#Power Book III: Raising Kanan Season 1 Episode 7 Review: Stay In Your Lane

Wow. Did anyone see that coming?

This is Power, and we know that NO ONE is safe. But Power Book III: Raising Kanan Season 1 Episode 7 ends with a shocking death if only because of the ripple effect it could have throughout Kanan’s family.

A family that is quite literally hanging on by a thread right now.

Raq is staying afloat, but things seem to be quickly approaching desperation levels. Nothing is going her way, while Unique appears to be getting stronger by the day.

He’s feeling bold and entitled enough to even approach Lou-Lou about joining his operation and betraying his flesh and blood in the process. That is a crazy amount of self-confidence to have.

For Lou-Lou, aside from the obvious, it makes no sense to trust Unique. Considering what happened to Scrappy, it’s silly to think he’d ever be accepted in Unique’s organization. Not that it was even a genuine request on Unique’s part.

Unique, much like Raq, is always thinking ahead.

After that heated conversation with Lou-Lou, he now has confirmation Raq was coming after him with the hit on Worrell, and he knows that they aren’t backing down.

Lou-Lou gets in the digs, but Unique is the one that walks away with the last laugh because he just got more information. And it’s information that can only help him as he continues to pull ahead in the race for the southside.

Lou-Lou: I’m here.

Raq: Batter up.

Lou-Lou: I do this, we into something all together different, Raq. We at war.

Raq: We been at war, Lou.

It’s interesting to hear Raq proclaim that they’ve already been at war because it hasn’t necessarily felt like that because things have stayed civil enough for the most part. Everyone can still walk down the street without looking over their shoulder.

Sure, there have been issues, but the kind of war that plays out in the streets and has people with their hands constantly affixed to their waist hasn’t happened yet. We have finally reached that point, though.

Right now, Unique has the upper hand, especially when considering how fractured things are between the three siblings.

Raq essentially has no product. Lou has one foot out the door. And Marvin is being Marvin. Which is to say he’s doing his own thing and not telling anybody about it.

This is a business they’ve all sacrificed for, but with things poised to take a very crucial turn, who will Raq be able to count on?

When all is said and done, Raq has visions of leaving the business in the capable hands of Lou, but it’s pretty obvious that his heart is not in it. He’s gotten a taste of a different life and a way to get out of Raq’s shadow, and with each passing hour, it feels like he’s getting closer and closer to cutting the cord.

But would Raq even allow that? Would Lou ever be permitted to walk away?

He most certainly couldn’t do it now, but there could be a scenario where things settle down, and Raq lets him run free. Maybe.

Marvin, on the other hand, is all in on the business. He craves more responsibility, and he’d probably love it if Lou kissed everything goodbye to be the next Diddy.

But Marvin is just a walking disaster. And he and Kanan together are not the duo they think they are.

It’s like you want to root for Marvin to get it together because you know he wants it, but it’s so hard when he makes such idiotic choices at times. He knows Raq finds out EVERYTHING. So you would think at this point he would start thinking of ways to cover himself upfront instead of constantly withholding and lying.

The more better blues crack fiasco is just going to be the next thing to drive Marvin and Raq apart because mark my words, she WILL find out.

And once she finds out it was Kanan who cut the crack himself and Kanan who came up with the gas station hustle, she is going to lose it.

Much like Marvin, Kanan does some idiotic things. But unlike Marvin, Kanan doesn’t know any better. He’s green and doe-eyed, and he’s a kid learning things as he goes.

He wanted to feel like a big shot, so he cut the crack himself, not knowing what he was doing at all, and the result was a batch so potent that one hit had men dropping dead like flies.

And that leads us to the big shocker at the end of the episode, which is Nicole’s death.

Jukebox and Nicole were defying the odds and continuing to not only see each other but grow their relationship even after the confrontation with her parents. It’s been sweet to see their burgeoning love story, and it’s unfortunate to see it end this way.

Nicole just wanted a little peace. But at that moment, she chose something that would end up killing her, and it’s something that Kanan made.

There’s really no other way to classify the whole situation outside of it being sad. Jukebox is going to be devastated, and if she finds out the circumstances of Nicole’s death, it’s going to be hard for her not to blame Kanan.

You have to wonder if Nicole’s death ends up being the catalyst for Jukebox eventually deciding to be a police officer. Of course, we know she was a corrupt cop in the end, but perhaps she started off wanting to join for different reasons.

There’s a reason Burke approached her Power Book III: Raising Kanan Season 1 Episode 6, and I bet that she goes to Burke for information into Nicole’s death in exchange for Jukebox giving up some information of her own.

She wouldn’t turn Kanan in, one would think, but Jukebox knows a lot of secrets. There are several things she knows that could blow things up for her entire family.

Will Jukebox make that move against her own blood?

Everything Else You Need To Know

• Davina heard Famous’s lyrics, and at the very least, she suspects Kanan knows more about what happened to Buck Twenty than he’s letting on. I keep forgetting that she sold him out to Unique, so this love affair is doomed to fail between those two lies.

• Raq forgave Symphony, and that’s all well and good, but I still don’t trust him. And I will eat crow if I’m wrong, but much like Kanan and Davina, this relationship does not feel like it’s built to last.

• Malcolm needs to do something beyond just stalking Kanan. Perhaps, he should talk to Raq and tell her about his situation. He has to know how he’s going about things isn’t going to do him any favors.

With only a handful of episodes left in Power Book III: Raising Kanan Season 1, we should be in for one hell of an ending.

Raq versus Unique is officially a go, and there are fractures all over the place. The match has been lit, and things are ready to explode.

Do you think Jukebox will rat out her family?

Was Lou-Lou smart to push Unique’s buttons?

Do you trust Symphony?

Who will eventually tell Kanan that Malcolm is his father?

Drop all your comments and predictions in the comments below and remember to watch Power Book III: Raising Kanan online right now so you can join the conversation.

Whitney Evans is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.