This week’s episode of Power Book III: Raising Kanan continued building toward an explosive endgame as alliances shifted, betrayals deepened, and Kanan continued his transformation into the ruthless figure fans know from the original Power.
The episode picked up with Raq and Marvin dealing with the fallout of the mysterious box that arrived at the end of last week’s episode. Rather than panic, Raq urged Marvin to move carefully and avoid reacting too quickly, advice that proved important as the pressure from Stefano continued to mount.
Stefano also met directly with Kanan, where the two discussed Raq’s failed attempt to have Stefano killed. News of that meeting quickly reached Pino, creating another layer of distrust among everyone involved. Stefano later made his intentions even clearer by ordering Breeze to disrupt Raq’s operation, setting up another inevitable confrontation.
The biggest moment of the episode came with the long-awaited fight between Marvin and Kanan. After Raq instructed Marvin to send a message by targeting one of Kanan’s biker associates, Marvin accomplished that by crashing into one of them. Raq then killed the biker herself before telling Marvin that Kanan was responsible for Lou’s death. The confrontation between uncle and nephew was brutal and felt like the discipline Kanan had been avoiding for a long time. Even Primo previously believed Kanan needed someone to check him, making the fight feel earned. London Brown recently told The Knockturnal about preparing for this emotionally charged sequence, while also revealing that Mekai Curtis performed all of his own stunts during the scene, which made the fight even more impressive.
Kanan’s personality continues to evolve in unsettling ways. When Jukebox updated him about Detective Garcia’s investigation into Famous’ death, Kanan barely reacted. In the previous season, he broke down in tears after learning Famous had been killed. Seeing him now dismiss the subject without emotion highlights just how much he has changed over the course of the series.
Jukebox had her own problems to deal with after Detective Garcia demanded the rest of the money she owed him while threatening consequences if she failed to pay. Marvin ultimately stepped in and helped her settle the debt. Jukebox hoped Garcia had new information about Famous’ murder, but he only knew what was already public.
Breeze’s influence over Kanan continued to grow throughout the episode. After a supplier disrespected Breeze, he and Kanan brutally beat the man and nearly killed him before casually joking about it later at a diner. During their conversation, they discussed the possibility that Def Con could have been Breeze’s son and Snaps’ nephew. Breeze also claimed that Raq killed Def Con and stole his business. That revelation does not completely add up based on what the series has already established. In the premiere’s 1985 flashback, High Post was shown introducing Raq to the drug game, making Breeze’s version of events difficult to accept. Either Breeze is manipulating Kanan with false information or the series is making a significant change to previously established continuity.
The episode also gave longtime Power fans a closer look inside Breeze’s apartment, a location first seen in the original series. It was a nice callback that helped connect both shows. Though I am not fully sure if it is the same one where Breeze died in the future when Ghost killed him.
Marvin’s personal storyline continued to be one of the strongest parts of the season. Flossie confronted him about clients continuing to die under his watch, creating some awkward but entertaining moments, including Marvin hilariously mispronouncing “barista.” Flossie invited him to accompany her to an event, and he happily agreed to be her plus one. She also shared the heartbreaking story of her daughter’s death, revealing that the person responsible received only probation because of an expensive lawyer before dying a year later after drunkenly falling onto train tracks.
Marvin also followed up with the young girl connected to an earlier case. She admitted she had spoken with police and feared being taken away from her new family if she told the truth. It was another reminder that Marvin has grown into one of the show’s most layered and compassionate characters.
Kanan’s relationship with Jarita also reached another crossroads. She refused to continue accepting money from him because she genuinely wanted a real relationship. Their conversation touched on the escort Kanan had hired to drug the judge, although Jarita still has no idea Kanan orchestrated the entire scheme.
The episode closed with another shocking act of violence as Breeze and Kanan arrived at a boxing match. In a sequence that felt like Fightland had arrived ahead of schedule, they assassinated Joaquin and his bodyguard, ending the hour on a brutal cliffhanger.
To cap everything off, the closing montage was perfectly underscored by James Brown’s “The Payback,” a fitting choice for an episode centered on revenge, shifting loyalties, and consequences finally catching up with several characters. We are already half way through the final season of Power Book III: Raising Kanan and the next episode will air in two weeks.
