Monet Tejada in 'Exceeding Expectations’ Power Book II: Ghost S1E2

Monet Tejada in 'Exceeding Expectations' — Power Book II: Ghost Season 1 Episode 2

Show: Power Book II: Ghost  |  Season 1, Episode 2  |  Network: Starz  |  Aired: September 13, 2020

Let me tell you something. Just when you think you have Monet Tejada figured out, she does something that reminds you that you don't know her at all. Episode 2 is exactly that kind of episode.

The Episode

After the explosive premiere, Episode 2 digs deeper into the world Monet has built and the pressure she is under to keep it standing. With Lorenzo in prison, the people around her are constantly testing the edges of her authority. Tariq is learning the rules. Cane wants to do things his way. And Monet is managing all of it while keeping up the appearance that everything is perfectly under control.

Spoiler: it is not perfectly under control. But you would never know that from the way she carries herself.

What Monet Teaches Us in This Episode

One thing this episode makes clear is that Monet Tejada does not exceed expectations by accident. She has built an entire life on the strategy of being underestimated and then proving everyone wrong. The people around her constantly mistake her composure for weakness. That is always their mistake, never hers.

Mary plays this with such intelligence. Every look, every pause, every measured response communicates that Monet is always three steps ahead of the people she is dealing with. You sit there watching and thinking you are watching a woman under pressure. But what you are actually watching is a woman who is completely in control, even when her world is chaotic.

The Family Dynamic

Episode 2 also gives us more of the Tejada family dynamic and it is fascinating. Monet loves her children fiercely but she runs that family like a business. There are expectations. There are consequences. And there is no room for weakness, not even from the people she loves most.

That tension, between Monet the mother and Monet the boss, is one of the richest things about this character. And it starts becoming visible right here in Episode 2.

This show was only two episodes in and Mary was already delivering something extraordinary. I knew from this point that Power Book II: Ghost was going to be something special.

What Monet Was Wearing

Givenchy Black Sweatshirt

Earrings are from Mary's Jewelry Line (Sister Love)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRm60OCG6_E

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