Why The Sex Scenes on ‘Power’ Are The Key to Its Success

Starz’ hottest show is Power, a story about James St. Patrick (Omari Hardwick), who, to the public, is the owner of an exclusive Manhattan nightclub owner, and to those closest to him, is Ghost, the leader of one of the city’s largest drug rings. So how is it that this gritty drama is responsible for some of the most realistic and passionate sex scenes on TV?
There are several relationships at play in the series, but no matter what the pairing, each has one thing in common: hot sex. When we first meet Ghost in season 1, his marriage to Tasha (Naturi Naughton) seems to be better than ever. They’re very much on the same page when it comes to his business (she is what is commonly referred to as a ride or die bitch), their parenting, and their own relationship. Sex with them is probably more accurately labeled as “love making” as it succeeds in being both caring and fulfilling for all parties involved. In season two, the meaning of their sex slightly shifts. When Tasha can feel Ghost becoming disconnected, she uses it as a way to reconnect and get close to him once again, while he is using it as a way to delay having to tell her the truth.

And the truth is that he reconnected with his childhood love, Angela (Lela Loren), and while their sex could also be described as “love making” it’s certainly different from a traditional man-wife marriage. There’s an urgency, almost a panic between the two as they are getting it on. There’s an energy they’ve each been saving up since they were teens, and when their bodies connect, it feels like they never want to separate ever again. If their bodies could talk, they would say, “OMG is this really happening? After all these years? YES! Let’s make the most of this!” There’s lust, there’s passion, and there’s no shortage of positions for these two. There’s even a scene where Ghost’s butt quivers as he’s entering Angela and it could be some of the finest acting ever. Seriously, how did Hardwick get that done without actual penetration?
Once Ghost and Angela find out the truth about each other and who they really are at work, they use their sex life as almost a numbing agent. They are both hurt and distrusting and skeptical of the other, but their bodies go through the literal motions they are so used to with each other. They share a connection so intense, that even finding out the other person could be working to expose who you are and ruin your whole entire life, isn’t going to stop these two from getting physically intimate.

Once Tasha finds out about her husband’s affair, she uses sex in a different way. Does she still crave it from her husband? Of course. But since he’s busy with “work” or Angela, she immediately needs sexual validation more so than she needs love making. She tests the waters with Ghost’s driver, Shawn (Sinqua Walls), revealing her breasts and masturbating from the back of the car as he drives. Soon, a chemistry develops between the two and their relationship becomes physical, affording Tasha to receive the validation she needs in the form of admiration and sex in locales such as the backseat and the shower.
Meanwhile, Ghost’s best friend and business partner Tommy (Joseph Sikora) starts to date a waitress from the club, Holly (Lucy Walters). These two can’t seem to keep their clothes on for more than a minute or so once they are in each other’s presence. Of all the sex on this show, these two are responsible for the most experimental kind, turning to handcuffs for dual purposes: a) a fun romp, b) a device Holly uses to keep Tommy constrained while she delivers some news that could threaten his business and life. Let’s just say, that one got a little less sexy.

Not that it even really got rough, though. One of the best parts of these scenes is that they succeed in showing two (or sometimes more) responsible, consenting adults displaying their feelings for each other in a safe yet sexy way. The women rarely keep their fancy lingerie on while gyrating on top of a man — they are boldly braless. They lie around afterwards naked, as actual people do, sheets rarely used as shields. The sex scenes are an integral part of telling these stories on Power but if you didn’t know any better, you might think you were peeking at actual people getting freaky. While it’s true acting, there is nothing staged and nothing “Hollywood” about these scenes. The nakedness is not just to keep scenes truthful, but as a metaphor for the intimacy and exposure these characters are allowing their partners, and they way they are seeing each other for who they truly are. That it is actually super hot is just a bonus for viewers.
It should also be noted that while these scenes are sexy, they are more importantly sensitive. Yes you’re seeing the humping, but you’re also feeling the heart. It’s not gratuitous, it’s not pervy, and the sex never feels like it’s thrown in for ratings. It feels true to the storytelling, that it’s there for a purpose, and that purpose is not just to titillate. A major part of this can be that more times than not, the woman is in charge. She’s leading the way, she’s initiating and she’s getting hers. The guys are having a great time too, obviously. But the women are enjoying themselves, they’re in control and they feel taken care of. And that is the hottest part of it all.

So, who can we personally send a thank you card to for these scenes? All signs point to creator, executive producer and showrunner Courtney A. Kemp. (Was that butt quiver your idea, girl?) She’s running a hugely successful and interesting show, but more importantly she’s pointing out exactly why we need way more women in charge behind the scenes of TV shows and movies. She’s capable, she’s smart and she’s a true #bossbitch. But it’s her feminine touch that has the biggest impact on this show. The fact that these scenes aren’t just “bang and bounce” remains hugely important to the series as a whole. It softens the men that are doing terrible things outside of the bedroom (drug dealing, murdering, for example). It brings female viewers into a show that would normally be targeted at men, due to the fact that it’s about drug dealers. Except that it’s not. This entire show is about relationships. Sure, sex is one aspect of that. But the relationships the men have not only with women, but with each other, is unique as well.
Ghost and Tommy, at their core foundation, have what could be called a bromance. On top of that is the fact that they are business partners, and have their past and their trust that bonds them — almost more so than it bonds either of them to the women in their lives. Even the way Ghost treats the men he is about to hurt is special. Rarely is it a “bang and bounce” situation when it comes to the deaths on this show as well, in this case “bang” referring to guns. In several instances, Ghost confronts the man about to meet his demise. They might have a face to face in a warehouse, or even sit down at a kitchen table to have a discussion before any shots go off. Yes, Power manages to have a tenderness when it comes to its death scenes.

For a show that is so much about having to get rid of enemies, there is very little violence. You hear the shot ring out, you might see a bullet hole in a forehead and a puddle of dark red blood on the ground. But there isn’t a lot of tussling and fist fighting and brutality in a show about scrambling for control by any means necessary. Again, this is that feminine touch that remains so necessary to Power, and hopefully many future shows.
Having a female run the show immediately sets a tone for everyone involved with that show: this is a space where women are special, appreciated and respected. And that certainly rings true on screen for Power. The scenes that need to be dark and dirty very much are, and the ones that need to be sensitive and specific also are. The sex scenes in Power are more than just getting it on, they are nuanced and they are telling their own stories in those moments that contribute to the larger story as a whole. They set the entire tone for the rest of the show and its relationships: from physicality to respect and of course, power.
[Where to stream Power]