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It’s the halfway mark of Season 3 of Power and this episode “Help Me” is a doozy. It also means that there are only five episodes left. Starz, you’ve renewed the show for two more seasons – can we get some more daggone episodes then? It’s hard to figure out what to do with the rest of our lives when Power’s not on.

To start us off this week, we have Tommy (Joseph Sikora) and Holly (Lucy Walters) who, although Tommy doesn’t know it, is really looking out for their little dysfunctional family. Then, of course, Ghost (Omari Hardwick) and Angela (Lela Loren) start the ep by getting it on in pure porno star fashion. If you’ve ever wondered why Angela is hooked on a drug dealer, well, these shots of Omari, I mean Ghost’s, stroke skills and tight ass, make it more understandable. But despite all that, in this particular sex fest Angie’s having trouble shaking off her worries about the future. The one that includes her man being ID’ed by Ruiz and potentially doing hard time in a federal penitentiary.

Cut to Lobos (Enrique Murciano) in true crazy train mode, trying to figure out why he hasn’t been sprung yet. His inside man, Sandoval (David Fumero) comes to the rescue, offering him a prisoner transport that should allow him to escape, with the help of a smuggled cell phone. Gotta love a helpful Federal prosecutor.

Meantime Ghost has issues with Angie that he wants to resolve. He’s ready to legally separate and put some papers on Tasha. No divorce yet, though. Tasha knows way too much for that.

So the scene is set, but Angie’s gotta save her man from Ruiz’s snitching. First she tries to get Greg (Andy Bean) off the scent. Then, as all the men set up the Ruiz case, Angie comes in with a Hail Mary – by telling Ruiz to remember the creed of the Soldado Nation – when a man saves your life, you don’t snitch on him. Isn’t that the creed of every nation? And how, exactly, does Angie know so much about the Soldado Nation? Was I the only one wondering what that was about?

As we know, mothers and sons have special relationships. Tasha’s (Naturi Naughton) relationship with Tariq (Michael Rainey, Jr.) seems pretty healthy, even when he’s being an ass, which is a lot, lately, given that his parents are breaking up. He doesn’t want to spend an entire day with his dad at the club. Ghost overhears his reluctance and feels pretty bad, but it is what it is. He ain’t going back to Tasha no time soon.

And to make things even more dysfunctional, here comes Tommy’s momma, Kate. I love Patricia Kalember in this role; she kills every scene she’s in. Here’s to a little rachet mother/son togetherness, bonding over a few shared lines of coke. As Holly wants to stay hemmed up in the crib until Ghost is dead, Moms decides that despite dismissing Holly after she introduces herself, that she’ll just hang out with her son and his girlfriend until her mortgage gets paid. Seems like Tommy forgot to write the check, because staying alive was foremost in his mind. Understandable.

All is good as Tariq learns a little of Daddy’s job while assisting Dre at Truth. There’s actually a really nice scene with Dre (Rotimi) and Tariq where Dre explains a little of Ghost’s past to his entitled son, who’s never had to struggle in the streets like Dre and his dad did. That may be why before their visit ends, when Ghost hugs Tariq, Tariq doesn’t let go.

At the end of the day, Tariq is just a hurt kid who’s lost, if not his father entirely, having his father in his household. Meantime, Ghost tells his security head to back off his personal security and just stay on the clubs. Does this seem like a good plan with all the enemies Ghost has? Well, for some reason Ghost thinks so, maybe in case he has to murk anyone, he doesn’t want his security watching it all go down.

Julio may have just saved Ghosts’ life when he drops by to talk to Tommy. Kate enjoys the visit, calling Julio a “tall shot of tequila.” Kate, Julio (J.R. Ramirez) is supposed to be Puerto Rican (he’s actually Cuban IRL) so that analogy doesn’t quite work, unless she meant he’s smooth and intoxicating, which he damn sure is. He has news on the hitters who almost got Tommy, when he was saved by a mysterious heat-packing angel. When Tommy realizes that the Koreans lit up a church, he knows that Lobos didn’t order the hit, the Koreans did and that he was likely saved by his former partner.

Holly doesn’t think that’s what happened. That girl is stuck on Lobos, but who could blame her? Remember what happened to the dog?

Unfortunately, Kanan (Curtis ’50 Cent’ Jackson) is still breathing air above ground. And he’s doing it at Andre’s apartment, with Andre’s daughter, as he’s told the mother some story to get her to leave the kid alone with him. (What the hell is her problem?! Who leaves their kid alone with Kanan?! We need to find out if this chick is still alive, for real.) He lets Dre know his allegiance better still be to him, not to Ghost. Oh and yeah, that he’s still alive. Dammit. Dre was really trying to turn his life around, now this.

Back at the federal building, Ruiz decides not to give up Ghost, after Angie full hood Latina performance, and Greg, once again, has failed to connect the dots between Ghost and James St. Patrick. He has his job back, though, and best believe he’s going to keep trying until he puts Ghost and Angie under the jail together.

Oh, Holly. Rachet Mommy made Tommy remember how loyal he was to him and Julio’s intel means that Tommy has finally recognized that he and Ghost together have a better chance of getting Lobos before Lobos gets them. Holly’s not hearing it and finally she confesses that she’s done what Tommy couldn’t – set Ghost up for the hit. Damn, girl why you say all that? Of course, an argument begins and Holly, to say the least, doesn’t end up on the winning end of it.

In fact….wait for it….Holly ends up quite dead, something that Black Twitter has been hoping would happen for the better part of two seasons. (Y’all happy now?) I’m actually going to miss that girl, she was a great foil for Tommy and she acted her ass off in the role. Actress Lucy Walters will live again, just not on Power. And truthfully, Holly was kinda right about how Ghost uses Tommy and how she was the only person really looking out for him. Tommy was taking the bros over hos mentality a little too seriously. On the other hand, Holly should have found the exit when Tommy first told her to leave. She figured out way too late just how far a man as damaged as Tommy is will go when he’s pushed too far.

This sets up possibly the most suspenseful moment in Power history – when Ghost is confronted by the Jamaican hitters, who rear-end him on his way to take Tariq to a Knicks game. When he gets out, they’re in formation, about to blow him away, while an oblivious Tariq listens to Future or whomever on what must be the worlds best noise-cancelling headphones. Ghost is caught. How does he get out of this one?

Well, fortunately, his security detail ignored his earlier orders to stop shadowing him and they take the Jamaicans out. Whew, close call. Should that guy be fired or given a raise? I think he just got himself a lengthy security contract, despite not following orders.

Naturally, Ghost believes that Tommy set him up. Once he gets that black hoodie on, he’s about to off somebody. He creeps into Tommy’s house, only to find him sitting there with now-dead Holly. So what does a man do when his former partner kills his girl? He helps him bury the body. Now that’s a real friend. The boys are back and now with a common enemy – Lobos.

Quote of the Episode: “You wanted me to help you. Has no one ever helped you before?” Angela

(Photo: Starz)

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‘Power’ Recap: It’s Going Down  was originally published on blackamericaweb.com