Speechless.
If that’s how you felt at the end of Power Book IV: Force Season 1 Episode 8, join the club.
This new series hasn’t shied away from bloodshed and violence, but to this point, we haven’t experienced that BIG death that shakes the very foundation of the show. Well, we got it here. And nothing is going to be the same.
Power Book IV: Force Season 1 has been a slow burn. It’s taken its time getting to the point of the story, where all the moving parts start to connect. It’s been very different from the rest of the Power Universe, which typically operates at a frantic pace.
But it’s that differentiation that makes it so unique.
We’ve gotten ample time to know the players, understand their motives, and now we’re watching things come together. And all the pieces are in place for an exciting end of the season.
Dahlia is bringing everyone together, but not everyone realizes they’re on a collision course with each other.
Tommy and Claudia have created a drug business that is so powerful it has the whole of Chicago talking about it. Everyone wants in on that high, and with all that buzz, it was no surprise they needed to bring in an extra pair of hands. It was never feasible for just the four of them cut, and control the whole operation.
Even though Tommy had been pretty clear about not wanting JP to be a part of his business, he couldn’t deny that JP could be of value to them. For starters, he’s smart, and he’s eager. And he’s also family.
Tommy can’t afford to be bringing in just anybody, and bringing in JP allows him to relax a little bit, realizing that JP is more trustworthy than some random person off the street.
JP remains probably the best guy on this series and maybe the best person throughout the franchise. He’s got a kind spirit, a strong work ethic, and he seems like a nice person. Putting up with Tommy isn’t easy, but he does it with ease, and their burgeoning friendship has been one of this season’s highlights.
Tommy’s search for a family has been well-documented, and things have been slowly slotting into place with JP. And now that he knows D-Mack is JP’s son, it’ll be interesting to see what he does with that information.
D-Mack isn’t a bad kid, and I loved finding out here that he’s smart as hell. He’s a kid dealt a bad hand, and he’s done his best to make the most of the opportunities presented to him. Again, not a bad kid.
But he’s been reluctant to approach JP in any way, and now that Tommy knows the deal, does he sit on that information or try to bridge that relationship? It may be challenging, but a Tommy, JP, and D-Mack trio could be deadly. Those are three wise men right there who could do big things together.
It’s been very cool seeing Tommy open up to JP and Liliana. No one will ever replace Ghost and what that relationship meant to him and his life. But as he fights through this new chapter, it’s nice to know that he has someone like Liliana in his corner who has his back.
Liliana has proven time and time again that she is competent and she’s loyal. She and Tommy have become THAT duo, and while I’m sure we won’t leave this season without losing more people, hopefully, Liliana isn’t a casualty of war.
But speaking of casualties, we could only avoid talking about this gutwrenching death for so long.
Vic has made it evident that things with Gloria would be different this time. He’s been willing to do whatever it takes to prove to her that he’s all-in, and it’s been nice to see him stick up for Gloria at every turn. He decided to choose love over duty, and that’s extremely admirable, even if no one else can see it.
Walter has shouted his disdain for Gloria from the rooftops, and when he met with Tommy, he was not so subtly warning him that Gloria wasn’t long for this world. But did you think Walter would actually go through with hurting Gloria just to keep his son on his side?
I surely didn’t.
Walter is an awful human being, but destroying his son is something he would never be able to come back from. And while he’s an expert at pushing his children and trying to cripple their pride and self-esteem, completely ripping away their reason for living seems like something a little too far over the edge, even for the devil himself.
Tommy is a lot of things, but deep down inside, he does have a soft spot for love. And warning Vic was more about wanting to protect Gloria and her heart than protecting Vic. Though, he definitely gained a lot of respect for Vic after working with him and seeing that he’s more than just a daddy’s boy.
And that’s why it’s all the more frustrating to see Vic not take Tommy’s warning more seriously.
Uncle Paulie, who shows up far too often with neatly packaged nuggets of advice, came to Vic to do what exactly? He said he called off the Gloria hit, which I believe, and he had no way of knowing Tommy warned Vic, so I guess he was trying to be a good Uncle. But his words just made Vic doubtful.
And his doubt in Tommy ended up being a fatal mistake.
Gloria deserved better than the hand she was dealt here. She had such an intriguing backstory, yet she really didn’t get to do much but be a love interest for Tommy and Vic and clash with the Flynn’s. But even having said that, she made all of her screentime count.
She had chemistry with everyone, and she stayed true to herself the whole way through. Vic had to earn her, and in the end, he was willing to leave it all behind just for her. I always wanted Gloria to make the decision that was right for her and what she wanted.
Her heart wanted Vic, and unfortunately, that decision cost her her life.
Talk about a shock. There is no way you saw Gloria’s death coming because it genuinely felt like it came out of left field.
Sure, Walter has been plotting, but as I said earlier, I never thought he was capable of hurting Vic so profoundly. But if not Walter, then who?
The logical guess is the Serbs, who you knew were never going to just go away quietly. And they’ve tried to hit Vic before and failed, so why not try a second time?
Gloria’s death will have a ripple effect on everything because the whole war with the Serbs started solely because of Tommy. And it’s not crazy to think that Vic may take out his pain and frustrations on Tommy. Or maybe Walter, who exacerbated the feud even further when he shot up those guys enjoying their last supper.
Everything is an absolute MESS.
And we haven’t even talked about Jenard yet, who continues to be one of the messiest characters of all time. Not only is he going behind Diamond’s back with the Gary crew, all while smiling in his brother’s face and faking like he’s completely fine with the way Diamond has chosen to run CBI, but he’s all in on dahlia.
Nah, but for real though, D. CBI started with you. It’s gonna end with you. Long as I can play a small part somewhere in the middle, it’s a blessing dog.
Jenard
Jenard has been plotting all season to dethrone Diamond and take CBI in the direction he wants. And dahlia has given him that push to move forward with his plan, and man are things about to get rough.
Diamond’s a little too preoccupied with Adrienne to see what’s going on, but he’ll find out soon enough because, within a day, Jenard not only shoots someone, but he gets in bed further with the folks in Gary.
Jenard won’t rest until he makes dahlia his, and when he finds out it’s a Tommy Egan production? Oh, well, all hell is going to break loose.
Everything Else You Need To Know
- It was surprising to see Adrienne give up her true identity so quickly, but she’s smitten with Diamond. Though now that he knows the truth, that storyline loses its appeal.
- Kate is back! It was just a matter of time before she made her presence known, and I have to admit…I kind of missed her particular brand of crazy. Is Chicago ready for KATE?
- Miriam’s death was shady, right? She was fine, from what we could tell, and then within a few seconds, she’s gone? Something isn’t right there.
- Claudia once again doing something behind Tommy’s back will have consequences. Claudia is a boss in her own right, but you’d think by now she’d realize how dangerous it is to get on Tommy’s bad side.
- Jenard is ANNOYING but he is also hilarious.
- RIP Gloria. You had a heart of gold, were tough as nails, and deserved so much better than you got. This one hurts.
Once you’ve picked your jaw up off the floor, head down to the comment section and let me know how you’re feeling! With only two hours left, there’s sure to be a lot more chaos on the horizon!
While we wait for the next installment, remember you can watch Power Book IV: Force online right here, so you’re all caught up!
Whitney Evans is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.
