Powers Analysis: Wolfe’s New Drain Power and What Comes Next

I realize that I’m late to the party with this analysis, but that’s because the series has been running for a while. Not to mention, I’m also new to the Overmental scene. Hopefully, you like what I’ve been writing about so far!

Not everyone can watch Powers, since it’s a Playstation Network exclusive. Either you need to be subscribed to Playstation Plus, or you need to purchase the full season via PSN – the entertainment network for Sony’s game consoles. You also have to own a Vita, PS3 or PS4 to watch the series. New episodes are released every Tuesday when PSN updates. You can watch the pilot episode free on YouTube and Crackle, but that’s it.

I’m not saying this to brag or tease, only to explain why you may not have heard of the series until now. It’s been adapted from the Powers comic book series published by Marvel.

With that aside, let’s dive right in. Obviously, this analysis will be full of spoilers for Episode 9 and possibly even for earlier episodes. If you have yet to watch “Level 13” or the rest of the season then jump ship now!

You’ve been warned.

Also, I’m just going to go ahead and assume you’re up to date on what’s happening rather than offer a full explanation of the season thus far. That’s all the more reason to binge watch it, right?

What Happened In Episode 9?

Let’s do a quick recap of all the major things that happened in the episode.

The bulk of ‘Level 13’ takes us into the The Shaft – part of the underground prison for powers. Johnny Royale and Walker have teamed up to take out their old buddy Wolfe, once and for all.

The timeline of this episode is spread out over the course of a week, jumping back and forth between planning and execution of the prison break that would get the duo close to Wolfe.

Walker was working three angles here. He promised his powers division teammates he intended to capture Royale, not help him, and he promised Royale they were going to kill Wolfe. In reality, he wanted to get close to Wolfe to steal his powers back.

Royale and Walker execute the plan successfully – for the most part – and end up in Wolfe’s cell. Walker disables Royale’s teleport power with the drainer and restrains him. Then he sets upon Wolfe only to realize his powers division teammates didn’t trust him after all. They swapped out the real Wolfe for a lookalike. Earlier on, Royale also gets the drop on Walker by freeing his sidekick Simons.

After everything goes down in Wolfe’s cell, we’re shown level 13 where Wolfe is actually being held. Simons enters and frees Wolfe, which was not one of his best moments.

The episode ends with Wolfe escaping, just as we head in to the season finale next week.

What Was Up With Wolfe’s New Drain Power?

You may have noticed after Wolfe was set free that he had different drain effects this time around as opposed to his usual gory, and sadistic method — which involves eating his prey. This is likely because his drain power has been augmented by the drug Sway.

You can see the new drain power when he’s interacting with Simons, and later during his brief interaction with Walker. Both Walker and Simons have used Sway. While I’m pretty sure that’s why Wolfe’s power has changed, I’m not sure what this means for the future.

If you think about it though, this will allow Wolfe to operate in a more subtle manner. He won’t leave behind a disgusting mess each time he drains a power. Could this be a hint that he’s going to hide in shadows going forward?

What Is Going to Happen Next?

The biggest question is obviously, what will Wolfe do now that he’s free? There’s obviously a large audience for Sway, the drug that was extracted from his body and powers. We’ve seen previously that he can control – and drain – anyone who’s been exposed to the drug. Now that he’s in the real world, is he going to suck everyone dry and wreak havoc?

My guess is that he’s going to use his influence to amass a small army.

At the end of the episode Wolfe definitely seems more civilized and calm, which is a change of pace for the beast we’ve come to know over the past ten episodes. Maybe he’ll settle in as more of a kingpin, kind of like what Royale has done thus far.

I’m more curious to see if Walker is ever going to get his powers back. Better yet, what happens if Wolfe ends up dead since the two obviously share some kind of power-centric connection. Will Walker lose his powers for good after Wolfe is gone?

To shift focus a bit, does Calista even have powers? She’s claimed for so long that they haven’t manifested yet, but we’ve been given no evidence she even has power running through her veins. My guess is that her powers will appear when we least expect it. It’s possible that Calista will eventually become the true enemy.

I’m enjoying the show but there have been a lot of plot holes floating around, hopefully a few will be patched up before the season closes out, but I don’t see that happening in the last episode.

Admittedly, I haven’t read the Powers comics so I’m going by what I know about the TV series for these guesses.

I’m going to go ahead and call it now, the season will close out with Wolfe still on the loose. Walker and the powers division will have to free Royale and work with him to chase down Wolfe. Calista might show her powers once and for all, if she doesn’t outright gain full control. Finally, I’m sure a power — or two — will be drained by Wolfe at some point during the episode to feed his hunger.

What do you think? Feel free to share your own theories.