Power fans rage as Ghost robbed of funeral in finale episode – while show boss teases ‘he lives on’
POWER concluded last night on Netflix following months of speculation about who shot James ‘Ghost’ St Patrick.
If you’re avoiding spoilers, turn back now, as we’re about to delve into the events of the finale.
Viewers were left reeling to learn that it was in fact Ghost’s (Omari Hardwick) son Tariq (Michael Rainey Jr) who gunned him down in his nightclub.
However, it was Tasha (Naturi Naughton) who was wrongly detained for the crime, meaning Tariq literally got away with murder.
While this was a bombshell in and of itself, one of the most controversial aspects of the episode was the fact that Ghost never got an on-screen funeral.
Many fans felt robbed of a sense of closure and claimed it was disrespectful considering Ghost’s prominence in the show.
However, others were more hopeful, claiming that until they’ve seen a corpse, they refuse to believe the character is truly dead.
“Ghost dead for real? Power still ain’t made a RIP Ghost post on Instagram, so what happened to my man’s funeral on the show?” one Twitter user fumed.
A second chimed in: “I didn’t see a dead body or funeral so I still don’t believe he’s dead. Sorry! Bring him back!”
A third added: “Just watched the Power finale. Gosh it’s been emotional. They say they’re giving the fans what they want in a spin-off but all we want is Ghost back.”
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While a fourth pondered: “Maybe no funeral ‘coz Ghost survived and comes back with a clean slate and everyone off his back?”
Power creator Coutney Kemp was quick to defend the conclusion, claiming that she’d always planned for Ghost to get his comeuppance one way or another.
She also stressed that his legacy would live on in the form of Tariq, who will feature prominently in Power Book II: Ghost.
“My goal was just to provide great entertainment, and I hope I have,” she told Deadline.
“You know, I think there are people who are disappointed that Ghost is dead, but I promised that from the beginning.”
She continued: “I said he would be dead or in jail. I don’t think I lied, you know?
And then the other thing is, is he really? Because his legacy lives on in his son and in his youngest daughter doesn’t it.
“We may yet see that those things and there are stories to be told there, as well.”
Earlier this week it was announced that Power would continue with a string of three spin-off series featuring familiar characters.
All episodes of Power are available to stream on Netflix now.