Tommy really got banished from the group he founded. Wow.
It’s like the founding member of your favorite childhood boy band getting the ax right when the group was on the brink of mainstream popularity.
It’s a good thing there was another opportunity out there for him on Power Book IV: Force Season 1 Episode 6 because without Claudia and dahlia, he would have found himself in a bad spot.
After Elijah and Simon’s deaths, Diamond, Jenard, and Vic all felt like Tommy was a liability. They lost people in the fight against the Serbs, yet Tommy lost nothing. But is that anyone’s fault?
Everyone walked into that fight with their eyes wide open, and they knew all the risks. Life in this business isn’t for the weak, and while you’re not heading into any gunfight wishing to die, you know it’s a possibility. So, the three guys ousting Tommy because no one he cared about died felt a little petty.
With the Serb pipeline in hand, the four of them could have been an absolute force in Chicago. But alas, it wasn’t meant to be at this time, but Tommy doesn’t even have time to be that upset about it because he’s already spending his buyout money before he’s even counted it.
I’ve been advocating for Tommy and Claudia to team up from the beginning because they both have something to gain from the other.
Even though Claudia has been in this business all her life, she’s only been on one side of it. She hasn’t had to get her hands dirty in the way her father and Vic have, but she still possesses a skill set that is important in this line of work.
On the other hand, Tommy knows everything, really, but he still hasn’t found steady footing in Chicago. He thought he had it with the fellas, but his past came back to bite him and ended things before they could properly start.
So, Tommy needs another investment, and Claudia needs an investor to help with distribution. Plus, Claudia gets the bonus of a professional body hider at her disposal.
Tommy: This is who we are.
Claudia: And this is what we do.
Starting the hour with Tommy helping Claudia hide a body and ending the hour almost the same way was an excellent way of showing Claudia’s quick evolution. Mai was her first kill, but she was never going to be her last. There is death and chaos in this business, and you have to do whatever you have to do to survive.
Claudia grows each week as a character, and she’s at her best when she’s with Tommy.
With Tommy and Gloria’s relationship pushed to the back burner, for the time being, they seem to be hinting at a Tommy and Claudia thing, but I’m not sure I see that. Much like him and Liliana, Tommy and Claudia have good chemistry as allies.
You don’t often see too many genuine smiles from Tommy, but he has them with her.
Keeping the streets from finding out who’s selling dahlia will probably end up being difficult, but for now, at least they’ve got their locker system, and they’ve got at least two distributors.
Tommy is so brilliant, man. We already knew that from Power, but it’s great to see him here making the moves he wants and showing how valuable he can be as a number one.
He and Ghost were a great team when they had to be, but there was always an air of Ghost being above Tommy in some ways. But once Ghost went legit, Tommy proved he was more than capable of doing his own thing, and we only see more of that here.
Once dahlia hits the streets, though, things are going to get real. I imagine it won’t take long for Vic to figure out it’s the designer drug Claudia had mentioned previously, and if it blows up and hampers everyone else’s business, there will be conflict.
But while we wait for that conflict to manifest, Diamond and Jenard will keep enjoying the Serb pipeline.
This felt like the first hour in a minute where Diamond and Jenard were on the same page. There’s been so much resentment on Jenard’s side, but here they actually got time to talk and make decisions together, and why can’t they just keep doing that? Why can’t there be two heads of CBI?
Diamond left CBI to Jenard not just because he’s family but because he knew he could do the job. And it’s not as if Diamond no longer thinks that, but he started CBI, and that’s his baby, not Jenard’s.
Jenard seems to have chilled out on trying to take the reigns right now, but Jenard is a loose cannon. There’s no telling what he’ll do next. Not to mention he’s still on his anti-Tommy Egan agenda.
All Tommy has done is breathe, and Jenard can’t seem to get off his neck. You’re having D-Mack tail Tommy for what? At this point, he should just let Tommy go and focus on the things he can control.
Poor D-Mack, I wish we knew more about what’s going on with him. He doesn’t seem to want to hurt JP. But he’s not above making him suffer by repeatedly damaging his bar. And seeing how quickly he quit Jenard’s assignment after seeing Tommy and JP know each other just proves that point further.
While Jenard was trying to set up Operation stalk Tommy, Diamond made a love connection!
I am all about Diamond finding love in a hopeless place, but something is off with Adrienne. Nothing about their meeting at the diner seemed like an accident. And her late-night “work” call was suspicious at best.
First, Bennigan won’t leave him alone, and now we’ve got a shady woman showing up on his doorstep with breakfast for dinner! Diamond needs to watch his back.
Vic spent the hour defying Walter, which will always be a fun thing to see. Now, bringing Gloria to Sunday dinner would most certainly send a big middle finger to both his father and sister, but please don’t ever put Gloria through that.
It’s a nice sentiment, and maybe she does need to go just to know how serious Vic is, but what a terrible way to spend a Sunday evening.
You can tell Gloria appreciates seeing THIS Vic, who appears to be making their relationship a priority. And honestly, I just want Gloria to follow her heart and do what makes her happy because she deserves that. If Vic is the source of that happiness, he needs to always put her first.
Of course, we never get to see what would have surely been a disastrous dinner because of the drive-by shooting.
Walter is so many disgusting, vile things, and he doesn’t love his kids in the way they deserve to be loved, but he’s also willing to light the world on fire to protect them. Or is he just trying to preserve his legacy? It’s hard to tell with him.
Either way, he takes his multitude of frustrations right to the Serbs, and Tommy Flanagan is truly a master at playing the villain. Evil just oozes out his pores here, and while snatching the Serb pipeline definitely ignited the war, Walter just took a match to it.
It’s on now.
Everything Else You Need To Know
- Tommy in that custom-made suit, though!
- The dahlia high seems a bit…excessive?
- These FBI agents are giving me major Angela Valdes vibes, as in, they aren’t good at their jobs. They approach Paulie for help but give him no incentive whatsoever to help them outside of not wanting to get stuck on Walter’s sinking ship. I’m sure he’s never heard that before.
- Power as a universe has never shied away from the sexy times, but Force seems to be taking it to a whole new level.
- Being ghosted sucks, but Reggie was on a hundred when he could have kept it at a fifty. He came in hot, ready to kill Claudia just like that! Claudia is no trained killer, but she surely doesn’t hesitate.
- I don’t blame Tommy for keeping JP separate from his business. He already lost one brother, and he doesn’t want to lose another.
Alright, guys, we’re heading into the final episodes of the first season, and I’m curious where you see things headed!
Drop me a line down below, and remember you can watch Power Book IV: Force online via TV Fanatic anytime you like!
Whitney Evans is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.
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