‘Power Book II: Ghost’ Recap: Riq & Brayden Bring The Weight To Wall Street, Cane Owns Lorenzo

'Power Book II: Ghost': "Need vs. Greed" Episode 2 Recap

Source: Starz / Power Book II: Ghost

Last week on Power Book II: Ghost’s season 3 premiere, we met Noma, the new BIG BAD in the Powerverse, and she does not play. Riq is definitely his father’s son after he kills Bash out of pure anger. We found out that Effie (Alix Lapri) and Brayden (Gianni Paolo) didn’t finish the job with Lauren (Paige Hurd), and she survived the assassination attempt on her life. That’s precisely where episode two picks up. 

Lauren Won’t Snitch On Riq

Power Book II: Ghost

Source: Starz / Power Book II: Ghost

As mentioned above, Lauren is alive and well and under the care of Jenny Sullivan (Paton Ashbrook), the only person who knows Lauren did not drown in that vehicle. After Effie knocked her the hell out, put her in the car, and pushed it into a lake, a bystander luckily saw the car sinking, and she was saved in the nick of time.

Lauren wants to go home, but Jenny wants the world, including her parents, to believe she is dead until she can prove that Riq (Michael Rainey Jr.)is the head of a drug enterprise. Even after suffering her traumatic event, Lauren knows it was Effie who was behind her attempted murder, but Jenny tells her there is no evidence to prove that is the case. Jenny asks Lauren if she can give her any information linking Riq to Brayden or Effie, and Lauren says nah because she still has feelings for Riq.

There Will Be No Drug Selling At Stansfield or Weston Holdings

Speaking of Riq, he, Effie, and Brayden show up at the warehouse to meet with Cane (Woody McClain) and Obi (Kyle Vincent Terry) to discuss the plans to move all of Noma’s drugs. We know they sell drugs, and Brayden was born with money, but these are the most fly college students we have ever seen.

Power Book II: Ghost

Source: Starz / Power Book II: Ghost

Moving along, Effie agrees to start selling drugs along the Ivy College circuit, but Riq tells her to stay away from Stansfield because the block is still hot after Brayden fell on the CourseCorrect sword.

Cane hired some dudes to help move some of the drugs, and Brayden suggests they start selling to coke-abusing employees and interns at his father’s company, but Riq shut’s that down immediately because he told the world he sells drugs. Riq then accurately points out how white people continue to fail up after Brayden’s punishment for selling drugs was a six-figure job while he is struggling to find a room at a school.

Power Book II: Ghost

Source: Starz / Power Book II: Ghost

Tariq tells Brayden that Councilman Tate (Larenz Tate) did him a solid and even gave him an internship position on his campaign. Riq asks his boo Effie if she needs company on her trip, and she says no, but she tells Riq to keep his eyes on the prize.

Power Book II: Ghost

Source: Starz / Power Book II: Ghost

Riq is well aware of what’s happening and reminds Effie that if they don’t move all that weight, they are all in big trouble, and Effie agrees.

Monet Is Still Just Sulking At Home

Power Book II: Ghost

Source: Starz / Power Book II: Ghost

MacLean (Clifford “Method Man” Smith”  shows up at the Tejada residence to find Monet (Mary J. Blige) in her favorite seat, still sulking about Zeke. Also, why the hell is she watching an episode of a court show featuring Yung Joc?

MacLean has no good news to help her find out who killed her secret son because the leads are not going anywhere except that the person who did kill him also killed Dante. Monet tells Davis that he needs to start earning his money, and she will not rest until she finds out who shot Zeke.

Power Book II: Ghost

Source: Starz / Power Book II: Ghost

Monet will also get a visit from Uncle Frank’s wife, Evelyn (Lauren Velez), who wants to sympathize with Monet following her loss.

Power Book II: Ghost

Source: Starz / Power Book II: Ghost

Evelyn tells Monet that Officer Whitman is asking her questions, but she has not told her anything. Monet thanks her for always being loyal and begins to offer her money, but Evelyn tells her no and gives her some money instead because her boys have been caking in Brooklyn.

MacLean’s partner, Cooper Saxe (Shane Johnson), links up with his booty call Jenny, who is holding Saxe’s feet to the fire for not getting her any information she can use. She also lies to him about her whereabouts because she can’t tell anyone that Lauren is still alive.

Saxe asks if she had luck pulling the unredacted case file for MacLean’s brother, Theo Rollins. Jenny tells Saxe she has to move carefully because she is trying to get a RICO case off the ground, but Saxe tells her no one will believe that a teenager is running a drug dealing enterprise.

Brayden Being An Ally, Helps Him Get Lucky, Riq Loses Out On His Internship

Power Book II: Ghost

Source: Starz / Power Book II: Ghost

We all knew Brayden was team chocolate, and that has been confirmed. The trust fund baby scores a tremendous amount of brownie points with KiKi (Moriah Brown) after he cleverly gets a racist intern who said some disrespectful sh*t to her fired.

To show her gratitude, she gives him a ticket to take her to pound town, bringing the youngest Weston to an empty floor in his family’s building so they can do the deed. We’ll keep an eye on the beautiful KiKi because everyone on this show makes power moves, so she might be trying to get her hands on some of that Weston fortune somehow, some way, and a very impressionable Brayden could be precisely what she is looking for.

While Brayden is getting lucky at his job, Riq can’t seem to catch a break and walks into Tate’s campaign headquarters only to see Brushandria (LightSkinKeisha) in his seat. Understandably upset, Riq asks Tate what the hell is going on, and he tells him there was a change of plans without going into much detail.

