‘Power Book IV: Force’ Recap: ‘Dead Reckoning’

10/22/2023

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Joseph Sikora as Tommy Egan in Episode 208 of ‘Power Book IV: Force’ – ‘Dead Reckoning’. (Photo Courtesy of STARZ.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 208 of ‘Power Book IV: Force’. To revisit the previous episode, clickhere. Also, this piece was written during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Without the labor of the currently on strike, the series being covered here wouldn’t exist.

Over the course of its illustrious nine-year run, the Power Universe on STARZ has taught each and every one of us… that the criminal underworld that operates from the shadows, is a vastly different world than the one we know. Where rules do not exist, nor do the creature comforts that keep us safe. It’s simply a brutal world, where anything and everything can happen in the name of stacking that paper, and it is one that a majority of us should avoid. Since it takes a special and brutal mindset to live this life and rise to the top of it. But while it truly seems as though the underworld and our world will never align and will forever be on unique and fascinating paths… now and again… both universes do intersect and share in surprise elements.

For instance, in our world… few are truly loyal to their job or their bosses anymore. Simply because, we’ve come to learn that a job is a job, and the boss or the corporation will dump us on a moment’s notice if it suits them. So, why worry about the gig? We should just do our job, get ours and move on and well… that’s a mentality that a great of deal people in the game share in too. For the know they could be gone in an instant and that it is them or their boss… so they should get theirs when they can. The only difference there, are the long-term consequences of such moves, since they come with far more danger in the darker corners of the world. But that aside, never was this alignment and the brutal nature of it in the drug world more evident than during this week’s episode of Power Book IV: Force.

For ‘Dead Reckoning’ saw several people make it clear… that they didn’t care who was in charge regarding Chicago’s drug game. They just wanted to make the most paper possible and keep their freedom in doing so. Which brought about… some interesting surprises from the people surrounding Tommy Egan and his growing empire. For instance… that fascinating reality made it clear to Miguel, that his days were likely numbered as the kingpin of the cartel in Chicago. Because the DSD didn’t care that he wanted to make a deal, they liked Tommy’s terms better and would stick with them, until they no longer suited DSD’s outright needs, and Miguel’s troubles and the sense of disrespect for his role didn’t end with this particular surprise.

Because Tommy also made it clear how little respect he harbored for Miguel and his standing, by taking part in one ballsy and potentially costly move. For the time had come for Ché to celebrate his daughter’s Quinceañera, and while everyone was enjoying the celebration… Mister Egan walked in. To pay his respects of course, and to cordially introduce himself to Ché, and make it known who was making the cartel a ridiculous amount of money. But of course… that wasn’t the only reason to make such a move. Because he also wanted to make it clear, that he wanted to be king, Miguel be damned, and while this may have cost Tommy his budding love with Mireya, it was indeed about sending a message of disrespect. One that made it clear that he wasn’t happy with his boss, and was not loyal to him, and Miguel should be ready to fight for his standing.

Adrienne Walker and Kris D. Lofton as Shanti Showstopper and Jenard Sampson in Episode 208 of ‘Power Book IV: Force’ – ‘Dead Reckoning’. (Photo Courtesy of STARZ.)

However, such disrespect goes both ways in this universe of course, and it made its way to Tommy as well. Because Shanti’s side hustle with Claudia was discovered by the Serbians. Which meant she had to now pay dues and figure out how to keep that hustle a secret with Tommy and his growing empire, and that prompted her to realize she made a mistake, and needed to figure out how to smooth this over, so she could still make her own moves against Tommy in order to have it all. Which led to a supremely awkward conversation where Shanti and Jenard lied to Tommy’s face about how this was all a plan to bring Claudia’s head to him on a silver platter, which bought them time… to continue their plan to be loyal to the almighty dollar over what Tommy was building.

Yet, the show wasn’t quite done digging into how this life is all about loyalty to oneself over an empire and its spoils, and it further explored the selfish nature of the game through Vic. Who of course, was doing his best to try and keep the death of that poor federal agent a secret, with minimal luck. Because Marks was eager to escalate now, to the point where she even went to poke the bear by confronting Tommy in person to see if she could get someone to rattle and snitch. And eventually, she did, but it certainly was not Tommy. Because when threatened with facts and his freedom, Vic was quick to worry about himself over anything else… and swear that he saw Tommy pull the trigger, putting Tommy and his empire in jeopardy because of the selfish nature of the game and its loyalty to no one.

Which made… for a powerful episode to say the least, one that also ended in a devastating manner. But not for the reasons one might think. Because in between all of this, Diamond was dealing with quite the struggle. In that, he was truly trapped in between two worlds here, one where he wanted his love affair with Leon’s mom and the progress Leon was making in life… to thrive. But of course… that meant leaving the game and the streets behind and that was no easy task, because he also wanted those riches and well… he came no closer to deciding what he wanted in this story because of tragedy. Because sadly… Leon was gunned down by bullies in this tale for standing up for himself and that left Diamond in a dark place that gave Tommy solace. One where fury ruled the day, and that might benefit Mister Egan in the trying days ahead.

Because it truly does seem as though, chaos is about to be unleashed in the Windy City, the kind where Tommy must fight all comers. But while we wait to see what comes next, we can celebrate one unique exploration here. One that finally found something that both of these world’s share, while still finding a way to explore how that shared trait of two worlds differs based on the circumstances of the game. All of which made for as mentioned before, a powerful episode. One where every actor brought their A-game to the table and one that set the stage… for two incredible episodes to come. Where all of these plans for betrayal should explode in a manner so great… that the streets of Chicago may never be the same and where only the strong will survive to seize what’s left of this proud and broken city. Until next time.

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