One thing about Power Book II: Ghost is they will kill everybody and not feel bad about it.

The original Power used to put characters in dangerous situations often and have them miraculously escape (hello, Dre), but Ghost decides to kill people with little fanfare.

And while Power Book II: Ghost Season 2 Episode 10 did claim some unsurprising lives, there was one major shocker that will have reverberating effects for seasons to come.

But before we get into the nitty-gritty, it's worth mentioning that while this finale was extended and truly did wrap up the season, it was a little hard to follow.

Monet's convoluted plan was a way to get mostly all the main characters into a single plot, but again, it was convoluted and, on paper, not wholly necessary. And it took up so much of the screen time that we barely got closure on other storylines.

That's not to say the finale was subpar, but coming off two truly great installments, it wasn't quite up to those standards.

Closing out Tariq's trial, in the beginning, was a smart move knowing he was going to be needed in the Tejada subplot because this show has firmly established where the Tejada's go, Tariq follows, even when he doesn't want to.

Brayden is such a sleeper on this show, but he's probably the most loyal of the bunch. Sure, he does things to protect himself at times, as he should, but he's never above getting his hands dirty and trying to protect Tariq.

Taking the stand and admitting to being behind Course Correct effectively blew Jenny's case sky-high, and just like that, Tariq was a free man.

You should never get your legal information from any Power show, and we're reminded of that once again when Tariq is on trial for double murder one day, and shortly after that, he's right in line to get custody of Yas again.

It's been said on repeat that one of the best aspects of this series is how they've managed to completely characterize Tariq in a way unlike anything we saw from him on Power. And they achieved that by making him the star, which gave us greater insight into his motivations and allowed us to see different sides to him.

And this season, in particular, they leaned into Tariq's inner struggles and honed in on his love of family. Because at the end of the day, Tariq really went off the rails when his family broke apart.

He was too young to understand the mechanisms and dynamics of relationships, and he rebelled, though instead of just skipping school or staying out past curfew, he took things to the absolute extreme.

As he's grown up, the consequences have started to catch up to him, and his role in the destruction around him has become much clearer. And I don't believe he never saw it before, but it's not something he can ignore anymore.

We've been watching Tariq become a new man this season, and it's been a revelation. Michael Rainey Jr. has put in an incredible amount of work into this character, and it's been incredible to see the evolution of Tariq from brat extraordinaire to an actual adult.

Even though we all knew damn well he wasn't going to be able to get out of the game, much like Ghost, his acknowledgment was a long time coming. And his selfless decision to reunite Yas with Tasha shows how different this Tariq is from the boy who killed his father.

Tasha: Don’t underestimate my son, Tameka. That boy’ll surprise you. I promise you that.
Tameka: He’s already surprised me.

Permalink: He’s already surprised me.

Tasha's brief appearance was sweet and such a good ending place for her and Yas's story.

The storyline has involved beyond Tasha, but she's forever a part of the universe and forever a part of Tariq. His love for his mother and sister is one of the things that motivates him for more, and it's admirable.

Walking away from them was difficult, but it's what was best for them, and that already sets him apart from his father, who was never able to place others' needs above his own entirely.

Tariq wasn't even able to enjoy his freedom before being hit with the news that Lauren was dead and then promptly roped into Monet's scheme.

Seeing as how we never saw Lauren's body, does anyone feel like maybe Effie let her go? I think years and years of watching television have conditioned me to believe that you have to see a dead body for a character to be dead.

But assuming she is gone, Effie is cold-blooded. Not only did she get rid of her biggest rival, but she's leaned into this role as being Tariq's number one. She's his shoulder to cry, all while she's lying to his face.

One thing about Effie, though, is I do think she cares about Tariq. Her actions aren't all rooted in her own self-interest, but that's not how Tariq will see it.

Now, let's get into what dominated this episode, and that's the plan to get Cane to believe he needs to kill his father, all while everyone else is working on the plan to kill Mecca.

Monet: So, you thought this all the way through didn’t you?
Mecca: A goal without a plan is just a wish, right? Yeah, I’ve been planning this ever since I lost you.

Permalink: A goal without a plan is just a wish, right? Yeah, I’ve been planning this ever since I lost...

We can all agree that Mecca had to die because Monet would not have Lorenzo killed. Does she like the man? No. But does she want him killed? Also, no. His death does nothing for her, but getting rid of Mecca does.

Mecca's pursuit of Monet was cute at first, but he was so obsessed with recapturing her heart, and his willingness to do ANYTHING to make that happen was dangerous. He couldn't be trusted, and there was just no viable way for Monet to live her life with Mecca in it.

So, killing him was the move, but I wasn't following why they needed to convince Cane to kill Lorenzo. He was never going to do it, and he never even had much contact with Mecca where it was necessary for him to "convince" Mecca he was up to the task.

Even if Monet's pep talk got Cane mad at his pops, he wasn't going to pull that trigger. Monet has a way with Cane that she doesn't have with her other children, and it's rooted in Cane wanting to please his mother.

