“Power Book II”‘s Showrunner Says Lorenzo’s Tragic Fate Was Sealed Before His Confession to Monet

Starz / Myles Aronowitz

Karma comes back to bite in “Power Book II: Ghost” season three as yet another major character meets their end. In episode five, “No More Second Chances,” Lorenzo (Berto Colón) meets his inevitable end after his wife, Monet (Mary J. Blige), finally avenges her son Zeke’s death by getting back at his actual killer. The Tejada patriarch may have thought he was in the clear after he framed a TGT gang member for Zeke’s murder, whom Monet killed previously, but all his lies eventually catch up to him – and an unexpected family member (that’s not Monet) turns out to be responsible for his tragic demise.

As viewers know, Lorenzo’s fate has been decided since “Power Book II”‘s action-packed season two finale, as he accidentally murders Zeke by mistaking him for Monet’s ex, Mecca (Daniel Sunjata). Lorenzo’s oldest son, Cane (Woody McClain), eventually figures out what he did, and the latter blackmails him into letting him control their family’s drug operation. But in the end, Lorenzo’s cover-up and last-minute confession to Monet just weren’t enough to save him.

So how exactly does Lorenzo die in “Power Book II Ghost” season three? Read ahead for a full breakdown from showrunner Brett Mahoney and Colón.

Related: “Power Book II” Season 3 Features a “Power” Easter Egg That Calls Back to This OG Character

How Does Lorenzo Die in “Power Book II: Ghost” Season 3?

The setup for Lorenzo’s death begins way before he admits to Monet that he accidentally killed her son. In fact, his death is revenge for two murders – one that occurred way back in season one, which Monet has now framed him for. If viewers recall, Monet ordered Cane to kill Frank Castillo (David Zayas), Lorenzo’s brother, after they believed him to be a snitch. However, in season three’s fifth episode, she tells Frank’s wife, Evelyn (Lauren Vélez), that Lorenzo is the one who murdered her husband, hoping that her revelation will urge Evelyn to go after Lorenzo.

Monet then has a heart-to-heart with Frank’s son, Gordo (Erik Hernandez), later in the episode as they both grieve the loss of their loved ones. During their conversation, he mentions that, if he had the chance, he’d “slit the throat of the motherf*cker” who killed his father. From there, Monet concocts a plan to take Lorenzo out and informs Gordo that her husband killed his father, though this happens off screen. Despite the latter’s confession to Monet, her ploy is already in motion, and by the end of the episode, Gordo ends up killing Lorenzo – by slitting his throat and leaving him to die on the street right in front of the mural painted in Zeke’s honor. Gordo then texts Monet, “Done. Thank you.”

“She knows that actually pulling the trigger herself is something that they may not forgive.”

Mahoney tells POPSUGAR that Lorenzo’s confession before his death was a “last-ditch effort to keep everything together,” but it wasn’t the “thing that seals his fate.” “As soon as [Monet] knew what the deal was, we know what her instinct is: to strike back and to kill,” he says, noting that Lorenzo’s confession “actually might have bought him a little bit more time.” “He knew that she was finding out based upon the questions that she had asked Cane, Cane had reported to him that he thought that Monet was getting onto them . . . How he argued for his life actually made total sense. But Monet was not hearing him, and she’s really not in a mood to be forgiving.”

Colón suggests that his character already “knew what the possibilities would be” following his confession to Monet. “There’s a possibility that this was just going to make things worse. There’s a possibility that they were going to split. There’s a possibility that she was going to try to betray him and kill him,” he tells POPSUGAR. “All those things have to be weighed. But I think, ultimately, [he] decided to come clean because of this idea of redemption.”

Many may question why Gordo was the one to murder Lorenzo and not Monet, and Mahoney says that the latter arranged her elaborate plan out of fear of losing her children. “She knows that actually pulling the trigger herself is something that they may not forgive. And how she could do it without them finding out was also something that was challenging to her,” he explains. “At the same time, she knew what Gordo’s position was in terms of Gordo saying, ‘I want to slit the throat of the person that killed my father.’ So she knows that she has a loaded weapon in the form of Gordo ready to go, and she thinks that, perhaps, that’s the best way to keep her fingerprints off of it.”

How Does Lorenzo’s Death Impact the Tejadas in “Power Book II: Ghost”?

Now that Monet (figuratively) has blood on her hands, the rest of the Tejadas will surely be mourning once they learn about Lorenzo’s death – and that Monet is responsible for it. Falling in line with season three’s theme of betrayal, Monet has committed the ultimate sin against her family. Knowing “Power Book II,” it won’t be long before she answers for it. “To kill a man, to kill the father of your kids . . . that’s pretty heavy,” Colón notes.

Meanwhile, Mahoney says, “Now Monet has the secret that she’s keeping.” He continues, “[Regarding] her emotions in terms of revenge for Zeke, I don’t think she was truly paying attention to how important Lorenzo is in the family and to the kids. So taking him off the table certainly impacts the family, but then the idea that she now has to keep this secret from her children is also something that impacts the family dynamic.”

Related: “Power Book II: Ghost”‘s Showrunner Shares an Update on Season 4’s Production and Theme

Berto Colón on His “Power Book II: Ghost” Exit in Season 3

Colón refers to his exit from the “Power” spinoff as “bittersweet” but says he’s “super proud” of what he calls “a beautiful arc” for Lorenzo’s story. “I have to say, that setup, that path, the pattern that we had to run with on this one, I loved it,” he shares of his character’s death. “It was just so many pieces to the puzzle and this one was very cool . . . I thought that it was very well put together and it kind of leaves so many opportunities and so many other pathways that you can go now after having this situation set up this way. It was a good setup because it wasn’t explicit.”

The actor, 49, says he knew his time on the show was limited way back when deals were drawn for season three. And considering the nature of the crime series, “We know where these characters go in the Power Universe.” Still, he believes Lorenzo went out exactly how he was supposed to. “His struggle, obviously, in him trying to keep together this evolution that he’s had, and trying to keep things together right up until the point where he decides to come [clean] is the idea that he has to protect [his family] and keep [them] as well guarded and as well insulated as possible from even his own mistakes. But we know in life, the truth will always catch up with you.”

Though episode five of season three marks the last time “Power Book II” viewers will see Colón’s character alive, there’s always the possibility of flashbacks and ghost pop-ups. However, the actor remains tight-lipped on those details for now. “I’ll leave you dangling on that one, but I mean, you know what the name of the show is.”

New episodes of “Power Book II: Ghost” air on Starz on Fridays.

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