Top 20 ‘Power’ Moments (SPOILERS!!)

***SPOILER ALERT!!  THE FOLLOWING POST CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE ENTIRE POWER SERIES!  IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN POWER IN ITS ENTIRETY YET, YOU MAY WANT TO SKIP THIS POST.  YOU’VE BEEN WARNED.***

The Power series finale aired last month (Feb. 9, 2020), and quite frankly, it was anti-climatic and disappointing.  Not only that, it seemed the sole purpose of the finale was to promote the Power TV Universe, which will feature 50-11 (pronounced “fiftyleven”) spinoffs, including Power:  Book II, which continues to tell Tariq’s story (gross).  On a side note, I don’t know what the hell is up with these series finales for my favorite shows!  They’re either the cherry on top of a horrible season (Game of Thrones, possibly Empire), or they’re hurtful endings to a stellar season and overall show (Power, Mr. Robot).

Nonetheless, Power had a phenomenal run, and for the last 5 1/2 years, I’d be glued to the TV the second I heard Joe belt the “Big Rich Town” theme.  Power earned its way into the pop culture lexicon over the course of the last six seasons with all its memorable scenes.  So much so, that instead of making a top 10 list of the most unforgettable Power moments, I decided to make a top 20 list.  Yes, this list is late as hell—later than usual—and I apologize for that.  I truly meant for this to be finished a lot sooner, but as we’ve all witnessed, 2020 hasn’t been the smoothest year in any respect.  Anyway, let’s do this thang!

By the way, if you’re one of the people that’s currently binge watching Power to catch up, you definitely don’t wanna read on, because this post has some serious spoilers.

20.  Tommy and Ghost Say Goodbye

Throughout the series, Ghost and Tommy had a love/hate relationship.  One minute, they’re brothers in every sense of the word.  The next minute, they’re literally ready to kill each other.  After Ghost tricked Tommy into killing his father and Tommy retaliated by putting a bullet in Angela’s chest, it seemed like the once close pair reached the point of no return.  To make matters worse, in Tommy’s eyes, Ghost appeared to be at fault for shutting down Tommy’s operation, killing Keisha and Proctor ratting them out.  However, towards the end of the final season, when Tommy found out that Ghost’s life was in danger (and that Ghost didn’t double cross him after all), he rushed to Truth to save him…but he was too late.

Tommy found Ghost dying on the floor, and the two men exchanged a tearful moment, proving their brotherly bond could never be broken, no matter the circumstances.  The only thing that topped Ghost and Tommy’s final conversation was Tommy’s reaction upon seeing the actual shooter.  More on that later.

19.  Tasha Gives Shawn a Show

At the beginning of the first season, Tasha and Ghost’s marriage was in a pretty good place, but there were some small signs of discontent.  First of all, Ghost made it clear that he didn’t want to be a drug dealer for the rest of his life, while Tasha was more than happy to be a kingpin’s wife.  Later, Ghost ran into Angela Valdes—his first love—not too long after Truth opened, and he began developing aloof behavior towards Tasha.  What’s worse is that Tasha witnessed Ghost and Angela’s reunion, and correctly deduced that there was unresolved feelings between them.

Tasha’s growing dissatisfaction with Ghost’s new attitude caused her to seek the attention of Shawn, Kanan’s estranged son who Ghost practically raised and hired as his personal chauffeur.  Shawn had a crush on Tasha, and she decided to use that her advantage after spotting Ghost with Angela, giving him an intense peep show in the backseat.  It was at this moment we learned that Tasha wasn’t about to play the innocent wifey waiting for her husband to do right.  She could be just as ratchet and scandalous.

18.  All “Pink Sneakers” Moments

During the entire first season, anyone and every affiliated with Ghost’s organization was wiped out by an unnamed woman.  Thanks to the woman’s unassuming looks and demeanor, she was able to fly under the radar and take out nearly every dealer she came across with ease.  Her only distinguishable trait was that she always wore pink hi-top platform sneakers.  So much so, she was simply known as “Pink Sneakers” (we learn later that her real name was Mariela).

It’s arguable that the pink sneakers gave her luck, because once she stopped wearing them (Kanan advised her to do so after people began to recognize her shoes), she got sloppy.

Without her signature footwear, she failed to kill Ruiz, and some time later, Kanan had Dre follow her to Miami and take her out to tie up loose ends.  Ghost ended up finding Pink Sneakers as well and flew to Miami to kill the assassin, but he got to her seconds before Dre.  Ghost tried to make Pink Sneakers name her employer during her last moments, but she only declared Ghost an idiot and let him know Rolla wasn’t behind it.

