The Power Season 1 Episode 7 Review: Baptism

The Power may have a too many characters problem. The Powers Season 1 Episode 7, “Baptism” showcases this by having almost all the major characters in it, but not giving us enough time with any of them.

You want to have enough time to understand and explore each character’s story. However, the constraints of the episode number and amount of characters make this nearly impossible. Some characters are neglected and others are rushed.

Zoia is one character who has a rushing story problem. Last we see her, she escapes sexual slavery, but now she has become a general to these oppressed women. Her whole rise to power has been told not shown.

Ryan is a character who suffers from a neglected problem.

He experiences a major change of heart from The Power Season 1 Episode 6, “Sparklefingers” to now. He decides that he’s with Jos because this is his battle as much as it is her battle. This is nice, and Ryan isn’t a main character, but it could have been interesting to see more of how he comes to this decision.

We also don’t see Matty until the end of the episode. I want to know how Matty is processing the Urbandox follower burning himself in front of the Cleary-Lopez family. As a fan of Urbandox, does Matty approve of the extreme behavior?

Matty is a vital piece to the conflict but we only briefly see his perspective.

With all the characters come many complex relationships, but we aren’t sure of all the relationships.

There are also some relationships that are hard to gauge with so little time spent on various characters. Tatiana and Solongo are an example of this because I have no clue about their relationship.

Solongo is clearly Tatiana’s servant but what does that entail for both characters? Tatiana’s erratic behavior can be scary, but is it common for Solongo? Does Tatiana care enough about her to help her with her brother?

These relationships may be minor but we don’t get enough information about them to know their importance to the story or these characters.

Another example of a relationship that’s confusing is Roxy and Ricky. All her other brothers adore her, but Ricky takes his mother’s stance of hating Roxy. We don’t know if this is because of what happens to Terry or if it’s a lifelong feud.

Having too many fascinating characters is a good problem to have on a TV show.

However, I just worry that the show has far too much to explore and too little time to do it.

The biggest theme of this episode is the connection that bonds these women. It’s the global sisterhood. They are all dealing with separate struggles, but the series emphasizes that they all have a connection.

Interestingly, Tunde may end up becoming a figure that interacts with each character. He already has spoken with Margot Cleary-Lopez and now Zoia, and soon Tatiana. I wonder if Tunde may appear in each story by the end of The Power series–if it lasts long enough.

He’s a fascinating thread to this story because he sees the good in all EOD. He has a  rare male perspective. He wants to showcase the revolution in a positive way.

Tunde and Urbandox are such interesting opposites in The Power. They are both using their resources to paint these women in a certain way, but painting the opposite picture.

Stray Thoughts

• This is a very gross episode, from the birth to the pool scene.
• Matty is 100 percent posting that video of Ryan online, right?
• Tunde is a bit reckless. I hope he survives the season.
• Seeing Jos watch Roxy’s video is such a cool way to showcase that they’re all connected.
• I am hoping that when Jean figures out who Allie is, she doesn’t kill them.
• Ryan declaring his allegiance to Jos is such a cute moment. 

What did you think of this episode of The Power? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Critic Rating:

User Rating:

The Power streams Thursday nights on Prime Video. 

 Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram!

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!

What to Stream in March: Daisy Jones & The Six, Shadow and Bone, Ted Lasso