Power Book III: Raising Kanan Season 4 Episode 1 Review: Gangstas Don’t Die

The events leading up to two shocking murders are rehashed during Power Book III: Raising Kanan Season 4 Episode 1.

The post Power Book III: Raising Kanan Season 4 Episode 1 Review: Gangstas Don’t Die appeared first on TV Fanatic.

When was the last time we had a new hour of Power Book: III Raising Kanan?

It has felt like 47 years since we saw the events of Power Book III: Raising Kanan Season 3 Episode 10 play out, and I won’t lie to you. I needed a refresher course on everything that went down in the bloody finale, so this hour was a blessing in disguise.

Instead of picking up where things left off, the series took another route, taking us back in time to relive all the moments we missed leading up to the shocking finale.

I wasn’t sure what to make of the decision to jump three months back, considering we’d already lived through these events, right? And if they were showing us new things now, why were they not included to begin with?

Well, the answer to that was pretty damn easy when some of the first images of Power Book III: Raising Kanan Season 4 Episode 1 we got was of an alive Unique making his way to a pay phone.

We all knew Unique was alive, obviously, but the most fascinating part of the whole hour was seeing how he pulled himself from the woods and then eventually managed to make it to that abandoned warehouse over the course of three months.

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We all knew Unique was a fighter, but he was possessed by the spirit of betrayal and revenge when he willed himself to that pay phone. He was lucky someone was there to answer the call because he wouldn’t have made it otherwise.

Early was hilarious and a welcome addition to the season already. He was primarily motivated by self-interest, but he was also the only reason Unique got better, and the two of them should make for an interesting little duo.

For starters, this was not the same Unique we knew in the past.

Unique was always about his business and getting what he felt he deserved, but we also saw his walls break down when he and Raq started their little love affair because the two had much more in common than they ever gave much thought to.

Raq often kept Unique at a distance during Power Book III: Raising Kanan Season 3, whereas Unique seemed to be more invested, in the sense that you could see his feelings more in his actions and words than you could with Raq.

When Unique “died,” Raq had a moment or two to mourn what could have been, but she also didn’t dwell on it much and kept it moving, which could be the tagline for her life if you think about it.

As Unique began to heal, you could see that any sense of softness within him was gone, and for good reason. His own brother tried to kill him, and that’s the kind of pain that will never go away.

One thing that remained with Unique was his stubbornness. No matter what Early preached at him, he struggled to stay put when it was best for him.

Not only for his health but simply for the reason that he was changed, as a head injury of that severity will do.

As he slowly regained his strength, you could see that he became increasingly entrenched in his anger. All it took was a few small pieces of information about Raq and Kanan to set him on a full-blown revenge tour.

And isn’t it interesting how easy it is to hear something and then jump to every conclusion in the book to fit the narrative you need to sustain your bloodthirsty anger?

Unique was not in his right mind, but he was also hellbent on getting back at Ronnie and whoever else he felt was responsible for what happened to him. Unfortunately, Raq and Kanan fell into that trap once he started hearing about how they were moving.

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In a perfect world, Unique would have gone straight to Raq, and they would have formulated a plan together, but who could Unique trust?

His own brother wanted him dead, so why would he think that his surprise return would be something anyone would welcome when they got something for themselves now that he was out of the picture?

Early was right to tell Unique to wait in the shadows because while it may have seemed like he was down and out, he ultimately did have the upper hand. He could move in silence, find the weaknesses, and pounce when the opportunity arose.

I’m curious if he’ll actually be able to wait long enough to make his presence known.

It will be quite a shock for Raq when she inevitably finds out Unique is not only back but also back as a rival, especially after what went down during this hour.

It’s wild to replay certain situations last season, knowing that Raq was pregnant during it and going through her internal battle about what to do and how she felt about things.

Hearing her tell the nurse before getting the abortion that she’d had one in the past was heartbreaking. Raq has had to endure and go through so much alone, and when you start to consider all the many facets of her life, you begin to see further why she’s the way she is.