17.  Raina’s Death

Raina was one of the first people to notice a negative change in Tariq when he became more and more enticed with a life of crime.  Their once close relationship developed into one that was strained, as Tariq’s behavior towards his twin sister was almost as disrespectful as his demeanor regarding his father.  Everything came to a head when the idiotic boy witnessed a murder during a robbery he partook in.  Ray-Ray, the dirty cop in charge of the operation, had to get rid of everyone involved, including Tariq.

Ray-Ray eventually tracked Tariq down at his school dance.  Tariq, who’s as cowardly as he is moronic, gave chase and Raina intervened just as Ray-Ray closed in her brother.  Once Raina let it be known that she knew exactly who Ray-Ray was and threatened to have her father deal with him, he shot her dead on the spot as Tariq’s punk ass looked on, doing nothing.  Raina’s murder infuriated so many Power fans that the tide turned against Tariq for good.  One particular fan that was pissed off was Charlamagne tha God, who “awarded” Tariq Donkey of the Day the following Monday.  His sorry behind deserved it.

16.  Tony Teresi Is Tommy’s father

At the start of season four, Ghost was in prison, awaiting trial.  While there, he met an older inmate named Tony Teresi, who was the head of one of the most powerful mafia families in New York.  Once Teresi sensed that Ghost wasn’t an innocent man that got jammed up for no reason, he decided to start making demands, one of which was to have a meeting with Tommy Egan.

It was pretty clear to the audience—and to Ghost—that Teresi had some type of familial connection with Tommy, and Kate later confirmed everyone’s suspicions to Tommy himself.  Tommy’s initial reaction upon seeing Teresi for the first time was hilarious as well.  “You look like an old ass version of me!”

15.  Pink Sneakers Was Employed by Kanan

Throughout the entire first season, Ghost racked his brain trying to figure out who was taking out the primeras in his organization.  He even contacted Kanan for answers, and Ghost’s former mentor fingered Rolla as the ringleader.  Soon after Ghost and Kanan speak, the latter had a visitor…Pink Sneakers herself.  It turned out Kanan hired Pink Sneakers to get even with Ghost putting him in jail, and he framed Rolla to ensure that Ghost would take him out.  With Rolla and all the other primers dead, Ghost and Tommy would leave themselves vulnerable as far as protection and the operation were concerned.

14.  The Reading of Ghost’s Will

After Ghost was killed, we learned that he made sure to take care of a lot of people, including Kate, and Angela’s scorned sister Paz.  Naturally, when the St. Patrick family arrived to hear the reading of the will, they figured they’d hit the jackpot, too.  They couldn’t be more wrong.

Tasha’s mother was awarded a year’s worth of rent paid, much to her chagrin.  If someone offered me a year of rent, I wouldn’t turn down nothin’ but my collar.  Tariq and Yazz (Ghost’s youngest daughter that’s hardly ever mentioned) inherited the majority of Ghost’s properties, stocks, and liquid assets (since Raina died, Tariq ended up getting double the share that Yazz received.  I really can’t stand him).  However, Ghost’s will mandated that Tariq had to complete four years of college and graduate with a 3.5 GPA before he could even see a penny of the dough.  Tariq-the-Wannabe-Gangster took the news like he was going to the damn electric chair.  Again, I’d only turn down my collar.  I completed four years of college with a 3.36 GPA and had I nothing to look forward to but debt and unemployment…among other unpleasantries that came with my newfound adulthood.  The biggest blow was reserved for Tasha, as she procured absolutely nothing.  The looks on all their faces was priceless, and it was a trip to see Tariq wig out over being forced to go to college.  Cry me a damn river.

13.  RIP Bella

By the end of season two, Tommy and his ratchet girlfriend Holly were living in co-habitual bliss.  Tommy even bought a cute little pup named Bella to add to the family.  However, in true Power fashion, Tommy’s happiness was cut short.  Lobos, Ghost and Tommy’s connect, called Tommy and ordered him to kill Ghost…or else Lobos would kill him, Holly and even Bella.  Tommy didn’t take the threat lightly, but at the same time, he couldn’t bring himself to kill Ghost despite falling out with him (again) in recent weeks and Lobos’s repeated threats.  Tommy paid dearly for stalling.

