After a series of high-profile leaks, Starz has not revealed much about the plot of the finale, with a synopsis not yet released and the trailer featuring nothing in the way of new footage. Instead, the promo takes us through Ghost’s bloody history, showing us many of the murders that James St. Patrick has committed over the past six seasons of Power.
However, there is one crucial clue that does appear in the “Exactly How We Planned” preview. The title cards for the episode mention that viewers of Episode 15 will “witness the final betrayal,” which seems to totally eliminate Cooper Saxe (Shane Johnson) as a suspect—after all, he and Ghost have always hated each other, so if Saxe shot Ghost then that is hardly a betrayal. However, if he is killed by his own family members Tasha (Naturi Naughton) or Tariq (Michael Rainey Jr.) that is a betrayal straight out of Shakespeare and classical Greek tragedy, both of which are known to be huge inspirations for Power showrunner Courtney Kemp.
The title of the episode is interesting. Fans of Power since its first season in 2014 will know that the title of Season 6, Episode 15, “Exactly How We Planned,” mirrors that of Season 1, Episode 1, “Not Exactly How We Plan,” suggesting a link between the two episodes.
One theory is that this could point to Tasha killing Ghost. After all, Power’s first episode saw Ghost reconnect with Angela (Lela Loren), a relationship that eventually became sexual when Ghost decided to cheat on Tasha. As such, this could be considered the “first” betrayal, making Tasha killing Ghost the “final betrayal.”
However, that does not rule out Tariq. Kemp would surely want to end on a shock, and what bigger shock could there be than a son killing his own father? This would also serve to tie up the series, which Kemp has been comparing to Greek tragedy for years. For example, she told New York Daily News in 2015, “the chess pieces are set, sort of like when you read a Greek tragedy.”
With this in mind “Exactly How We Planned” could actually be a reference to Kemp herself, who has been planning to have son kill father since these early days, as in one of the most famous of the Ancient Greek plays, Oedipus Rex.
Of course, this would also mean that the “final betrayal” may in reality be Kemp’s betrayal of the fans, many of whom have disliked the character since his introduction—though Power has never been a show to offer much in the way of fan service.
Power Season 6, Episode 15 airs Sunday, February 9 at 8 p.m. ET on Starz.