Power Book IV: ForceRecap:Bad for Business

Now that Mai is dead, Claudia calls on Tommy to help her bury the body. The two are forming a relationship that is part business, part “I’m kind of into you.” They have a lot in common, so their partnership makes sense. Throughout episode six, death is a common theme. Both CBI and the Flynn Family pay their respects to Elijah and Simon. At Elijah’s funeral, Jenard clarifies to Diamond that he blames Tommy for Elijah’s death. Not giving his brother’s bitching any energy, he hands Elijah’s mother an envelope with money — a tradition within the drug world that is probably second to pouring out liquor for the homies in heaven.

Walter’s condition is worsening, and his family is starting to notice. Claudia expresses her concern after realizing his cough has continued to linger, but he quickly deflects and continues to do so throughout the entire episode, even when he hits his head in his office and is found lying on the floor.

As Walter tries to cover up his sickness, the three amigos plus Jenard disband. After losing their day ones, Jenard, Vic, and Diamond break up with Tommy. As Jenard tells it, Tommy is bad for business and Chicago. Although a little bit surprised, Tommy takes the breakup well. The men agree to pay Tommy out, and like the hustler he is, Tommy takes his talents elsewhere. He gives Liliana a cut and shares his plans to invest in Dahlia.

At Claudia’s penthouse, they lay out the magical plan to move the designer drug anonymously. This is the part where it’s hard not to get frustrated with the Power franchise. What’s Tommy’s plan, you ask? Locker drops. Public lockers at the Convention Center, to be exact. Sound familiar? Of course it does! Tariq and Brayden (Power Book II) moved their product out of lockers anonymously! The difference is, instead of using lockers to distribute their product to customers, the lockers will only be for the selected distros. Also text messaging, not an app, will be their primary means of communicating.

Tommy and Claudia spend some time fleshing out the terms of their agreement. Rule No. 1, anybody who fucks with protocol, it’s a wrap. No second chances. Since she’s moving in secrecy, Claudia presents her nonnegotiable to Tommy. She doesn’t want her brother or father to know about the business or her involvement until she is ready. While Claudia remains incognito, Tommy designates himself as the person who will run the point. He also suggests that Liliana assists. Claudia is not familiar with Liliana, so Tommy gives her the rundown and speaks highly of her. At this point, it’s safe to say after what they’ve been through, it is now even more solidified that Tommy and Liliana are like the brother-and-sister version of Bonnie and Clyde. Claudia recommends bringing in Reggie, and Tommy immediately shuts her down. Their negotiations are interrupted by an urgent call from her father.

When Claudia arrives at her father’s place of business, the FBI is there seizing files and conducting an audit. With little knowledge of Claudia’s role, Walter is unable to present the requested paperwork to the agents. Claudia walks in and saves the day when it takes her two seconds to log in and retrieve the paperwork. But although she’s able to show her value to her father’s business, he is still unable to see it and instead is pissed at her for not being present.

While the Flynn family’s business was in jeopardy, CBI was busy enjoying the fruits of their labor. With the Serbian pipeline open, business is booming. Jenard is hyped that Tommy is out of the picture. Knowing that it is pretty likely the Serbs will retaliate in the future, he shares a sound insurance plan with his brother. Ten percent of what they make will go into a savings account for the leader of the Serbian organization — basically a tax payment for stealing their territory.

Now that things are sort of back to normal between him and Diamond, Jenard wants to keep an eye out on Tommy. He hires D-Mac, paying him $5,000 to babysit Tommy, but things take a turn when D-Mac sees Tommy at JP’s house. He abruptly reneges on his commitment to Jenard.

JP questioning Tommy about his “career” ultimately forces Tommy to admit that he’s a drug dealer. After Tommy offers him the information he wants, he tells Tommy he wants in, and of course, Tommy says, “Hell no.” He has no interest in getting JP wrapped up in the drug game, but we won’t be surprised when JP gets wrapped up in the drug game. Because of custody lawyers, private investigators, and hospital bills, JP is deep in debt and looking for an opportunity to make his own money instead of remaining Tommy’s charity case.

While Jenard is interested in figuring out what Tommy is up to, Tommy, Liliana, and Claudia put their plan in action — so far it’s working. Not only did the selected distros accept their package delivered by Liliana, but they also picked up their product, and for those who tested the Dahlia, it was love at first sight.

With Mai dead, Claudia and Tommy need access to the chemist. They run up on her and put her straight to work.

Meanwhile, in an attempt to save his relationship, Vic has stood up to his father by letting him know he invited Gloria to their family’s next Sunday dinner. Walter is not trying to hear his son and lets him know that she’s not welcome, but it falls upon deaf ears. Vic meets up with Gloria to share the good news with her, and the two of them get shot at. It’s not clear whether both were the targets or just Vic. It’s also not clear if the Serbs were responsible for the attack. Either way, Gloria’s military background had her well prepared.

It appears Vic is not the only one being targeted. A gorgeous curly-haired woman appears out of nowhere at the diner and sits in Diamond’s seat. When Diamond comes into the diner and notices her, he’s immediately intrigued (remember, it has been a while since he’s had some). The two engage in flirtatious conversation. He even eats off her plate before knowing her name. Before we know it, the two are back at his place having passionate sex. Even though Diamond has been away for 15 years, he ain’t forget how to perform, if you know what I mean.

The unfortunate thing is this mystery lady seems to be a plant. After sex, she ups and leaves. While walking toward her car, she receives a text message with a link to an article about Diamond. There’s something fishy happening here.

However, the good news is that Claudia and now Tommy’s product is getting good reviews from their selected distros. The product proves too powerful for Claudia’s initial business partner, Reggie. She has been avoiding him, following Tommy’s requests. In search of more product, Reggie stalks Claudia and catches her slipping. He almost chokes her out, but fortunately for Claudia, she’s a Flynn with heart. She ends up killing Reggie and calls on Tommy once again to help her bury the body. They agree that drugs, money, and murder are, as the title of the episode suggests, who they are.

After hearing of the attack on his son, Walter runs up on the Serbs SOLO and puts a bullet in three Serbian men. He leaves a threatening message with the waiter to report to their leader. With not much to lose and his children to protect, Walter for sure wants all the smoke.

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