Power Book II: Ghost season 3 episode 9 recap — Brayden finally steps up

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The Tejadas and Castillo officially go to war over the death of Gordo.

Moriah Brown and Gianni Paolo in Power Book II: Ghost
Moriah Brown and Gianni Paolo in Power Book II: Ghost (Image credit: Starz)

NOTE: this post contains spoilers for Power Book II: Ghost season 3 episode 9, "A Last Gift."

Last season on Power Book II: Ghost, Brayden (Gianni Paolo) challenged himself and the privileged life he's lived as a Weston while maneuvering the drug game. Though he took the rap for Tariq (Michael Rainey Jr.) when their drug business on Stansfield's campus was exposed, he failed to do his job of killing Lauren (Paige Hurd). This left Effie (Alix Lapri) with that responsibility, which she failed at as well. When called to kill Russian drug plug by Cane (Woody McClain) earlier in the season to kill, Brayden failed again before Tariq intervened. But in "A Last Gift," Brayden is forced to commit his first murder. 

This happens when the FBI begins to investigate the Weston Firm for Lucas' (David Walton)  ponzi scheme Brayden and Tariq found out about. It's safe to assume that Ron Jenkins (Gbenga Akinnagbe) tipped the Feds on the happenings at the financial company. Once the FBI raids the Weston Firm office, Lucas not only goes into hiding but does something that most sleazy individuals in his position would do. This includes making a phone call to Jenny Sullivan (Paton Ashbrook) to give up information on Brayden and Tariq's cryptocurrency drug coffee business in exchange for immunity. Meanwhile, Lucas also didn’t mind letting his assistant Kiki (Moriah Brown) take the fall for him. 

However, the pressure for Brayden to act gets intense when his father and owner of the Weston Firm, Robert (Jeff Auer), is indicted as well. Tariq informs Brayden he's going to have to end Lucas, which is a difficult thing for the Weston family member. Not only has he made it three seasons without killing someone, but he doesn't want his first murder to be his uncle. Brayden even mentions Tariq killing his own father, Ghost (Omari Hardwick) as a way to juxtapose their moral code. 

When Brayden confronts Lucas at his New York high rise about the ramifications of his actions, the uncle already has a plan to simply let everyone take the fall. This leads an enraged Brayden to push Lucas over the high rise balcony and kill him. Now it's official, Brayden is really about that life. 

Meanwhile, Cooper Saxe's (Shane Johnson) death pushes Sullivan to the edge as she begins pushing harder for a RICO charge against Tariq and the Tejadas. It doesn't help that Saxe has stirred the pot even in death, as he sent letters to Monet (Mary J. Blige) and Sullivan. Sullivan is informed that Davis Maclean (Method Man) may be responsible for his death. Meanwhile, Monet is told in a letter that Tariq is working with the Feds. It doesn't help that Diana (LaToya Tonodeo) finds Monet's paperwork under Tariq's bed after confronting him with the news. This moves Monet to make a particular phone call leading Tariq to be reunited with someone from his past. 

Forcefully estranged by his mother Tasha (Naturi Naughton), youngest sister Yasmine (Paris Morgan) and grandmother Estelle Green (Debbi Morgan) for protective reasons, Tariq manages to save them all from a surprise attempted assassination by Tommy (Joseph Sikora). Though Tommy manages to kill two protective officers, Tariq steps in just in time. During their stand-off, someone mysteriously hits Tariq in the head, putting him in the hospital. With Tommy back in New York, is this the end of Power Book IV: Force?

Following the murder of Lorenzo (Berto Colon), Monet has been trying to keep her involvement a secret. That gets upended when Evelyn Castillo (Luna Lauren Velez) confronts Monet about the disappearance of Gordo (Erik Hernandez) and the video of Dru's (Lovell Adams-Gray) meltdown to Everett (Bradley Gibson). Trying to preempt a war with the Castillos, both Cane and Dru murder the entire clan by locking them in their restaurant, sealing the airways and pushing poisonous gas through. Before Evelyn takes her last breath, she reveals to Dru that Monet is responsible for Lorenzo's death. 

This leads Dru, Cane and Diana to confront her about it. In fact, the argument gets so intense that Diana and Monet nearly come to blows. With one episode left in the season, it's safe to assume that a very specific boiling point has been reached. It doesn’t help that everyone has Noma’s (Caroline Chikezie) presence around them. 

New episodes of Power Book II: Ghost season 3 debut Fridays on Starz.

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Ural Garrett
Ural Garrett

Ural Garrett is an Inglewood,CA-based journalist and content curator. His byline has been featured in outlets including CNN, MTVNews, Complex, TechRadar, LA Weekly and more.