(WARNING: Spoilers for the most recent Power Book III: Raising Kanan episode will be found below.)
Season three of Power Book III: Raising Kanan picked up right where season two left off. Raq and Marvin are reeling from their gunshot injuries after the attack by the Mafia. The police have questions about the shooting, and to cover their tracks, Raq and Detective Howard concoct a story that places the blame on the now-deceased Crown Camacho, and for now, investigators seem to buy that story.
While Raq and Marvin suffered physical injuries, Kanan and Lou-Lou are dealing with emotional pain to start the season. Kanan no longer trusts his mother after he discovers she’s been lying to him his whole life about his father, who is Detective Howard and not Rondell “Def-Con” Stark. As for Lou-Lou, he’s dealing with guilt and frustration after Raq lets him know that Scrappy was wrongfully killed in season two as he did not snitch on them. Lou-Lou’s frustration is also tied to Raq’s refusal to let him walk away from the drug game in favor of pursuing his dreams of a record label. This frustration brings Lou-Lou to his lowest as he wallows in a bottle of bourbon in multiple scenes in “Home Sweet Home.”
Elsewhere, Detective Howard killed Detective Burke in what he felt was a necessary move to protect Raq and Kanan. Burke connected the dots about Howard’s past and that was all Howard to pull the trigger against her. Marvin and Jukebox continue to fix their relationship, and they must now do that while grieving the death of Kenya, Jukebox’s mother, from season two. We’re also introduced to Unique’s brother Ronnie was released from prison, and speaking of Unique, a sex scene between him and Raq served as a surprising end to the first episode in season three.
Here are some of the biggest questions we had after the first episode of season three:
Where Does Kanan Go From Here?
Raq and Kanan’s relationship is as good as dead at the start of season three. Season two confirmed that Detective Howard is Kanan’s father after Howard gave him a paternity test as proof following weeks of speculation. This reveal ruined the relationship between Kanan and his mother as he’s lost all trust in her. While Raq moves into a new house in “Home Sweet Home,” Kanan wants no part of the new house and decides to move in with Famous for now. He also pays a visit to Famous’ plug in hopes of being able to sell product for him, but is turned away. As a mere teenager, Kanan has limited options, and without protection from his family, heading into the streets on his own is risky. Yet, Kanan is a crafty kid and you can bet he has a trick up his sleeve.
Is Raq Really Done With The Drug Game?
In this episode, Raq announces that she’s leaving the drug game. Her decision comes as she heals from the gunshot wounds she suffered to conclude season two. In her opinion, the rewards of the drug game aren’t worth the risks it also pretends. However, knowing how dedicated she was to the game, the announcement of her departure sounded like my promise to “never drink again” after waking up with a bad hangover. I don’t need alcohol nearly as much as Raq needs the drug game — she’s quite literally built her life on it. It’s for that reason I doubt she’ll walk away from the game for good. Kanan isn’t buying her “retirement” either, but we’ll just have to see if she really sticks to her word.
Will Kenya’s Death Bring Marvin & Jukebox Back Together?
Raq and Kanan’s shattered relationship is the second instance of a broken parent-child connection in Power Book III: Raising Kanan. The first came in season two with Marvin and Jukebox. Marvin attacked Jukebox after he discovered her relationship with Nicole. Marvin eventually apologized for his actions and also put his words into action by attending anger management classes. Slowly but surely, Jukebox began to forgive Marvin as season two came to an end. In the season two finale, Jukebox’s biological mother Kenya is shot and killed during an ambush at Raq’s house. Kenya’s death hurt both Jukebox and Marvin despite their respective broken relationships with her. The two seem to lean on each other as they grieve Kenya’s death. They even share an emotional embrace during “Home Sweet Home.” It’s unfortunate that this had to be the catalyst for it, but Kenya’s death and healing from it could be the thing that fully brings Marvin and Jukebox back together.
Did Detective Howard Go Too Far?
One thing becomes abundantly clear just minutes into “Home Sweet Home”: Detective Shannon Burke is a problem for Detective Howard, Raq, and Kanan. Burke has successfully pieced together the story of Howard and Raq’s relationship, her pregnancy, and how they hid the truth from Kanan and others. She also knows that Kanan was the one who shot Detective Howard back in season one. Burke’s pursuit of Howard’s dirty background led to her being suspended from the police force as she also cut corners and broke rules to get answers. A frustrated Burke eventually meets with Howard who pretends to be interested in her well-being after her suspension. However, when Burke reveals that she’s connected the dots of Howard’s past, he fires a gunshot into her head and effectively kills her and her plans of exposing his past. Sure, Howard has to do what it takes to protect himself, Kanan, and Raq, but could the decision to kill Burke have been a bit too far? Is there a chance that her death could raise more questions about Howard than the ones that existed when Burke was alive?
New episodes of ‘Power Book III: Raising Kanan’ are available on the STARZ app on Fridays at 12:00 am ET/PT and on the STARZ TV channel at 8:00 pm ET/PT.
