Let’s talk about secrets. They can be dark, dirty, and destroy families, both blood and of the extended variety. Which is why “Trust Me” plays like John Carpenter’s The Thing rather than a regular episode of Power. The 1982 flick is all about paranoia and mistrust amongst a group of people who normally have each other’s backs and what happens when said paranoia takes over. My mother used to tell me just how much God doesn’t like liars and every now and then, the Almighty would send one smack your direction for every lie you tell. In the case of Power, trust and believe He’s winding up.
There are so many scenes that encapsulate the overarching theme of the episode, but probably none more heartbreaking than a scene between Tasha and Keshia. Hip to the fact Tasha is using her business for money laundering, Keisha finds herself in the middle of something she wants no part of and shouldn’t have to be a part of. The two friends ex-friends argue over how Keisha should proceed if she wants to keep her life and what would truly be best for the both of them.
While it sucks for Keisha to even be in this situation, it’s even worse for Tasha. This is truly the one relationship in her life at the moment that hasn’t gone to sh*t or at least on the highway approaching it, and now it’s damaged. Her secret broke that very frail circle of trust the two had and there may not be a way of fixing it. To say nothing of the fact that her best friend’s fate is left up in the air, so we don’t even know if the girl is alive to utter the word “fence,” much less mend one.
It’s indicative of an entire episode that pits friend against friend, teases new alliances, double-crosses, and Kanan truly becoming a James Bond villain by deciding the best revenge against Ghost wouldn’t be to kill his son, but harness Tariq’s teenage angst into something he can use against his former friend. It would be downright dastardly if not for the brief moment where Kanan, at least for a moment, flashed some humanity and looked as if he found a kindred spirit in the young cat. Ironic that this is the one relationship in the episode built on lies while every other relationship is coming a part because of them. Wonder how fast Tariq’s hands will be when he finds out Kanan killed Shawn.
Ghost is lying to Tommy, Tommy’s lying to Ghost, Angela thinks she’s slick pulling a honeypot on her ex, but he’s smartened up since season 1 and he knows her game. Meanwhile, Milan is the one profiting from everyone’s secrets and lies, pulling on their strings like marionette dolls and arranging them in the way he sees fit. He realizes how connected all of the main players are and knows just how broken their foundation is. In an episode where everyone lies, the villain is the only one telling the truth.
The Thing showed how lies destroyed an entire settlement in Antarctica and left no survivors. While Power‘s New York City is a lot smaller than the Antarctic, the results will be no less devastating.
