member of his disbanded crew, 2-Bit, has been released to the street, those reports may just be accurate.

Cane’s unravelling

Many new characters are playing the Power game; one of them is Cane, the shooter for a new drug family in business with Tariq. He’s brash like Tommy – more brawns than brains. He’s not a fan of Tariq, but his mum and queenpin, Monet, is warming up to him. His hate for Tariq is clouding his judgement, and that never ends well in the Power universe.

Saxe’s downfall

Saxe is shaping up to be Tariq’s biggest enemy, and that’s hardly a surprise because Saxe hates the St. Patricks. But he is dealing with Tariq, who has fewer enemies to worry about and can focus on him. There is a chance Saxe’s reckless involvement of his naïve niece, Riley, in the criminal investigation targeting Tariq will backfire when Riq finds out. If you followed Power, you know that’s only a matter of time.

Tariq’s next moves

From Power, we learned that Tariq is just as calculating and complicated as his father was. The plot is moving against him, and it seems his world might collapse, especially with Saxe on him, but we know Tariq is already onto that and will make his move soon.

On the playful side, we are excited about his love triangle involving Lauren Baldwin and Diana Tejada. While he has handled both ladies well so far, he might not be so lucky in the future. Michael Rainey Jr., who plays Tariq, explains why he’s not settling just yet.

“The thing is, he’s trying to figure out who he can trust,” he told the New York Post. “You know, Diana — she’s a little easier to trust because she’s in the streets. They kind of have something in common with Tariq’s mom being in jail and her dad being in jail.”

He continued: “He can trust Lauren, but she can’t really know what Tariq is going through because what he’s going through is not normal at all. She’s a regular school girl; a lot of things that Tariq is going through will probably blow her mind.”

But who would he pick if he was Tariq? “Honestly, I would say Diana,” Rainey Jr. said. Well, we will have to wait to see.

Watch all six seasons of Power, and the first five episodes of Power Book II: Ghost on Showmax.