Vic really had Tommy fooled.
For as intuitive and shrewd as Tommy can be, he’s juggling many different hats, and Vic’s managed to endear himself to the perpetually suspicious man.
But Tommy found out the truth on, Power Book IV: Force Season 2 Episode 9 and we can all guess where things may go from here.
Could Tommy be slipping?
It’s a valid question to ask right now, given how wrong he’s been about Vic. We’re used to Tommy being seven steps ahead at all times and knowing what’s coming seemingly before anyone else.
And he’s still that man, but his rat radar may be slightly off.
When he heard there may be a snitch among them, his thoughts immediately drifted to Jenard, not even sparing a thought toward Vic.
And I get it. He watched Vic Flynn kill a FED in cold blood and live to tell the tale. That’s not something an informant could get away with, but at the same time, he’s taken Vic at his word more than he usually takes anyone else’s.
Does he feel some connection to the man because they’re a part of the daddy killer club? Or does he want to trust him out of a lingering affection for Gloria?
Whatever the reason, he’s had a blindspot for Vic but has been laser-focused on Jenard, for good reason. Jenard is also out to get him, but he should recognize that of the two; who’s more likely to sell him out to the FEDs?
Each week, Vic gets increasingly jittery, and he wasn’t wrong when he accused Stacy of continuously moving the goalpost because she has been. She’s never content with what she gets because it’s not enough to raise her profile the way she needs it to.
Did no one account for Tommy potentially having someone who could get him information? Vic has felt Tommy’s suspicion, but he’s never seemed to acknowledge that just like the Flynns had means to stay in the loop with the authorities, Tommy may have them as well.
Is it weird to kind of feel bad for Vic? He’s almost certainly a dead man now, but I understand why he chose the path he did. It’s a testament to this series that they’ve made a character who started wholly unlikeable so sympathetic.
I’m not rooting for him to succeed. Hell no. But I feel for the ulcer that must be growing in the pit of his stomach as he tries to pull off such an impossible mission.
Because no one ever really gets Tommy Egan.
And Vic doesn’t even have his whole heart in this takedown mission. But Jenard, on the other hand, would most definitely like to be the one to bring Tommy down.
What’s funny about Jenard is how far he’s come from Power Book IV: Force Season 2 Episode 1. He was all-in on Treason then but struggling to keep things afloat. He owed money, and the Serbs were on his behind at every turn.
But he was the boss then, at least. Now he’s back to being just another number, and to boot, he has to answer to both Diamond and Tommy.
One thing I must applaud Jenard for is his ability to integrate himself. Tommy may have eyes on him, but he’s completely fooled Diamond into thinking he’s all-in and down to play third or fourth fiddle, whatever fiddle is needed at the time.
Now Diamond has his own inner demons he’s battling, but the ease with which he’s let Jenard back in has been hard to watch. That’s blood, I know, but Jenard did everything in his power to destroy Diamond at one point, and it’s like he’s forgotten that.
Diamond keeps running his mouth, and Jenard will make him pay, even if I believe that right now, all Jenard wants is Tommy gone.
Tommy is taking the place Jenard believes is rightfully his, and in a perfect world, it’s him, Diamond, and I guess, Shanti, running CBI and the whole damn city. But that’s not what Diamond wants, nor is it what Shanti wants, but for entirely different reasons.
Diamond was still reeling a bit from Leon’s murder, even if he pretended like he had it all together.
He’d made a real connection with both Leon and Gianna and while he wasn’t responsible for Leon’s death, it must be hard to understand that fully. And Jamal chirping up didn’t help anything.
Jamal: Mine as well say your final goodbyes. He ain’t gonna be around much longer.
Diamond: What the fuck is that supposed to mean?
Jamal: You’ll find out.
While Seamus’ disappearance has seemingly garnered zero interest, the parole department was all over Reeves’ failure to turn up at work.
Diamond gave perhaps the worst description of events of all time, and I don’t know why that officer just accepted Jenard randomly backing Diamond up when he wasn’t even there for some of the conversation, but nonetheless, Jenard coming through no questions asked was just another way to get him back in Diamond’s pocket.
And having Jenard help him kill Jamal? Yeah, Jenard Sampson is officially back!
Jamal was such a miserable and awful man. I don’t know why he thought he could go up against Diamond Sampson, especially coming off the heels of what happened to Leon.
But much like Tommy looked at Diamond with awe in his eyes when he saw his absolute ruthlessness in killing Reeves, Jenard looked the same way when
They both realize that this Diamond, the one who will kill, lie, and do whatever needs to be done, is the Diamond they want next to them. And with Diamond’s parole done with, he now has much more room to be the guy they need him to be.
