Michael Rainey Jr. Says Goodbye to Tariq St. Patrick — For Now

Power Book II: Ghost’s series finale aired on Friday, October 4. After a remarkable run, Michael Rainey Jr., a fan and star, has left. Is this truly the end of Tariq St.? Patrick? For more than a decade, Rainey Jr. has been playing the son of James ‘Ghost’ St. Patrick tells PEOPLE, ‘This is the end,’ but he isn’t so sure himself. The ending of the episode leaves plenty of room for more surprises.

The finale delivered a full-circle moment, with Tariq embracing the role of ‘ghost’ as he assumed control of New York City’s drug operation. After the credits ended, a mysterious post-credits sequence left fans — and Rainey Jr. — in awe. He is scratching his head. An unexpected phone call from Tariq with a promise of help adds an intriguing layer of uncertainty to his fate.

Rainey Jr. is not the only one. Admits to being perplexed by the turn of events.

“I was kind of confused when I read that. I was like, ‘Who the hell is this dude talking to? How do you got new people already? Bro, everybody is against you!’”

Despite the uncertainty, Rainey Jr. Returning to the Power universe is something I am open to, either through future projects or a glimpse in the upcoming prequel Power Book IV: Origins.

“I would love to see Tariq back on screen,” Rainey Jr. says. “Whether it’s a baby picture in Origins or something else, I’m happy to bring Tariq back for the people. The [Power] universe never ends. We’ve got Origins coming, and other things — it just never ends.”

The episode seemed to be a fitting conclusion for the character. Tariq’s self-identification deeply moved Rainey Jr. as a ghost.

“Everything in the episode kind of went the way I expected and wanted it to,” he says. “That full-circle moment when he called himself a ghost was super dope.”

While Tariq’s trajectory toward becoming like his father was inevitable, Rainey Jr. Reflected on how his character had to gain the title and how it wasn’t always easy.

“I feel like at the end of the season, Tariq finally showed why he’s worthy of the name Ghost,” Rainey Jr. adds. “Even though he slipped up in episode nine… I’m never going to forget about that. But he redeemed himself.”

Rainey Jr.’s theme was redemption, especially after Tariq’s mistakes in episode nine.

“Watching [episode 9], I was like, ‘Oh my God, no. Why you got to say all that?’” Rainey Jr. recalls, noting how Tariq’s fumbling of a key moment was painful to watch. “But in the finale, he didn’t fold under pressure. That was huge.”

Still, not everything in the finale was wrapped up as neatly as Rainey Jr.’s. I would have preferred. The friendship between Tariq and Brayden (played by Gianni Paolo) is a relationship that still hasn’t been resolved. The pair has been through a lot, but by the end of the season, their bond is still unclear.

“They’ve been ride-or-die, up and down. You would expect the season to end with them kind of on the up… but we don’t see any of that. What happened between them? There’s so much more to uncover,” Rainey Jr.

The friendship between Ghost and Tommy in the Power universe, Ghost and Tommy, is echoed by the tension between Tariq and Brayden. Rainey Jr.’s painful memories were brought back by the downfall of their partnership, which weighed heavily on fans.

“Watching Ghost and Tommy’s friendship go down the drain was tough,” he says. “I would watch it and think, ‘Dang, not Tommy and Ghost.’ It’s not supposed to be like this.”

Rainey Jr.’s portrayal of Tariq has lasted a decade Admits he’s never quite sure what’s next for the character – a sentiment that holds true even after the finale.

“Tariq never knows what he wants to do,” Rainey Jr. says. “One day he wants to be out of the game, the next day he’s all in. I think he just likes the thrill.”

Whether this is the true end of Tariq St. Patrick or just another chapter is still a mystery. One thing’s for sure: Tariq is never quite finished with the game or with us. Rainey Jr. leaves us with a compelling thought:

“We’ll see what tricks he’s got up his sleeve.”