The midseason premiere of Powerbook II: Ghost had me on the edge of my seat after the final episode. The biggest surprise for me was discovering that NYPD Detective Don Carter was a villain who used his position and power to control people like Monet and her family in order to gain intelligence and be part of a drug operation. This revelation makes me hope that this isn’t the final season of Love, as there’s a lot to unpack about this character. Bringing in the NYPD and revealing them to be the dirty cops they are, provides a more interesting and in-depth dimension to the Tejada family and all of their relationships.
We also learn more about why Carter fell into this ruthless mentality and his desire for control since the tragic death of his wife. “Ruthless” doesn’t even begin to describe Carter and his team at the NYPD, especially Officer Felicia, who orders Diana to kill Zion after realizing that Zion is too responsible for their plans. Diana confided in Tariq that he stabbed and shot Zion himself to protect her and their unborn child. Tariq tells Diana that the job is done and she asks to meet him at a place of her choice in lieu of late-night longing. Upon arrival, Officer Felicia asked Diana why Tariq had done the job she specifically asked her to do, and after Diana refused to cooperate, Officer Felicia violently attacked her and her child, directly targeting her. A few hard kicks in the stomach.
As someone who cares about Diana and Tariq’s relationship, I was shocked and disturbed by this scene. When Officer Felicia approached Diane, threw her to the ground, and kicked her in the stomach, it felt heavy, as if it had happened to someone I knew. When Tariq arrives, Diana isn’t there, so he calls her and, to his horror, finds Diana unconscious on the side of the building. As he ran to grab her, he screamed for help and called 911.
Meanwhile, Norma and Kane are getting more and more interesting. Kane serves as her right-hand man, determined to impress her and prove his loyalty and strength. However, it’s clear that Norma is a little jealous of Effie because Kane cares about her more than she thought. The fact that Carter never really crossed paths with Norma or got to know much about her is surprising, despite her having the resources and ability to uncover who’s who in the city.
At the end of the episode, Carter’s ruthlessness is shown again when he kills Detective Tate because he was unwilling to accept Carter’s offer to join the “dirty” work. To say this episode was intense would be an understatement, as it starts off with a bang, setting the stage for Ghost‘s more explosive final stretch, delivering gripping moments every week.
