(SPOILERS for this week’s Power Book III: Raising Kanan will be found below.)
In episode five of Power Book III: Raising Kanan, titled What Happens In The Catskills, Raq and Kanan set out to the woods for a one-day camping trip. It’s one that Raq initiates due to her desire to have a day to herself with Kanan. Raq believes that her son will enjoy the day out as he used to be fond of camping as a kid, but with their relationship strained, Kanan is all but excited to be alone with his mother. This strain is a result of Kanan being unsure of who his real father is as well as his doubts that Raq is being truthful if and when he inquires about it.
Elsewhere in What Happens In The Catskills, Lou-Lou and Crown’s relationship as partners at Bulletproof Records is anything but civil as they continue to get on each other’s nerves. Lou-Lou also gives Famous another chance at rapping in the studio while making Jukebox never want to come back again. Marvin somewhat opens up to his anger management counselor Renée and Jukebox’s new relationship with her mother Kenya only improves by the second.
Here are some of the biggest questions we had after the third episode of season two:
To Be Or Not To Be Together?
This question goes to Lou-Lou and Crown. The two launched Bulletproof Records to combine Lou-Lou’s passion and cash supply with Crown’s experience in the music game. While this seems like a perfect combination on paper, it’s anything but that on-screen. It’s beyond clear that Lou-Lou and Crown hate each other. The scene of Crown pulling a gun on Lou-Lou after getting punched by him pretty much describes their relationship. Lou-Lou has no respect for Crown, and while Crown fights to earn it, Lou-Lou brushes his attempts off as nothing but a nuisance. If they could figure things out, Lou-Lou and Crown could do great things at Bulletproof, but they seem very far from an amicable relationship. They may have to coast alone rather than fighting over where and how to steer their ship.
Will Lou-Lou Ever Get It Right?
Lou-Lou recognizes Jukebox’s singing talents, there’s no doubt about that. However, their few interactions in the studio have resulted in her growing more and more frustrated with him. First, he suggested (in not the best way) that changing and improving her style would make her music career more successful. Then he gave another artist on the label a song that Jukebox wrote without her permission, all to tell her that publishing money is something to be happy about. Lou-Lou isn’t the best people person, but man, pissing everyone off while trying to build up his label is going to do a lot more harm than he’s probably aware of.
Is The Cabin Just The Beginning Of Things Catching Up To Raq?
For just one day, Raq wanted to escape the world. The drugs, the Italians, frustrations with the family, and more are some of the things she clearly wanted a break from. The trip to the woods is also one she used to bury a body that dates back to season one, but aside from that, it appeared that Raq seemingly wanted peace for a day. Unfortunately, the Italians followed her to the cabin and unsuccessfully tried to kill both her and Kanan. Altogether, this trip is a perfect example of Raq being unable to take a break from the world she created and hopes to one day run. All of this is coupled with her having a son who is moments away from confronting her about the truth in their lives. In the Raising Kanan world, there’s no hiding even for one day, but is this the beginning of a big swarm heading for Raq?
Did Jukebox Just Find Marvin’s Replacement?
Marvin’s errors with Jukebox couldn’t have come at a worse time for him at least. Her reconnection with her mother Kenya and their improving relationship will only make her more resistant to reconciling with him. Jukebox stares at Marvin with disgust at one moment, and in another, she sings gleefully in church with her mother. Marvin will always be her father and Kenya her mother, but in terms of the parental figure she depends on the most, it appears that Kenya is slowly taking that spot from Marvin. While he acknowledges his wrongs in his strained relationship with Jukebox, as we see him do during a meeting with Renée, Marvin fails to do the same with Jukebox herself. Time is ticking for Marvin. He needs to right his wrongs and do so quickly in order to salvage and maybe improve what’s left of his relationship with Jukebox before she moves on to what she deems as better.
Where Does Kanan Go From Here?
Contrary to his mother’s hopes, Kanan’s time during the camping trip did nothing to improve his relationship with Raq. In fact, it may have worsened as Kanan possibly suspects that they only took the trip to get rid of a dead body. Kanan had no desire to spend a day alone with his mother due to their strained relationship and his body language during their time together makes that more obvious. Deep down, Kanan wants answers from Raq about who is truly his father, but he also knows that confronting her and getting that truth won’t be an easy thing. Additionally, investigating on his own has only made him question things more. Jukebox told him to just open up to Raq and be honest, but Kanan has no desire to do that. However, if he really wants his answers, he’ll have to just suck it up and get it done. Whether or not that happens remains to be seen in future episodes.
New episodes of STARZ’s ‘Power Book III: Raising Kanan’ are available to watch on Sundays at 12:00am EST.
