NOTE: this post contains spoilers for Power Book II: Ghost season 3 episode 6, "Land of Lies."
Following Tariq (Michael Rainey Jr.), Effie (Alix Lapri) and Brayden's (Gianni Paolo) Italian adventure that nearly turned deadly for everyone, Lorenzo (Berto Colon) finally admitting to Monet (Mary J. Blige) that he accidentally killed Zeke, Lauren (Paige Hurd) spilling the beans to Tariq about her federal custody and Gordo (Erik Hernandez) killing Lorenzo, this week's episode, titled "Land of Lies,” deals with the ripple effect of those two moments. It begins with Monet informing her remaining children that Lorenzo is dead.
When it comes to the Tejada family, Diana (LaToya Tonodeo) is distraught by the death of her father but feels a bit of a release as she doesn't have to move weight for him anymore. However, she's still hurt for obvious reasons. Diana's relationship with Salim Ashe Freeman (Petey McGee) goes left due to him being insensitive about the nature of the murder. Let's just say Freeman dabbles into respectability politics at the wrong moment. That comes back to bite him later in the episode.
On the other hand, Dru (Lovell Adams-Gray) also doesn't know that current lover Gordo is responsible for killing his father, nor that Monet helped him do so. This leads him on a quest for revenge that includes a clever assassination of an Italian mobster with the help of Gordo. There's even a hilarious moment where Dru flirts with a hostess who thinks he’s into her.
By the time Lorenzo's funeral service is underway, the Italian mob performs a drive-by shooting that the Tejadas barely survive. Cane (Woody McClain) assumes the role of male leader of the Tejadas as he deals with a shake up in the Noma operation.
Those changes happen once Tariq falls out with Effie and Brayden over Lauren. Tariq first cuts Brayden and Effie out of the coffee business. In retaliation, Brayden gets Tariq fired from his internship. As a result, the two get into the highly anticipated fight teased during the season announcement trailer.
Lauren escapes federal custody but realizes that her parents aren't home. Jenny Sullivan (Paton Ashbrook) shows up and informs Lauren that her parents are under federal custody as well for their own protection.
Remember when Brayden dropped his phone and Kiki (Moriah Brown) picked it up in the last episode? Kiki confronts Brayden about the idea of him selling drugs through the Weston firm. Instead of blowing up his spot, she demands a cut of his profits in order to make the books look legit on paper.
Effie gets the worst of Tariq's wrath. Not only does he break up with her and fires her, but he leaves her stranded at the same spot she was supposed to kill Lauren. Then he ends up romancing a very vulnerable Diana. When Effie attempts to align herself with Diana, Tariq is there. Effie attempts to shut down Tariq's operation until Cane explains the overall consequences on all of them if she goes through with shutting down the coffee/drug app.
Eventually, Salim finds Tariq and Diana together alone getting close, which doesn't end well. Sure, Salim was absolutely right about Lorenzo’s lifestyle of dealing drugs leading to his death. However, when your lady needs a shoulder to cry on, it's best to just be there.
It doesn't help that Noma had an issue with Tariq, Effie and Brayden leaving the country without their permission. This leads to a demand for all of them to meet together for a check-in. It's going to be difficult now that the trio isn't getting along.
The person hit the hardest by Lorenzo's death is Monet. Not only is she faced with the pressure of keeping the secret from her family but is having hallucinations about her former husband. It's clear at this point the pressure of her part in his death is building significantly. It doesn't help that the feds are still on her case for her connection to Tariq and for Kevin Whitman's death.
New episodes of Power Book II: Ghost season 3 air Fridays on Starz.
