Power Episode 5 Recap: Help Me – Holly Gets Got
This was the episode Power fans have been eagerly anticipating for a number of reasons: Holly gets dealt with, Ghost and Tommy find a common enemy and Kanan (Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson) returns.
Let’s review.
“We are not leaving this apartment until we figure out how to kill him once and for all.”– Holly
The episode opens with Tommy (Joseph Sikora) in full-on panic mode thinking that Lobos tried to put a hit out on him. Holly amps up the tension by pushing Tommy to deal with Ghost (Omari Hardwick) and save their lives. “What do you think Lobos is going to do when he finds out you’re alive?” Well, we wanted to know what Holly (Lucy Walters)thought Tommy was going to do when he found out she hired the Jamaicans to kill his best friend. Holly still didn’t tell Tommy that she’s pregnant.
“We love each other and everything is going to work out. Relax”– Ghost
Even hot sex can’t keep Angela’s (Lela Loren) worries a bay, but we were of course pleased with all of Omari’s smexiness, as he made love to his distracted girlfriend. When Jamie asks her what’s wrong she still doesn’t tell him about Ruiz being in federal custody and about to drop dime and testify against Lobos and possibly finger Ghost to save his own ass. Instead, Angela focuses on Jamie still being married to Tasha and the fact that Tariq hates her and her sister Paz hates Jamie. A text from Saxe stating that the Ruiz strategy meeting has been moved up.
“I can’t have another witness killed on my watch.” — Mike Sandoval
Mike pays a visit to El Jeffe who is still in the prison hospital and shares the bad news about Ruiz’s return to testify against him. When Lobos suggests that he send his hitter Hugo to deal with Ruiz, Mike is adamant that they can’t kill another federal witness. Jeffe, of course, ain’t trying to hear it and makes it clear to Mike in no uncertain terms that either he finds a way to deal with Ruiz or Mike’s daughter will be in danger. “In these moments I ask myself, who am I going to kill first? Mike Sandoval or his daughter?” At least now we know what Lobos is holding over Mike to get his cooperation.
James reaches out to Proctor, who happens to be at the federal building, about drawing up separation papers for Tasha in a move clearly to appease Angela’s whining about him still being married. Proctor questions whether this is the right move given the trickiness of spousal privilege and how much Tasha knows about his business but James is adamant that he wants him to have the papers drawn up.
Angela pays a surprise visit to Greg. When she tells him that she knows he found Ruiz to try to prove his theory that her boyfriend James St. Patrick is really Ghost she asks why isn’t putting Lobos in prison enough for him. Greg says, and rightfully so, “Why is it enough for you? It never would have been before. What happened to you?” Now, Angela should tell ex lover Greg that because James effs her so good that she takes his ass to Red Lobster but that would be petty. Angela keeps it professional and says by trying to force Jamie into this prosecution it could cost them Lobos. Greg sees right through her and asks her if she’s ever going to get tired of lying for him.
In the Ruiz strategy meeting, Greg pushes the team to use Ruiz to get the rest of Lobos’ network. “While we’ve got the snake why not squeeze him for every last bit of venom he’s got, right? That way instead of just hoping to go to trial we can bury Lobos under the fucking jail.” Between Mike and Angela, it’s hard to judge who looks more worried about Ruiz’s potential testimony. Saxe plays along chiming in that they can get the whole network with Ruiz identifying places and names. Angela tries to suggest that putting this new deal in place could upset Ruiz’s attorney and leave them with nothing but Greg’s strategy gets the greenlight.
Back at Tommy’s loft, Holly is still nagging him about killing Ghost knowing full well her own plan with the Jamaicans is about to go down. When there’s a knock at the door Tommy heads to answer it with gun in hand. He might have been happier to see Lobos himself at the door instead of his coked out mother Kate who has stopped by to get a mortgage check. Seeing Kate and Holly together is creepy (with the same red hair and coloring they could be mother and daughter) and there’s instant friction between the two most important women in Tommy’s life. Kate bristles at seeing Holly wearing her mother’s wedding ring but Holly’s not backing down even when Kate throws shade and calls her Hallie.
Back at the federal building, Proctor runs into his own ghost when everyone is asked to clear out of the building. A security guard confirms to Proctor that everyone is being sent out of the building so a high-value federal witness can be brought in. He sees Ruiz being led in under the protection of investigators and Angela Valdez. Proctor heads straight to Ghost’s office to share the news about seeing Ruiz with Angela. Ghost is clearly shook over both the return of Ruiz and Angela’s betrayal. Proctor paints a chilling picture, “With Ruiz in play everything he knows is potentially on the table. That could be bad for Lobos but worse for you.” At this point we’re screaming at the television that Tasha would NEVAH EVAH do something like that and that he should take his butt home and back to his family. Proctor leaves the separation paper and asks the question we all want an answer to, “Are you sure you still want them?”
