So, Lorenzo is a lot.
We've seen the head of the Tejada family here and there, mainly with Monet, and it was easy to see that being behind bars didn't stop him from calling the shots. But he was on a new level during Power Book II: Ghost Season 2 Episode 6.
Lorenzo came home and wasted no time putting his plan to work, regardless of how anyone else in his family felt about it. But the head of the household is clearly unfamiliar with the dynamics of the family who grew up without him.
Probably the best part of this middle-of-the-road hour was Monet's constant unimpressed face anytime she was forced to spend quality time with her husband and children.
To be fair, Monet looks unimpressed most of the time, so that wasn't new exactly, but it was more jarring when juxtaposed with the excitement radiating off her family.
Lorenzo was ecstatic to be home and beyond ready to get back into the business. While Cane, Diana, and Dru were just happy to have their dad around and their family all together again.
It was clear from that opening party that Lorenzo's the kind of man that needs to be in charge. Monet's held down the fort and the business, but a few days out of the pokey, and now she's reduced to the woman restocking the fried chicken for the big strong men sitting around the table talking shop.
And that's not to say that Lorenzo doesn't trust Monet or believe in her abilities, but he doesn't understand who Monet is in this life. And that's because he never asks.
At no point does he ask anyone what it is they want, and that's Lorenzo's fundamental issue.
Dru has shown precisely zero signs of wanting to follow in anyone's footsteps, especially Lorenzo's. In contrast, Cane wants nothing more than to be the leader of, well, anything. And yet he wants the opposite for them.
The Tejada family dynamics will be a significant thing to watch as the second season winds down because absolutely no one is on the same page.
At first, Monet seemed to be open to managing both her family and her resurging romance with Mecca, but once she saw her family actually acting like a family, she changed her mind and left Mecca out in the cold.
Now, we still don't know a lot about Mecca, but it's safe to say, considering his penchant for violence when he doesn't like something, that he's not going to be okay with Monet cutting him off and reneging on her promise to introduce him to Zeke.
Monet is brilliant, but it seemed like a rash decision to break things off with Mecca like that because it wasn't thoughtful or considerate, and it was only going to serve to upset him more than anything else. And the absolute last thing she needs is to have him march up to Zeke and spill all the tea to him before she does.
Zeke brings that back to the rest of the Tejada's, and god knows where Monet goes from there.
For now, she's still going to be in business with Tariq on the down-low. And that makes sense for her at this juncture. Lorenzo is anti-everything his family supports, so working with Tariq isn't something he wants.
But she needs to make money, and so does Tariq. So, while their partnership is devoid of any trust and purely for selfish reasons on both ends, there's no reason they can't make it work for the greater good.
Tariq's epic fall from grace was short-lived, though he's not a free man yet. But getting out on bail is a step in the right direction, and it's only beneficial for him and his case for him to be able to make money.
It seemed to be a wake-up call for Tariq when he realized that no one showed up for him. People have always surrounded Tariq, but nobody was there for him when he was at one of his lowest points, just as Ghost predicted.
Tariq has nobody to blame for that but himself. He's never been truthful with the people in his life, and sometimes that was to keep them safe, but it was mostly just because he could never let anyone in all the way.
Tasha was that one person that Tariq was free to be himself with, but Tariq has been on his own with her being gone. Ghost's letter and probably just that stark realization that he needed people by his side that he trusts prompted his reunion with Effie.
Effie is perfectly fine, but these two have been oil and water from the start. It seemed a little naïve of Tariq to bear all to her when their relationship has never truly rebounded from the early days. But if there's a person who seems to get him and isn't trying to change him, it's Effie.
These two have always felt like the best match of all his romantic prospects. At least on paper. Their ambitions will always hinder them, but they seem to be at a mature place right now where it makes more sense than ever for them to explore the connection that's always been there.
Trusting Brayden should have been more of a given, but they got to a good place in the end.
Tariq has always kept Brayden at arm's length in many ways, but Brayden has been his number one for a long time, and he deserves more respect. He's shown over and over that he's capable and also that he cares about Tariq.
The situation with Cane was a slip-up, fueled mainly by Cane's manipulation and probably some self-esteem issues on Brayden's end. But he's loyal, and he knows how to take care of himself. Same as Tariq, and same as Effie.
And those are two of the most important things you should possess in that life to keep yourself alive and out of jail.
Tariq will need extra help from Davis and Saxe to keep him out of jail, and let me say that thus far, both Davis and Saxe have been criminally underused.
Saxe has barely been around, and Davis, while logging screentime, has been used more to just pop in with a witty line and help move others' stories along. They have teased the story involving his brother, but we've seen minimal forward momentum.
We get a taste, and then we go two episodes without hearing about it again.
Thus far, once mortal enemies, Davis and Saxe have found a way to co-exist, but the fractures are growing. Davis only cares about the almighty dollar, and who knows what Saxe cares about. He's way less motivated by money and more toward the truth.
Although, that makes him sound like a much better person than he is.
But anyway, Davis and Saxe have their work cut out for them, though Saxe scored an advantage by learning about Lauren. Can they swing this to their advantage by getting Tariq to spread some fake information along to his former girlfriend?
Everything Else You Need To Know
- How did Lorenzo and Zeke never meet? Everything about the timeline regarding Monet and Zeke still isn't computing for me.
- If Everett knew what was good for him, he would delete Dru's phone and go about his business. He was not built for Dru's world.
- There's something about Tariq and Tate hating each other but always having to work together in some way, just like Ghost and Tate, that makes me chuckle.
- Carrie went from irrelevant to a wannabe villain overnight. Sure, she had to save herself from Monet, but she did Lauren dirty. She deserves whatever comes next. And perhaps she will FINALLY lose her job.
- Another 50 Cent cameo to give Tariq a nudge in the right direction. Kind of surprised that Tariq was so laser-focused on Cane he couldn't see the other chess pieces on the board. Ghost Kanan got through to him, though.
- Diana really just shook off her mother's threat and attempted choking like it was just another Tuesday.
- Mecca and Lorenzo meeting will be a must-see! There's no indication Lorenzo knows anything about him, but these two super alpha males trying to outman one another is going to be good.
It was a tame hour by Power Book II: Ghost standards. But it was wholly necessary to set things up for the endgame.
There are a lot of players in the mix and a lot of lying going on. And that can only mean things are going to blow up soon!
Did Monet make the right decision to cut off Mecca?
What will Mecca's next move be?
Is there any chance Davis and Saxe can get Tariq exonerated?
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