Dating back to the original Power, Ghost thought he had a ride or die in his wife Tasha but that proved to be false. Tasha was more concerned about the “status” aspect than what was ahead for the St. Patrick family. While the dirty money did indeed provide the family with stability, Tasha never thought to consider what it was doing to Ghost. Years later, the same is happening with their son Tariq as he morphs into the same person his father was.
While Ghost was doing all he could to get back to being Jamie, he didn’t always make the best decisions. Saying choosing Anglea was wrong, is a bit of a stretch. He and Tasha were done. They weren’t seeing eye-to-eye on a lot of things and their separation was best for everyone. But Jamie dating an FBI agent was not the best move. With that said, when looking at his world, Jamie chose two women who didn’t fully have his back.
Tariq is in the same boat now with Effie, Diana, and Lauren. An argument can be made why all of these women are good for him and then one can be made why all of them are bad for him. Lauren, much like Angela is the one that best suits him from the outside looking in. She refuses to believe the evilness that lurks inside of him. But at the same time, Tariq can’t continue to live that double life like his father did. Effie was poised to be his ride-or-die like Tasha was to Ghost but that was if he decided to stay in the game. Tasha was great with Ghost but didn’t fit Jamie. Diana is the wild card here. She wants to be on the good side but her family won’t allow it.
Tariq is in a tough spot. Lauren and her family skipped town. Effie is sleeping with the enemy and chose the other side. Diana just set Tariq up for attempted murder and now he’s on the run. He can’t turn to either of these women. Tariq is no saint. He has lied to all of these women in the past, but like his father, in his mind, he was doing what was best for him. With Lauren, he was trying to protect her. With Effie, it was out of convenience and for business reasons. With Diana, she was just around.
We can ask ourselves over and over what did Ghost see in Tasha and Angela? We can ask ourselves over and over what did Tariq see in Effie, Diana, and Lauren? At one point, all 5 of these women had the backs of their man until their backs were against the wall. This is the life that Ghost and Tariq chose. Everyone plays a role.
But the worst of them all still may be Tasha. She never wanted Jamie to leave Ghost behind. She plotted his downfall and even his death. But the craziest move of them all was her betraying her son. Instead of guiding him away from the madness that got his father and some of her friends killed, she took his hand and taught him the game.
When your own mother doesn’t have your back, what else are you expecting from anyone else? While the naysayers will argue that Tasha had no choice, she indeed did. Now look at them. Living on the run, the loss of a daughter, husband, lover, and a son that’s following in the footsteps of a man she hated.
Tariq is intelligent and yet, he can’t see what’s in front of his eyes. Ghost saw it and he wanted space between them. But Tariq, he’s a momma’s boy who’s constantly telling everyone that he’s better than his dad. He has yet to understand just how much Tasha has manipulated both him and his father. His mother betrayed him way more than Effie, Lauren, or Diana ever could.