For Tommy, he’ll need Diamond to help him not only with the Vic situation but also the continued play to bring Miguel down and officially take over Chicago.
Mireya was stuck between her family and the man she’d fallen in love with, and while she didn’t want either one to get hurt, she had to know deep down that there was no other way this would shake out.
Tommy and Miguel both need the other one out of the way to get what they want. And all it took for Mireya to firmly make her decision was hearing first-hand that Miguel wanted Tommy dead.
The relationship between Tommy and Mireya has been speedrun from the start, mainly because it’s always been lower down on the importance scale. I’m not saying it’s not a significant relationship, but in relation to the larger stories they’re trying to tell, the romance plots don’t get the same shine as others.
But if you want to count Mireya Garcia as perhaps Tommy’s most impactful romantic dalliance thus far, you’d be wrong, but you’re certainly allowed the opinion.
I kid, of course.
The thing about Tommy and Mireya that’s refreshing is solely the fact that he’s not hiding any parts of himself from her. She knows who he is and who he deals with, and maybe he’s not running home with all the bloody details, but he’s also not acting like those bloody details don’t exist.
Mireya wanting to run away makes sense, especially in the wake of Abuelita’s death, which speeds up Tommy’s timeline because he’s fighting both Miguel and the Serbs by extension.
With the primary plan to be Chicago’s biggest connect, he needs everyone out of the picture after all.
Miguel continuing to be behind the eight-ball is almost becoming a running joke this season. He’s always out of the loop, and his grandmother’s death should be the kick in the pants he needs as we head into the finale, but you’d be foolish to assume it will be.
Abuelita had been right about everything, from Tommy not being trustworthy to Nuñez not being a loyal soldier.
Tommy was so brilliant to grab Nuñez first and screw up Miguel’s plans.
One thing Tommy has continued to excel at over the years is thinking ahead. Everything is business at the end of the day, and he’s needed Che to see him as someone good for business. So, sussing out the rat and not allowing Miguel to get any glory only enhanced his worth in Che’s eyes.
And burned the fury inside Miguel Garcia even brighter.
Heading into the finale, I’m most interested to see what happens between Tommy and Miguel. We’ve been building toward these two dropping the polite pretenses and just going full throttle at one another’s throats.
Who will make the first actual move, though?
They’ve both been going behind each other’s backs, but who will step up and take the shot?
This is all to say nothing of the Mireya of it all. Before things pop off, will Miguel finally discover the big secret that has been kept right under his nose?
The possibilities for this finale are endless, and there’s a chance for some real carnage here.
I think it’s safe to assume we’re in for a fight to close things out. And now we wait to see who comes out on top.
Everything Else You Need To Know
- I know the endgame is for Shanti to take out Tommy, but I’m still not clear on her master plan to get there. All she’s done so far is help Tommy, and I get it’s to earn his trust so he doesn’t see the betrayal coming, but at a certain point, shouldn’t she stop trying to help him so much?
- D-Mac busting out of the youth academy was unsurprising, but his outburst at JP was. D-Mac is a child, and obviously, the adults in his life know better, but everything you say to him is in one ear and out the other. So, what do you do then?
- Claudia wants it all and then some. But she’s putting so much of her trust in a person she barely knows and a group of men who won’t hesitate to discard her when she no longer helps them get what they want. What is she doing?
- Speaking of Claudia, I feel her longstanding beef with Tommy will come to a head soon, and if she goes out, I’m glad she found something nice with Elise. Even if that happiness was relatively short-lived.
- That was wild how they blew up Abuelita!
- Can you imagine Tommy in Barcelona? I need Tommy to end the season on a beach with Mireya and a glass of whiskey, getting a call from Chicago that he has to come home.
- Seeing Tommy talk about Lakeisha was sad. He really did love her.
- Stacy Marks and Bobby are dysfunction personified. Even if Stacy gets everything she wants professionally, I’m not seeing how their relationship weathers the clear storm they’re in the midst of. They can’t stay on the same page for more than a few hours.
- This season better not end without some resolution with Tommy and all the drama with D-Mac, JP, and Kate. It’s a bummer we haven’t seen more of it during the back half of the season.
Well, folks, we only have one hour left, and I’m feeling rather sad, only because the joyride is almost over. But all good things must come to an end, and nobody ends things better than Power.
With so much to get through in the waning moments of season 2, jump into the comments and let me know what you’re hoping to see!
I’ll be back to unpack it all, as always, and while we wait, remember you can watch Power Book IV: Force online
Whitney Evans is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on X.