What to Expect in Season 5 of Power – Today’s News: Our Take

July is gonna be as hot indoors as it is outside, at least for people watching Starz Sunday nights. That’s when Season 5 of Power airs beginning July 1, promising more fire, more gunshots, more backstabbing and more shady alliances galore as James St. Patrick (Omari Hardwick) seeks revenge, Tommy (Joseph Sikora) seeks control of the drug game and Kanan (50 Cent) just flat out wants to murder and pillage because, well, that’s who he is. “Legend versus legacy,” is the theme for Season 5, showrunner Courtney Kemp told TV Guide. “Legend is the story you tell about yourself. Legacy is the thing you leave behind. Dre’s legend is that he can handle it but the legacy is, maybe not. Angela’s legend is that she’s one of the good guys — that she’s on the side of right. Maybe not. It’s going be a fun season because it’s about subverting expectations.” Here’s where we left off, and what to expect.

Naturi Naughton, Omari Hardwick, Michael Rainey Jr., PowerPhoto: Starz

WHERE WE LEFT OFF
Ghost, still determined to stay out of the drug game, wants revenge for the murder of poor little Raina (Donshea Hopkins) and her Tasha (Naturi Naughton) does too. But she has her hands full covering for son Tariq (Michael Rainey Jr.), who actually popped his sister’s murderer Ray Ray (Marcus Callender). And though she opted to shelve her romance with her attorney Silver (Brandon Victor Dixon) to get client privilege but let’s be real, you know they’re gonna end up doing the wild thing, consequences be damned. Ghost, like his brother from another mother Tommy, pins Raina’s death, and the manipulation of Tariq, on Dre (Rotimi Akinosho), who’s also pissed off Kanan so much that Kanan is down to team with former nemesis Ghost in order to take Dre out. Meantime, the dangerous Jimenez cartel — increasingly under Dre’s influence — remains a major threat to Ghost, as do the authorities. Jamie is no longer officially a suspect but his ex-lover Angela foolishly looped herself back into his morass yet again when she informed Tasha that a bullet from Tasha’s gun was lodged in the wall of the crime scene where somebody shot Ray Ray. Everyone’s locked into one another’s life-or-death mess, and it’s so good.

Lela Loren and Naturi Naughton, PowerPhoto: Paul Schiraldi/Starz

Power’s Tasha and Angela Will Form an Unlikely Alliance in Season 5

WHAT’S NEXT?
In the first two episodes sent to critics, Ghost, Tommy and Kanan are a united front — at least for now. Expect Tasha and Angela to form a bond, since the latter is in way too deep with the St. Patrick family to bail now, and she still has quite a lot to lose if anyone got hip to how deeply she’s been covering for them. Tasha exploits Angela’s anxiety as much as possible, which sucks Angela deeper into the St. Patrick mess and sets a timebomb waiting to go off among Angela’s already suspicious colleagues including Internal Affairs’ Blanca Rodriguez (Monica Gabriela Curnan). Same with Tasha’s relationship with Keisha (La La Anthony) — Keisha is going to wish she didn’t know as much as she did about Tasha really soon. Tommy’s drug allegiances with the Jimenez shift in Dre’s favor, with terrifying implications for Tommy and Ghost; on top of that, he’s going to discover who really killed Father Callahan, which ain’t good for Dre at all. And while it might seem like the idea of Ghost, Tommy and Kanan teaming up to take on Dre gives Dre way too much credit, know that Dre proves to be a slippery and tough adversary right off the top. Finally, there’s Tariq, who is far from reformed. He’s becoming a monster.

Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Omari Hardwick, Joseph Sikora; PowerPhoto: Starz

WHO’S GOT THE POWER?
As Season 5 gets underway, it’s Dre. With Tommy’s drug connects and Ghost’s business under his arm, Dre has proved able to outwit seasoned players older and wiser than him — and set up protections to keep his power in place. Not to be underestimated is Tasha, who’s fueled by grief and anger over Raina’s death and has a savvy attorney backing her. But the one to watch is most definitely Tariq. By the end of the second episode, Tariq proves he’s an adept and masterful liar — and he’s well past the kind of benign lying teens do with their parents. Even his loyalty to his family comes into question as he makes a shocking choice in one episode; Tariq is, as Courtney Kemp has said, Ghost 3.0 and with one body already on his scorecard, Tariq has proven he’s capable of the worst, and more.

Power returns for Season 5 Sunday, July 1 at 9/8c on Starz.