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James passes away near the end of Power's six-season reign in classic anti-hero manner. "With Ghost, it was always dead or in jail," Kemp notes (via USA Today). "Toward the end of his life, he became conceited enough to believe he could escape it." Sadly for Power's primary actor, life does not follow such pattern. Ghost's shooter is still unknown; Tariq, Tasha, and Tommy all seem to be fully competent, likely suspects for a while. Tariq and Tasha understand that killing Ghost is the only way out of the sticky circumstances they find themselves in, but finally Power tells them Tariq's father pulls the gun.
Inspired by his recent victories, James believes he to be an unstoppable force. His son then appears up out of nowhere. Tariq calls his dad out for years of dishonesty, most importantly for not disclosing his identity. James says he will be there for his son, as he is "always," but Ghost is obviously ready to throw Tasha and Tariq in for their own illegal activity. "When the f--- are you gonna pay for all the bull---- you've done, huh, dad?" Tariq reveals a gun as he asks. Tariq decides he can't go back and fires at Ghost, just as Tasha approaches, after some more more verbal back and forth.
Tasha panics over what to do next when she first breaks onto Ghost's death scene. Tariq offers his mum some directions and assures her he knows what to do. Another major figure surfaces once Tasha walks off: Tommy. Tommy runs to support Ghost at the side of his dying best friend, gun drawn.
Tommy pledged to be there for Tariq in past Power episodes, but that changes very rapidly when he pairs two and two together. Though he doesn't fire, Tommy targets Tariq with his gun. Ghost exhales dyingly and orders Tommy to, "let him go," therefore sparing his son the same terrible end.
At the conclusion of Power, there are various themes at hand that are appropriate given how far Tariq and the rest of the characters had come in the very emotional crime drama. Of course, a major topic is revenge—both when it is sought and when it is not. Tariq managed to carry one more act of violence to wreak retribution on his father for countless wrongs after knowing Ghost was indeed James. Ghost wanted to send Tariq and Tasha in, but there's also the many lies James had told his kids over the years. Most obviously of them is this.
Of course, there is also the more subdued revenge motivation: Tariq blames his father's legacy for his downward spiral into a life of crime, therefore killing James was retribution for the inevitable course of Tariq's life overall. Power's Ending also investigates unsatisfied vengeance as well. Though Tariq might have killed Ghost, the deed doesn't fit every character, least of all Tommy. Though James in one of the exceedingly few redeeming moments convinces Tommy not to seek retribution on Tariq for the killing of Ghost.
Tasha tries to protect her son (and herself) from any involvement in James' fall from Tariq killing Ghost. Tasha had really meant to do the deed herself, assisted by her fiancé, Quinton. More exactly, by laying some thorough evidence, she had intended to lead authorities into thinking Quinton was Ghost's gunman. Still, that doesn't exactly work out.
Tasha is arrested at the very end of Power season 6 Finale for her links to the killing of her ex. Tasha is in a jail cell in the last scenes of the show, unable to avoid the fate James had sought to condemn her to prior to his death.
Before Tariq resolves to kill his own father, he visits a crucial Power figure who died formally in season 5. Originally Ghost's mentor, Power's 50 Cent soon turned into his drug-dealing enemy. Returning to Tariq as a vision, Kanan hammers home Kemp's very Shakespearean interpretation of the rise, fall, and rebirth of the St. Patrick family in a very Richard III moment.
Kanan's involvement is small, but his presence surely drives Tariq to shoot his father. Tariq most certainly wants to separate himself from Ghost's legacy in doing this, but that's harder said than done.
Resolving its season-long whodunit concept, Power came to a conclusion in 2020 following six highly regarded seasons. Courtney A. Kemp developed Power, a crime drama with Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson that centered on James St. Patrick (Omari Hardwick), the brilliant, smooth-talking drug dealer-turned-nightclub entrepreneur who isn't hesitant to be a touch ruthless. Known by his moniker "Ghost," James finds it difficult to juggle his family's requirements with his professional pursuits. As the Finale shows, Ghost's wife Tasha (Naturi Naughton) and their three children—Tariq (Michael Rainey Jr.—do not always have the best rapport with James.
Tommy Egan (Joseph Sikora), Ghost's best buddy, and Angela Valdes (Lela Loren), James's ongoing love interest round out Power's ensemble of characters. The 15-episode last season of Power makes use all of these main characters as well as a few more, including 50 Cent's Kanan. Tommy and Ghost are on the outs at the start of the sixth adventure, while Tasha is planning to move against her ex. Ghost's journey is obviously designed to finish in death, and Power teases several would-be murders aiming at James dead. Ultimately, though, the St. Patrick family's narrative concludes in a most Shakespearean manner.
Though Tasha is in jail and Tariq is in college at the end of the episode, there is still more after the credits. The post-credits scene of the Power finale is a 1996 flashback including high-school incarnations of Ghost, Tommy, and Angela. Although Angela even urges Ghost to visit a college outside the city and depart Queens, Kemp thinks it isn't the ideal premise for a prequel series.
Rather, she claims the flashback incident is "just a coda to our main story" (USA Today). The material of all four Power series and spinoffs thus far proves this; yet, who's to say where the popular franchise moves from here?
The direct sequel of the show, Power Book II: Ghost, which revolves on Tariq, is set up in season 6 conclusion by him. Tariq escapes responsibility for his father's death in the last episode of the parent show. But Tariq has to go and graduate college if he is to get the huge wealth James St. Patrick left behind.
Tariq is in his dorm room in the last shots of the series, confirming Ghost follows Tariq as he negotiates a new life. Tariq aims to leave his dad's legacy behind in Power Book II: Ghost, but under pressure to keep his family together he finds himself growing even more like James.
Viewers still have many unresolved issues among Power's series finale and spin-off possibilities.
The popular show Power spawned three spinoffs, a testament to its impact, including direct sequels and a prequel in a timeline that can be confusing.