Power Book II: Ghost season 3 episode 8 recap — Dru cracks

Lovell Adams-Gray in Power Book II: Ghost (Image credit: Starz)

NOTE: this post contains spoilers for Power Book II: Ghost season 3 episode 8, "Sacrifice."

There isn't a character that's gone through as much emotional hell while attempting to keep his composure within the drug world as Dru (Lovell Adams-Gray) this season. The first few episodes ended the romantic relationship between the Tejada family member and Everett (Bradley Gibson), but he then found a relationship with Gordo (Erik Hernandez). However, that love shattered after Gordo killed Lorenzo (Berto Colon) with a little help from Monet (Mary J. Blige). Dru finds out the truth once he sees some text messages while Gordo is in an after-sex shower and murders him. Meanwhile, Gordo's family, who the Tejadas are aligned with, are looking for him.

Dru is still hurt by the situation in episode 8, but things are about to get worse. On a sports show with popular former ESPN analyst Jemele Hill, Everett announces he is ready to come out as gay with his new boyfriend as the first open NBA player. This causes Dru to spiral out of control, which leads to a confrontation with Everett and his current love interest. Dru drunkenly says something to the fact that he’s alone and that the love of his life is gone.

The moment is caught on camera and goes viral. One of the individuals who sees the video is Gordo's brother, Gustavo Castillo (Michel Vidal), and Evelyn Castillo (Luna Lauren Velez). They watch with confusion as Dru previously told them he didn't know where Gordo was. Putting two and two together, they come up with the conclusion that Dru is responsible for Gordo's disappearance.

Add this to the fact that the last episode ended with Diana (LaToya Tonodeo) getting placed under federal custody, things have gone from bad to worse for Monet. However, the Tejada matriarch can be proud that her only daughter not only doesn't snitch, but places Lauren's attempted murder on Effie (Alix Lapri) through the clever advice of Davis Maclean (Method Man).

Maclean eventually finds out Cooper Saxe (Shane Johnson) is playing both sides, working with love interest Jenny Sullivan (Paton Ashbrook), who is trying to collect enough evidence for a huge RICO case against both Tariq (Michael Rainey Jr.) and the Tejadas.

There's an interesting moment once Diana is released from custody where she tells Monet she wants out the game for good. She even brings up going down to Atlanta to attend the all-female Historically Black College Spelmen before Monet shuts that down with threats of violence.

As Tariq and Brayden (Gianni Paolo) deal with the omnipresent threat of Noma (Caroline Chikezie), they discover that the Weston Firm is running a ponzi scheme. Tariq also informs Brayden of the pending RICO case and Brayden hilariously answers "Like YSL RICO?", referencing YSL (Young Slime Life), an Atlanta-based rap record label featuring popular rappers Young Thug and Gunna who are under RICO charges for a range of charges including drug distribution and murder.

The situation threatens Tariq's trustfund and Tejada's safety net as well. When they confront Lucas (David Walton) about this, he says he's aware of Tariq and Brayden selling drugs under his roof while daring them to do something about it. Of course, Lucas was informed of all of this by Kiki (Moriah Brown). Lucas not only informs Monet but Ron Jenkins (Gbenga Akinnagbe) too. Both Monet and Jenkins threaten Lucas in individual ways before attempting to come up with a plan. The problem is that the firm doesn’t have much capital.

With Diana in the clear, this puts the spotlight on Effie. Still hurt by Tariq from their fall-out over Lauren's (Paige Hurd) attempted murder, she finds herself getting closer to Cane (Woody McClain). In the previous episode, Cane paid her tuition as a sign of good will. The two consummate their relationship with a few intimate moments as well. Following a close call with the FBI who attempt to catch her distributing drugs, Effie gets arrested for the attempted murder of Lauren. Making matters worse, Lauren is the one to properly identify Effie while she’s in handcuffs. Cane witnesses the whole thing.

Now that Tariq and Maclean know Saxe is the mole, they figure out a way to get out of the picture. That's interrupted when Maclean’s brother Theo (Jordan Mahome) gets out of prison and ends up killing Saxe alongside himself as the episode closes.

With only two episodes left in the season, how will the Tejads deal with the ramifications of Gordo’s death while everyone figures out how to beat the pending RICO charges?

New episodes of Power Book II: Ghost season 3 debut Fridays on Starz.

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Ural Garrett is an Inglewood,CA-based journalist and content curator. His byline has been featured in outlets including CNN, MTVNews, Complex, TechRadar, LA Weekly and more.