There are really no words for what just happened. Of all the directions I thought this show could go, this is not the avenue I thought they would take. 

Deaths are no big deal in the Power universe. So far this season we've seen Julio, Jukebox and Sandoval all meet their makers, along with a host of other characters, some we barely knew and others we were glad to see go (I'm looking at you Brains). 

But Power Season 4 Episode 9 saw the death of a character that will impact this show in a way that no other death ever has. Spoilers will be coming up, so look away if you're not caught up. 

Tariq continues to be the most frustrating character this show has ever produced. Clearly scared and feeling the heat from the robbery gone bad on Power Season 4 Episode 8, Tariq has decided to just apply to boarding school and escape New York for at least a little while. 

It's not an awful plan, but it does nothing to solve his actual problem. Did he think Brains and Ray Ray were just going to let him disappear and not try to find him or go after his loved ones?

Tariq has been involved in this shady world for long enough (and he IS the product of Ghost and Tasha for crying out loud) that one would think he'd know how these situations play out. 

As soon as he started mentioning leaving and not telling Ghost or Tommy what happened, I knew this storyline was going to end badly for him. But in typical Power fashion, they threw us a major, devastating curveball. 

After Tariq evades Ray Ray outside of his school dance, Raina confronts Ray double and calls him by name, before telling him to leave her family alone. Ray squared responds by shooting Raina in the chest from point-blank range, as a stunned Tariq looks on. 

I was left utterly floored. Raina has never been a central character. In fact, she could be missing for episodes on end and you would honestly never realize she wasn't around. But her death is going to completely change the landscape of the show. From Ghost and Tasha, obviously, all the way down to Angela. 

As sad is it will be to watch the fallout, I can't say I'm not fascinated to see where this takes people's stories. Will this bring Ghost and Tasha closer together? How will Tommy deal with the death of his "niece"? Is this something Tariq will ever be able to get over?

Look son, I know what guilt can do that a person. It eats at you, til, til you don't know who you are.

Ghost

• Permalink: Look son, I know what guilt can do that a person. It eats at you, til, til you don't know who...

Besides the earth-shattering ending, this episode was also filled with some angst, courtesy of a down and out Tommy, who saw his criminal enterprise come crumbling down thanks to that rat Dre.

A recurring theme revolved around Tommy owning up to his mistakes, instead of blaming everything on everyone else.

A few weeks back, a commenter brought up the idea that this whole show is building up to the eventual power struggle between Ghost and Tommy. And this episode did a good job of making me believe that narrative is about to come to fruition. 

But then again, like I mentioned earlier, Raina's death is going to affect every single piece of this show. So perhaps things won't be that cut and dry. However, for now, Tommy is on his own. He feels as though his "family" has abandoned him and he's now leaning on Teresi. 

Teresi is a bad dude, not unlike Tommy, but does anyone for a second think Teresi doesn't have something up his sleeve? Or do you think he's really just trying to be a good dad all of the sudden? It's hard for me to see him as just Papa Teresi and not the criminal mastermind we've heard about. 

I can't end this review without touching on the Ghost/Angela scene I've been clamoring for. I expected there to be way more angry tension between the two and less sexual tension. After everything Ghost went through, he seemed so happy for Angela and glad to be in her presence. If I could enter a WTF gif, I'd do it here. 

We all know there will always be an attraction between the two, but I thought there should have been a lot more anger on both sides. Still, these two have a certain chemistry that's hard to ignore and seeing them together brought me back to the highs of past seasons. 

Will Raina's death be the one thing that could bring these two back together?

Everything Else You Need To Know

• In not so shocking news, Tate is no better than anyone else in this world, but he sure did have Ghost fooled. Stern is annoying and I really wouldn't mind if he was never heard from again, but he's the kind of villain you can respect. He will straight up tell you how it is. 

• Angela was named the new Head of Criminal, replacing Sandoval. It seemed to be a last-minute decision by the US Attorney. And I'm wondering what Angela told her to convince her she was right for the job. Am I crazy to think it could have something to do with Ghost?

• Tasha is looking to go full steam ahead with Silver and she wants to go legit. Tasha is in love and ready to live her best life. I'm absolutely gutted for her now. 

• I actually found myself rooting for Kanan to live this week. That's how much I hate Dre. If Dre had been responsible for Kanan's death...nope I won't even go there. That would have been my worst nightmare. 

• Maria, the waitress who looked terrified when she heard Ghost's voice, is a callback to I believe the pilot episode of Power. Perhaps someone in the comments can refresh my memory as to her importance because I'm drawing a bit of a blank. 

• RIP Raina St. Patrick. You were a kind girl and you deserved better!

Another stellar season of Power is almost over folks. This is your last chance to get in your predictions for the finale. I think the most important thing to ponder is just how Raina's death is going to affect everyone. 

Leave a comment down below and let's talk it out. And make sure you watch Power online right now so you're all caught up before next week. 

Whitney Evans is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. She is a lover of all things TV. Follow her on X.