Brayden & Effie Are Both Sneaky As Hell

Power Book II: Ghost

Source: Starz / Power Book II: Ghost

We learn this was all a part of Brayden’s plan. Mr. Silver Spoon loves cosplaying as a drug dealer, so after he finds out from Riq that he didn’t get the internship with Tate, he suggests that Riq should take an internship at his dad’s company. Riq agrees.

Riq leaves the room, and Brayden suggests to Effie that they have to tell Riq the truth about Lauren, and Effie says HELL NO. She tells Brayden the game’s objective is to gain Riq’s trust, not destroy it, and that they will take that knowledge to their graves.

Power Book II: Ghost

Source: Starz / Power Book II: Ghost

When Riq shows up for his first day, Brayden’s dad loses his marbles because they want nothing to do with the Black kid that introduced their innocent white child to drug dealing.

Power Book II: Ghost

Source: Starz / Power Book II: Ghost

Poppa Weston is even more appalled that Uncle Lucas (David Walton) gave Brayden the green light to bring Riq on board. After that, they all go to celebrate at afterword spot, the strip club, and it’s there where Riq sees just how easy it is to move Noma’s weight at Weston Holdings.

Power Book II: Ghost

Source: Starz / Power Book II: Ghost

Riq Is Down To Move Drugs At Weston Holdings

Power Book II: Ghost

Source: Starz / Power Book II: Ghost

After initially being against the idea, Riq is now on board. Now, all they have to do is take out the dealer/trainer supplying the cokeheads at the firm.

Brayden’s mission is accomplished, and we learn he contributed to Tate’s campaign to get him to hire Brushandria over Riq, leaving his buddy no choice but to take the internship at his dad’s company.

Even though Riq said not to, Effie is still considering moving the weight at Stansfield. She was close to making another app but got cold feet and decided against it.

Diana Gets A J O B

Power Book II: Ghost

Source: Starz / Power Book II: Ghost

Diana’s LaToya Tonodeo) time at Stansfield is being taken care of by her papi, but she still struggles to buy the books she needs.

Effie suggests that she has a conversation with the new hotep, oops, we mean teacher’s assistant, because he can help her. We also think Effie is trying to ensure Diana stays away from Riq because this smells like an indirect hookup.

Power Book II: Ghost

Source: Starz / Power Book II: Ghost

Diana has a conversation with the teacher’s assistant, and he hooks her up with a regular ass job at the school store where she can earn cash or credits to buy the books she needs. When she goes to the back, Riq and Effie walk in looking like a couple, much to her surprise.

Dru Catches Another Beatdown

Power Book II: Ghost

Source: Starz / Power Book II: Ghost

While things are looking up for Diana’s love life, Dru (Lovell Adams-Gray) has problems with his boo, Everett (Bradley Gibson), who is still stuck in the closet. They argue about Everett not publicly claiming Dru after he invites him to his signing party at One Oak.

After going back and forth, Dru understands that Everett is only trying to protect his professional basketball career and agrees to attend the party.

That won’t happen because poor Dru gets jumped and has his chain snatched with Everett’s ring on it. When he tries to explain to Everett what happened, Dru gets dismissed by Everett.

Poor Dru.

Understandably upset and in a dark place, Dru gets the message from Riq to take out Weston Holdings’ supplier. Dru accepts the mission and pushes the poor guy before an oncoming truck. All of that exercise didn’t prepare him for that.

Now the door is open for Riq and Brayden to flood Wall Street with their drugs.

Cane Is The Captain Now

Power Book II: Ghost

Source: Starz / Power Book II: Ghost

Lorenzo (Berto Colon) is tired of seeing his wife just sitting on the couch, wasting her life away looking for the killer of her son, which also happens to be him. She doesn’t know it yet.

Cane is tired of being number two behind Dru and expresses frustration with his father. Lorenzo tells him he will deal with Dru on his own terms and doesn’t trust him after Cane failed at trying to kill him.

So, Lorenzo tells Cane that in order to earn his trust again, he has to find out who killed Zeke, and maybe he will consider helping move Noma’s weight.

Cane does the work and learns some details that make the lightbulb go off in his head. We will come back to that.

Monet gets pulled over by Detective Whitman (Jeff Hephner), who believes she took out his boo, Professor Milgram. Monet immediately calls MacLean to tell him about the developments.

Power Book II: Ghost

Source: Starz / Power Book II: Ghost

MacLean calls Saxe into his office to ask if Jenny knows anything about Whitman harassing his client and what is going on with his brother’s case. Saxe calls Jenny and tells her to look into Whitman, possibly snooping around Dante’s penthouse. Jenny is also hard at work with Blanca Rodriguez (Monique Gabriela Curnen).

Whitman finally stops by the office, and Jenny gives him an earful for messing with Monet and possibly ruining their case before he tells them they need to focus on Monet and not Riq, and everything becomes clear.

Lorenzo’s Big Secret Is Out

Now, back to Cane and Lorenzo, after he kills and tortures the men for information, one person gives him clues that tie directly back to his father. Cane finally has a leg up on his dad, telling him he now owns him because he knows he killed Zeke, and Lorenzo admits to it.

To keep Cane from telling Monet what he did, he has no choice but to do what he says and is now willing to move Noma’s drugs.

We can’t wait to see how things get even juicer on next week’s episode on Starz.

Photo: Starz / Power Book II: Ghost

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