A few days after Lobos’s last warning, Tommy entered his loft and found Bella lying dead on his kitchen floor.  Judging from the pool of blood the poor puppy was sprawled in, I can only assume her death wasn’t painless.  The saddest thing about this situation was days after Bella was killed, Tommy didn’t have the heart to tell Holly what happened.  Holly posted flyers all around the city, hoping to find her beloved dog again.  After a while, Tommy had no choice but to give Holly the disturbing news.  Tommy even offered to give Holly another dog, but she made it clear Bella couldn’t be replaced.  It was the sole time in the history of the show that Holly had my respect and sympathy.

12. Tasha Teaches Tariq the Game

Throughout the series, Tariq proved time and time again that although he has book smarts up to wazoo, he comes up lacking when in regards to street smarts (in any sense of the word).  I have no idea how a spinoff with this little fool as the lead character can successfully be executed, but I digress.

Anyway, after this idiot managed to get expelled from Choate for drug dealing and his kidnapping ruse with Vincent went left, Tasha was at her wits end.  She was sick to death of Tariq’s lies and deceit (as were we all), so she made a deal with him:  in exchange for being completely honest with her, Tasha would provide him an education on slinging.  This way, she wouldn’t “lose another child.” Tasha, sweetie pie, this logic is the equivalent of giving an alcoholic a glass of Jack Daniel’s.  The boy must’ve gained his knack of bad judgement from you.  What’s even sadder is that Tasha basically crapped on Ghost’s dream of making sure his children stayed out of the streets as well as the game.  I’ve never seen a child with every advantage be so hard pressed to be a street rat/drop dealer.  SMH.

11.  Tommy Throws Men Wrapped in Bubble Wrap Off a Building

At the beginning of season three, Tommy had a run in with a rival gang, ALM, who wanted control of the Soldados’ street corner.  When Tommy refused to relinquish the Soldados’ territory, a fight broke out, which resulted in the cops showing up.  Although Tommy’s crew eluded the police, he wasn’t about to let the ALM’s bad behavior go unpunished.  He and Julio kidnapped two members from the gang, wrapped them in bubble wrap and pushed them off the roof.  Fortunately, both men survived the fall, but Tommy shot the ALM leader for trying to take over the spot and mouthing off.

10.  Angela Learns James St. Patrick is Ghost

In season two, Holly was arrested and the ASU’s grilled her for information about Tommy, whom they mistakenly fingered as Ghost.  After hours of interrogation, Holly began to see no way out and was all but ready to break.  She excused herself to the bathroom to get her thoughts together, and Angela followed her inside, attempting to convince Holly to flip.

Once Holly recognized Angela as the woman she caught Ghost hooking up with at Truth, she realized the tables had turned, and now she had the upper hand.  Holly smugly revealed to AUSA Valdez that Tommy wasn’t Ghost…James St. Patrick was.  Holly went on to blackmail Angela, threatening to tell the other AUSA’s the truth unless Angela arranged to get both her Tommy and off the hook.  Angela had no choice but to play ball, but that wasn’t even the worst part of this scene.  The most heartwrenching part came when it hit Angela that the man she loved stood for everything she fought against.  The sight of her sobbing in the bathroom stall still haunts me.

9.  Julio Gets Killed

I had no idea how many people—myself included—loved Julio until his time on Power came to an end.  By season four, Dre (the slimiest character on the show next to Kanan and Tariq) began to have loftier ambitions in the legit world as well as the drug game and decided to move in on Julio’s job as distro.  Of course, the best way to initiate a corporate takeover in the business of drug dealing is to take someone out, and Dre made up his mind to do just that.

Julio was originally part of the Toros Locos gang and Ghost bought his freedom.  In doing so, Ghost established an unwritten contract that the gang could not harm Julio for leaving their set.  Unfortunately, once Ghost decided to be a regular citizen, the contract was broken and Julio had a target on his back again.  Dre informed the head of Toros Locos that Ghost left the game and gave him Julio’s location.  Dre then lured Julio to a warehouse under the ruse that a deal would be going down there.  Sadly, Julio bought into Dre’s lie, and walked right into the trap, finding the gang leader and two other soldados at the warehouse, ready to uphold Julio’s “blood in, blood out” oath.  Julio took out the soldados, but before one of them succumbed to his injuries, he sliced Julio’s Achilles tendon, effectively slowing him down.  This gave the leader the advantage and he stabbed Julio multiple times before delivering a coup de grace by plunging the blade in Julio’s chest.  Power fans were in an uproar when Julio was killed, and Dre was universally hated.  You deserved better, Julio.  Rest in peace, cutie.

