Raising Kanan Season 5 Episode 3 Review

Critic’s Rating: 4.1 / 5.0

4.1

Now this really is the Kanan Stark we all grew to loathe.

There have been numerous moments throughout Power Book III: Raising Kanan where I’ve felt sympathy for Kanan, and I’ve even understood him at times, which was NOT something I had for adult Kanan, but we’re reaching the point of no return, people.

Kanan’s been in his villain era for a while now, but before, he was play-acting as a villain; now he’s officially become one.

If we didn’t already know that Power Book III: Raising Kanan Season 5 was the end of the road for the series, hours like Power Book III: Raising Kanan Season 5 Episode 3 would have given it away.

There’s an overwhelming sense of setup in these early hours, as the series prepares us for the next chapter of Kanan’s story while also beginning to bring other stories to a close.

It was a heavy Marvin, which is not a bad thing these days, since Marvin’s one of the show’s more complex and interesting characters.

He’s still weighed down by grief over Lou-Lou, and he seems almost untethered now.

All of the siblings were close in their own ways, but Raq was almost positioned as the center of that trio, and not just because she was their boss in business. Raq’s influence over both of them has been prominent throughout the series, with the brothers at various times both battling her and revering her.

Marvin’s a hothead by nature, and he had a whole storyline centered on his anger management issues, so Marvin channeling his grief into a revenge mission isn’t surprising. However, it’s intriguing that they’re leaning into the faith aspect with him.

Marvin’s come a very long way, and he’s far from a perfect father, brother, uncle, person, but he’s also unapologetically himself. He doesn’t change who he is for anyone, and love him or hate him, that’s something you can’t take away from him.

Marvin is going to Marvin.

His confrontation with Kanan over the rumors circulating on the streets quickly became one of the episode’s most meme-worthy moments, but beneath the humor was another showcase of London Brown’s remarkable performance.

Time and again, he grounds Marvin with a humanity that makes the character far more layered than he first appears.

Kanan had a lot of nerve offering Marvin a job, but that’s who Kanan has become. He’s become someone who thinks he’s untouchable, and in many ways, he is.

He can hate his mother as much as he wants, but he knows that at the end of the day, she may be an “enemy,” but she’s never going to pull the trigger on him first. With Breeze, Snaps, and Pop, and even Stefano feeding him intel, he’s in a position that makes him incredibly well-protected.

But the idea of Marvin ever working under his nephew? I was insulted on Marvin’s behalf.

Throughout the hour, Marvin felt unlike himself, and I would never have considered Lou-Lou someone who kept Marvin grounded, but I think his death has just made him see parts of himself, his life, and his relationships that he may never have looked at too deeply.

Marvin’s strained relationship with Jukebox has been well documented, and the two have come a long way in strengthening their bond. Marvin’s actually put in the effort to understand his daughter, and Jukebox has been willing to give him that chance.

They’re not at a place where there’s an openness between them, and Jukebox first asking him to leave with her and then wanting to work with him felt like an almost full-circle moment for them.

Jukebox’s been on the outskirts of the family for so long, but just like everyone involved in that world, there’s only so long you can stay dipping your toes in the water before you have to commit one way or the other fully.

If she’s going to “work” with Garcia, in the sense that she’s going to feed him information in exchange for keeping her family safe (so it would seem), then she had to find her way into the business.

But imagine Marvin had actually said yes when she first asked him to leave with her?

Unique stood on his soapbox several times during Power Book III: Raising Kanan Season 5 Episode 2 to proclaim that he was never, ever, ever going to leave South Jamaica, Queens, yet I distinctly remember seeing him ride off into the sunset.

The difference with Marvin, though, is that he still has a path forward in that town, and he still has people behind him. And that will now include his daughter.

We’re really about to see Jukebox in her snitch era, and I’m not sure how to feel about it.

Much like Kanan becoming evil, Jukebox was headed down the same path. And you’ve seen how, each season, she gets a little more hardened and a little less empathetic, which they’re showcasing through her relationships with people she’s deliberately keeping at arm’s length, with very little regard for their feelings.

That icy stare-down between Jukebox and Raq at the bar intrigued me because you now have to wonder what Jukebox will be willing to do, outside of protecting herself and her father, because it would appear those are the only two things on the planet she has a real concern for at this point.

You can add Kanan to that mix, but you can also see the strain on their dynamic, and it will only be further amplified with Jukebox competing with him.

Speaking of Kanan, it only took three hours for me to see why Kanan and Breeze connected so well-they’re both methodical, observant, and more than willing to make a dangerous move if it benefits them.

Taking out Unique’s corner boys was as much about asserting their dominance as it was just taking what they felt was rightfully theirs with Unique out of the picture.

This subplot with Taz slowly plotting Kanan’s demise almost feels comical because Taz is a dead man walking. But it would be a much more interesting thing if, instead of him just annoying Breeze and Kanan enough until he got a bullet to the head, he defected to Raq.

This season seems to be headed for the two sides going tit-for-tat, with Stefano and Pino on opposing sides and maybe getting into their own beef, and I’d put my money on Kanan’s crew currently, if only because they seem to have a much bigger network than Raq.

Having said that, though, there’s pretty much zero percent chance that Kanan doesn’t end up finding out that many of the things he blamed his mother for were actually done at the hands of Snaps and Pop, and that could certainly change things as the season progresses.

Without their backing, what do things look like for Kanan and Breeze?

We know they both go on far beyond what this series will show us, but when it ends, how many of these major players will still be a part of their business?

It’s becoming supremely difficult, in a way it hasn’t been in past seasons, not to look ahead. With Breeze finally in the picture and Kanan inching closer to the man audiences already know, the endgame has never felt more real.

But there’s no rush here. They’re taking their time, as they always do, to set up the pieces, put them in the correct place, and then smash them down when the time comes.

Everything Else You Need To Know

• What exactly does Flossie want with Marvin? And why did I get suspicious when she brought up her daughter’s death? Maybe I’m doing too much, but is it possible it ties back to Marvin somehow?

• Joe Pantoliano and Tony Danza going toe-to-toe felt a little bit like a 1980s fever dream.

• How is Raq continuing to live in that house? Constantly reliving one of the most traumatic moments of your life is bound to catch up with you eventually.

• I loved seeing Joseph Sikora as the director on this one. Keeping it all in the Power family.

• Kanan didn’t even care about what Raq had going on until Stefano brought it up to him. And then Raq shooting at his corners only activated his inner demon. He’s either going to turn one of Flossie’s girls against them or make a statement in some other way.

It was another relatively quiet hour of Raising Kanan, but one that excelled as a character study. With only 8 episodes this season, we’re already nearing the halfway point, which means it’s the beginning of the end for one of television’s best crime dramas.

Let me know in the comments how you’re feeling about the season so far, and where you think things are headed next.

You can watch Power Book III: Raising Kanan at midnight on the STARZ app. On linear, it airs on STARZ at 8:00 pm ET/PT in the U.S.