The distribution of power has never been fair in this world, but what if, for once, it was unfair in favor of the forever disadvantaged? Would it lead to the creation of a just society, or would it be proof that we are, after all, nothing but humans? Would this realization change things for the better, or would it make things worse? In Episode 1 of “The Power,” the primary protagonists have just gained the electric power within themselves, and they are going to start answering these questions for themselves and the world.
Spoilers Ahead
Allie
Allie has passed from one foster home to the next for as long as she can remember. We don’t know how her “selective mutism,” as her therapist puts it, started. It could have been due to the abuse she suffers in her current family or her experiences throughout. Her foster parents, Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery Taylor, have been childless for a long time, and though they have previously taken care of foster children, they are having trouble with Allie as she doesn’t speak. Mr. Clyde Montgomery Taylor clearly doesn’t believe in therapy, while his wife is grasping at straws because she doesn’t want to lose her chance at being a mother, despite the circumstances. But unknown to them all, Allie’s silence hides her tumultuous thoughts and the voice in her head that is telling her to break free. When she is in church, and the priest starts a sermon on the sins of Eve, it could either be the voice in Allie’s head, or it could be Allie’s thoughts manifesting as a third person’s voice, but it tells her how stupid it feels that Eve is blamed for everything. Allie rushes out of the congregation and just lays down, with the voice telling her that the power comes to them when they need it.
Later, Allie is driven back home by her father, and he gives her a tissue to wipe off the ice cream running down her legs. But the look of disgust on Allie’s face tells us something else. Inside the house, when the Montgomery Taylors and Allie are sitting down for their meal, she finally starts talking. She tells them that she doesn’t like meat and that she would have told them, but they never asked her. There is something important to note here about Allie’s foster parents’ reactions. Instead of being happy that she is finally speaking, they are angry that she has spoken against them. When Allie leaves her food untouched and goes to her room, Mr. Montgomery Taylor tells his wife that he will talk to her. And talking means sexually assaulting her as a way of teaching her a lesson. Mrs. Montgomery Taylor is aware of it, but she prefers to raise the volume of the cassette player and pretend that everything is alright. But this time, when Mr. Montgomery Taylor tries to assault Allie, she uses her new-found power of electrocution to push him away. The voice in her head tells her to finish him off, and Allie does exactly that before escaping from the house.
Jocelyn
Jocelyn is the daughter of Margot, who is the mayor of the town. She clearly doesn’t like her mother but likes the hate comments left on her posts on the internet while adding some of her own. But while doing that, she starts feeling the power within herself. When she goes to school, she cannot deny that she has the power when she accidentally transmits an electric shock through the lockers. She goes to the bathroom and tries to wrap her head around what is happening when a girl walks in. The girl, Cat, knows about what Jocelyn is going through, and they both walk out, talking about it. Cat tells Jocelyn that she got this power two weeks ago, but Jocelyn just got it that day. Jocelyn is curious whether the power can be controlled, and both the girls run a little experiment of their own by touching an electric pole and checking whether they can affect it. It turns out that, even though it is a bit slow, they are able to manipulate the electricity of the pole.
Roxy
Roxy Monke is the illegitimate daughter of Bernie Monke, who is a hopeless bully who always wants things to go his way. Roxy, though disadvantaged due to the neglect of her father, is still ambitious. She shows up to the wedding of her half-brother and tells her father that she wants to work for him, but he turns her down, saying that she is too emotional. Instead, Bernie offers her a position in a spa away from London and asks her to prove herself there first. But it is clear that it is nothing more than a deflecting tactic. As upset as Roxy is, she is especially heartbroken after she sees that her father does not acknowledge her as his daughter in the wedding toast. She goes back with a girl, and while she is ranting out her anger, she feels the first signs of power in her hands. But she dismisses it and goes home, where she tells her mother about the wedding. It is clear that Roxy is unhappy with living on the sidelines, but her mother thinks she is just ungrateful. But this disagreement doesn’t get argued further because two men break into their house that instant with the intention of killing Roxy’s mother. The women try to fight them off, but one of the men locks Roxy in a room. She breaks out using her power, which she decides to use first and think later, and when she is fighting off one of the men, she hurts him by electrocution. But before she can rescue her mother, she is knocked out by the other man. When she comes to her senses, she finds her mother dead, with her throat slit.
Tunde
Tunde is a journalist or is at least, trying to be one. He is picked up by his friend Ndudi, and she tells him about the cousin of a girl she knew, who invited her to a “juju” meeting. Ndudi wants to go there, and for Tunde to film them secretly to expose the scam she thinks is happening. But Tunde thinks it is hogwash. However, later, when he is with another woman, Adunola, who accidentally shocks him with her hands, he gets thinking and decides to check out the place that Ndudi was talking about. He makes some inquiries with his friends since the locals refuse to tell him anything, and finally finds the abandoned house where the women are meeting. What he sees can be described as nothing less than the beginning of everything.
‘The Power’ Episode 1 Ending Explained: What Happens to Allie, Jocelyn, Roxy, and Ndudi?
Allie is tired of running away, but she finds some solace at the side of the road amidst the fireflies. The next morning, she goes to an aquarium, blending in with others her age, and sees an electric eel inside. She identifies herself with the electric eel, not just because both are capable of dispensing electricity but because of the principle that the eel is a powerful hunter, but its strength multiplies when it hunts in packs rather than when it is alone. In the story of the eel, she finds the direction for her next step. We will know more about Jocelyn in the coming episodes, but as for Roxy, she is covered in blood as she makes her way back to her brother’s wedding party. Tired and disoriented, she collapses and is taken care of by her father and her brothers for the time being.
Finally, Ndudi catches Tunde trying to shoot the goings on in the house on camera. Ndudi asks Tunde to leave, but before he can do that, they are caught by the other women. While trying to protect him, Ndudi is shocked by the electric discharge from one of the women. Tunde is trying to call for help, and he will likely get that in the next episode of “The Power.”
Final Thoughts
“The Power” Episode 1 is from the perspective of four women who have never had much control over their lives. But with the power in their hands, they can finally take charge of their own narratives. Allie will stop at nothing in her quest to be the most powerful, considering what she has faced her entire life. Jocelyn might use it to effect some real change, and Roxy might use her power to get into her father’s good graces. As for Ndudi and Tunde, they are journalists, which could mean that they will be providing the words for the journey that the world is about to undertake. It is just the beginning of the unraveling of the politics of power.