8.  Kanan Kills Shawn

Towards the end of season two, Ghost was onto Kanan’s plot against him, and Kanan was fed up with Ghost always managing to come out clean and/or survive his attacks.  To ensure that Ghost would be done away with once and for all, Kanan enlisted Shawn to kill him.  However, when the time came for Shawn to pull the trigger, he was unable to murder his surrogate father.

Needless to say, Kanan was displeased with Shawn disobeying his orders and after a heated argument, Kanan did the unthinkable and murdered his own son.  Just when you thought Kanan couldn’t be anymore evil, he proved everyone wrong.  And Tariq’s dumb ass thought that Kanan really cared about him?  Please!

7.  Ghost Kills Williams (Charlie Murphy)

We all loved Charlie Murphy, right?  Not on Power, we didn’t.  During the last months of his life, Charlie starred in Power as a corrupt US Marshal named Williams.  For some particular reason, Williams developed an extreme dislike towards Ghost, and antagonized him every chance he had.  One day, while Ghost was minding his business and enjoying his rec time, Williams decided to taunt Ghost about the possibility of being locked up for life.  You’d think that’d be enough, but of course, Williams had to take it a step further.  He went on to insult Ghost’s kids, promised to take Ghost’s place in Tasha’s bed, and even went so far as to say he’d have Tariq and Raina call him daddy!  Big mistake.  Ghost finally reached his wits end and whaled on Williams.  Williams got the upper hand at one point in time by beating Ghost with his billy club, but Ghost managed to get his hands on a nearby weight and bash Williams’s face in until it was unrecognizable.  It was hands down one of—if not the—most brutal death scenes in Power history.  Despite being an asshole on the show, we still miss you, Charlie.

6. Ghost Burns Kanan and Leaves Him for Dead

By the end of season two, Ghost completely made up his mind to live the life of a legitimate businessman, one way or another.  In order to do that, he killed his all the members of Lobos’s organization (except Ruiz) and as recompense for killing Shawn and trying to murder him, Ghost went after Kanan.  Of course, Kanan didn’t go down without a fight, but Ghost got the upper hand by impaling him in the stomach with a shard of glass.  Afterwards, Ghost doused Kanan with gasoline and let him cook till tender.  Light ’em up, burn ’em up, flame on!  Unfortunately, evil is hard to kill.  The next day, the cops investigated the scene and didn’t find a body, but instead, found scratch marks on the door where Kanan clawed his way out.

5.  Tommy Kills Holly

Midway through season three, Tommy confessed to Holly that Lobos wanted Ghost dead, and if he didn’t carry out the deed, Lobos would make sure he and Holly paid the ultimate price.  Holly—who was never a big fan of Ghost to begin with—tried to persuade Tommy to go ahead and do the hit, but Tommy still couldn’t bring himself to murder his brother.  Frustrated with Tommy’s failure to act, Holly took matters into her own hands and hired a group of Jamaicans to take Ghost out.

After Tommy learned an attempt on his life failed because Ghost intervened, he tried to warn Ghost about Lobos.  Holly stopped him from going to see Ghost, revealing she took care of the situation herself.  Tommy went straight HAM upon learning that his best friend was about to be murdered.  A heated argument erupted between the couple which soon became physical, and Tommy ended up strangling Holly to death.  Little did Tommy realize he also killed his unborn child.  Later that night, Tommy called Ghost, who survived the Jamaicans’ hit (thanks to Milan), and pleaded for his help to hide Holly’s corpse.  The lost look on Tommy’s face when Ghost arrives nearly made me cry.

 4.  Ghost Gets Shot

Toward the end of the final season, Ghost was on top of the world:  he was running for Lt. Governor of New York, he was on his way to starting a new relationship, and he finally fulfilled his long time wish of being legit.  Each time he encountered an obstacle or a naysayer tried to tell him he couldn’t run for public office, Ghost would just repeat the phrase, “No one’s gonna stop me.”  Sadly, that wasn’t the case.

After Ghost’s party to celebrate his run for office, someone snuck in Truth and shot him.  Ghost died as a result of his injuries, and after weeks of the showrunners providing us little clues as to who was and wasn’t involved in Ghost’s death, we learned it was none other than that no good brat Tariq St. Patrick (big surprise.  *Sarcasm*).  Little bastard.

