We’re more than halfway through the season and every scene is filled with drama! Tariq (Michael Rainey Jr.) is alive and safe. Tommy (Joseph Sikora) and Ghost (Omari Hardwick) reunite and get caught up. Tommy now knows that Tariq was kidnapped by Jukebox, who was killed by Kanan (50 Cent), who isn’t dead. Ghost learns that it was Kanan who sent the ransom note to Tasha (Naturi Naughton) on the day that Ghost was arrested.
Tariq lies and says that Dre (Rotimi) didn’t know that Kanan and Tariq were together. This is Reason #55149729075 why Tariq must die. Especially since we know Dre set up Julio and is trying to get Ghost out the game. Tariq later tells Dre that he lied to protect him so Dre would tell him the truth. Dre tells Tariq that Tommy didn’t help put Kanan away, but is silent when Tariq asks if his mom did with Ghost. Tariq and Reina go at it at home. Reina is quite savvy about what is going on. Tariq is still on the lean and doesn’t trust anyone. And he’s still alive.
Tasha and Ghost fight because he believes she should’ve protected Tariq and she said that Tariq started acting foul when he left the family for Angela (Lela Loren). Then Ghost dropped the ether: “I didn’t leave our family. I left you.” All the air left the room defibrillator, please!
Stern shows up unannounced and says the entire family has to sit for a primetime interview to rehabilitate James’ image and prepare for the real estate venture. Tasha balks but Ghost overrides. The interview goes well with both of them lying their behinds off.
Tommy and Dre find Julio’s body. Julito really is dead. Angela and Tariq are alive but… I digress. Much to Dre’s dismay, Tommy immediately realizes that the Toros Locos killed Julio, and disrespected him in the process by indicating that Tommy isn’t as much a threat as Ghost was when he was in the game. Dre gets his wish, though: Tommy promotes him to be the new Distro.
Saxe, Sandoval and Valdez are told by Mak that their suspensions are indefinite and he hopes they’ll all be fired. He’ll also be moving forward on the Greg Knox case without them. Sandoval tries to pin Knox’s murder on Donovan, the agent who found Knox’s body, got the arrest warrant for Ghost, and found the murder weapon. They plant in Mak’s head that Donovan is the mole. But Mak is suspicious and lets Saxe know privately that he’s aware that Saxe and Markham met.
Proctor tells Ghost that Tommy killed Markham, Knox’s Homeland Security friend. He also assured Ghost that the tape connecting Ghost and Tommy to Lobos was destroyed. James and Tommy realize that Proctor “took care of” both the body and the tape but now that he’s not their lawyer anymore, he could be trouble. Meanwhile, Mak tells Proctor that he knows one of the last calls Markham made was to Proctor.
Tommy goes to see the Toros Locos and wastes the junior gang member they offered up as Julio’s killer. Tommy says he wants their territory back as payment for Julio’s life. Tommy meets with the Jimenez brother and sister team who are the leaders of the Toros Locos gang and says that he expects to be compensated for both Julio’s death and Lobos’ death. They were under the impression that Lobos’ death happened earlier in prison. We will see them again, and they’re ruthless.
Angela and Donovan agree to work together off the books to figure out who really killed Knox. Donovan says that Saxe was nearby when Lobos was shanked and that he had an off-record meeting with Markham, Knox’s friend. Sandoval goes to Donovan’s apartment to kill him, but he’s not there. Saxe shows up at Angela’s apartment and she, Donovan, and Saxe realize that it was Sandoval who went upstairs to Ghost’s office alone before the murder weapon was found.
Ghost buys Tasha a rock the size of the polar ice caps, not knowing that she kissed their attorney, Silver, the night before. This is an attempt to smooth things over, especially since Ghost needs Tasha to play the devoted wife in front of some councilmen at Truth for the real estate venture with Stern. Tasha shows up at Silver’s apartment and they… yeah. They get it in. Probably twice.
The treat of the week: Larenz Tate is introduced to the cast.
He’s a Councilman who may be a thorn in Stern’s side concerning the minority development loan he wants. But as always, we shall see.