For those loyal fans eagerly anticipating the next installment in the “Power” series, the first episode has finally arrived on the Starz Network. If this installment is any indication, this season won’t be lacking for action, intrigue, and enough plot twists and surprises to keep everyone in a perpetual state of high-alert.
The “Power Book IV: Force” follows Tommy Egan, a New York gangster who has gone to Chicago with visions of getting his piece of the city’s criminal pie any way he needs to. Of course, a quest like this has a way of producing its fair share of enemies and Tommy needs to watch his back constantly, as even the alliances he forms with his fellow criminals prove shaky at best.
One true measure of a good first episode is how well it does in not only establishing what the status quo will be for the season, but also spinning several interesting plot threads that will keep the audience coming back for more. This first episode accomplished both of these objectives masterfully, to the point of setting a new threat on the board as well as keeping the pedal down on the dragnet of law enforcement closing in, not only on Tommy, but on Diamond as well. The end of the episode, like the crescendo of a great melody, boiled over into an event sure to cause seismic ripples throughout the factions at odds over control of the Chicago underworld.
The acting throughout was spot-on and truly reflected how talented the cast is. With an ensemble piece like this, it felt as if every character had something going on and no scene felt like it was wasted or fluff. The pacing of the episode was excellent as well – everything kept moving at breakneck speed and every alliance or friendship left in place at the end of last season now appears to have new wrinkles to it, some so much they seem like they will tear apart. Overall, this was a perfect first episode to re-establish the many characters and set things into place for plenty of action, broken hearts, and dead bodies in the installments to come.
When not spending time with his wife and two boys, Michael is either writing, reading, or cooking badly. After college, he moved to New York City to break into acting, then back to Virginia to attend professional wrestling school until a couple close calls in the ring sidelined those dreams. That’s when the writing bug bit and bit hard.