There are only two episodes left of Power Book II: Ghost and the action is ramping UP.
As the series approaches its conclusion, two characters are embarking on two very different journeys.
Dru Tejada forges his path by teaming up with crooked Detective Carter against his mother’s wishes. Then there’s Brayden, who’s had a rocky time during this final season and sees his latest relationship implode when he lets his anger get the best of him.
Dru has made a decision for himself, and as his portrayer, the ever-candid Lovell Adams-Gray, shared with us, he’s working with Detective Carter with a larger plan in mind.
“I think Dru is trying to carve out a lane for himself and protect his family in the way that he sees best,” Adams-Gray said when asked about what’s driving Dru at this point in the story.
“And I think that is through Carter. You know, keeping Carter close. He’s an enemy, but there’s an aspect of mutually assured destruction there, right? Where Carter would never want to be outed by these criminals.
“In a way, Carter needs the criminals to make sure that he gets what he needs. I think Dru understands that as long as we stay in line and bide our time, everyone will get what they want. But he’s trying to play the long game.”
Even though Dru may be looking to protect his family now, that wasn’t always the case during this final season.
“He wasn’t getting what he wanted, right?” Adams-Gray replied when asked why it took him a while to get to the point where he was willing to work with his family, namely Monet, again.
“For the longest time, Dru wasn’t getting what he wanted. He wanted Monet to admit that she was a problem and that all of these traumas, being in the game in the first place, are a direct result of her ambition and her being in the space of not really listening to her kids.
“And so the fact that she was able to admit that and try to turn things around has shown Dru that, okay, maybe there is potential for reconnection and change.”
During Power Book II: Ghost Season 4 Episode 8, we saw that the conflict between Dru and Cane was as contentious as ever. But Adams-Gray doesn’t believe all hope is lost regarding Dru and Cane finding common ground.
“You know, I’m a softie for brotherhood,” Adams-Gray replied when asked whether he believes the brothers can find a way to co-exist again. “There’s always a chance for brotherhood to reconnect and come together. So, that’s just me.
“I definitely think that nothing has been done or said that completely eliminates the possibility of them reconnecting. I do see a space or potential for them.”
Adams-Gray feels similarly about the relationship between Dru and Monet, believing there’s still hope for them.
“The simple fact that he protected her, making sure that Carter was upfront, told the truth, and made sure that nobody was going to get killed is a testament,” Adams-Gray said. “Dru wanted to make sure that the family stays together as much as possible, but he’s just doing it his way.”
As we head into the final hours, the series may be set to conclude, but there’s still much for Dru to go through before all is said and done.
Dru’s weaving an interesting web, and there’s still plenty of action to come for him. Adams-Gray told us, “You’ll see a lot of strategic decision-making. Dru getting down and dirty. Some more fights, which I love. That’s my favorite part, actually, getting to fight.
“I love fights. But yeah, just Dru continuing to head down this path, which is showing why Papi picked him in the first place to take over the family business, that level-headed nature of being able to calculate and think a few steps ahead.”
Brayden and Dru have yet to interact much since earlier in Power Book II: Ghost Season 4, as their paths have diverged.
As Dru has had his family problems, Brayden had some as well, with his family fully exiling him from the family, leaving him with only one person in his corner: Tariq.
That bond between Brayden and Tariq has been tested many times throughout their history and has continued into this season.
Brayden’s portrayer, Gianni Paolo, had an intriguing take on the pair when asked how Brayden’s been affected by being outcasted by his family and having Tariq as the one stable thing in his life.
It’s been a lot for Brayden to deal with.
“It’s kind of hard because Tariq is very, like, he does what he does,” the charismatic Paolo said. “Brayden even says it in that episode, I believe it was the Season 5 Power finale, where he’s like, ‘This is how I cope,’ or, ‘This is my escape.’
“And he explicitly says this is why he’s doing cocaine. And Tariq’s like, ‘Bury it down like the rest of us have to.’ And I feel like Tariq has way more experience with that. He’s been doing this for years.
“He’s had this stuff with Kanan, and he’s gone through all these different layers and situations, where Brayden, this is kind of his first rodeo, and he doesn’t know how to cope with it yet.
“So he’s young. That’s what he’s dealing with right now. He’s also a college student. We’ve never seen him in class, but he is a college student.
“But I also feel like it’s a vehicle to get Brayden darker, right? Because if he’s going into trap houses and blowing people’s heads off, you’re like, ‘Whoa, this doesn’t make any sense.’
“But you see him start being unhinged and losing his way; it’s a way to get a character darker and where you want him to be in a series like this. Because obviously, we saw where Brayden started.
“He was a lacrosse kid in boarding school, and now you’re seeing him going to trap houses and blowing people’s heads off. You need these things to happen to him in a slow and organic way.”
Throughout the series, Brayden has had a few love interests, and he latched onto Elle this season, which was a relationship Brayden needed.
“I think it’s having another person to confide in,” Paolo replied when asked about that relationship and what that connection meant to Brayden. “Brayden is a lover boy, and I guess I didn’t even realize it until this season.
“Obviously, we saw season 1 with Riley. Season 2, no girlfriend. In season 3, we had Keke—Elle in season 4. So, every year, Brayden latches on to a different girl. I guess it’s become a thing where Brayden’s a little bit of a lover boy now.
“He finds a girl and says, ‘This is my girl for the season.’ And then, obviously, it always gets ruined.”
After Elle kicks him out of her hospital room and with the continued animosity between him and Tariq, Brayden should be in for an interesting conclusion to his story.
Paolo was candid when asked to tease about the end of the series and Brayden’s story.
“They say Power never ends, so I assume there will be more spinoffs. I believe this is the end of Brayden’s story, whether he lives or dies. But I think that they’re going to do some cool stuff. They always do, right? There are always different shows and stuff to feed the fans, so I’m excited to see where it goes.
“I want to see the Ghost and Tommy prequel. I’m excited to see that. That’s kind of the one that I’m excited for.”
You can watch Power Book II: Ghost on Fridays at 8/7c on Starz.