Spoiler Alert. Proceed with caution.
The epic final season of Power has begun. For the last 5 years, 50 Cent and Courtney Kemp's gangsta drama has dominated hip-hop culture and cable television simultaneously. Ghost and Tommy have become hip-hop household names, even for those who have never seen the show. Now, the last showdown between the two former best friends has begun. At the end of season 5, Tommy shot Angela in a failed attempt to kill Ghost. Viewers were left in suspense regarding Angela's fate. She did appear in the trailer for season 6, allowing the suspense to continue right up until the premiere last night.
Season 6, episode one, is aptly titled "Murderers." It begins just moments after Angela is shot, and viewers are guided through a quick hospital trip before the big reveal is laid out. The energy and pace of the season premiere is fast and unrelenting, mimicking the type of fervent anxiety that each of the main characters is also experiencing in the wake of Angela's death. Yes, it's revealed shortly into the premiere that Angela died during surgery. Speaking with Deadline, Kemp revealed why Angela had to go. "The original idea was that Angela would die at the end of Season 5," stated Kemp. "And in terms of Angela’s story, she buys her own death when she decides to pick Jamie and love over the truth and herself." Angela's death sets in motion what will be the final act of Power.
Tommy meant to kill Ghost, of course, but hit Angela instead when she quickly moved Ghost out of the way. Since Tommy's anger stemmed from Ghost tricking him into killing his own father, Tommy feels satiated with the fact he took away someone Ghost loved as well, in revenge. It seems like a cheap excuse to move past the fact that Tommy was just trying to kill Ghost moments earlier, but it's also safe to assume Tommy's accidental revenge really did make him feel like the score was even. As Tasha puts it though: “You took a shot at the Devil and missed!” Tommy begs Tasha for an alibi after leaving the scene of the crime, but she won't help him until he fixes things with Ghosts. That's not likely to happen. Tasha is angry with Ghost herself once she pieces two-and-two together and realizes her husband killed her lover, Terry Silver. This prompts Tasha to ask for a divorce, and if she succeeds in the separation, she can testify against Ghost. The show doesn't make that apparent, but the severance of their marital vows does set Tasha up as a key witness. Now, both Tasha and Tommy are aligned against Ghost. Tariq, the character we all love to hate, seems to be aligned with them as well, especially in the wake of Kanan's death. He plays his part of the dutiful son, to appear on his father's good side.
Witnesses will be an important part of this season, and Saxe is eager to dig them up. He and his entire office are ready to arrest Ghost for the death of Angela, but things are complicated. Saxe himself leaked information that he believes got Angela killed, so he knowingly leaks more information to Proctor to set a trap for Ghost. Saxe keys Proctor into the fact that they still have a female witness who can identify Ghost, which he hopes will provoke his target to make an attempt at the witness' life. Since Angela didn't commit to any paperwork implicating Ghost, this is Saxe's best shot at roping his target. The sets in motion what will possibly be the most important plotline of this season. Saxe, with the help of Detective Rodriguez, will be on the hunt for evidence against Ghost, while Ghost is busy trying to kill the real murderer. Saxe is being positioned to have a big impact this season, but let's not forget that anyone in both Ghost and Tommy's way usually gets killed.
Once the dust has semi-settled, Ghost wants to kill Angela's real murderer. First, he confronts Tommy at his apartment, and the two quickly get into a physical fight, but things are put to a stop when Tariq walks in. When Ghost follows Tommy to a drug pickup later, he sprays his former friend's car with gunfire assuming that he's killed him. He doesn't, although he is now under the impression that Tommy is dead. That should make things complicated heading into episode two, since both Tasha and Tariq will need to play along. They are both in constant contact with Tommy, so it's fair to assume he'll continue to contact them although he's "dead." This ties the three of them together even tighter, ultimately hinting that one of these three former Ghost allies may take him down for good this season.
Ghost attempting to kill off Tommy twice in the first episode affirms that their friendship is truly over. Although the two have always managed to "come back" to one another through out the series, with the final season in motion, Kemp confirms that the partnership cannot be salvaged, and it is this breaking of bond plot line that will lead us through to our final conclusion.
Leave your hypotheses on what to expect in the final season "Power" in the comments.
