Sophomore slumps are common on television.

A tremendous first season can be completely derailed by a subpar second effort that does little to continue whatever goodwill made during a series' inaugural attempt. I'm glad to say that Power: Book II Ghost isn't having that problem.

Power Book II: Ghost Season 2 Episode 3 is another strong hour, one that moves a lot of stories forward and gets us set up for the more significant conflicts that have yet to come.

This first spinoff was always at a disadvantage because it came so quickly after Power. And Power was a beloved, albeit flawed, series that connected with a huge audience. And that large audience, for the most part, never warmed up to Tariq.

Centering an entire series around his journey post-killing Ghost was a risk. But it's worked out because the show stands apart from its predecessor in distinct ways while simultaneously leaning into some of the elements that made the original so popular.

Take, for instance, the Ghost and Tommy relationship, which was the heart of soul of the original. They've recreated pieces of that friendship with Tariq and Brayden, best friends who are working together to create their own empire.

There are significant differences, of course, like Brayden's upbringing, but the two relationships are very relatable at their core. Tariq has taken on the boss role, doling out commands to Brayden, who sees their situation as a partnership even though Tariq is the one making the demands.

Much like his father, Tariq is selfish in many ways. He does love things, like his mom and his sister, and he will do whatever he can to do right by them, but he's not above selling out literally anyone to save himself.

Brayden has always been more loyal to Tariq than the other way around, and that's why this new plan by Cane to pretty much wedge himself in the middle of the duo has so much potential.

Mecca was spot-on in his assessment of using Brayden to get to Tariq because Tariq has given him a lot of power within their operation. Maybe Tariq is in charge, but things don't work without them working together. And to be honest, Tariq has so many other things pulling him away that everything crashes and burns without Brayden there.

It's high time Brayden got a good storyline and one that thrusts him further into the main plots and allows him to be more than comic relief and Tariq's sidekick. He's an intelligent guy, but he's also impressionable. Someone like Cane taking an interest in him does big things for an ego like that.

The key here will be how long it takes Tariq to catch on to what's happening. Tariq's problem is always going to be his impulsivity and decision-making skills. Sure, he finds a way to get himself out of nearly every predicament he's ever found himself in, but why did he find himself in that position in the first place?

It's clear why Tariq and Cane don't get along because they're very much the same damn person in many ways.

They both love themselves and crave control. Oh, and they love their mamas. Never forget that because it's that love that fuels them and some of their stupider choices.

Have you figured Mecca out yet? Because the man is a complete mystery.

For starters, he's scary as hell. The way he choked out a grown man in the middle of a party, a close confidant at that, should have been enough for Cane to see that he may be in a little over his head. Mecca doesn't exactly scream stable and loyal.

He's got a plan, and it goes beyond Monet. It has to. However, getting Monet in one way or another is something he wants.

Their meet-cute was precisely that, cute, but it doesn't feel like anything to get invested in because they're not upfront with one another. At least Mecca isn't.

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To this point, Monet doesn't even know Mecca is their connection, nor does she know he and Cane are new besties. It's going to make for an exciting confrontation when Monet realizes that her old love, who's hellbent on weaseling his way back into her heart, is keeping things from her.

Monet doesn't deal well with deceit, nor should she. In her line of business, you're only as good as the people around you, and you have to trust those people because your life depends on it.

But it's not lost on me that for as much as Monet craves loyalty and honesty, she's kept Zeke sheltered to the point that he messed things up for himself in the worst possible way.

Zeke is in such a bad spot, and so much of it isn't even his fault. He just plays basketball and tries to have a good time, oblivious to what's going on around him. His relationship with Carrie is coming back to haunt him in a big way now, and you can't blame him for wanting to distance himself from her when Whitman starts pressing him.

Whitman literally hates Carrie so much it's almost comical. I would very much like to know what she did to hurt his feelings this badly because the man wants her head on a stick, and he barely has any evidence against her.

He's essentially made up his mind about what he thinks went down, but his suspect list is likely to grow now that he has a clear connection between Ramirez and Zeke.

I forget about Ramirez until his name is brought up again, but the dead cop figures to factor in now since Ramirez's gun was used in Jabari's murder. And there's a clear link between Zeke and Ramirez.

But looking into Ramirez a little deeper could mean a deeper dive into Monet, and then Cane, and NO ONE needs that kind of heat right now.

Everything is just getting messier and messier, and that's to say nothing of Diana trying to get her daddy out of prison.

We only get little snippets of Lorenzo, but people talk about him like he's revered, and can you just imagine what it would be like to have him out and about?

I'm not even sure Monet likes her husband, so having him back under the same roof and the inevitable power struggle that would create is precisely the kind of drama you want in Power land.

The best part about Diana in Power Book II: Ghost Season 2 has been her finding her voice and doing things for herself. She finds a way to see Davis and Saxe, and she's still on Cane's behind. Getting her out from under Tariq and Monet will do wonders for her character.

Perhaps this wasn't the wildest installment, but it was quietly effective in moving virtually every interesting storyline forward somehow. And with only ten episodes a season to work with, there isn't much time for floundering, and there's no floundering to be found here.

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Tariq and Tate's arrangement will blow up eventually, and it's going to be glorious. My money is on Tariq struggling to get something on Sweeney. It's also probably going to turn into a scenario where getting something on Sweeney exposes the Weston's and, in turn, just pushes Brayden further away.

It's been three episodes, and we've not gotten nearly enough Dru. Fix it, please.

Why was that whole exchange between Monet and Whitman hilarious? He was so confused, and she was so pissed off, and it was so funny. It also led us to finally getting Mary J. Blige and Method Man together on-screen, which is a win for us all.

BruShandria is right about Lauren getting over Tariq, though they're now doing better than ever. Those drugs in her drawer are SURELY going to be an issue and perhaps the thing that opens her eyes more to who Tariq is, right? Because it's going to come full circle with those pills coming through CourseCorrect.