Power Book IV: Force Season 3 arrives with tons of anticipation; it’s been almost two years since Season 2 ended. On top of that, Starz has already announced that this will be the final season. But it’s a satisfying end worthy of Tommy Egan and all the fans that have invested in him.

The extended break between seasons means that it takes a minute for the audience to catch up—remembering who’s aligned with who, and more importantly, who has a target on their back. But Power Book IV: Force showrunner Gary Lennon does an excellent job of dropping fans right back into the action. Much less time has passed on-screen, and every character is chomping at the bit to keep moving up the proverbial ladder. That sense of urgency persists throughout the third season. None of the main characters ever feel static, even when they may be physically or emotionally stuck.

It’s no surprise to say that the season belongs to Joseph Sikora as Tommy Egan. Power Book IV: Force started with Tommy and it ends with Tommy—because ultimately, this show has been Tommy’s journey. The viewer will walk away from Season 3 with a greater appreciation for Tommy, even if they don’t necessarily agree with everything he does. Sikora continues to do great work; yes, he can still be unflinchingly tough, but he’s even better when he gets to tap into Tommy’s more vulnerable side. His first major scene in the Season 3 premiere is so good that it sets the tone for the entire season.

That’s because the final season has exceptional balance. Lennon and his writing staff rarely lose sight of the characters’ emotional arcs even as threats and betrayals are tossed back and forth more than a game of hot potato. There are plenty of TV shows about gangsters, but what’s been memorable about Power and its spinoffs is that this universe isn’t afraid to step out of that and remind the viewer for a minute that these are people. They might be intimidating, and they’re always plotting one thing or another, but they’re never just gangsters or lawyers or cops. In fact, everyone in Power Book IV: Force qualifies as a hot mess.

In fact, it can sometimes get exhausting to hear everyone near-constantly threatening everyone else. Nobody on this show is going to get together for a nice Thanksgiving dinner. But it’s watching what the characters—and the actors who play them—do under pressure that provides the greatest reward. As ever, the counterbalance to hot-blooded Tommy is Diamond Sampson, and Isaac Keys is wonderful in keeping Diamond simmering, waiting for the choice moments to raise his temperature. He and Sikora have built a rhythm after three seasons that flows out, like dance partners in a sea of chaos.

But it’s critically important that Lennon and company give everyone their flowers in Power Book IV: Force Season 3. This may be Tommy’s spinoff first and foremost, yet that doesn’t mean that Diamond and everyone else are there in service of Tommy’s story. In fact, Diamond and Tommy’s dynamic is an early sticking point, almost as if the show itself is reminding people that this is not a one-way street. Elsewhere, Miriam A. Hyman digs much further into Stacy Marks than she ever has before—and it’s not pretty, but it is fun to watch. Lilli Simmons takes things up another level as Claudia Flynn, while Shane Harper is a sleeper pick as Claudia’s brother Vic. This poor guy is at times like the Milton of Force; he just wants to do his own thing, and people keep pushing him over. Yet what could be just a sad-sack character feels so relatable thanks to Harper.

It’s no spoiler to say that people get hurt and worse in Power Book IV: Force. That’s what audiences are used to from the entirety of the Power universe. Season 3 delivers plenty of fast-paced action, hip-hop and excellent Chicago cinematography. But it also feels like a graceful, if chaotic, winding down of this chapter in Tommy Egan’s story. The case can be made that Force could last another season or two, or more. Sikora is still that good in the role of Tommy, and the other characters built around him have brought out new sides not just of him, but of the Power franchise.

Yet knowing that this is the end, Gary Lennon and the writers are tying up loose ends not just physically but in terms of making sure every character gets some form of closure. Fans can go into Season 3 knowing they’ll be satisfied when it’s over. And in a TV age of fake-outs, cliffhangers and fourth-act twists, it’s meaningful that Power Book IV: Force simply gets the job done. It’s efficient, it’s intense, and it will get people talking… just like Tommy Egan.

Power Book IV: Force airs Fridays at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on Starz. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Starz.

Article content is (c)2020-2025 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.