Tamal Kundu
‘Power Book II: Ghost’ is the second entry in the ‘Power’ series. Set in New York, the story follows Tariq St. Patrick (Michael Rainey Jr.), the son of James St. Patrick or Ghost, as he is forced to embrace his father’s legacy and become a drug dealer at the university he enrolls in.
Portrayed by Alix Lapri, Effie Morales is an important character in ‘Power Book II: Ghost.’ The audience is originally introduced to her in season 6 of ‘Power.’ She and Tariq meet at Choate, and even though they grow close, she ultimately betrays him by informing the school that Tariq is a drug dealer, which leads to his expulsion. In ‘Power Book II: Ghost,’ Effie reunites with Tariq, and though he initially acts cold toward her, they are in a relationship at the start of season 3. If her past has made you wonder whether Effie is the CI working with the authorities against Tariq, we got you covered. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Effie Not the CI: Proven Loyalty and Actions
No, despite her past, Effie is not the confidential informant in ‘‘Power Book II: Ghost. At the start of the series, Effie is enrolled at Yale University. When she meets Tariq again, she seems deeply ashamed of her past actions, though Tariq brushes off the apology and sympathy she offers for his father’s death and his mother’s incarceration.
However, after Tariq becomes indebted to 2-bit, he is desperate to work with Effie. At one point, they end up having sex. They grow even closer in season 2. After learning that Lauren has betrayed Tariq, she knocks the other girl out and tries to kill her by drowning her. Although Effie believes she did kill Lauren, the reality is that the other girl was saved in time. When Brayden, who also knows what she did, brings up that they should tell Tariq, Effie vehemently dismisses the idea. So, Effie is demonstrably not the CI. If anything, she is one of the most staunchly loyal people Tariq has around him.
The real CI is Cooper Saxe (Shane Johnson), the former FBI agent and prosecutor who now works as a defense attorney for Davis Maclean. In season 2, as Saxe begins working for Davis at his firm, he simultaneously is in a sexual relationship with prosecutor Jenny Sullivan. Saxe ensures the release of Lorenzo Tejada Sr. early from prison by demonstrating that the team that prosecuted the man is crooked. Although he is now a defense attorney, a part of him continues to cling to his past. This is demonstrated when he asks Tariq whether he murdered Ramirez, prompting Davis to remind him that he is no longer a prosecutor and that a defense attorney doesn’t ask such questions.
After Brayden flips on the stand and claims that he was the one running the drug ring and not Tariq, the prosecution’s entire case collapses against the latter. Saxe tries to console her afterward, but she brushes him off. After Sullivan tells him that Lauren is dead, Saxe goes to confront Tariq, though he soon learns that Tariq has no idea about what happened to Lauren. Toward the end of the episode, Saxe tells Sullivan that he will help her get justice for Carrie and Lauren, effectively agreeing to be her CI.
In an interview with Express.co.uk, Johnson stated that his character is in a “difficult spot,” adding, “He’s really torn between his loyalties between Jenny, which represents true American justice, and at the other end of the spectrum he does have this affinity and emotional loyalty to Davis Maclean, and Tariq.”
As season 3 begins, Saxe continues to be CI for Sullivan. In the same interview, Johnson recalls that Tariq once saved Saxe’s life, so this disloyalty on his character’s part is somewhat baffling. “Even though I’m constantly trying to take Tariq and his family down, the reality is that Tariq saved my life, really,” the actor said. “At the end of season six, when I walk into the club to kill James St Patrick, he beats me to the punch. So it’s kind of strange to be trying to take him down for that. And for things like that, given the fact that I was going to do it myself.”
Read More: Who Killed Carrie in Power Book II: Ghost? How Did She Die?
