This is a big rich (Tariq) town…
Power Book II: Ghost is BACK and as the series finale draws near, Michael Rainey Jr. (Tariq) and LaToya Tonodeo (Diana) told BOSSIP what’s in store for their characters as the intense drama reaches its peak.
Source: John Nacion/Variety / Getty
As previously reported the final five episodes will focus on Tariq reconciling his past as he moves to rise to the top of the food chain. With the plot thickening around his descent into becoming an “apex predator” and the surprise reveal that he and Diana are expecting a baby, fans are in for a wild ride that Micahel Rainey Jr. and LaToya Tonodeo can’t wait for them to see.
Reflecting on the journey they’ve shared over the past several seasons, Rainey and Tonodeo expressed a mix of emotions about the show’s final stretch.
“Oh my God, I’m gonna miss them,” Tonodeo told BOSSIP’s Managing Editor Dani Canada about her cast mates. “It’s literally five episodes left, but we do go out with a bang.”
“It’s definitley a bittersweet feeling, we literally became a family,” added Rainey. “So to see it finally come to an end, we’re obviously sad that the show is coming to an end, but [also] just the working aspect. We’ve been working with each other every day for four or five years. So it’s like, ‘Damn, that’s tough.’ Super sad to see, but we’re excited to get you out these last five episodes for sure.”
As for what fans can expect before the series concludes, Tonodeo opened up about her character’s complex desires, especially now that Diana is expecting Tariq’s child.
Source: Courtesy / Starz
In an ideal world, the actor thinks Diana would love for Tariq to leave the drug game and be a family man for her and their child considering that Diana essentially grew up in a single-parent household.
“We all now that Diana love her some Tariq,” said Tonodeo. “Tariq can’t do a thing wrong in her book. Ido believe that she would love that idea. Of course, she doesn’t want to be a single mother. She had Monet, even though Lorenzo was in jail and she had her father figure, it was Monet. And Monet taught her so much about not following in her footsteps per se. So of course she will love to have a family unit with Tariq. Absolutely.”
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Diana’s yearning for a stable family unit is clear, but whether that dream will come true looks grim, especially considering the events of the episode that premiered at midnight on the STARZ app.
According to Michael Rainey, Jr., it’s just not plausible at the current time for Diana and Tariq to get on the same page. Not only that, but it’s doubtful that they would ever become a Power couple greater than his parents Tasha and James “Ghost” St Patrick.
“See, my thing is, Tasha supported Ghost from the beginning, and once she stopped supporting everything that he wanted you guys saw how the relationship went south,” Rainey told BOSSIP. “So right now, Tariq, he wants a whole different part of the world than Diana wants for him. She doesn’t want him to be part of the life. Tariq is like, ‘You’re bugging. I’m submerged more than ever, I’m in way deeper than I’ve ever been.’”
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He continued,
“So I feel like as of right now, they can’t really get that power couple aspect going because they kind of want two different things, but at the end of the day, Tariq, still wants to be there for his kid. So I feel like once he gets what he wants out of the game, then he could settle down and become the father that he needs to be.”
For now, Diana will have to deal with the father of her child being in “apex predator” mode as Tariq is undergoing a significant transformation to protect her and their unborn child.
Tariq has always been a complex character, straddling the line between a ruthless criminal and a young man trying to survive. With the impending arrival of a baby, Rainey hinted that fans can expect a more dangerous version of Tariq than ever before.
“You’re gonna see a lot, especially in the first episode back a lot goes on and Tariq, he gets in that apex predator mode,” Rainey revealed. “I’m excited.”
Source: Starz / Starz
As for what fans can expect from the final episodes, Rainey and Tonodeo offered three words: “Full…of…surprises.”
Source: John Nacion / Getty
With Tariq in full apex predator mode and Diana dreaming of a better life for their baby, the stakes have never been higher as the beloved characters face their toughest challenges yet. Fans will just have to wait and see whether Tariq’s fierce drive to protect his family will bring him triumph—or tragedy as it often has before.
Watch our exclusive with Michael Rainey Jr. and LaToya Tonodeo!
The premiere of Part Two of Power Book II: Ghost Season 4 premiered TODAY, September 6 on the STARZ app.