Season: 5 / Episode: 5, “Happy Birthday” / Starz Power
Slidin’ right into this one, because this episode was straight flames. We jump off with classic State Property “Get down or lay down” situations for Tommy and Teresi. Vincent forces Tony to make a big decision at the Italian spot. After Tommy confesses to not really ending his beef with Dre, Tony’s gotta choose to take out Tommy or Sammy. He apologizes to no one in particular, points at Sammy and pulls the trigger, but it wasn’t loaded. Vincent cuts them all out of the business. Tony smooths things over with Sammy by saying he knows the weight difference of loaded and not loaded guns orrrrr didn’t want to shoot his jail deal.
The Only Thing I Know Is That I Know Nothing
Ghost and Tariq in the whip, discussing Tariq leaving his new school Choate, and coming home for his birthday. Tariq tells Pops he finally wants to talk about what Tasha revealed. Meanwhile Tasha out at the baker’s, thanking her Silver boo for a fine night at the hotel. They get cake for Tariq’s bday, but the baker who knows the St. Patrick fam asks if she wants the twin’s bday usual; one strawberry and one chocolate. Tasha breaks down in her boo’s arms.
Angela in the briefing room trying to tell her team, Haters in the 1st Degree, that it’s fuck Steve Tampio season and that she don’t care his DOJ-backed ass is deading their Jimenez moves. Too bad cuz Tameika ‘Maxine Waters Swag’ Robinson tells her it’s a wrap on that. Angela smells shit on her shoe and tells Tameika she thinks her dept. is up to some funny shit that she’s not being privy to. Tameika talks to Angela’s lapdog, Donovan, who keeps it real with the boss and gives up Angela’s confiscation of Detective Rodriguez’ evidence on the dirty cop Ray Ray-Reina connection “case”.
Ghost, Kanan, and Tommy, the 3 headed Queens dragon are seen having their weekly gossip drama chat in some undisclosed area. Tommy wants to take out Dre but Ghost tells them he’s on the Queens Child Project (QCP) so they can’t fade him yet. Kanan aka Mr. Stay Schemin tried to sway Tommy to his side but he doesn’t fall for it…just yet.
Councilman Tate plays no games this episode. He has a sit down with James and Simon and back slaps them with the announcement of Andre’s new position; the face of the QCP. Oh and the next big fundraising event is being held at Dre’s club. Simon is disappointed James doesn’t know how to get himself out of this situation. He drops bars on our boy about his upbringing and always beating the odds. That shit must not have sat well with him because the next time we see James, he and Ghost are sitting in Andre’s office with his lawyer or boss who dismisses him from the QCP before James sues them for violating the no-complete clause in their contracts. Dre tiiiight.
King Kendrick Alert!!
Kanan is approached by the most on-point looking crackhead since Pookie. He hires Kendrick Lamar this addict on the spot after hearing him say something about “these Spanish don’t want nobody to have nothing”. Kanan asks him if he knows any Tainos, he grins ear to ear and the most unlikely tag team is formed. Maannnn Kendrick’s gift card selling bit was Emmy Award winning in itself, but as soon as that Mobb Deep “Survival of the Fittest” track dropped I knew I was about to witness some phenomenal scenes! Kanan and Laces (we find out he’s called) do the ill shake n bake, distract and bike ride drive by shooting on mufuckas, only to have Laces ask if he can take his wallet and shoes, then break out into an amazing hype dance.
Dre pops up at Truth, because they obviously held it there after Dre’s club plans got screwed. Him and Tate stand around being douchey dicks which forces him to stay and abandon his family once again. Ghost quickly becomes drunk as hell, brooding in the club. He mad that Dre is still grabbing all the limelight, being the face of the Queens Child Project, even after he flexed the contractual move. Ghost tiiiight.
Tony Teresi tries to snitch on Tommy early, with some wack info but Make and Saxe said that shit ain’t enough. Later Teresi drops some cold hearted barz on Tommy when they talk about being cut out of the Italian business. Teresi acting all sad he missed out on all this greatness for 25 years and Tommy like, “What, you regret not making a deal?!” Then this bastard has the audacity to say he was loyal to an ideal. “A rat is only a rat if he rats on somebody he should be loyal to. If you inform on someone you don’t give two shits about, to advance your own cause, that’s just business”. My jaw dropped fam. What kind of final form stool pigeon shit is that?! Then Teresi immediately runs and snitches that Tommy is laundering his dirty money through Ghost’s club. Whatcha gonna do Tommy boy?
