Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.
Cane Tejada knowing Clark Atlanta University’s motto — “I’ll find a way or make one” — was not on my bingo card for 2024, but those Tejada kids are capable of anything. I mean, Diana and Dru did set their mother up to be (unsuccessfully) killed by Tariq so anything as possible.
Oh, why do I know that Cane knows Clark’s motto? Well, Noma dressed him up and took him to a gala so she could try to get some contracts for something or other. The man she needs to speak to has a handler from the hood so Cane was sent to distract him, and well, Cane shone BRIGHT. Until, of course, he learned that folks had eyes on Dru. You see, Monet found out that Diana and Dru were trying to have her killed so now she’s sicced Cane on them to end their lives. Except, he can’t do it. He gets a chance to take out Dru at point-blank range, and Dru, of all people, gets a drop on him. Even Monet can’t pull the trigger on her kids. In a hotel room where they were hiding out, she had both Diana and Dru dead to rights, and Dru got the drop on HER. I have to be honest, I really hate this “Dru as enforcer-lite and Monet-as-trash-truth-teller” plotline. I cannot wait until he dies, which should have happened THREE TIMES in this episode alone. Le sigh.
Oh, Tariq is chasing after Diana trying to kill her. He seems to be especially unnerved by the fact that the Tejadas might play him and use him for selfish gains. Effie annoys me, but she rightly points out that he has no reason to believe the Tejadas should have his back or owe him anything. Tariq, of all people, should understand how razor-thin loyalty can be. He gets caught up emotionally on occasion. This is clearly about to be a thing because Monet lets Tariq know that Diana is pregnant and Diana drops the hammer that he’s the daddy.
Monet has a change of heart, by the way, which she’s been doing a lot of. She’s been realizing just how trash of a parent she has been and that’s been helping her decide to “try” to be a better parent. She decides to NOT kill her children (the fact that this is a calculated decision she must make is wild) and gets Tariq to back off on his plans to kill Dru and Diana and I’m exhausted by all this wishy-washiness from drug dealers. Do the doggone deed, folks. We only have six episodes left — SOMEBODY has to die before this is all said and done.
Oh, Brayden throws a great party to set up their new drug dealing business to administer various types of narcotics to Stansfield University’s finest. Ho hum. This has to fall apart at some point, especially with Detective Carter’s relentless pursuit of Monet AND Tariq. Chips have to fall at some point, right?
This brings me to some predictions, for posterity and in case there’s money to be made off of FanDuel predictions and parlays.
I’ve been wracking my brain trying to figure out how this series is going to end. Let me also say that I seriously cannot believe this show is coming to an end. This is a huge fumble by Starz. But further, we only have six episodes left to close out this series in a way that won’t piss off EVERYBODY. My faith is low since none of us want this show to end. Since we’re here, though, let’s make some predictions.
So this Detective Carter investigation has to bear some fruit, right? Here’s what I think is going to happen. Carter is going to finally catch up with Tariq and nail him, sending Tariq to prison (which mostly ends the St. Patrick reign in New York City), where he will get a life sentence unlike his father who was killed (I’m sure you remember this). Cane and Dru will end up dead somehow, maybe they’ll end up killing each other, leaving Monet sad and broken so she leaves the drug game to take care of Diana and the baby, young Tejada-St.Patrick. Maybe they move down to Atlanta with her sister, Janet. Brayden, who will also get caught up with Tariq, will not go to prison because he’s rich and his family decides they miss him and uses their money and weight to keep him out of jail. Tasha will be seen crying in protective custody as Tariq goes to prison.
We have to wait a few months for this to wrap up. If my predictions don’t hold up I’m really curious to see how it concludes. So … until then!
Panama Jackson is a columnist at theGrio and host of the award-winning podcast, “Dear Culture” on theGrio Black Podcast Network. He writes very Black things, drinks very brown liquors, and is pretty fly for a light guy. His biggest accomplishment to date coincides with his Blackest accomplishment to date in that he received a phone call from Oprah Winfrey after she read one of his pieces (biggest) but he didn’t answer the phone because the caller ID said “Unknown” (Blackest).