‘Power Book III: Raising Kanan’s Mekai Curtis Talks Series Finale

SPOILER ALERT: The following reveals major plot points from the series finale of the Starz crime drama Power Book III: Raising Kanan.

It’s no spoiler to discuss Kanan Stark’s survival in the series finale of Starz’s Power Book III: Raising Kanan, with even the most casual of fans knowing that Kanan Stark is alive and well in the original Power series. While it’s the closing of another chapter in the Power franchise, there’s still some time to spend with Mekai Curtis as the titular Kanan before going into Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson’s era.

But before going into new business, let’s handle old business. Raquel (Patina Miller) was shot and killed in cold blood by Jukebox (Hailey Kilgore) in the show’s final episode. Raq was a surrogate mother to Juke, but when it came down to it, Juke had to avenge her father’s murder at the hands of Kanan. She told her cousin while at the diner that she had killed his mother so as to take everyone that cares about him out of his life. Kanan was rather accepting of the news, something the actor confirms.

“It’s acceptance. That’s the ultimate version of Kanan understanding what Raq taught him at the beginning of the series. Now, more than ever, in Season 5, I think Kanan understands who he is and what he’s done more than ever. When you’ve experienced enough loss and tragedy, there comes a point where you’re going to sit down and just take inventory: you’re going to see where you went wrong, what you did right, where other people went wrong, and how things could have been done differently,” shared Curtis.

Adding, “Kanan has gotten to have those moments. So, when he finally hears that Mom is gone, he understands. It doesn’t mean it hurts any less, but he understands all the bad he’s done. And for it to be his cousin when he just took out her father, it’s poetic, right? He understands, ‘Okay, I did it.’ It doesn’t mean that I’m proud that I did it, but I did it.”

Before that moment at the diner, Kanan and Raq met up on a very public street to discuss the hit Stefano (Tony Danza) put on her, amongst other things. The duo opened up like never before.

“I wasn’t sure that that was a conversation that was going to happen. So I was casting the line in the wind, ‘No, this is still my mother. I still love this person. These characters, this world, and this show could have been flat and stereotypical if we didn’t add these layers that have you ask questions beyond what you’re seeing. It was really fun to finally have that moment to justify the actions of all of the characters leading up to that, especially for me,” Curtis reflected.

He continued, “I feel like Kanan is so misunderstood, especially the younger version of him. You see he’s doing things out of emotion, and he doesn’t know how to articulate himself. But it’s not simply just to be doing it. It’s not simply to ignore the thoughts and the wisdom of the people around him. He’s simply trying to find himself outside of the things that he’s now been shown. He can’t trust in the way that he wants.”

Part of that, Curtis explained, was Kanan saying, “You did these things, and it hurt me, and I didn’t know how to say that it hurt me because I was never taught how. But I still love you.”

“It was a constant back and forth between Raq and Kanan showing or saying that they love each other, but missing the mark,” he said. “I think they both had different love languages, and they didn’t know how to come together and actually healthily do that until imminent death was in the air.”

Playing Kanan across 5 seasons as part of this crazy world of Southside, Jamaica, Queens, the lesson that the actor is taking with him is a pretty special one.

“The lesson is love for me. Not to get all preachy about it, but love is patient. It’s kind. It’s giving space when you need it. It’s letting that person come back when they’re ready. It’s ugly. It’s nasty, and that’s everything that you see happen with these characters on the show, but that’s also everything that’s happened behind the scenes,” said Curtis.

“I think there’s a rare level of vulnerability and safety that was fostered on this set that allowed us to translate with these characters even more. The lesson for me is: keep your heart open. Keep your heart guarded, but always be open and ready for the things that are around you. Be ready to receive, be ready to give,” he added.

Onto new business, Curtis has already completed work on the first season of the brand new prequel series Power: Origins, a continuation of Raising Kanan, both shows from creator Sascha Penn. Power: Origins will reunite young James St. Patrick (Spence Moore II) and young Tommy Egan (Charlie Mann) with young Kanan. As a quick reminder, teen versions of James and Tommy appeared in the finale of Raising Kanan, played by Maxwell Davis and Andrew Bennett, respectively. At about 13 years old, the boys tried to work with Kanan, but even he had his limits.

“That honestly is my favorite part because that is the crossroads that carries through into Origins. You can still see a slight shred of care. Kanan sees himself in these two kids, and while it is exciting, he’s like, “Oh, we can get into all the things.’ It’s still like, ‘Nah, they’re still too young. I’m not gonna be the person that exposes you to whatever is going to bring you back here. We get to see how he still kind of cares and nurtures them in Origins.”