The fifth season of Power is set to premiere Sunday and fans have tons to look forward to following the shocking events of season four.
For anyone who is still behind, beware: there are quite a few spoilers below.
Ahead, the series’ stars discuss everything you need know and what to expect from the latest season of Power.
Let’s just get this out of the way: Raina is dead. D-E-A-D, dead. Tariq’s (Michael Rainey Jr.) twin sister caught a bullet on behalf of her brother after he got caught up in a mess he couldn’t get out of. Naturally, this season will deal with the aftermath of Raina’s (Donshea Hopkins) death as James “Ghost” St. Patrick (Omari Hardwick) and wife Tasha (Naturi Naughton) grieve over the loss of their daughter. However, how they grieve will be very different.
“I think that Ghost is definitely not grieving the same way I am, which is frustrating because it’s like, well, you don’t have to, but at least allow me my process,” Naughton told ESSENCE during a recent junket. “The therapy sessions and the group therapy, which happens [this] season, is deep. They’re two different people handling something traumatic in two different ways.”
Fans will find out more about Kanan (Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson), Tommy (Joseph Sikora), and Ghost’s history. The three have a tumultuous relationship that viewers have been anxious to learn more about. The history between the frenemies will be explored in season five, according to the show’s creator and stars.
“There’s a great scene between Ghost and Kanan early on where they talk about Tommy,” says show creator Courtney Kemp, “and how Tommy is perpetually in need. As Kanan says, ‘Tommy will always need somebody to take care of him.'”
Tariq is a murderer, now what? Tariq went to the dark side at the end of season four after avenging his sister’s death and killing Ray Ray. To be honest, this entire situation could have been avoided if Tariq had just stayed home instead of turning to a life of crime with the help of Kanan and Dre (Rotimi Akinosho). But, here we are and Tariq is still talking sideways to his parents.
Anywho, viewers will see more character development with Tariq and a closer look at his relationships with Kanan and Dre. In response to the theory that Tariq might be Kanan’s kid, which has been debunked, Jackson made it clear that his character just sees the son he could have had. “I like Tariq, I see qualities in him that are — not necessarily positive qualities — I didn’t see in Shawn. Like, this kid is actually street, he’s a gangster.”
The situation between Ghost, Tasha, and Angela (Lela Loren) is still messy, but the dynamic shifts a bit. Angela’s relationship with Ghost puts her job in jeopardy, but things get a bit more complicated at the end of season four when she begins to investigate Ray Ray’s death. As Ghost and Tasha scramble to cover for Tariq, Angela is pulled into it all. This will also shift Angela’s relationship with Tasha.
“What I loved about Angela’s descent into criminality is that the thing that pushes her and makes her cross the line is actually this really human moment where Tasha comes to her terrified,” Loren said. “Her daughter’s been killed and Tariq’s missing. And Angela — for both of their characters — they realize this is bigger than what’s going on in the love triangles.”
There’s still something between Tommy and LaKeisha (La La Anthony), but their timing may be off this season. The pair’s relationship faced too many obstacles last season, but in season five there are a few little moments that make you believe the two could potentially hookup again. However, there’s so much going on that the timing may not be perfect.
LaKeisha is still in the dark about Tariq killing Ray Ray as revenge for Raina’s death and while she tries to be there for Tasha and Ghost, there’s only so much a person can take. “LaKeisha’s reaching her limit in being this loyal friend and feeling like the loyalty’s not reciprocated,” Anthony said. “And, you’ll see a lot of that this season, LaKeisha finally putting herself first, taking control, and not just doing whatever Tasha needs or whatever Tasha wants, so that makes an interesting dynamic for your friendship.”
As for Tommy, when he and Ghost are dealing with the all the drama they’ve managed to get themselves into, he’s trying to maintain a relationship with his father, Tony Teresi, a notorious mobster with tons of connections. Sikora shared, “Everything is complicated, in every relationship. But I think we can see the Tommy and Teresi relationship actually being the savior of Tommy, in a lot of ways for the series.”
Tune in Sunday, July 1 at for the season five premiere of Power on Starz and the Starz App.