Greg and Saxe take the meeting with Ruiz and his attorney to present the new deal which does not go over well. Later, Greg returns alone to put the screws to Ruiz and tell him that if he doesn’t testify and identify Ghost then they will prosecute him for ordering Tommy to murder Nomar Arciello for sleeping with his teenage daughter. “And with Nomar, sick fuck, being a federal informant it means you’ve got the death penalty staring you in the face, Ruiz.”
Mother-of-the-year Kate snorts some coke with her son Tommy while Holly looks on in thinly disguised horror. Of course, Holly can’t join the fun since she’s pregnant. Tasha arrives to have Tommy sign a check for Kate’s mortgage and while she’s there Holly asks her where Ghost is so she can give the Jamaican’s his location.
Back at the club, James’ head of security Dean stops by to apologize for losing him in the club last night. James says he doesn’t think he really needs the personal security detail anymore and that they should just watch the clubs. Dean does not look happy.
James heads to the DJ booth to talk to Tariq about ramping up his social media presence on “The Twitter”. Tariq clowns his father for his lack of social media savvy and then things turn serious when Tariq questions what kind of father just leaves his family. “You move out, you make us meet Angela and you move in with her and you don’t even talk to us about it. What kind of father does that?” James gets a chance to really see and feel how his actions have hurt his son. Really nice scene.
The Ruiz task force team learns that Ruiz’s attorney is on his way back and it looks like he’s going to testify against Lobos and the entire network. This news comes with an order to have Lobos transferred to DC to be locked down until he testifies. Mike jumps at the chance to handle the transfer clearly sensing an opportunity. Angela looks sick to her stomach and can’t leave the conference room fast enough.
Next came the first of two big bombshells of the night when Dre returned home to his apartment to see his daughter and found Kanan holding her. As Dre begs for Kanan to put his daughter down Kanan talks about all the ways Dre has betrayed him. Given this is a man that murdered his own son we all know Kanan wouldn’t hesitate to kill Dre’s daughter. As Kanan gets closer to an open window, a terrified Dre tells Kanan how much Ghost trusts him and that he’s right where Kanan wants him to be. Kanan releases Dre’s daughter and tells him to stay ready.
Determined to help her man, Angela meets with Ruiz and tells him that he needn’t worry about Greg’s threat and that he should stick only to his meeting with Lobos. When Ruiz tells her that Greg said he has to snitch on Ghost or he’ll get the death penalty for ordering the hit on Nomar, Angela says no jury would convict him for protecting his 14-year-old daughter. She says her boss wants Lobos so focus on him and then slipping into Spanish she tells him that he’s still a Soldado and Soldado law says that if a man saves your life he’s your brother until you die. “Ghost saved your life… Vladimir, Drifty… You survived, Ruiz. You’re still here. Why is that? That should count for something, right?” This was an ice-cold scene played brilliantly.
The tension is rising in Tommy’s loft as Kate continues to throw shade at Holly questioning why there’s no food in the house. Then she reminds Tommy about what a good friend Ghost is and how he saved him from neighborhood bullies when they were the only white family living in a black neighborhood. Holly is clearly not trying to hear anything positive about Ghost and when she gets a text from the Jamaicans telling her they are in position she confirms that they should move forward with the hit.
Fine ass Julio pops by unexpectedly with some news about their Asian connect telling him that Dillon and his whole crew got taken out last night. When Julio tells him that he hit occurred in Hell’s Kitchen last night Tommy now knows it wasn’t Lobos that tried to have him killed and he realizes it was Ghost who saved his ass.
Ruiz and his attorney meet with the federal agents. When asked to identify Lobos’ New York distributor he tells them that his name is Ghost. When pressed by Saxe for his real name Ruiz says he doesn’t know. They try to pressure him with Nomar’s murder but Ruiz’s attorney makes it clear that he’ll have an easy time defending a father protecting his 14-year-old daughter. Greg is seething in the corner but Angela has outplayed him again. Mike’s boss then makes it clear, “We’ll take Lobos. We’re done here.”
