This week’s Power Book IV: Force delivered a stronger and more focused hour than last week.
It opened with Vic being waterboarded, setting an intense tone that felt very true to classic Power. The tension never really let up, especially once Tommy stormed into a meeting with a severed head in hand. Even for Tommy, that was wild, and it immediately reminded us why he remains one of the franchise’s most chaotic characters.
Tommy stayed busy all episode, from burning down the warehouse to juggling way too many people who now know where he lives. Mireya should be the only one with that information, but Tommy has gotten a little too comfortable. He also has Vic moving with a new kind of confidence, calling out Claudia without hesitation. With Vic’s new love interest stepping in soon, there’s a real chance he might somehow make it out of this series alive, especially since he has always had a little more street sense than Claudia. On the other hand, Claudia continues to survive on pure luck and questionable instincts. Her smirk after talking to Elise made it clear she’s setting her up for something, and Elise is nowhere near ready for the life Claudia is pulling her into.
Claudia and Mateo doubting Tommy’s ability to take on the cartel shows how little they actually know. Tommy has taken down cartel bosses before. Their underestimation feels like it’s only setting them up for disaster. Meanwhile, Diamond going after D Mac felt out of character. He has always been written as steady and loyal, so suddenly leading the charge on D Mac doesn’t quite fit, especially since he knows how close D Mac is to Tommy.
The episode did deliver one of its best moments with the confrontation between Jenard and Diamond. Kris Lofton brought real weight to that scene. Jenard is often written as reckless, but at least he finally confronted Tommy face to face instead of running his mouth behind his back. He also got a good line in with that BMF joke.
D Mac and Marshall continued to move like a comedy duo with terrible instincts. As soon as Bakari showed up at that poker game, the robbery felt inevitable. The fallout is coming, and it might hit JP first since he still hasn’t appeared this season. If the show wants a shocking retaliation, that door is wide open.
Elsewhere, Shanti held nothing back in her fight scene, which only adds tension as we wait for Jenard to eventually flip on her and Diamond to eventually flip on Tommy. With Tommy putting in serious work and the alliances around him fraying, it’s only a matter of time before someone snaps.
By the end of the episode, Vic had already positioned Mae as a new opportunity to gain leverage on Stacy. If he plays it right, this might be his exit route from the mess he’s trapped in.
Episode two felt like the season finally hitting its stride. Classic Tommy energy returned, alliances shifted in sharper ways, and several characters took dangerous steps toward betrayals that feel inevitable. The pieces are set, the tension is rising, and if this pace continues, the rest of the season may land much harder than the premiere.
