Spoiler Warning: Power Book IV: Force Season 1

So far, season one of Power Book IV: Force has been more than effective at reeling viewers into the obscene amount of twisted plot lines. Detailing the life of career criminal Tommy Egan (Joseph Sikora), he sets out to take control of the Chicago drug game by any means necessary, but what Tommy doesn’t take into consideration is the endless obstacles he runs into and high ranking organized crime members who will do whatever they can to take him out.

Although we all know Tommy to be a combination between charismatic, ruthless, and unpredictable, the latest episode of the Power spinoff series has placed Egan front and center of a widescale war, with the sole mission to put him in the ground for good. After the intentional car accident involving Vic (Shane Harper) and Gloria (Gabrielle Ryan) in episode eight, episode nine marks Tommy as the main target of the Flynn family, although Tommy maintains his innocence. With Tommy feeling the pressure going into the season finale, the question remains, why have Egan as the show’s main target?

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

Is This a Set-up for Something Bigger?

     Starz

As Power Book IV: Force began, it became obvious that Walter Flynn (Tommy Flanagan), head of the Flynn Family and the father to Claudia (Lili Simmons) and Vic Flynn, would have done anything in his power to separate his son Vic from marrying his love interest, Gloria. As the season progresses, viewers learn that Walter makes it known to Vic that marrying a woman of color is not an option for his future. Walter instead wants Vic to marry an Irish woman who will stand by his side as he takes over the family’s business as the drug kingpin of Chicago.

So how does this relate to Tommy, and why blame him for the death of Gloria? Since season one, we’ve learned that Tommy and Gloria had carried out a no-strings-attached physical relationship. The problem with that is that Vic believes that Tommy intentionally set out to kill Gloria due to a possible jealous rage (after listening to his father, who is also in his ear, painting Egan as the target). What’s wrong with this scenario is that if Tommy wanted Vic dead, he would have killed him instead of sending someone to do it.

Tommy warned Vic earlier in the day that his father wanted Gloria dead, and he even attempted to aid Vic in getting the two out of town under the radar. Vic went wrong in using his own car to escape with Gloria instead of taking the vehicle that Tommy provided him with. Now Tommy doesn’t help people all the time, but he and Gloria decided to end their hookup and still be amicable about the situation. During the same time, Tommy had worked with Vic on numerous jobs and even went into business with his sister Claudia. Why would Tommy set out to make the Flynn family his enemy, especially if he was profiting from his work with them?

The problem is Walter Flynn. After Tommy rejected Walter’s business proposition to work for the Flynn family, Walter’s ego became severely bruised. So could he have hired someone to kill Gloria? Possibly. But if Walter comes out as the main mastermind behind the scenes, he will once again lose his temporarily unified family front due to his vicious actions.

Tommy’s Unpredictable Persona

Since the early days of Power, it has always been directly addressed that Tommy should learn how to scale back on his impulsive, hothead behavior, which constantly lands him in a whirlwind of trouble. Even though Tommy had nothing to do with the death of Gloria, ever since he landed in Chicago, it’s undeniable that he has made numerous enemies due to his ability to get under the skin of basically anyone he encounters. We see a transition into a slightly refined Tommy Egan by episode seven, but his opponent had already been set in place by that point.

Suppose Tommy had learned to seemingly co-exist with Walter while refraining from blatantly showing off his relationship with Gloria (to the point where Vic could notice what was going on). It could be said that the position he’s in now could have been avoided entirely.

As a result of Tommy’s long history of being a hothead, combined with the plan by Walter Flynn to kill him, it’s odd to see that it has taken this long for Tommy to become the primary target. While viewers hope that Tommy finds a way to escape the dangerous situation he’s currently in, it’s also important to note his role in the buildup to this moment. If he thought more about possible repercussions instead of acting on impulse, we wouldn’t be watching him scramble to find soldiers to go up against the Fylnns.