Advertisement

Power Book III: Raising Kanan Recap: Original Gangsters and Gatekeepers

The price of being the boss is getting costlier and costlier for Raq on Power Book III: Raising Kanan.

But as the queenpin proved on Sunday night’s installment, titled “Stick and Move,” ice-cold Raq keeps a Louis Vuitton stacked with cash, and her eyes on the bottom line. This time around that meant handing a stuffed envelope to Deen’s bodyguard Smurf in exchange for intel on Unique’s next cocaine re-up. (Also, shoutout to The Wire vet Lawrence Gilliard Jr., for playing Deen. It’s always great to see cats from the iconic drama get that work.)

More from TVLine

Anyway, back to Raq, who fed the information she got from Smurf to Det. Malcolm Howard. Dude really needed a win at work after his captain started breathing down his neck and he was diagnosed with leukemia. Seriously, give old school Q from Juice a break already! Howard and Burke made the bust, leaving Nique’s corner boys fresh out of supply and Raq and her crew free to reclaim her territory once again.

However, this would not be Raq’s coldest move this week. That came when she took Kanan to pay respects to D-Wiz’s grieving mother, knowing full well she’s the one who ordered Lou-Lou to kill that boy to spare her own son’s life. That steely look she gave Kanan by episode’s end made us wonder if Kanan understood the cost Raq had to pay to keep him alive.

Power Book III, Howard and Raq
Power Book III, Howard and Raq

It’s hard to tell how wise Kanan is at 15, and maybe he knows that his mom had D-Wiz killed but doesn’t want to acknowledge it. There was even a moment where it seemed like Jukebox could and would mention to Raq that she saw D-Wiz get into her Uncle Lou-Lou’s car but again, Jukebox — like Kanan — prefers to appear naive and leave things unsaid.

Speaking of unsaid things, does Raq know Jukebox is gay? She never asked her niece if she was in love with a boy and kept things intentionally ambiguous. Meanwhile, Uncle Marvin was over at his crib teaching his nephew Kanan how to sell cocaine. And Kanan sold said drugs to make enough money to financially help out Davina. She even rewarded Kanan with a kiss. The same Davina who used to date Buck 20, the boy Kanan killed. Wow. This family is something else.

What did you think of Power Book III: Raising Kanan Episode 3, and how long do you think it will take before Nique exacts his revenge against Raq? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Best of TVLine

Get more from TVLine.com: Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Newsletter