Michael Rainey Jr. Breaks Down ‘Power Book II: Ghost’ Series Finale, Addresses Spinoff Rumors —Deadline Q&A
SPOILER ALERT: The following reveals major plot points from the series finale of Starz‘s Power Book II: Ghost.
In 2014, Michael Rainey Jr. was a young teen when he debuted as Tariq St. Patrick in the Starz drama series Power, from executive producers Courtney A. Kemp and Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson. Today, Rainey is older and wiser after a decade of growing up in front of audiences in two Power Universe series— including most recently, Power Book II: Ghost where he survives to see another series finale. Could there be a third?
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The Power Book II: Ghost conclusion, currently available to stream via the Starz app, wraps up many storylines while leaving others open for possible continuation. Deadline has spoken to the network regarding what the future holds but there are no announcements to be made at present. And it’s important to note that with one more season of Power Book IV: Force left to play out, anything can happen. I suspect we have a bit of waiting to do before we hear anything solid so in the meantime, have some fun with speculations that, at the very least, keep cast members like Rainey entertained. More on that in the Q&A below.
DEADLINE: This is the second show Tariq has survived beyond the finale. Congratulations! What has this journey been like playing this character and growing with him?
MICHAEL RAINEY JR.: Man, it is a second ending. I think that’s crazy. The journey portraying Tariq has been a roller coaster. It’s been amazing. It’s been super fun. You know, people hated me for all the crazy stuff I was doing in the beginning. [Laughs] Fast forward, it turned like a 180 which was super dope to experience. It’s kind of rare to see a character that people hate in a pretty prominent TV show, and then end up loving them. This has been a blessing.
DEADLINE: You had many impactful moments in the finale but one sticks out the most. What can you share about the scene where Tariq is bargaining his future with Noma’s (Caroline Chikezie) brother Chinedu (Sahr Ngaujah) and he calls you Ghost? It appears that, for the first time, Tariq feels worthy of the title.
RAINEY: Tariq is literally doing what Ghost [Omari Hardwick] would do, like eliminating everything that needs to be eliminated. Then he’ll get into the position he needs to be in by connecting with the right people to achieve his goals. [Tariq] tells [Chinedu] the rundown [of his plans] and how the new operation will go, to which dude responds, “Like a ghost.” In that moment, Tariq realizes, yeah, this is what Ghost would do. This is the scene where Tariq fully accepts that he’s just like his dad, for sure.
DEADLINE: Do you think Tariq has any moments of regret in choosing to follow in his father’s footsteps when all his dad wanted was for him to have a successful life away from crime?
RAINEY: I think he does sometimes but then his ambition kicks in and he remembers he wants to be on top. At that point, he’s like, “Forget all that!” So he kicks back into gear and he heads back out. Being a family guy seems cool and all, but I gotta get back to the streets, that’s Tariq’s mind-set. He just loves the thrill of being on the streets.
DEADLINE: Right, but in the final season, Tariq found himself at a crossroads when he learned Diana (LaToya Tonodeo) was pregnant with his baby. It’s an inevitable conversation for the future.
RAINEY: Yeah [laughs], you see that little hallucination that he has and everything. It all goes back to his history with his dad. Unfortunately, that was taken from him way too early. You know, you guys didn’t even get to see half of what that was gonna be like.
DEADLINE: What could that have looked like?
RAINEY: Man, who knows what Tariq St. Patrick Jr would have been like. He probably would have been the best gangster/businessman ever! He would have had a little bit of Tariq and Diana and a little bit of Ghost. He would have been that guy. I feel like he would have been that dude. Diana wouldn’t have let him be in the game but he would also be Tariq’s son. Who’s gonna stop him when he wants what he wants?
DEADLINE: Diana also had a different future planned for her but she fully embraced Monet’s (Mary J. Blige) legacy in the end. This has the makings of the next Ghost and Tasha (Naturi Naughton) or Monet and Lorenzo (Berto Colon) — that ride-or-die kinda love that can weather almost any storm. Do you agree?
