“The Power” spends way too much time on women getting the power, and that means that there aren’t enough episodes left to show what that imbalance could mean for society as it is. This creative liberty should have been considered by the studio when adapting the story from the book to the screen. We already know that we live in a world that does not like women. Additionally, there is enough content out there that depicts the struggles women have to face in every sphere of life. The series should have capitalized on the audience’s awareness of that and just moved ahead with the exercise of the power itself rather than the journey of how the women got them. Just a little bit of deliberation in writing, and this could have been done. None of our criticism takes away from the fact that the episodes are engaging enough, but entertainment is not the only thing we expect when we tune into a series like “The Power.” Hopefully, Episode 5 is the last part of the stage being set, and we can see the action happen from Episode 6.
Spoilers Ahead
Tatiana and Zoia’s Past
Tatiana was her mother’s favorite for her beauty and her athletic abilities, which she believed would lead their family out of poverty. It doesn’t matter to her or her husband that Tatiana’s coach is abusive and has no qualms about getting inappropriately handsy with Tatiana. One day, when Tatiana was training, the then-Finance Minister (now President and Tatiana’s husband) comes to visit the school. The man was already well into his fifties, from the looks of it, but he still asked Tatiana out on a date, and she had no choice but to accept. Even her father was encouraging her to say yes to him. Tatiana clearly has no interest in the man, but she doesn’t have a say. Soon enough, she was engaged to be married. Though Tatiana says that nothing will change and she will still compete in the Olympics, her coach informs her that her soon-to-be husband wants her to focus on him and her future duties instead of the games.
A heartbroken Tatiana finds no support at home either when her mother supports her marriage, saying this is how their lives will improve. She brings up that when Tatiana is not young anymore, she won’t be able to play, and the media will also lose interest in her. That is why marriage to a minister is a far more lucrative way to live her life. As disgusting as it is, the misogyny of the world, as pointed out by Tatiana’s mother, cannot be denied. What she did to her daughter was abhorrent, and it pains us that the only way to escape the effects of misogyny is through more of it. While leaving, Tatiana declares that she hates her mother and sister, Zoia, and doesn’t want to see them again. Those were the angry words of a disappointed girl, but they permanently severed the relationship between her and Zoia.
Tatiana, In The Present
In the present day, Tatiana’s husband and the President of Moldova do not rank highly in the public’s opinion due to his failure to deal with the economic crisis. Victor comes from the school of thought that women should not drive; therefore, when the women of his country started gaining the power, he not only banned its use but had a few of them executed to set an example. The misogyny of the country is rather evident since an article talking about girls gaining power is titled “Electric Girls” and has an accompanying picture of a young girl dressed provocatively in a school uniform. This is the country Tatiana lives in, and this is the man she shares her life with. But it seems that she is not as helpless as she looks. She asks the general whether a storm is coming, and he says that it is getting closer. This is definitely code for something.
Margot
Margot’s character arc is proving to be rather interesting and is a reflection of the complicated woman of ambition. We often associate women with empathy and softness, and we expect them to bring that to their positions of power (Jacinda Ardern). But the expectation of perfection often eclipses their more human side—the one that makes mistakes and wrong decisions. Margot is that example, and despite our discomfort at her actions, it is refreshing to see that.
Margot does not want to run for the Senate, but she is finally starting to get acknowledged for her work without having her credit taken away by an entitled Daniel. She advocates for freedom and choice, and that, along with the fact that she was the one to reveal the truth of the skein, has made her the face of the movement. This is in contrast to Daniel, who wants the EOD to be registered as a weapon. We even see Tunde making an appearance, and he says that he wants to reflect on his role in the lives of the women around him. He can start by apologizing to Ndudi.
But this is not the least of Margot’s problems. Her son has started following an online personality by the name of “Urbandox.” All we will say is that he is this series’ Andrew Tate. As for her daughter Jocelyn, she is still struggling to control her power. When she brings a boy, Ryan, to her room, they try to experiment with her power, but it doesn’t go as planned, not to mention that her dad comes to know about it, leading to an awkward conversation about boys and adolescence. On the other hand, Jocelyn also doesn’t like the fact that her mother is the face of the movement since she herself doesn’t have the power. But Margot believes that she has a platform that the others don’t, and she can speak for them.
We can safely say that nobody in Margot’s family likes her very much in this episode. Rob comes to know that there is a way to inhibit the powers of the skein, akin to what he describes as chemical castration. He is not on board with the idea due to the sheer brutality of the research and the possible misuse of it. When he says as much to Margot, to his surprise, he finds that she already knows and is okay with it. Her reasoning is that someone had to bite the bullet for the research. Rob was not expecting that, and upon the understanding that she won’t do anything to stop it, he resorts to other means. He calls up an old acquaintance, Declan Glease and tells him to publish the unethical methods of research without citing Rob as a source. Declan is on board with the idea.
Margot and Rob go to a party at Daniel’s, and Rob is simply drunk and embarrassed while Daniel continues to be salty at Margot’s success. But that goes into the background when the research is released, and it causes quite a stir, both online and offline. When Margot and Rob reach home, Margot is aware that Rob has a hand in it, and she confronts him about it. He says that he did what was right and blows off at Margot, saying she doesn’t care for him or their children. According to Rob, Margot is too consumed by her career to give attention to her family. What can we say, except that ambition demands a price?
‘The Power’ Episode 5 Ending Explained: How Do Margot, Tatiana, And Zoia Get The Power?
That evening, once Rob is settled in, Margot goes to meet Jocelyn. She makes sure to tell her daughter that she loves her and asks to smoke marijuana with her. It’s a little unorthodox, but it helps both of them open up in the way only the magic of the green grass can. Jocelyn tells her mother that she feels a lot more free and happy ever since she gained power. Margot asks her to transfer it to her if she can, and Jocelyn does so successfully. Now, even Margot has the power.
In another part of the world, while preparing for an event, Tatiana notices electricity in the hands of the girl fixing her bracelet. Tatiana wants an out from her life; she wants power at any cost. When she steps out of her room, she finds her hairdresser, who has power downstairs. Tatiana wastes no time and demands that she transfer the power to her. The girl is terrified and warns her that she hasn’t done it before and that it could be fatal, but Tatiana doesn’t care. Lucky for her, the transfer is successful, and she gets the power.
Zoia is a victim of human trafficking and is in a room full of other women, all locked up. Zoia is pregnant, and the women have heard rumors of her power. However, none of them have it. But they suspect that the girl who comes to give them snacks has the power. True to their guess, the girl does, and when she visits them, she transfers the power to them. The women are able to kill their captors and escape from the place. Whether they reach safety remains to be seen.
Final Thoughts
Our final thoughts are the same as our initial ones. This story needs to go to the next stage. Everything we have seen so far, we have done in anticipation of what is to come. The relevance of the series is the discussion we are hoping it will start, and it has wasted too much time not doing that. We hope that changes with “The Power” Episode 6 and onwards.
