‘Power’ Is A Cautionary Tale About The Dangers Of Being Blinded By Love

Spoilers: This article discusses the STARZ series Power

Love is a powerful emotion. It can lead us to different people and things that are good for us, and sometimes it can lead us to people and things that could absolutely destroy us. Such seemed to be the case with the love story between James “Ghost” St. Patrick and his mistress Angela on the STARZ series Power. Their love story always fascinated me. Especially because they had a steamy love affair that was intriguing yet wrong from the start, one that would ultimately cost them both so much in the end. 

Ghost, also affectionately referred to as “Jamie” by Angela throughout the series, was a man torn between two worlds. As Ghost, he was a nightclub owner and a drug kingpin who had deep aspirations to transition into a legitimate lifestyle free from crime. He was also a husband and father that could see his life being more than what it was. As Jamie, he was a guy Angela knew and loved when she was a young woman. Jamie was the past. Ghost was the present. And after running into Angela at his nightclub, Truth, he almost instantly became reconnected to his past again and was reminded of who he once was and could still become. 

The attraction between Angela and Ghost was magnetic and their shared history and past embodied the makings of what could have been something special. And as much as they tried, they would never get the happy ending they were hoping for. There were some problematic revelations that would inevitably and continually complicate things for them. After reconnecting with Angela and continuing to see her after their initial run-in, Ghost revealed that he was married and had kids. Angela also revealed that she had a boyfriend. Ghost also learned that Angela was an AUSA (Assistant United States Attorney) working with the FBI. So after discovering all this, both of them could have chosen to stop seeing each other. Except they didn’t. Instead, they continued to proceed with their affair. They made selfish and reckless choices and were blinded by love. 

Throughout Power, Ghost left his wife and his kids while pursuing his affair with Angela. He even moved in with her at one point and spoke about leaving his wife for good but could never seem to fully break away. He even broke up with Angela at one point to protect her, but only ended up complicating her life and breaking her heart again and again and again. I now wonder if he really cared for her as much as he led on. Angela could have walked away, and she should have. Why is it that we don’t walk away from certain situations when there are clear warning signs of who and what we should stay away from? We can’t let love blind us or fool us. If someone or something isn’t right for you, listen to that little voice inside that says leave. One of the most critical things we must all learn in life is how to listen. We must also learn to properly manage our emotions. We shouldn’t allow ourselves to be blinded by love or lust or fantasies about what could be or what could’ve been, or even hold out for who we hope or want someone to be in our lives. It’s foolish to be led by feelings and it’s unwise to allow our heart’s desires to guide our decisions. Jeremiah 17:9 reads, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” 

While Angela loved Ghost and he loved her, the truth was that neither of them had any business being together. Angela tried breaking things off with him but when she went to say goodbye the first time, she couldn’t. Love took over and clouded her judgment, and eventually ruined her life. By the end of Power, Angela compromised her reputation, ruined her career, and lost her life after taking a bullet in the chest for Ghost. She sacrificed her life for his. And I can’t help but wonder what her life could have been if she had chosen to stay away from him from the start. What if she hadn’t been so blind? Maybe she could have found happiness with a man who wasn’t already spoken for. Maybe she could have retired, settled down, had kids of her own, and been with someone who cared more and gave her the happily-ever-after ending she deserved. 

I guess we’ll never know.