Mike returns to Lobos’ hospital room with the paperwork for the transfer to DC. At first Jeffe is furious to see an agreement to testify against the Jimenez cartel in exchange for a reduced sentence but then Mike explains his plan. “If you do it, it means that we are required to transfer you from this facility to Teterboro where you will be flown to DC for witness prep. It’s up to you if you make to Teterboro still in federal custody.” Jeffe is very pleased with Mike’s work and wishes to share his “pleasure” with him as he caresses himself and makes a grab for Mike’s crotch. Gotta love Lobos!
After taking his mother to the train Tommy returns home to tell Holly that Ghost saved him from Dillon’s crew and that it wasn’t Lobos that tried to have him killed. When he says he wants to meet up with Ghost to sort things out once and for all. Holly, who has hired the Jamaicans to kill Ghost, tries to stop Tommy from leaving to meet Ghost so he doesn’t get hurt.
As Tariq and James are heading to the Knicks game their truck is rear ended. We know it’s a trap but James gets out of the car while Tariq puts on his headphones to listen to music.
The tension in the last few minutes of the episode heats up, the show switches back to Holly and Tommy’s standoff. “We don’t have to worry about Lobos anymore because we don’t have to worry about Ghost,” Holly says as she then tells him that she hired the Jamaicans herself.
Back to Tommy and Holly: Tommy is reeling over the news that Holly hired the Jamaicans and tells her to get out. This infuriates Holly who feels like she’s done what he wasn’t man enough to do in the first place to protect them from Lobos. She slaps him hard across the face and he throws her to the ground. This ain’t good, Holly! She’s incredulous that after everything Ghost has done Tommy still chose him over her. “After everything he’s done to you, you still care about him. He sent you to jail. Took away your business. Everything he did to me, to us! We were supposed to protect each other, Tommy!” When she tells him that he has to love her because she’s all he’s got left he yells at her to shut up, slams her against the wall and wraps his hands around her throat. Holly knees him in the groin and breaks free.
Tariq is face forward in the truck bobbing his head to the music in his headphones. James looks back at his son for what he probably thinks is the last time. James closes his eyes as bullets begin to fly. But it’s the Jamaicans getting hit, not James! Dean and his security team roll up on the scene efficiently taking out each of the Jamaicans. Dean tells James they’ll take care of everything that that he should get out of there. James jumps back in the truck and tells Tariq he has to take him home. Ghost has some business to tend to.
Holly taunts Tommy telling him he can’t do anything right without direction from Ghost and then goes for the jugular screaming, “Now that he’s dead you don’t fucking exist and you know it!” That wasn’t a good idea, Holly. Enraged, Tommy slams against the wall again as he chokes her yelling for her to shut up. Holly claws and scratches at his hands around her neck as her eyes bulge and she gasps for air. Tommy’s face is red with rage as he squeezes the life out of her. When he finally releases her neck her lifeless body falls to the floor.
Lobos makes a call alerting Hugo that he will soon be free and that he has a job for him.
Mike tells Angela to begin the transfer paperwork tonight for Lobos now that he’s agreed to give up the Jimenez cartel.
After dropping of Tariq at home, Jamie goes to Angela’s apartment. He sends a text to Dre telling him he may need his help later. He’s clearly shook thinking that Tommy was the one that ordered the Jamaicans to kill him. Angela walks in and tells Jamie that he no longer has anything to worry about because she took care of everything. “Lobos agreed to turn witness against the Jimenez cartel. He’ll be transferred out of state any day now. The Lobos case is over.” Jamie looks at her with disbelief and when she asks if no one has ever helped him before he says not like this. We beg to differ and think Tasha, the ride-or-die woman that helped build his empire and put Kanan in jail, would also disagree but whatever… Jamie rewards Angela by showing her the separation papers.
Later Ghost slips out of their bed. Time to go to work. Dressed in all black with the hood pulled low over his head he heads to Tommy’s. Using his key to enter he finds a catatonic Tommy sitting on the floor near Holly’s body. “Help me,” Tommy whispers.
The final scene jumps to Tommy sitting in a car on the waterfront. Ghost tosses a shovel in the back seat and slides into the driver’s seat and says, “It’s done.” Holly’s gone. He gives Tommy his grandmother’s ring. Tommy asks Ghost if he was the one that killed the Koreans and Ghost says yes. When Ghost tells him that someone tried to kill him tonight while he was with Tariq Tommy tells him that Holly ordered the hit. Then he tells Ghost that Lobos wanted him to kill him but he couldn’t do it. “Lobos isn’t going to stop until you’re in the ground. Me too.” They both agree they have to kill Lobos together.
