‘Power Book IV: Force’ Recap – ‘TOMMY’S BACK’

9/2/2023

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Joseph Sikora as Tommy Egan in Episode 201 of ‘Power Book IV: Force’ – ‘TOMMY’S BACK’. (Photo Courtesy of STARZ.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the Season Two Premiere of ‘Power Book IV: Force’. To revisit the Season One Finale, click here. Also, this piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the series being covered here wouldn’t exist.

One particularly difficult aspect of life that each and every one of us will deal with often in our journeys… is failure. Because no matter how hard we try to win, one simply cannot, not all the time that is. And what makes it so difficult to deal with, is that it often involves something we badly wanted in our lives, some kind of a goal really, and to not have it in front of us is frustrating. Especially since so much work went into obtaining it, and that can leave us in a destitute manner… if we let it. For what we don’t talk about enough when it comes to failure is how healthy it can be for us. Since it can give us perspective on what we did wrong, and it also humbles us and can in fact… drive us even harder to go after what we wanted once more… and obtain it at last.

It really is simply a matter of how one views failure, and truly… it is every last person on the planet that deals with this, even criminals. Actually, especially criminals. Since the stakes are so very high in their world and because so many chase after the same goal, especially in the drug game. Which can make failure in the underworld, devastating and deadly if things really go south and that stark reality regarding failure does leave one to wonder… how then do criminals address failure in their lives? Well… it just so happens that the season two premiere of the STARZ series, Power Book IV: Force, takes the time to ponder upon just that. For when we caught up with Tommy Egan in ‘TOMMY’S BACK’, he was in quite the dark place.

Because Tommy failed. Plain and simple. For he was unable to get the drug trade in Chicago under his thumb, and the nasty Walter Flynn and his rough and tumble family basically screwed up any hopes of Dahlia being his ticket to the top… and well… that left Tommy depressed. Because he was used to being on top, not at the bottom of the top, and he also lost another friend along the way since Liliana was gone forever and well… it makes sense why he was so out of sorts. Because this was not where he wanted to be. He wanted to be on top, like Ghost, and he wanted to make Liliana proud in the afterlife and well… at first it seemed as though criminals learn very little from failure. Because he was also angry and he wanted nothing more than to take Walter Flynn and his family, out.

Simply because they were the wrong kind of competitors and the ones responsible for Liliana’s death and avenging her would be the icing on the cake. Which meant old school Tommy Egan, and all the brutality capable in his heart, returned to the franchise, as Tommy worked to get to Walter and anyone within range of him, only to discover… that old school revenge wasn’t going to work here. Because Walter had muscle, and he made sure to cool off all the trouble surrounding the family, giving them time to regroup and potentially clap back at Tommy if he struck now. So, Tommy finally just… took a moment and thought about everything that happened to him recently and what brought him to failure. Giving rise to some clarity and some fine lessons for Tommy, and that also brought about… a different kind of revenge for certain.

Shane Harper, Tommy Flanagan, and Lili Simmons as Vic Flynn, Walter Flynn, and Claudia Flynn in Episode 201 of ‘Power Book IV: Force’ – ‘TOMMY’S BACK’. (Photo Courtesy of STARZ.)

Wherein he basically let the Flynn family stew in fear over the possibility that Tommy Egan might show up at their doorstep, and that… did wonders to basically devastate their empire. For they weren’t moving any product, and that meant no money was coming in. Which prompted Claudia to send up a Hail Mary of sorts, to try get Dahlia back on the streets and well… that gave Tommy the chance to lower his boot on their throats. All by having JP release the formula for Dahlia since he had an opportunity to assemble it up close. Which sent the Flynn empire tumbling and fast, and that made it clear that taking a moment to reflect upon failure did wonders for Tommy. Since he learned that to be a kingpin, guile and deceit were sometimes part of the game, and that it was possible to bring down a foe without firing a shot and that wasn’t the only lesson that came forth from his reflections upon failure.

Because he also came to realize… that he could no longer be so kind and so gentle, and inclusive when it came to building a drug empire. Because that allowed for too many people to decide to cause trouble and they simply didn’t respect him as the boss. So, this time around, he was quick to get involved in any business deal with Diamond. Just to offer that personal touch and to make it clear who was really running things with CBI and he of course… was quick to strike when people fell out of line. To send a message to not mess with him or his operation and that led to bodies on the streets and stand-up moments that forced anyone that tried to usurp power to think twice about it. Giving rise to a smooth operation for CBI and failure and struggles for those against him and the outfit. As evidenced by how Jenard fell on tough times here without the support of his brother and by having Tommy knock him around at every turn, and Tommy’s boldness also kept the Serbian Mafia at bay when they tried their own power play.

All of which just made it clear that failure in the criminal world, requires a slightly different approach to recover from it. Because while recognition and reflection and lessons are shared by both worlds, a criminal must reflect quickly, and learn just as fast from objective lessons and act fast. In essence, punch back and scare the hell out of anyone that took a swing at them in the first place. And Tommy did just that, and even built inroads with his family and found new ways to grow his business. Making this premiere not only satisfying in nature, but it also hinted at the possibility that better days might be ahead for Tommy. Since his savvy skill set on the streets really did net him some power and respect and leverage. But let’s be honest… that’s not how things work in this Universe. Which is why, dark clouds gathered on the horizon, in part… courtesy of the police.

Who identified Tommy and made plans to put together a task force to bring him down. Not to mention, Jenard won’t quit that easily, and that’s why he was working with the Mob here to regain leverage. Which means that trouble awaits Tommy, as always, some of which might come from matters of the heart since Mireya Garcia, the sister of Diamond’s connect, Miguel Garcia… has caught his eye. But while we wait to see what comes out of all that, we celebrate a perfect season premiere. Simply because it had everything fans of the franchise and Tommy Egan could want. For Tommy wasn’t down and out for all that long, and learned some valuable lessons and grew from them and made people pay accordingly, and it set the stage for one epic season ahead. One that will test Tommy deeply but could also offer him the opportunity of a lifetime. Since clearly, the trade is up for grabs in the Windy City and if Tommy plays his cards right… he’ll bounce back and own this town in no time. Until next time.

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