We are beginning to believe that whoever wrote this story—the book and the series—has no understanding of the nature of power itself or of the sensitive equation between the oppressed and the oppressor. If they did, they would know that it was not just a matter of handing the oppressed group an advantage but their point of view in using it. Women don’t turn into men if they have the power, and the writer missed this point by a large margin, which has made this series a serious waste of time. We have said this before, but stories like “The Power” demand an emotional investment from the people that watch them. That is why it is so painful when they get it wrong. We wanted to like this series so much. Its potential meant so much to us, but here we are, glad that it is ending soon. Let’s follow the detailed recap of “The Power” Episode 8.
Spoilers Alert
Does Roxy Find Her Mother’s Killer?
Picking up from the conversation in Roxy’s family in “The Power” Episode 7, she gets a third of the Monk empire on her 18th birthday. Barbara and Terry are clearly not happy about it, but there is not much they can do. As for Bernie, he has realized the benefits of Roxy’s power and wants her to accompany Terry on his runs to collect money. This proves to be fruitful, especially with clients who gambled on being physically stronger than Terry but had to concede before Roxy’s power. Something else that happens is that Roxy finds Eve’s video online of her using her powers to cure a girl and her stunt in the water. Though Roxy is convinced it is fake, she is undoubtedly curious. She connects with Eve online, and Eve invites Roxy to join her. But Roxy still doesn’t take it seriously.
On the other hand, Terry is furious at Roxy for being the more powerful one in this dynamic. The clients are paying up because of her and not because of who Terry is. He is not used to taking such a backseat and almost hits Roxy, though she evades it. They go to a nail salon later on, where Roxy’s mother used to work. Her friends tell her that her mother had a boyfriend named Derek, and Roxy is shocked since she never knew this. When she goes back home, before she gets out of the car, Terry gives her another piece of information. He tells her that he did not want her to come to his wedding, which was the day Roxy’s mom was killed. But Bernie had insisted that Roxy come there so that she would be away from her house. It was a different matter that Roxy left early because she felt slighted by her father, which caused her to be at the scene of the crime. In the present day, Roxy’s head is in a muddle as she is forced to consider whether her father, whose approval and acceptance she has sought her entire life, was the one responsible for ordering the murder of her mother.
Why Does Rob Want A Divorce From Margot?
Margot’s personal life is barely hanging by a thread. Her son has made it clear that he does not want her to win the race for the Senate because it would disturb the balance of the world. In fact, he believed that the man setting himself on fire was an act of communication rather than senseless violence. In a fit of anger, he uploads the video of Ryan using the power on Urbandox’s website.
As for Rob, he is struggling to find a place next to Margot. He always knew that she was ambitious, but seeing the consequences of those ambitions realized is proving to be too much for him. He is not alright with the fact that Margot refuses to talk about the issues plaguing their family and that she is bottling everything up. We will concede that Rob has a point here. But it is upsetting how quickly he gives up on her. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that men are never taught how to live with a power imbalance the way women are taught. Rob is a man of science, but when he stands next to Margot, his identity is reduced to that of a husband from another race who makes amazing food, a situation many women of powerful politicians and businessmen often find themselves in. Meanwhile, Margot discovered that it was Jocelyn who was leaving hurtful comments on social media regarding her mother, a part of which we saw in Episode 1. When Margot asks her about it, Jocelyn admits that she did not like how their family had to tailor themselves for her image. Margot agrees that it is unfair and thinks about it.
The entire family goes camping so that they can bond with each other outside of the madness when Jocelyn discovers that her brother uploaded the video of Ryan online. Furious, she is about to use her power on him, but Margot stops her with her own power. This is when the family comes to know that Margot has the power. Rob is furious at Margot for hiding this from him. Margot tells him that she did it so that he could truthfully claim deniability. She pleads with him that she needs him, and Rob promises to be there for her—that is, until the election, after which he demands a divorce.
Why Does Tatiana Kill Her Husband?
We saw in “The Power” Episode 7 that Zoia gave a message to Tunde to deliver to her sister. In this episode, Tunde accompanies Declan Glease on his way to interview Tatiana’s husband and her. Unfortunately, all of their questions have been edited out to only keep the fluffy ones. We must also mention that this is a racist country, and their hostility towards Tunde is apparent. Nevertheless, once the questions are done, Declan takes a chance and questions the president about the status of women gaining power in his country. What results is a barrage of vile misogyny that Tatiana is forced to translate into English. At that moment, people rush into the room and ask for the interview to stop. Tunde takes the chance and tells Tatiana that the general is none other than Zoia, and she has a child now. Before anything else can happen, Declan and Tunde are taken away for questioning. The authorities have found Tunde’s website, where he speaks about the women revolting, who are currently the enemies of the country. Declan gets out of the situation by throwing Tunde under the bus and claiming ignorance of these particular journalistic endeavors of his. A betrayed Tunde is left to rot in the jail cell while Declan gets out.
As for Tatiana, as she is getting ready for the day, her husband comes into the room, continuing with his rants. But this time, he does something that angers her. He kicks Tatiana’s beloved dog not once but twice. He also talks about how he will have Zoia assaulted and murdered. Tatiana is furious, and in a murderous rage, she hits him repeatedly and kills him. But now she must cover her tracks. She calls for her hairdresser, who is shocked upon seeing the bloodbath in the room. Tatiana asks for her brother’s name to help him and her family, and soon enough, she knocks her unconscious, possibly killing her. Tatiana frames the bodies in such a way that it looks like the hairdresser has killed the president. She calls the security, acting as if she is in shock, and it is now time for the next stage of her plan. Tatiana has not been able to use the power so far because of the tracker on her. Now that her husband is out of the picture, she might make her moves.
What Happens When Eve’s Reality Is Exposed?
One of the girls in the convent uploaded a video of Eve, in which she was seen using her powers for healing and other things. That video has gone viral, and Eve is worried that it will lead to the discovery of her real identity and the fact that she killed her foster father. Her nightmare does come true, and her foster mother, Mrs. Montgomery, is on the news, asking for Eve, aka Allison, to be brought in. When Sister Veronica sees this, she rushes to make the call to the authorities, but Eve stops her just in time. She uses her power to manipulate Sister Veronica into coming over to her side and supporting her. By this time, the other girls in the church also know everything, and they are divided in their support for her. While some believe that killing a person was taking it a step too far, others say they support her because the man probably deserved it. Eve has gained back the support of her friends and followers. But it might all be taken away again. At the end of Episode 8 of “The Power,” Sister Veronica is bleeding from her eyes and on the brink of collapse, saying that she has seen God. This is no doubt the unintended result of what Eve has done. The matter is that Eve had little choice when she chose to kill her foster father, and the girls understood that since they had faced similar situations with the men in their lives. However, Sister Veronica is a different matter. She was always against Eve, but she had never harmed her. In fact, she had provided shelter to the many girls who showed up at her doorstep. It remains to be seen how Eve deals with the situation now.
Final Thoughts
While most story arcs in “The Power” have been pretty tame, Margot’s story has been hard to stomach. It is due to her family and is an up-close example of what happens due to the lack of gender sensitivity in discussions between men and women. In no other person’s story is it as apparent as it is in hers. With the rest, they are dealing with openly misogynistic environments, but for Margot, a seemingly powerful woman in a progressive household, sexism is just another point of view. It all rings true, and we are extremely privy to households like this, which is why it is so hard for us. Either way, with just one more episode to go, we are going to see all of our main characters’ lives reach a tipping point where their power is going to force them to make some tough decisions. We expect a lot of heartbreak and some flip-offs. It remains to be seen how exciting they might be.
