Introduction
A common aspect of television shows “Power” and “Empire” is their domineering villains. These are James St. Patrick (also known as Ghost) and Lucious Lyon (or simply Lucious), respectively. The latter is the head of a family-owned music recording company called Empire Entertainment. The company was founded with illicit proceeds of the drug trade which also involved his wife, Ms. Cookie Lyon (Strong & Daniels, 2015-2020). Lucious faces several intrigues, both familial and business-related. Ghost is a major drug dealer who operates a nightclub called Truth in a bid to launder his ill-gotten riches. Moreover, he plans on exiting the narcotics business, although this aim is derailed by objections from his wife Tasha and friend Tommy (Kemp, 2014-2020). Both villains navigate the demands of friendship, crime, power, betrayals, as well as downfalls; although each has his own strategy for balancing these issues.
Love Towards Their Families
Cookie has spent time in jail, and it was during that period when Lucious started a relationship with Anika Calhoun. Andre, the firstborn, has mental challenges, a problem which will be later determined to be genetic. Jamal, the second-born son, is gay, and this fact has displeased his father. The last born son, Hakeem, is stubborn but also a talented rapper. Despite the family-related challenges he faces, Lucious is committed to keeping united. He is purposefully grooming his sons to run the business after him, although not everyone agrees with his methods (Strong & Daniels, 2015-2020). However, he is determined to keep the family values and even demands that his children obey their mother.
Ghost loves his children, and it is one of the main reasons why he is trying to make the relationship with his wife Tasha work. He enrolls his son at Choate, a prestigious private school, in an endeavor to secure the boy’s future (Kemp, 2014-2020). Even though the relationship with his wife ultimately fails, he still wants the children to maintain close contact with their mother. Lucious and Ghost, therefore, value their families, but their lifestyles are not typical of noble fathers.
Both are Overachievers
Even after being told that he has Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Lucious continues his work as usual. His attitude towards work and perfection ultimately starts to take a physical toll on him. Despite this, he remains actively involved in day to day running of the business, and there is a scene where he directs his team while still at the hospital. Although he works together with his children on the same premise, there is hardly any opportunity for personal interactions (Strong & Daniels, 2015-2020). He is always in a hurry to address an urgent matter, and everyone seems to have appreciated this fact. Lucious has no social life or close friends beyond his workplace, and this is also observed with Ghost.
Ghost has a hands-on approach, especially in regards to running his nightclub, Truth, where he actually dies. Even though he loves his children, time is limited for them to be together as he has numerous work-related activities to accomplish. As well as Lucious, Ghost is always in a hurry to leave for the next appointment. The only person he seems to be devoting some personal time for is Angela (Kemp, 2014-2020). Even so, Angela complains that they are hardly together, meaning that she would wish Ghost to enhance his dedication toward their relationship.
Both are Selfish
Lucious abandons Cookie upon her imprisonment and has a relationship with Anika Calhoun. Although he is respectful to Cookie, he does not like showing it. Apart from this, Lucious is ready to harm people for his personal gain, and this is why he shot Bunkie, his wife’s cousin. Bunkie used to support Lucious before the latter acquired wealth, but this part of their history does not dissuade him from committing murder (Strong & Daniels, 2015-2020). Additionally, he does not wish to quit the leadership role of his company. While he seems to be grooming his sons for leadership, that transition will take time to happen.
Ghost starts a relationship with Angela, who used to be his girlfriend in high school, and leaves Tasha. His feelings for his wife change completely, and he becomes dispassionate towards her. His love for Angela is selfish, and this is unlike what a significant number of fathers in his position would do (Kemp, 2014-2020). Ghost betrayed Tommy, but at least he did not kill him the way Lucious murdered Bunkie. His selfishness is also revealed by the fact that instead of just leaving the criminal enterprise, he seeks to impose his will on everyone involved. A selfless individual would either leave alone, or at least use persuasion to convince others to support his perspective.
Lucious is Cold-Hearted while Ghost is Compassionate
In regards to having concerns for others, Lucious and Ghost are remarkably different. Everyone who deals with Lucious fears him because he is ruthless. He does not have an appealing character, and this stresses his girlfriend Anika as well (Strong & Daniels, 2015-2020). It is apparent that he considers bullying as the best strategy for driving people into action. Unlike Ghost, he hardly consults anyone and expects total compliance with his demands.
Ghost is relatable and easily establishes common grounds with those he works with. He consults, listens actively, and sometimes, lets the opinions of others stand. He is likable, which is evidenced by the fact that he has genuine fun with his friends and loved ones. In spite of the domestic problems with Tasha, he does trust her to the point where he requests the wife to destroy a blood-stained vest (Kemp, 2014-2020). In essence, therefore, the two have mutual obligations to one another. It is also noteworthy that at the moment of his death, he begs Tommy not to revenge. That is the character of someone who does not wish to cause unnecessary harm to others.
Lucious is Stubborn while Ghost is Relenting
While both of them are risk-takers, Lucious is more aggressive. He perceives himself as the most knowledgeable and indispensable stakeholder at Empire Entertainment. As a consequence, he feels that he does not need anyone’s affirmation. Additionally, he is willing to destroy those who stand in his way, including any of the three sons. His stubbornness is obvious, and he is unembarrassed by his lifestyle (Strong & Daniels, 2015-2020). Unlike Ghost, Lucious is proud of what he does and wants his entire family to follow in his footsteps.
Ghost is hesitant and readily chooses a less dangerous path even if it diminishes his earnings. He seems to be embarrassed about his past and does not share that history with his children. Moreover, Ghost is ashamed of his current trade and hopes his son will choose a different path. There is a determined effort to disguise who he really is, not just to outsiders but also to his own children (Kemp, 2014-2020). He is having a kind of internal conflict which Lucious does not live through. Ghost hungers for validation, and this is partly the reason he wishes to quit the drug trade. He hopes to impress Angela not only by leaving his life of crime.
Upon being implicated in the murder of The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s agent Greg Knox, Ghost feels pressurized to hasten the pace of his transformation. Nonetheless, his effort to clean all remnants of his past life is proving to be demanding. This is based on the fact that he has been a high-ranking drug dealer with ties to powerful cartels who keeps on threatening both him and Tommy (Kemp, 2014-2020). Ghost is being compelled to make challenging decisions, and the delay is caused by the need to consider a multitude of factors.
Conclusion
Ghost is enduring a challenging transition from being a drug dealer into the owner of a legitimate business. He is having challenges in deciding between Angela and Tasha, although he ultimately settles for the former. As it pertains to his kids, however, he is a loving family man as he does spoil them with gifts. On the contrary, Lucious is having challenges keeping his family together, and disputes are being triggered by his inability to establish a clear line of succession. He is keeping everyone guessing his next moves, a scenario which exacerbates tensions and mistrust. The two villains are, nonetheless, overachievers as they not only show commitment towards realizing their goals but also spend long hours at work. Ultimately, Ghost proves to be redeemable, while Lucious remains ruthless to the end.
References
Kemp, C. A. (2014-2020). Power [TV series]. End of Episode, Inc.
Strong, D., & Daniels, L. (2015-2020). Empire [TV series]. 20th Century Fox Television.