‘Power’ Series Finale Celebration Recap
The cast & producers speak at the Paley Center
Power, on Starz, is a contemporary American crime drama that delves into the scandals and violence that surround the New York City drug scene. Mainly following the life of James “Ghost” St. Patrick, this series explores the politics and business of the drug world from multi-cultural and LGBTQ+ perspectives, as well as the struggles that come in marriage, family, and friendships among many other things. Since 2014, Power has taken the world by storm with its complex story lines and continuously having its ever-growing audience on the edge of their seats every Sunday night. Before the series finale premiere, which aired on Sunday, February 9, some of the cast members and executive producers, including the show’s creator Courtney A. Kemp and executive producer Curtis “Fifty Cent” Jackson, were at the Paley Center for an exclusive preview screening and panel.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT read if you’re not caught up on season 6!
#WhoShotGhost
We finally found out the mystery! For the five episodes leading up to the finale, fans have been debating over who was to blame for pulling the trigger on James “Ghost” St. Patrick (Omari Hardwick). After following the seven suspects around for their recount of the day he was shot, it was revealed that it was none other than Ghost’s own son, Tariq St. Patrick (Michael Rainey, Jr.). Creator and executive producer Courtney A. Kemp shared, “There are really only two people who can kill [Ghost]…. Tariq or Tasha (Naturi Naughton). And when it comes right down to it, the person he’s wronged the most is his son.” As heart-breaking as this may sound, it couldn’t be more of the truth. Ghost not only gradually neglected his duties as a father throughout the seasons, but he also left his family to be with his high school sweetheart, Angela Valdes (Lela Loren). Tariq was forced to grow up real quick for the sake of his sisters and mother all due to his father’s selfishness and instead of living the life Ghost and Tasha had worked so hard for, he became a Ghost 2.0.
The Impact of Power: Naturi and Larenz
When everyone on the panel settled into their seats, you could see such a genuine sense of pride beaming off of all of their faces. Naturi Naughton, who gave an incredible performance in the final episode, gave some insight into what the journey of being on Power has been like for her. “This has changed my life tremendously…. I learned so much from being a 29-year-old actress moving from Los Angeles. I think I realized when I got this show, I didn’t have to keep proving I was good enough.” She went on to talk about how being in the entertainment industry for so long made her often doubt herself, but the lessons she’s learned on this show has given her such a grounded confidence. Not only has Naturi grown as an individual but as a performer as well, as she allowed Tasha to exponentially develop in her roles as a mother, spouse/lover, and especially a friend. “It was hard for me as an actress, as a friend [to kill Lakeisha (Lala Anthony)]. She was [in] one of the first scenes of season one, trying on clothes [together]. And I have to kill my best friend? That was very hard for me to do.”
Larenz Tate, who portrayed Councilman Rashad Tate, talked about his experience since his series debut in season four. “To be in the business… [and] know the process of creating characters and performing, and to be able to sit in the audience and watch masterful writing and masterful performances… it really is magical…. To be a part of this is historical, is classic, and is iconic.” His testament was echoed throughout the evening by his cast mates, as they couldn’t stop professing their gratitude to executive producers Courtney A. Kemp and Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson.
The Secret Behind the Last Five Episodes
According to an interview she had with TVLine before the mid-season premiere, Courtney revealed that the final episodes of the series were inspired by the Japanese crime film Rashomon (1950). She didn’t elaborate too much on what that meant at the time of the interview, but audiences soon figured out they were seeing the day Ghost was shot from the different perspectives of various characters: Dre Coleman (Rotimi), Paz Valdes (Elizabeth Rodriguez), Cooper Saxe (Shane Johnson), Tommy Egan (Joseph Sikora), Tasha, and Tariq. And as a result, they had to film some scenes a handful of times — particularly the shooting scene. Joseph Sikora, who plays drug distributor and Ghost’s best friend, Tommy, talked about his experience in repeatedly filming this scene. “We did that scene before. But I had some ideas for [it] that the other directors weren’t necessarily able to facilitate for whatever reasons that all turned out great. However, Anthony [Hemingway] said, ‘What do you want to do? Let me make that happen.’”
Up until the finale premiere no one actually knew who did it, except Courtney of course. “We actually shot all of them killing [Ghost],” she said. “At the end of [episode] six-ten, we shot all of the suspects killing him, [so] they didn’t [even] know who did it at that point.” Even though she shared that only Tasha and Tariq were the main two suspects, everyone else in question clearly had their motives, too.
Funny Moments
When Kemp writes a character, she definitely knows how to poke at her audience! It’s been revealed on social media that Michael Rainey, Jr., 19, has received countless death threats for his actions towards his on-screen father. He jokingly pleaded for no more messages of the sort. Rotimi added, “I didn’t get 300 death threats, I got about 180.” They’re bad but don’t hate on them too much!
Then, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson had both his cast and the audience cracking up from start to finish. One moment in particular that stands out is when he was talking about Shane Johnson’s character. When talking about his performances as Cooper Saxe, Jackson called Courtney when he was directing and told her, “This motherf–r never missed a beat! …We definitely weren’t killing that [guy].” Also, Jackson shared about how his social media influence has been a major factor for the show. Whenever an episode aired, Courtney would already be onto the next thing. Meanwhile, Jackson was on Instagram enjoying himself, saying, “I just put out that Tasha did it,” leaving poor Naturi to chime in, “Then I had people all up in my DM’s!” Nobody can catch a break under that man, on- or off-screen!
So what’s next? #PowerNeverEnds
Since we were left on such a cliffhanger, we already know Kemp and the team behind Power are looking towards the next chapter of this epic. Kemp shared, “Power Book II: Ghost is a 72-hour difference…. What I can tell you is that the world opens up. We meet Method Man’s character, we meet Mary [J. Blige’s] character. We meet a whole new world, and you’ll see some familiar faces.” And since the panel, it’s been revealed that a total of four spin-off series are in the works — Power Book II: Ghost follows Tariq and life after his father’s death (premiering summer 2020); Power Book III: Raising Kanan (in production, possible premiere late 2020/early 2021) is a prequel to the first iteration; Power Book IV: Influence (in development, possible premiere early 2021) focuses on Councilman Tate’s journey towards his growing political power; and Power Book V: Force (in development, premiere TBD) is about Tommy’s continued journey in the drug game. From the looks of it, Power truly never ends.
For the past six years, Power has given audiences the gift of escaping into an exciting, alternate reality. This series has most definitely left its mark on the television industry, and in a sense has given America its “black James Bond.” The stories the series told through its thorough and multi-dimensional characters and the situations they were put in only had viewers coming back week after week and has given all who have viewed its journey something truly special.
Check out this clip from the Power Series Finale Celebration:
Paley Matters is a publication of The Paley Center for Media.
