‘Power Book III: Raising Kanan’: Patina Miller Was Shocked by a Scene in Season 1

Set in the ’90s, fans are unpacking the origin story of Kanan Stark (Mekai Curtis) in Power Book III: Raising Kanan. In the drama series, his mother, Raquel “Raq” Thomas’ (Patina Miller) is a central figure in his life. A young ambitious woman, Raq is also a drug queenpin who will stop at nothing to get what she wants.

However, even Miller says she was shocked by a scene in season 1.

Raq’s drug business has gotten bigger in ‘Power Book III: Raising Kanan’

When we last saw Raq in the Raising Kanan Season 1 finale, she had just outsmarted Unique (Joey Bada$$) a rival drug dealer, eliminating his business and outsmarting the police. Now, in season 2, a year after the events of the first season, it appears that Raq’s enterprise has only grown.

Starz shared a teaser trailer and a brief description of season 2. It reads in part, “As we enter season two, Raquel ‘Raq’ Thomas has gained control over the city’s drug trade, but her son is slipping away. Kanan Stark returns to Queens uncertain of his future with the family business, and because of Detective Howard’s lingering secret, he’s even more uncertain of his past. Kanan searches for the truth while Raq boldly expands the business into hostile Mafia territory.”

Sopranos alum Michael Rispoli has been cast as Sal Boselli, the powerful, charismatic, Italian mob boss of Newark, New Jersey. 

Patina Miller was shocked by a scene from season 1

Miller has talked openly about how thrilled she is by the role and playing Raq. However, even she was shocked by a scene from season 1. “I remember the ninth episode where Raq goes to teach Kanan how to kill his dad,” she told Vanity Fair. “For me as a person, when I read it, I was so upset with her. Because I had been riding with her the entire time. And then to see that on the page, I immediately called [Raising Kanan creator] Sascha [Penn] and was like, ‘They’re going to hate me! Oh my God!’ And then he presented a great argument, which is, ‘Raq is doing what she needs to do for the family. She believes it.’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, you’re right! She does believe it!’ Raquel knows that some of the things that she’s doing might not be right but it’s about her continuing to sort an inner dialog with herself is like ‘keep it together, keep it together.'”

Did Raq set Marvin up in ‘Power Book III: Raising Kanan’?

While Miller may have been shocked by Raq demanding that Kanan kill Detective Howard (Omar Epps), this is hardly the first time Raq has been so ruthless. Fans are convinced that she set Marvin up to go to jail back in the day so that she could take over his drug business.

In season 1, we learned that as the eldest sibling, Marvin raised Lou Lou and Raq when their parents were too focused on their addictions. At some point, Marvin was the leader of the siblings’ drug organization. However, he got addicted to his product and was eventually arrested and sent to prison.

During his prison stint, Raq took over the organization. We know that Raq plays no games so we wouldn’t be shocked if she fully set her brother up.