If episode 8 cracked the foundation of Power Book IV: Force, episode 9 bulldozed whatever was left standing. It wasn’t just another violent hour of television, it was an episode about brothers, betrayal, grief, and the irreversible cost of choosing the streets over blood. By the time the credits rolled, multiple lives were destroyed, alliances were shattered, and one of the show’s most emotional sacrifices rewrote everything we thought we knew about loyalty.
The episode opens in the quietest place imaginable for a man like Tommy Egan - a funeral home. Still reeling from the murder of his brother JP, Tommy handles the arrangements with cold precision, slipping cash to ensure discretion and dignity. There’s no dramatic speech, no breakdown just controlled rage simmering beneath the surface. D-Mac, barely holding himself together, refuses to say goodbye. To him, JP is already gone, and staying any longer would mean confronting a pain he’s not ready to face.
While grief weighs heavily on Tommy’s side, Diamond begins his day on a far more intimate note, sharing what feels like a final moment of peace with Madame Woo. It’s a scene that now feels loaded in hindsight, especially given the subtle implication that Diamond may have left behind more than just memories, that calm doesn’t last long. Jinard storms in with devastating news: JP is dead, along with King Kilo and JoJo and Tommy was on the phone when it all went down. Jinard’s attempted cover-up plan quickly falls apart when Diamond realizes the coalition won’t sanction the lie. It forces Jinard to pivot toward a more dangerous option - abandoning Che and aligning with the Marquez cartel, freshly empowered by Roberto Ortega’s release from prison.
Meanwhile, law enforcement is quietly stitching together pieces of a much bigger puzzle. Delgado uncovers damning footage showing Mirkovich meeting with a mysterious “lawyer” named Chan just before his death only to learn Chan doesn’t exist in any legal registry. No bar membership, no record, nothing! Someone gave him credentials to move freely, and all signs point toward Bill Sang pulling strings behind the scenes. The walls are closing in, but not fast enough to stop what’s coming.
Vic Flynn’s arc reaches a temporary exit as Sang manipulates him into writing a statement linking Tommy to Stacy, promising freedom in exchange. Vic signs, boards a private jet, and leaves Chicago alive, but compromised. It’s a hollow victory for the feds, who still lack enough evidence to make arrests.
Back on the streets, Tommy shifts from mourning to war mode. He tests Shanti’s loyalty, making sure she’s not protecting Jinard, and learns from Miguel that Ortega’s location is known. Still, Tommy’s priority remains personal, Jinard must die. While Miguel moves on Ortega, Tommy hunts for answers the old-fashioned way. One CBI associate tries to flip and grab money in the process, earning himself a bullet. Smurf, however, survives thanks to unwavering loyalty and learns a crucial detail - Jinard is using again.
Diamond and Jinard meet Ortega, who initially considers killing Jinard for past sins. What saves him is the revelation that JP’s murder hurt Tommy deeply. Ortega spares Jinard but makes it clear - Tommy is his kill, and no one else’s. The problem is that Jinard and Diamond have already unleashed the RDS on Tommy, setting chaos into motion.
That chaos explodes when Tommy is ambushed by the RDS, only to be saved by Che’s men, who wipe out five attackers in seconds. In classic Power fashion, the rescue turns into a kidnapping. Che, already aware of Mireya’s pregnancy and the brewing cartel war, interrogates Tommy and Miguel. Tommy flips the script by exposing Jinard and Diamond’s betrayal, convincing Che to keep them alive and green-lighting an all-out assault on the Marquez cartel. Miguel stays behind as collateral until Tommy’s debt is paid, leaving Shanti to deliver the money and announce herself as Tommy’s business partner, a move Che doesn’t entirely trust.
While power players clash, the episode’s darkest turn belongs to D-Mac. With a price on his head and no way to reach Tommy, he goes looking for Jinard himself. Instead, he finds Marshall, his brother in every way that mattered. Marshall can’t pull the trigger, but he also won’t betray Jinard. That hesitation costs him his life. The tragedy is brutal, especially as Marshall’s blood splashes beneath photos of their shared childhood. D-Mac’s soul fractures in that moment, and when he later confesses to Genesis, it’s clear there’s no going back.
Family tensions escalate further when Kate returns, sober and sharper than ever. She quickly realizes Mireya is pregnant, sparking uncomfortable conversations about motherhood, survival, and the legacy of men like Tommy. Kate’s brutal honesty doesn’t offer much comfort, especially when she’s overheard discussing her own destructive coping mechanisms. Later, she catches Mireya planning a one-way escape to Mexico, another crack in Tommy’s already crumbling personal life.
Things turn deadly when Jinard, high and spiraling, goes after Kate but aborts the hit when she panics. Once Tommy realizes his mother was targeted, the gloves come off. Kate and Ma are rushed to safety, and Tommy finally learns about the baby on the way, a truth Mireya didn’t want revealed like this.
The episode races toward its devastating climax inside CBI’s church hideout. Diamond suspects there’s a snitch among them, unaware it’s Raheem quietly poisoning guards with tainted water bottles outside. Once the coast is clear, Shanti gives the signal. Tommy storms the church with his crew, D-Mac included. In the chaos, D-Mac is shot, briefly distracting Tommy and that distraction changes everything.
As Tommy fires at Jinard, Diamond steps in front of his brother, taking the bullets meant for him. His final moments are raw and heartbreaking. He apologizes for pulling Jinard into the life, for choosing Tommy when he got out, for everything left unsaid. Jinard had lied about being clean, but none of that matters now. Diamond dies protecting the brother he couldn’t save from himself.
In a cruel twist, Diamond also prevents Jinard from shooting Tommy, knocking the gun aside even as his life fades. It’s a sacrifice that echoes the franchise’s most emotional deaths, a reminder that in Power, love often arrives too late.
Episode 9 doesn’t just change the board, it flips it over entirely. Brothers are gone, innocence is lost, and the war ahead feels unavoidable. As the season barrels toward its finale, one thing is painfully evident that nobody walks away clean, and the price of loyalty is higher than ever.
Read more: Force S3E7 Recap
