Power Book III: Raising Kanan season 3 recap- All to know before watching season 4
Power Book III: Raising Kanan season 3 aired on the Starz network from December 1, 2023, to February 9, 2024. The crime drama series is created by Sascha Penn and serves as the prequel and spin-off series to Power. It is set in the 1990s and follows the young Kanan Stark's rise in the drug business that his family is involved in.
Below is a detailed recap of season 3 to prepare for season 4, which premiered on March 7, 2025.
The show's official synopsis, as per Rotten Tomatoes, reads:
"Power Book III: Raising Kanan" goes back to 1991 when Supras are the whip of choice and a fly shearling coat is a symbol of status in the hood. Kanan navigates this world of glamour and grit as he comes into his own and gets out of the shadow of his mother, Raq, who runs the streets of Southside Jamaica, Queens, with her brothers, Marvin and Lou-Lou."
Raq tries to quit the drug business in Power Book III: Raising Kanan season 3
In Power Book III: Raising Kanan season 3, Raq informs Marvin, Jukebox, and Kanan of her intention to clean up her life and leave the drug business behind. She even buys a Southside Shopping Plaza, but it does not take long for it to get vandalized.
Raq also tells Marvin that Malcolm is Kanan's biological dad and mentions that she wanted to keep the news from reaching the streets that he was a cop's son. Her relationship with Kanan is as estranged as ever. As Kanan gets close to Ronnie, Snaps, and Pop in the second half of the season, Juke worries that her cousin brother is not the same person anymore and warns Raq.
Meanwhile, Stefano orders Raq to get rid of the Italian mafia leader Sal. She tells Marvin to take the job, and so Marvin and DeMo kill Sal outside the church right after he attended the christening of his grandchild.
But leaving the game behind proves more difficult than Raq had previously thought, and she contemplates returning with Stefano in episode 6. After Unique's death, she takes over his business at the Chinese restaurant and hustles her drugs through. By the show's penultimate episode, Raq is fully back in the game and is running his enterprise like her own.
Raq and her younger brother Lou start off season 3 as enemies. After he develops a drinking problem, Raq takes him to rehab, and the two hash out their differences in the season finale episode. After leaving the rehab center, Ronnie's men open fire on Raq’s car, but she survives the attack.
Ronnie also kidnaps Kanan and demands Raq to hand over her connect, business, and $500k to save her son. Stefano helps Raq and Marvin out with the money, and they arrive at a warehouse with Howard for the exchange. But Kanan claims he staged the kidnapping to get $500K for his drug operations. Kanan shocks everyone by shooting Ronnie, and Raq follows suit by shooting Howard to death.
Kanan grows his drug business in Power Book III: Raising Kanan season 3
In Power Book III: Raising Kanan season 3, Kanan's hatred for his mother reaches new heights. Raq tries everything to make amends with her son, even buying him a car at one point, but he refuses to forgive her.
In the beginning, Kanan lives with Famous, and the two start making money by selling drugs through Paul’s courier service. However, in episode 4, Raq plants a gun in Kanan’s school bag, knowing very well that it will be found at his school. She even buys Famous' silence. After the gun is found at school, Kanan is told to stay at his mom's house, where he will be visited by a social worker from time to time.
The police arrest Famous for Freddy’s murder, but he is soon let out. Kanan and Famous have a showdown after the latter admits to knowing who placed the gun in his bag. Enraged, Kanan throws him out of the house, and Famous goes to live with his mom. But when his mom finds the gun used in Freddy's murder, she hands it over to the police and gets Famous arrested for murder.
After cutting ties with Famous, Kanan starts getting close to Ronnie, which worries his mother and cousin sister. With time, he starts selling heroin and becomes Raq's competitor. But after Kanan finds out about Raq getting shot, he confronts Ronnie.
Also read: Power Book III: Raising Kanan Season 4 release schedule: All episodes and when they arrive
Malcolm Howard meets his end in Power Book III: Raising Kanan season 3
In the first episode of Power Book III: Raising Kanan season 3, Malcolm fires Detective Shannon Burke since she continues her investigation into the Thomas family's criminal activities. When she confronts Malcolm with evidence of his wrongdoing, including killing Crackhead Sam, he shoots Burke and makes it look like suicide.
Shannon's father, Patrick, urges Captain Baptiste to reopen Shannon’s case after realizing that Malcolm may have played a role in his daughter's death. Captain Baptiste and Agent Tanner offer Famous protection after his arrest in exchange for information on Howard, whom they suspect of engaging in illegal activities.
By the end of the season, Captain Baptiste and the FBI interrogate Malcolm and force him to turn in his badge and gun temporarily. He is killed by Raq in the climax of the season finale episode.
Juke embarks on a singing career in Power Book III: Raising Kanan season 3
After Kenya's death in season 2, Marvin helps his daughter Jukebox grieve her mother's passing in Power Book III: Raising Kanan season 3. He shares a box of Kenya's belongings to help Juke process the loss. Juke also enlists in the military and is chosen to serve.
When Nicole’s father, James, mentions auditions for a girl group, Juke tries out and gets selected to be a member of the band Butta along with the singers Iesha and Krystal. During rehearsals, Juke's talent shines through, and she is chosen as the leader of the group. She and Iesha instantly form a bond, while Krystal seems jealous of the duo.
With time, Juke and Iesha develop feelings for each other, and they share a kiss. While discussing their relationship, the two talk about Juke having to leave soon to serve in the army.
Meanwhile, her father Marvin meets Gerald at a diner for their first therapy session. During their conversation, Gerald says Juke is "from the wrong side of the tracks," forcing Marvin to leave. But the two continue to meet as Marvin helps his friends through his drug addiction.
Marvin is there when Gerald’s daughter Alice dies as a result of his addiction. Gerald's guilt compels him to confess that he is an FBI informant, which leaves Marvin visibly angry. Gerald has nothing much to live for and commits suicide by overdosing on heroin.
Unique and Ronnie's sibling rivalry turns deadly
In Power Book III: Raising Kanan season 3, Unique's older brother Ronnie returns in his life after being released from prison. He intends to sell drugs again on the Southside and gets a loan from the couple, Snaps and Pop, by promising them a monthly kickback. He tries to buy drugs from Dean, Julianna, and Joaquin, but they all refuse due to his connection to Unique.
When Unique confronts his older brother about meeting the Southside dealer Dean, he denies it. Later, Ronnie goes to Dean's house and stabs him to death while his grandmother is in the other room.
The two brothers get into a physical fight over their livelihoods. During the altercation, Ronnie beats Unique to death with a metal pipe and dumps his body in a secluded area. He also briefly dates Julianna before she is killed by Raq.
After Kanan shoots Ronnie in the season finale episode, a man walks over to Ronnie's dead body, and it is revealed to be Unique.
Also read: Power Book III: Raising Kanan season 5 renewed early, hinting at the future of the series
All episodes of Power Book III: Raising Kanan season 3 can be streamed on Starz.