RAINEY: They would be a great couple, you know? Diana is the balance that Tariq needs. Plus, she doesn’t push him towards living a different life because she knows the street life. She will understand why he does certain things or what he’s going through, rather than, like, a Lauren (Paige Hurd) who wants him to be a good dude. Diana knows everything basically, so that would make for a relationship with good balance.
DEADLINE: Power baddie Noma dies in the finale but not before seeing her innocent daughter brutally murdered, by Diana no less. I wonder if Tariq took a second to think about how something like that could happen to him one day too.
RAINEY: That’s also what happened to Tariq when Diana was pregnant and they lost their child because of the world they’re in. That’s actually crazy because I didn’t make that connection before. That is some foreshadowing right there, they’re on the same little path right now.
DEADLINE: It’s been great seeing the return of Naturi playing your mom in the last couple of seasons. Particularly in Season 3 when Tasha and Tariq reunite with Tommy (Joseph Sikora). What was it like on set bringing the OGs back together?
RAINEY: Man, man, man, man, shooting that was dope. It felt like the original Power days. It brought us back to a moment in time, a full-circle moment. Obviously, we’ve been working together for a long time but to just come back and connect on another project was super dope. You never knew when something was about to happen but it was always so fun. It definitely felt like the old days.
DEADLINE: Do you think Ghost would approve of how his son turned out?
RAINEY: I think he would be disappointed and turning in his grave. [Laughs] Or maybe, he could have made peace with his son turning out just like him. Look, it’s over with now and we can’t even…
DEADLINE: Is it over though?
RAINEY: Listen, in our universe … I don’t know. I would love for the fans to get what they want, but in our universe, it would just discredit a lot [if Ghost returned], it would be too fake. Coming back from the dead is like, I don’t know.
DEADLINE: There are plenty of us who aren’t even sure he really died. Power is our telenovela and people come back from the dead all the time.
MRJR: [Laughs] We gotta get you to write the return of Ghost.
DEADLINE: Don’t encourage me because I will drop everything and set this up. But in the meantime, let’s discuss the tough decision Tariq made saying goodbye to his best friend Brayden (Gianni Paolo).
RAINEY: [Fake crying and laughing] It’s so sad and I hated that. It reminds me of when Ghost and Tommy were beefing and had their problems. It’s like, “Ah, no, we’re supposed to be [tight]. Why can’t we be brothers like we’re supposed to be?” But, you know, things happen. Sometimes people end up having to take different paths. [Tariq] had to make that decision even though he didn’t want to for their mutual benefit. Brayden has a drug problem right now and he’s dealing with losing Elle (Talia Robinson). He’s not focused and for what we do, you have to be on point.
DEADLINE: Fans on social media have been sharing their ideas for possible spinoffs, including mine which pairs Tommy and Tariq, a popular one. Do you read those?
MRJR: I’ve seen a lot of Tweets like that. I read these fan theories and I’m like, “Yo! Y’all be cooking up though.” The theories be crazy and there are so many different ones. My favorite one is about Kanan being Tariq’s dad; that was the funniest theory. They say Kanan slept with Tasha back in the day and he’s Tariq’s dad. It’s so crazy.
DEADLINE: Let’s break down what I’m calling your post-credits Marvel scene where Tariq is talking to a mystery person on the phone and moving on as if his story didn’t end with the finale of Power Book II: Ghost. What can you share?
MRJR: I don’t know what is going on. You know, the Power Universe never ends. Personally, I’m just excited to see what they got next. [When I read that scene], I was thinking, “What are y’all talking about?” I’m excited for whatever. If they call me, I’m picking up my phone. I’m just about giving the fans what they want. If they want Tariq to live until he’s 50, I’ll do that. Tariq is just a call away. I might just have to cut my hair first.
This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
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