3.  Tariq Has Kanan Killed

Even after Kanan’s supposed “truce” with Tommy and Ghost to take care of Dre, he continued to make moves against them as well as Ghost’s family by corrupting Tariq.  Tasha decided it was time to be rid of Kanan once and for all.  She ordered Tariq to plant the gun he used to kill Ray Ray in Kanan’s trunk, and when Tariq and Kanan went out later that night, Tasha called the cops to report her son missing.  The police soon caught up with them, and Tariq gave them the false story.  The cops proceeded to arrest Kanan, but he wasn’t trying to go out like a punk.

Kanan saw the opportunity to grab the arresting officer’s gun out of his holster and kill all three of the policemen on the scene, but not before taking a bullet in the gut himself.  It appeared he was going to shoot Tariq for betraying him (some of us were even rooting for it), but he let the boy go.  Dammit.  Kanan stole a squad car to get away, but it turned out his bullet to the abdomen was fatal.  He drove a few feet away from the scene before passing away from his injury.  ‘Bout time his evil ass got his.

2.  Tommy Murders Proctor

Cooper Saxe, one of the most unscrupulous and inept AUSA’s ever, was hellbent on taking down both Ghost and Tommy, Ghost especially.  He was so obsessed with Ghost being thrown in a cage that he constantly harassed Tommy and Ghost’s loyal attorney, Joe Proctor, for vital information.  Proctor held out on Saxe and the other AUSA’s for as long as he could, but Saxe eventually backed him into a corner, forcing Proctor to give up the goods…on Tommy.

Unfortunately, Tommy learned Proctor ratted him while lying in wait to kill Maria, a witness willing to testify against Ghost.  While at Maria’s apartment, Saxe ran his big mouth claiming Ghost and Tommy’s esteemed lawyer flipped on them.  After killing Maria, Tommy immediately called Tariq and ordered him to leave the back door open so he could gain entry to Ghost’s penthouse.  Proctor and his daughter, Elisa Marie, were staying there to lay low, but Tommy still found the attorney’s location.  Once Tommy got inside, he riddled the entire penthouse with bullets (think of the end scene of Scarface).  Proctor fought back, but to no avail.  Tommy cornered him in Raina’s old room, and Proctor called Elisa Marie to give her a tearful goodbye.  After he hung up with his daughter, Tommy made his way in the bedroom and gunned Proctor down.  There is one bright side to all this:  Tariq made sure Elisa Maria wasn’t in the house to prevent her from being hurt when Tommy arrived.  At least we know his spoiled ass has a degree of humanity.

1.  Angela’s Death

By the end of season five, Tommy learned that Ghost orchestrated his estranged father’s murder by having Vincent tell Tommy that he was an informant.  It wasn’t a complete lie; Teresi was an informant, but he was only going to snitch on Ghost.  After Tommy realized he was duped into killing his own father, he decided to get even with Ghost the best was he knew how:  murdering him.

He tracked Ghost down at their old high school (their temporary rendezvous at the time), but as fate would have it, he wasn’t alone.  Angela was there with him, and after the two of them shared a kiss, Angela noticed Tommy aiming his gun at Ghost from the stairwell landing.  She pushed Ghost away just in time to avoid the bullet and ended up catching it directly in her chest.  Unfortunately, the wound was fatal, and Angela died in the hospital.  I’m not sure which was more chilling:  the scream Ghost made when he realized what Tommy did, or the self-satisfied smirk on Tommy’s face when he saw that he hit Angela instead of Ghost, effectively trading one for the other.

Honorable Mentions:

• Kendrick Lamar’s crackhead role
• Julio’s sex scene
• Dre killing Father Callahan
• Ghost killing Rolla
• Tommy running over Domingo to the tune of “Easy” by The Commodores
• Tasha ordering Ghost to continue his affair with Ghost (“You gonna keep fuckin’ her ’till I say stop!”)
• Keisha’s death
• Tommy and Keisha’s hookup in the salon
• Ghost learning that Angela is a US attorney
• Tommy killing Agent Bailey Markham in Proctor’s house
• Ghost, Tommy and Kanan joining forces against Dre
• Jukebox’s introduction
• Tommy murdering Spanky

—Written by Nadiya

What were some of your favorite Power moments?  Are you sad to see the original show end?  Did you like the finale, or was it disappointing?  Will you watch all, some, or none of the 50-11 spinoffs?  Is Tariq is a damn fool (of course he is)?  Who was your favorite character in the show?  Let me know in the comments section!