Power recap: Don't Worry, Baby

In all the discussions of feminism on primetime TV, Power is, sadly enough, left out of the conversation. On the surface, Power may seem like your typical drama about drugs and violence, but the show’s women are just as much a driving force in what makes it the highest-rated show on the Starz network. While other Starz series — like period time-travel drama Outlander and The Girlfriend Experience — have gotten the lion’s share of attention for their depictions of women’s sexuality, Power has been ahead of the curve in its bold embrace of female empowerment. Sex is just as much about the exchange of power as it is about the sexual fulfillment for the women on the show. In the first episode, Tasha St. Patrick pleasures herself in the backseat of her limo to seduce her driver. Not only did it help Tasha coerce Shawn to spy on Ghost, but Tasha also received genuine sexual pleasure from this voyeuristic act. Angela, Holly, Jukebox, and Candie all lean into their sexual appetites without being shamed for it.

Tonight’s episode further explores female sexual agency when filtered through the eyes of women. Written by Heather Zuhlke and directed by Larysa Kondracki, sex and pleasure take on different manifestations for Tasha, Angela, Holly, and Candie in “Don’t Worry, Baby.” In the opening scene, Angela gets dressed for work in the bedroom, while Ghost is in the bathroom battling it out with Tasha about the kids. The ball is clearly in Tasha’s court as she lays down the law with Ghost — he’s free to come over and spend time with his family, but after the gun incident with Tariq, they will not be going over to Angela’s. While all three characters are shown standing in front of their respective mirrors, Tasha is the only one deriving pleasure from her own reflection.

Tommy and Holly, meanwhile, are having problems connecting in the bedroom. Tommy is distracted by his inability to kill Ghost and Holly is still shaken by her surprise pregnancy. After an unfulfilling sexual encounter, Holly asks Tommy when he intends to finish off Ghost. Tommy, yet again, dodges the question by bringing up work and then walks out. Fed up with Tommy’s indecision, Holly picks up the phone and makes an appointment with a women’s clinic.

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Jukebox meets with her team to flesh out the final details of their heist. Kanan wants in, but Jukebox isn’t convinced he’s fully recovered. She leaves Kanan alone with Candie, who undresses herself and asks Kanan to “prove” his hand has healed. Candie goes upstairs and reports back to Jukebox: “He can use his hand. Both of them.”

NEXT: Holly takes matters into her own hands

Still feeling guilty about Ghost’s situation with his children, Angela decides to wait for Tasha in the lobby of her apartment. Tasha doesn’t hide her displeasure from her surprise visitor and is unimpressed when Angela reveals she had Tariq’s criminal record expunged. “You didn’t do this for me, you did this for Ghost. You’ll be doing for Ghost the rest of your life.” When Angela gets home, Ghost is upset. Angela explains she was trying to smooth things over with Tasha, but Ghost is unmoved. Angela gets defensive and tells him she doesn’t need his permission. Ghost snaps back, “Oh yes you do, especially when it comes to my wife.” Things are still tense between them when Angela’s sister comes by for dinner. Angela’s sister disapproves of their relationship when she finds out Ghost is still legally married to Tasha.

Tommy and Holly drop by Tasha’s, and when Tasha catches Holly pouring her glass of wine in the sink, she quickly surmises that she’s pregnant. Pulling her aside for some girl talk, Tasha chastises Holly for having unprotected sex with Tommy: “You wanna be a dealer’s baby mama?” When Holly hints at having the pregnancy terminated, Tasha advises her to come clean. “If Tommy finds out you didn’t tell him, I would not want to be in your shoes.”

Angela’s ex, Greg, is still obsessed with bringing down Ghost. Using some intel, he’s able to track down Ruiz, one of Ghost’s former associates, who is now mopping floors at a restaurant in San Diego. Greg offers Ruiz immunity if he agrees to testify against Lobos — which, in turn, will also expose Ghost. As a reward for bringing in Ruiz, Greg is given his job back.

Ghost meets with Karen to further discuss their business partnership, but she’s reluctant to take the next step. She brings up Ghost’s lack of social media presence, pointing out that other club owners are online promoting their nightclubs. Karen urges Ghost to up his social media game to promote Truth — “A brand needs a face.”

Kanan and Jukebox successfully pull off their jewelry-store theft and decide to celebrate their win at a strip club. Jukebox informs Kanan that Candie tells her everything, so she knows about Kanan and Candie hooking up while she was at work. “If you wanted to, all you had to do was ask.”

While visiting his old neighborhood, ‘Dre finds out the Koreans put a hit out on Tommy. ‘Dre calls Ghost, and when Ghost can’t reach Tommy, he puts his own life at risk by going out to save his best friend.

Holly is terrified when Tommy comes home, bruised and bloodied. Taking matters into her own hands, she travels to a Jamaican restaurant and pays an assassin to kill Ghost.