Ghost is dead… for now. Although James St. Patrick is still among the living, his murderous kingpin alter-ego “Ghost” is temporarily retired to live out his recurring fantasy — a life of peace with Angela. Unfortunately for James, his masterful plan to eliminate all street ties has loose ends that will leave him and Angela in immense danger come season three.
The finale begins with the clandestine murder of Drifty, the Jamaican drug leader and one of the chiefs in Ghost’s networks of pushers for Lobos’ product. A picture card named “La Armana” is placed on the body, and this becomes a recurring theme when we see Vladimir, the Russian leader, suffer the same fate in a spa. Later its revealed that Ghost is behind the slayings as revenge for their treachery, and to eliminate any ties to himself as he moves forward with trying to become legit.
To that end, Ghost finally pulls his trump card on the smug Simon Stern. With the proof of embezzlement sent to Stern’s soon to be ex-wife Madeline, Stern loses Club Truth to her, and she immediately sells it back to Ghost. Stern is left with his tongue wagging and millions less in his bank account. A more fitting end couldn’t have been written for a man who made his fortune exploiting others.
A FRACTURED FRIENDSHIP
The episode also highlighted by the permanent break between Tommy and Ghost. At the episode’s opening, Ghost had Tommy’s complete trust for getting him out of prison and a federal sentence. But as they conspired to eliminate Kanan, Tommy truly saw how deep Ghost’s rabbit hole went. Not only did he find out Ghost truly did set up Kanan, but Holly reappears to disclose secret plan to send her away.
They both realize their lies were to save what matters most of them. For Ghost, that’s leaving the street life behind and going legit. For Tommy, it’s continuing to be the biggest dealer in town (“It’s the only thing I’ve ever been good at.”). They’re going in different directions, and a tense, gun-pointing standoff is ended with Tommy walking away and vowing to have nothing further to do with his former best friend.
Lobos might have something to say about that.
“Ghost Loose End #1” is Lobos, who survived the prison assassin sent by Ghost. Lobos saw through the “La Armana” card ruse (meant to identify the Jimenez cartel) and concluded it was Ghost. His revenge is to flip Tommy into his sole distributor. Tommy doesn’t have a say in the matter, as Lobos makes it abundantly clear that that a refusal means his death and that of his loved ones (mother, Holly).
Up until now, Tommy has not had to wear the crown and the endure the pressure that comes with it. We’ll see how he handles being under the thumb of an erratic, murderous supplies, having to set up an entire new drug network, and also handling the killing of his former best friend. Be careful what you wish for, Tommy.
SAY HELLO TO THE BAD GIRL
Exit Angela the FBI Agent. Enter Angela the Queenpin. Angela has finally reached the point of no return emotionally and professionally. After breaking it off with Ghost for the 1000th time, she has an epiphany at her disciplinary hearing when she’s cleared of all charges. Once again, she sees Ghost is out to protect her at all costs — the illegality of the sketch supplied by Isabel Ruiz can’t be verified since Ghost convinces the entire Ruiz family to hide out in California to avoid “Lobos’ wrath.”
As discussed in the episode nine recap, Angie and Ghost are just alike. They are ruthless and psychopathic in their ambition to get to the top at all costs. Everyone is expendable — just ask Angie’s colleague (and former lover) Greg, who gets double-crossed into the target of a sexual harassment investigation. With the respect of her colleagues gone, Angie only has Ghost and the dream he continues selling her of a “happily ever after” conclusion.
KANAN’S FAILURE
“Ghost’s Loose End #2.” Kanan’s plot to overthrow Ghost literally goes up flames. He foolishly alienated his only remaining ally in Dre, who knows if Kanan would kill his own son, his evil has no limit. He switches sides to Ghost and help set up an ambush pitting Kanan and Ghost together for a one on one showdown. Following some intense fighting, Ghost stabs Kanan, drenches him in gasoline, and sets the basement ablaze.
This is where things get interesting. We last see Kanan with the flames surrounding his body. But the last scene of the episode shows fire investigators showing a pick lock, indicating that someone got out of the room. Suspending disbelief here is difficult for several reasons. One, Ghost is an efficient and experienced killer — you’d think he’d at least be sure Kanan wasn’t breathing before starting the fire.
Second, the idea of Kanan continuing his revenge quest will be a bit surreal considering how damaged he’ll be from the fire. With no muscle nor money, it’ll be hard for him to get a new crew together or remain hidden in the city while looking like Freddy Kruger.
WHAT TO EXPECT IN SEASON 3
Angie and Ghost are finally together, but that love will be tested on all fronts. Here’s just a few potential subplots.
ANGELA VS. TASHA: This has been building for 2 seasons. The two women have only been face to face once (and from a distance with no dialogue exchanged). Now that Tasha is convinced Ghost killed Shawn, she’ll seek to destroy her husband and everything he holds dear. The kids should come into play more with Ghost trying to move his domestic life over to Angie, which Tasha will fight vehemently. There is going to be some intense conversations between these two.
GREG THE SCORNED: Greg’s soft spot for Angie got him burned in the worst possible way. Likely out of a job, he’ll have nothing to lose spending every waking moment taking down Ghost and Angela. I expect him to do a lot of damage, but also have his obsession be his undoing.
DRE: Ghost will have to heavilydepend on his new right-hand, but can he be trusted? Dre is a good goon, but he’s shown no problem jumping ship when things look dire. Ghost will undoubtedly be under pressure come season 3. Will Dre go running to Tommy or possibly even Kanan again? Dre mentioned being a father, so getting more backstory on him would be welcomed.
RUIZ: C’mon, how long is Ruiz really going to stay in Cali? His loyalty should be to Ghost, but Ruiz is another guy who lusts to be on top. Where will he place his chips when the streets start to get hot?
MIKE: Looks like we’ve found our “mole” in the Lobos investigation. Mike Sandoval, the head of the investigation, gives the recovering Lobos a burner to make his “one call,” which indicates to me he’s on the take. He also refers to him as “Jefe” (boss). It’s too early to tell where this going, but it’s another threat to Angie and Ghost’s hope of peace.
How did you enjoy the finale? Sound off in the comments!
Beats, Boxing and Mayhem 