But even knowing all those things doesn’t excuse her actions because Raq has done some messed-up stuff.

Raq does what she needs to do to survive and protect the people she loves at all costs, but at the same time, she takes away a lot of their agency. She’s created dynamics in which the people she loves don’t trust or respect her, which eats at her no matter what she says.

Her telling Kanan that she would love him no matter what, while true, most likely looked to Kanan as another way of her trying to manipulate him because, for so long now, he has been unable to believe her due to her actions.

That relationship between Raq and Kanan will always be at the forefront, and this hour gave greater insight into what Raq was dealing with while trying to bring Ronnie’s operation down.

Raq is such a singular character because, for all her flaws, there’s also something relatable about this woman in a male-dominated world surviving by any means necessary. The series does an excellent job of showing all sides of her and detailing her complexities.

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She’s no hero, but she’s also a complicated villain, like almost everyone on this show.

It was a little disappointing not to dive directly into the fallout from Ronnie and Howard’s death. Still, some interesting things came up that should reverberate throughout the rest of the season, including Marvin’s little side hustle with Stefano.

Since Power Book III: Raising Kanan Season 1, Marvin has made great strides in all aspects of his life. Professionally, he has become more reliable, which Stefano saw and exploited.

I’m all for Marvin and Lou-Lou exerting some independence and no longer allowing Raq to be such a dominating figure in their lives. Still, you know that his working with Stefano and not telling Raq will come back to bite, even if Marvin has every right to do what he wants to do!

Raq doesn’t like being out of the loop, and she doesn’t want Marvin to potentially mess up the business plans she made with Stefano.

There’s something intriguing brewing here, and I’ll be paying close attention to how the dynamics between the three of them change even more now that we have some added context.

Elsewhere, the hour mainly revolved around Unique’s recovery and seeing pieces of what everyone was up to during the past three months that we didn’t see, but it wasn’t wildly entertaining, if we’re being honest.

Jess returning wasn’t exciting, and the Jukebox stuff was nice, seeing her have support from Iesha and Nicole’s dad, but Kanan’s looking into his grandfather’s history was surprisingly fascinating because of how fractured Joyce’s relationship with her children is.

While she dotes on Kanan, things are not the same with her biological children, probably because with their father gone, Marvin was the one who stepped in to take care of the children.

Was it all simple back then and within the family? Surely not, and maybe that will be explored more since there should be more family moments and conversations with Joyce being sick.

Lou-Lou is still on the outside, and Joyce’s illness will force them all to reconcile with their pasts and make amends in the present, which could be good for them.

Family has always been at the core of Power, and the Thomas family has been torn apart for some time. It’ll be interesting to see how this event changes things for them in uniting them once again or even dividing them further.

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Everything Else You Need To Know

• No offense to Jessica, but she and Lou-Lou were a forgettable couple, and I fail to see what her return will do to the narrative right now. Though what’s going on with Famous is unclear, so there may be a story there.

• Nicole’s dad consistently being Jukebox’s biggest fan is one of the more wholesome things on a show that is pretty devoid of them. I just know he’d be saddened to see what she ultimately became.

• Unique and Raq always hit as enemies, but there was something right about them being lovers, too. I’m unsure whether to be excited about seeing them battle again or saddened that the softness is gone.

• I wonder if Raq seeing Howard at the police station also helped make up her mind about killing him. No matter what he said and did, there would always be a part of her that couldn’t trust him because of his profession.

Well, we’re finally back, Power fans!

This was an odd but clever way to re-introduce everything and set us on a path for this season!

There is lots to talk about after this one, so hit the comment section below so we can discuss it!

You can watch Power Book III: Raising Kanan on Starz at 8/7c on Fridays.

Watch Power Book III: Raising Kanan Online

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The post Power Book III: Raising Kanan Season 4 Episode 1 Review: Gangstas Don’t Die appeared first on TV Fanatic.