Years and years of working together has him constantly looking for her approval, and even though he knows he shouldn't, he can't help but want to do right by her.

But trying to manipulate and put him in the headspace to kill Lorenzo still doesn't compute to me, mainly because what if it HAD worked? Cane had a good fifteen seconds when he pointed a gun at Lorenzo and could have pulled the trigger.

Things just spiraled from there, and somehow we ended up with Lorenzo on the rampage looking to kill Mecca, and we got our first genuine shock of the finale.

Before we get into THAT death, though, Mecca's demise was predictable once everyone figured out the truth. But even knowing that, seeing Monet pull the trigger was wild.

He really died by the hand of the woman he blew his whole life up for. Life comes at you fast.

But anyone, back to the shocking moment, let me say first, I sincerely hope the show continues to lean into Diana's rat era. Don't let her go back and try to regain trust with people. Just let her be herself.

Herself is gathering information and using it when necessary.

We all knew she was going to look in Mecca's bag, and telling Lorenzo what she saw puts her back in her dad's good graces.

I have A LOT of thoughts about Lorenzo, but I've said it before, and it remains true here that he wants his family together. His family is vital to him, but he's too stubborn to see that there are different ways to achieve his goals.

Hearing that Mecca had documents in place for HIS children, pushed him over the edge.

We were robbed of an actual Mecca and Lorenzo confrontation post the dinner from hell, but it wasn't at all surprising to see him rush off to kill Mecca, even though it was not a part of the plan.

And that's how we end up with Zeke dead.

There were so many ways this season could have ended, but nowhere on my bingo card did I have Zeke dying by Lorenzo's hand. And not even a straight-up death. He shot him in the back, thinking it was Mecca.

What an absolute mess.

I wanted Zeke to walk away from this season with a win. Instead, he walks away with a bullet in his back.

Zeke was failed by so many people, and yet he's the one that dies in the end, alone. He was at the hangar, presumably to try to make some kind of life with his father, and look what happens.

He also died knowing Monet had once again lied to him and let him down.

Zeke was a perfectly serviceable character, though his death won't leave a gaping hole on the show. But the ramifications are going to be astronomical.

This may be a pain Monet never recovers from. And while we're used to relatively resolute and in-control Monet, seeing her spiral a little bit has the potential to unleash a lot of great storylines.

Let's briefly talk about Davis and Saxe because we end with them on opposite sides after seemingly starting the season in sync.

Davis is always unapologetically himself, and you can't even be mad at him. Everyone should realize who Davis is at this point, and if you think differently of him, OR think you're smarter than him, that's your own problem.

Davis does what Davis wants, and he's loyal to himself. Saxe knew that. And look, much like Tariq has changed, so has Saxe. He's not the same man who set up Ghost and did whatever the hell he wanted in the name of "justice."

This Saxe has a bit of a conscience and with the body counts racking up, he actually realizes he's not helping anything or anyone. But turning on Davis has disaster written all over it. Plus, it may be a mistake to trust Jenny explicitly after embarrassing her so thoroughly in court.

No one will be able to save you from whatever crapstorm Davis sends your way, Saxe. But will I gladly watch the two men go after each other with everything they have? Absolutely.

Everything Else You Need To Know

The Cane and Tariq duo is so underrated. They can't stand each other, but they work pretty well together. And Cane gaining slightly more respect for Tariq after learning he killed his dad was gold.

How is Zeke dead, but Everett has made it through two seasons untouched?

There was plenty to enjoy about the finale, but it was so heavy on some things and light on others. It felt like we spent no time with Brayden, Diana, and Dru, all characters who've been great this season.

RIP Lauren. I was hard on Lauren because the show struggled to get Lauren outside of the love interest box, but this season was much kinder to her. And I'm sad to see her go.

RIP Zeke. You deserved so much better than you got. You were not a bad person, and all you wanted was to play basketball and have a little fun. You got swept up into the Tejada mess, and it cost you your life. Again, you deserved better.

RIP Mecca. Look, Mecca was a hot mess on every level, but he was also much more than a one-note villain. And Daniel Sunjata did such a good job balancing the monster with the man who loved so fiercely and wanted to run away with his Nae Nae.

Saxe finding himself a girlfriend this year? Good for him. It's a shame she's probably playing you.

They never really did anything with Davis's brother, but maybe they're saving it for later?

Larenz Tate is so good as Tate, but the Tate and Sweeney plot was drug out for way too long. Where does he go from here?

Blanca is back. I have nothing to say beyond that.

Alright, guys, thanks for sticking with me this season! I had a lot of thought about this finale, but overall, Power Book II: Ghost Season 2 was an improvement over Power Book II: Ghost Season 1, and that's all you can hope for.

The series is growing and changing in the best possible ways, and they left things in a way where the story can evolve in many directions.

Let me know what you thought about the twists and turns of this installment and where things are going next in the comments.

Make sure you watch Power Book II: Ghost online during the hiatus so you can join us next season!