Power: “Why Her?” — July 18, 2015

James “Ghost” St. Patrick reconnected with his high school sweetheart Angela Valdes. They make a fetching couple and nothing stands in the way of their “happily ever after.” Well, almost nothing. Jamie is a drug distributor and Angie, who is part of a federal drug task force, has been pursuing a shadowy figure known by the street name Ghost. While Jamie eventually found out what his lover does for a living, Angie was under the impression, that Jamie is simply a nightclub owner. The fed zeroed in on Ghost’s best friend, partner, and loose canon of a dragon Tommy Egan. As part of her investigation, Angie leaned on Tommy’s sketchy girlfriend Holly, who just told Agent Valdes that the man she’s been searching for is Jamie. In other words, Power is a screwball romantic comedy. Let’s go!

Did you know that Power is a gritty crime drama? Well, you wouldn’t know it from these recaps which pretty much gloss over anything that doesn’t involve Jangela. Other topics of focus:

• Jamie and Tasha’s mansion in the sky, the set designers add new square footage to every week. Damnit, I forgot that Jamie has a wife named Tasha. Perhaps that is because Jamie forgets that he has a wife named Tasha. Mrs. St. Patrick’s hobbies include collecting lingerie, engaging in an odd sexually charged relationship with the St. Patricks’ chauffeur Shawn and being salty, usually justifiably so.
• The striking location porn. You know how so many American shows are filmed in Canada, so there are always hockey players and moose wandering into the frame? Power doesn’t do that. The New York City scenes are clearly shot in NYC, so we got to see Simon Stern at the Chelsea Piers golf range. When Jamie and Angela took a jaunt to Miami, we get genuine location shots of Little Havana and can practically taste the Cuban sandwiches and mojitos.
• Blatant product placement. If you are ever in Miami, make sure to stay at the Eden Roc Miami Beach, a luxury resort, and spa. Don’t forget your Samsung phone.
• Small clever touches, a sit-down between the various drug dealers takes place in a warehouse this episode. Drifty (Jamie Hector who played Marlo Stanfield on The Wire)  inexplicably sips from of a dainty teacup. We need more Drifty.
• Angela’s luxuriant hair. It is a rich chestnut and laughs in the face of Florida humidity. Angie’s hair probably has its own special dressing room. It is vexing that Angie’s hair did not get a supporting character Emmy nomination. Does it have its own Twitter account? If not, make it happen, people.

In any case, there was a major plotline last week involving Serbians. It was dramatic and cinematic and I don’t really know what was going on, but here’s the upshot. Somebody is mad at somebody else and somebody called somebody a Gypsy, so some guy is punished by having his head covered with a sack and then somebody puts a rat in the sack and nightmarish things happen and somebody on the writing staff is a big fan of George Orwell’s 1984 because this is kind of like what happened with Winston Smith, and that’s all I have to say about that. Back to Jangela.

Angela presses Holly for solid proof that Jamie is Ghost. Holly claims that Jamie asked Tommy to hide a gun for him and then ransacks Tommy’s loft in vain. She finally finds a gun in the trunk of his car, but it doesn’t prove anything.  As it turns out, Holly and Tommy are into light BDSM, he keeps handcuffs by his bedside and Holly gets to play the submissive. The Foreshadowing Fairy eyes the handcuffs and makes it a threesome.

Having banished cheating Jamie to a hotel room in the sky, Tasha is struggling to adjust to life as a single mom. Tariq is acting up in school and her mom doesn’t help at all. It goes like this:

Tasha’s Mom: Hi, I’m Debbi Morgan and I played Pine Valley sweetheart Angie Hubbard on All My Children. I haven’t aged a day. Now, let me predict that Jamie will start a new family and forget all about you and the kids. Why are you fooling around with Shawn? Focus. Stand still while I slap you across the face. I provide both insult and injury. No wonder you are so salty.

Over dinner, Tommy has a warning for Ghost. It goes like this:

Tommy: I don’t care how hot she is, Angela and her chestnut hair are our enemies.

Irony: Hi, mind if I have a seat?

Holly: Hi!

Jamie: While Tommy has stepped away, I will remind you that I already told you to leave town, why are you still here? Do what I say, or else.

The Foreshadowing Fairy: Holly’s probably going to get whacked.

Tommy: Later in this episode, I’m going to give Holly my grandmother’s ring as a promise ring.

The Foreshadowing Fairy: Run girl!

Ghost gets in a fender bender and the cops suspect that it’s a DWI and take him to the station. Angie’s boss Mike Sandoval reports that Tommy’s associate has been brought in and she makes a point to go check things out herself. This does not escape the attention of Greg Knox, her ex-boyfriend, current coworker, part-time door mat and jealous lurker. Jamie summons his wife to the station, which is exceptionally nervy, but then he really doesn’t seem to have anyone else, other than Tommy, who needs to stay as far away from law enforcement as possible. In any case, Tasha spots Angie and is understandably salty. Angie keeps her distance and pouts from afar. After Ghost is released, there is a very uncomfortable ride home. It goes like this:

Tasha: That was obviously your girlfriend. Are you kidding me?

Jamie: Um.

Angie: Why her?

James and Angela Fans: Because Angie is fucking perfect! Do you not follow us on Twitter?

Tasha: Well?

Jamie: I loved her in high school, I never stopped loving her, which is why I made googly eyes at her right in front of you just now.

The Audience: You are a rather incompetent cheater, Jamie. Please read Adultery for Dummies.

Jamie: By the way, she’s a fed. That’s why I took her to Eden Roc Miami Beach, a luxury resort, and spa. I was just keeping an eye on her. She thinks Tommy is Ghost, you know.

Tasha:  Wow, just wow. Okay, since she also made googly eyes at you right in front of me, I have a plan to save our business and family and to prevent us from going to jail. She is obviously in love with you and wants to protect you so, “Keep fucking her.”

Jamie: Huh?

Tasha: “You keep fucking that bitch until I tell you to stop.”

@JamieandAngie: Listen to Tasha!

Tasha: I’m so done with you right now, I’m going to go have sex in the back of a vehicle with Shawn. He’s kind of clumsy about it, but whatever. BTW, why is this being written like I’m Mrs. Robinson? You know that there is only a one-year age difference between my portrayer Naturi Naughton and Sinqua Walls, right? Whatever, the petite women in the audience will enjoy the height-difference porn.

Jamie: What?

Tasha: It’s a short-girl thing, you wouldn’t understand.

In the meantime, Holly takes Jamie’s bribe  money and heads to Penn Station. She gazes at the promise ring and ignores the Foreshadowing Fairy’s warning to run. When Angie can’t locate Holly she stomps over to Jamie’s hotel in the sky for answers and suggests that Tommy killed Holly. Jamie lies that Holly left town because she and Tommy split up. Off-camera Jangela sex presumably ensues.

Of course, Holly has not left town and she heads back to the loft, it goes like this:

Tommy: Hi.

Holly: Let’s get the handcuffs and do the bondage thing again, your turn.

Tommy: Okay.

Holly: Yeah, so I’m working with the feds to bring down Ghost.

Tommy: What?

Holly: I’m doing it for us, I am trying to keep you from going to prison.

Tommy: Despite the fact that this is all my fault because I have a big mouth, I’m going to rage at you like a murderous psycho now. Would you mind letting me out of these cuffs so I can hurt you.

The Foreshadowing Fairy: I’m not going to say it again.

Holly: Bye!

Power airs Saturdays at 9 p.m.ET/PT on Starz.

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