Even when you see things coming a mile away, this show still manages to leave you gut punched. 

The body count continues to rise, as Power Season 4 Episode 6 saw the end of a few secondary characters whose time was finally up.

While some were welcome and long overdue, one was bittersweet. When a character has been around from the beginning, even in a periphery role, it still hurts to lose them some 40 episodes into a series. 

So spoiler alert, we're going to dive right into the major death right away.

I've always had a soft spot for Julio, as next to Tommy, he seemed like the most loyal person to Ghost. And with good reason. Julio was alive thanks to Ghost. But unfortunately, Ghost's current situation was part of the reason Julio had to die. He was no longer in the game to protect him. 

How brutal was that death scene, by the way? Here I was thinking Holly's death was one of the most brutal deaths ever due to the intimacy of it, but they really upped the game this year with all the skull smashing and flesh removal. 

All I know is, Julio did not go down without a fight. And he shall be missed by me at least! RIP Julio.

By the time this season ends, there are two things I need to happen.

1. The end of Dre. 
2. The end of Sandoval. 

I will be massively disappointed if these two snakes don't get what's coming to them. 

You know all this bad shit happened because you set me up.

Kanan [to Ghost]

• Permalink: You know all this bad shit happened because you set me up.

Kanan finally gets to be in the main part of the review because he finally made a big boy move. Instead of continuing to lurk in the shadows, Kanan confronted Ghost head on and the results were magic. 

Kanan is a terrible person and there is just no denying that, but if there is one thing he is justified in, it's his hatred of Ghost. The thing is he should have always gone after Ghost and left Tariq out of it. 

I was positive Ghost was going to Kill Kanan when the inevitable Ghost v. Kanan v. LaVerne standoff occurred. If Julio had approached his expiration date then Kanan was the old salad dressing in the back of the fridge that has been expired for two years. 

But Kanan was able to make it out alive, as I think that tiny sliver of human emotion he possesses kicked in when he saw how wrecked Ghost was at the thought of losing Tariq. And instead of ruining Ghost, he tried to help him. 

I killed Shawn. I killed my own son. And I would do it again if I had to. He was soft, not like you.

Kanan

• Permalink: I killed Shawn. I killed my own son. And I would do it again if I had to. He was soft, not...

So in all the months of hanging out and befriending Tariq, Kanan actually began to care for the kid a bit. That's not exactly surprising, but it's interesting that won out over his hatred for Ghost. Where do they go from here? As much as I hope that's the last we see of Kanan, I know I'm not that lucky. 

Where was Tommy while all this was going on you might wonder? Well, while Julio was being set up by Dre and Ghost was helping Kanan steal from him, Tommy was in Chicago for a mysterious meeting. 

It turns out the powers that be in Chicago, lead by Jason Micic, were looking for payback in regards to Milan's death. I never thought for a second this is how Tommy would die, but it was great how easily he was able to put the blame on Petar. With an assist from Tatiana, of course. 

Jason made it explicitly clear to Tommy that he wants Ghost gone. But we have been there and done that before, with Tommy maintaining that he will never kill Ghost. And I believe that. 

But with all the chaos Tommy is about to endure when he returns to NYC, is it possible we get another war between the two oft feuding "brothers"?

Everything Else You Need To Know

• Is this the first episode without Angela? There was so much going on, it didn't hit me until the episode was almost over that we hadn't seen her. 

• Ghost may want to try again with Tasha, who seems to want no parts of it. If she starts dating Terry, Ghost is going to freak. 

• Simon Stern is back, trying to strong arm Ghost into a new business venture. Yawn. 

• On the way back to NYC, Tommy stopped in Cleveland to meet Holly's pedophile uncle and bash his brain in. This whole scene was wildly uncomfortable. 

• RIP to Julio, LaVerne aka Jukebox and Petar. Two of you will not be missed. And one deserved better. 

The streak of solid performances continues, as Power keeps delivering on all levels. And while I fully expect Angela and company to be back next week and the hunt for the mole to switch into high gear, it was a nice change of pace to get away from that storyline for a week. 

Were you glad to get a break from Angela and the task force? Were you sad to see Julio go? What's next for Kanan?

Hit the comments with your thoughts and make sure you watch Power online right now so you don't miss any of the action. 

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