SPOILER ALERT: The following contains spoilers for Power Book IV: Force Season 3, Episode 4.

Since Power Book IV: Force Season 3 began, audiences have been waiting for the bomb to drop. There’s been plenty of action in the first three episodes, yet fans of the Starz series know how much business has been left unfinished. Season 3, Episode 4, “Time to See the King,” gets to that in violent and spectacular fashion.

On the violent side, Tommy Egan has a way to solve two of his problems that is particularly ruthless. Faced with another gang trying to pull out of the coalition—and now having to cover for D-Mac after learning that Diamond has welcomed him back into CBI—Tommy decides to play one issue off the other. He decides to frame the Sons of Destruction’s leader Rashan for the murder that D-Mac committed, and pulling that off is one of the more disturbing scenes in Power Book IV: Force history. It’s hard to watch (as it should be), but it also establishes that Tommy is on a different level in the final season (as he should be).

People die all the time in the Power universe. Rashan’s death happens a week after another painful mutilation scene. But what makes this work is that it’s not just violence for the sake of violence, as it might be on a lesser show. Showrunner Gary Lennon and his team know they don’t have to prove their characters are tough; they’ve got two seasons of credibility, and even more for Tommy. When they shock the viewer it’s to make a point. And especially in the final season, the stakes have to be raised in order to create that sense of finality—that understanding of why the series is ending here and now.

“Time to See the King” not only clears some of that plot baggage, but it does what the show has been needing to do: unleash Claudia Flynn. Lilli Simmons’ character can only sit behind bars for so long, so it doesn’t come as a surprise that she convinces an increasingly desperate Stacy Marks to grant her freedom. The surprise might be hearing Bill Tseng spell out his plan to play everyone against everyone else, and rise from the chaos to become U.S. Attorney. It’s a ballsy plan, and viewers know it absolutely won’t end well. Bill’s going to learn a hard lesson later down the line.

But for now, his scheming serves its purpose in freeing Claudia, and thus freeing Simmons to get back into the proverbial game. The last scene of Claudia doing the purposeful, almost peacock-esque walk back onto the street, with Tommy lurking on the corner, is a great shot all the way around. Both visually and in terms of character, it says a lot with zero dialogue. Audiences want to see these two throw down with each other, and not just through their own various plans. They want a fight, and they’re about to get one.

Elsewhere, Power Book IV: Force Season 3, Episode 4 has other plot points set up for the middle part of the story. Miguel Garcia’s olive branch to his sister is actually just a setup to assassinate Tommy; it feels like a new low for him. Everyone knows he hates Tommy, but for Miguel to use his own sister as an unwitting pawn is brazen. On the flip side, the manipulation Claudia’s brother Vic is doing of Rae is starting to feel oddly genuine—maybe because Vic has spent so long getting squeezed by everyone else. But the idea of him getting some amount of happiness is appealing, even if it probably also won’t last.

The dynamic between Jennard and Shanti is proof of that. He goes to extreme lengths to win back her trust, when Shanti has no hesitation seeking out other business partners. The beginning of Season 3 made them look like a unified front against Diamond and Tommy, but now it’s a lot murkier. And that begs the question: what is a happy ending in the Power universe? Everyone knows the “money, power, respect” mantra, but is that really as fulfilling as everybody thinks it is? And how many people even have a chance at a happy ending? Power Book IV: Force Season 3, Episode 4 pushes a lot of chips into the middle of the table, and now in the rest of the season fans just have to see who wants it more.

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.