Angela reaches out to Proctor for a favor and he obliges by getting Tommy to meet him and her to discuss the info bomb Tameika just dropped on her. Tommy knows she ain’t got shit on him being connected to the Jimenez cartel, despite her insistent badgering. But once she snatches that tracker off his car his attitude changes real quick.
Kendrick pops back up to help Kanan take another Taino out. Afterward, he busts some chicken down and speaks that “flakkahead” enlightened, ramble shit that results in one of the greatest convos by rappers turned actors.
Laces says, “You vegan?” Kanan is like, “I tried but they said I couldn’t eat pussy so I quit. Fuck that” I. Was. DEAD. Laces’ final manic words hit a note with Kanan before he gives him the gun to sell. Bravo to Kendrick Lamar on the best crack headed ass performance in decades.
Happy Birthday, Snitch
Tommy, Tasha, Keisha, Tariq and grandma at the crib having birthday dinner and they all texting on the low. Tommy like “Damn, Ghost ain’t coming? He always like this?” Then he takes Tariq out to get his birthday present. Tommy lets Tariq whip the muscle car then turns into a real ass gangsta and presses the little shit about warning Dre that they were coming to take him out. He admits it and Tommy tells him about all the consequences of his actions, then says he only worries about himself at the end of the day… Just like Ghost.
Sidebar: CAN TARIQ GO SOMEWHERE?? FOREVER?! Everytime he’s on screen I wanna Liu Kang bicycle kick that boy through the wall!
Tasha texts Silver that Ghost never showed up with the cake and he like, “Say no more my Nubian Queen” and is there faster that the flash. Good thing too cuz detective Bianca Rodriguez and 5-0 roll up to Tasha’s crib and enter through the worst elevator door of all time. They come to run ballistics tests on Tasha’s gun to eliminate it from the Raina case. She tells them it was stolen and reported it. Her story checks out, they bounce and Tariq starts snooping.
Back at the club, Ghost attacks Tate, forcing all eyes on his spiraling ass before he walks out knowing he done fucked up. The family at the crib broken in pieces cuz Tasha ordered the wrong cake and when they opened it up, it read ‘Happy Birthday Snitch Raina’ so moms ran before turning into the hottest of messes. Tariq overhears Tasha and Silver arguing over if she really killed Ray Ray or not. He tries to console his mom and take the blame but she’s no dummy and tells him to stay in a child’s place. The boy finds some pills and I don’t know if he’s goin down the druggie route or what!
Cristobal tells Dre about his Tainos brethren being gunned down and thinks 2-Bit is behind it. Dre gets a good chuckle outta that accusation cuz 2-Bit is too dumb for something like that. Dre tells Cristobal that would mean he ordered it and he’s not in the business of fucking with his own organization. He tells him to handle his gang shit before he has to.
Ain’t A Damn Thing Changed But The Numbers On The Range
Ghost comes home hammered, trying to give Tariq some gifts. He’s coming at pop’s piss drunk ass, and Ghost is bout to slap him into next Tuesday when Tasha has to come between them. Riq says he’s out to Choate now and doesn’t need Ghost’s money to get there. Tasha kicks him to the curb until her and the kids have bounced so he goes to see the Reverend about losing his daughter and now his wife and son. Ghost tells Rev. that he blames his son for not being there for Raina when she needed him (True). He also blames his wife for not noticing he was in danger and caught up in this shit (Projecting Bullshit). Rev breaks it down and asks Ghost what he’d do differently and what Raina would want him to do. She’d want him to be different. She’d want him to He wants to be a better man. It was a pretty good closing scene.
Of course we actually close with Ghost returning to the last high point in his life. Back to Angela. Back to the last bit of happiness he’s had.
Power Moves
Looks like Diego Jimenez and Dre are teaming up! Dre put the blame for the Taino hits and the Jimenez’ arrests on Tommy and Ghost. They plan to go fuck the Dragons up, but it stays between them. No updates for Alicia. Dre shittin bricks.
Tommy is one scary motherfucker man. Angela strapped up on sight! Just in case he was up to some shit. He pops up on ol girl at her crib and tells her that he has a problem. It’s her problem too so it’s time to help each other out.
Of course the 1st call that Tariq makes is to Kanan! He passed on the lean tho.
Quote of the Episode: “Ghost is like that lil bitch from Charlie Brown. Always moving the ball further away!”
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