Power Book III Raising Kanan Season 4 Episode 5 Recap: The Nail That Sticks Up

While some big revelations challenge our main characters near the end, episode 5 of ‘Power Book III: Raising Kanan’ season 4, titled ‘The Nail That Sticks Up,’ lays more groundwork for the inevitable clashes between the different sides we have been following for a while. Raq continues to try to wrestle back control from the increasing demands from Quan and Terry, while Kanan faces a more personal situation when a best friend’s mother asks for his help. We also witness Marvin spiraling down his path of violence and inability to keep himself in check, which might come back to bite him eventually. At the same time, Lou-Lou develops a begrudging respect for his new producer partner and their plan to make waves with new music previously unheard of. SPOILERS AHEAD.

Famous’ Abusive Past and Kanan’s Secret Stash

The episode starts with a flashback scene capturing Famous’ childhood in an abusive home. One night, tired of his father’s constant threats and beatings, Famous’ mom takes him and his sister away from the house and takes refuge at a homeless shelter. In the present day, she visits Detective Garcia to enquire about why it is taking him so long to find her son. However, he shifts the blame to Kanan, stating that Famous may have likely just run away from home or been in cahoots with the titular lead. Elsewhere, Raq and Marvin talk about their recent problems with the Chinese businesses, especially after Unique attacked the factory run by Terry and David. Kanan also discusses his operation with O-Cee, who is concerned about the money situation in their little racket. He says that he still has no idea who stole from them, which sounds like a lie.

Mara meets up with Jukebox at a diner, asking her directly if she was involved in Aaron’s death. Jukebox denies the claims, stating that she had nothing to do with it. In the meantime, Lou-Lou and Imani move around town, scouting out new talent to sign onto their roster. The former feels unimpressed in the beginning with Imani’s picks. However, eventually, he sees her eye for music and decides to sign a band named the Draw Down Disciples. Meanwhile, Jukebox takes care of a wound on Marvin’s arm, the same one he got in the scuffle with Aaron. The father and daughter have yet to talk about the incident with Aaron, which Jukebox is unwilling to get into. We see Kanan drop by a secret warehouse location, where he drops his latest cash collection into a chest full of stacked bills.

Kanan and Jukebox Relay Some Alarming News to the Thomas Family

Raq and Marvin make a house call at Terry’s factory, where they find David. The drug operation has been halted because of recent fears around security, which is unacceptable for the Thomas family matriarch. She and her brother threaten David to get his act together and convince his brother to go about his business like an obedient soldier. In the meantime, Kanan and Jukebox are visited by Ms. Figueroa, Famous’ mom, who is desperately tracking down any lead she can relating to her son. Although Kanan is unable to help her, he promises to find out more about the situation and locate Famous as soon as he can. As they leave to tend to a family situation, Ms. Figueroa remembers how a young Famous brought home a dog one night, which she allowed him to keep as long as he took responsibility for everything. The boy names the dog Hulkster.

In a different part of town, Unique follows up on his conversation with Teresa Boselli and meets her contact, Phil Russo. While Unique has plans to work with him to bring down Raq, the latter has different ideas. Russo wants Unique to prove his worth as a handy businessman first before he is willing to offer any help in his vengeful crusade against the Thomas family head, who also has the backing of Stefano Marchetti. Meanwhile, Kanan and Jukebox show up at Joyce’s house to deal with the emergency family situation. It turns out that their grandmother fell down and hurt herself. Jukebox calls up the hospital and the rest of the family. At the same time, Lou-Lou and Imani arrange a meeting later at her place before the former receives the message about Joyce’s fall.

Marvin Faces a Dilemma While O-Cee Shows His True Colors

Raq sits down with Quan once more, looking to clear the air between their businesses. She asks him to be honest about his real problem with her. He states that he had a close relationship with Unique and was not impressed by how she took over his business without batting an eye after he was gone. On her way out, she receives the text about Joyce. At the hospital, the doctor tells Kanan and Jukebox that Joyce’s cancer is worsening and she needs someone to take care of her around the clock. Determined to resolve the Quan situation, Raq arranges a meeting with Hafiz, who tells her that he should be the one initiating contact. However, Raq has her own plans and ambitions in mind, and fostering a partnership with Hafiz will be a big part of her next phase.

Marvin has a moment to sit down and talk with Joyce about her recent ailments next to her hospital bed. She reveals that she is in a lot of pain and is worried about the suffering in her future. As such, she wants Marvin to end her life in an act of euthanasia. Elsewhere, O-Cee steps inside a car with tinted glasses driven by Unique. Our suspicions are confirmed as O-Cee is two-timing Kanan while working as a snitch for Unique. Following up on an earlier discussion, Marvin shows up at Terry’s factory to talk some more sense into him about continuing the drug operation for the Thomas family. However, the owner is spooked and crosses the line with Marvin, who kills him in a fit of rage. It goes against what Raq told him to do, but Marvin has always had a short fuse.

A Shocking Revelation Threatens to Change Everything

We skip over to Imani’s apartment, where she and Lou-Lou are naked in bed together. They get ready for another round of sex while somewhere across town, a shoplifter discovers a dead body under a mattress. We soon learn that it belongs to Famous. Ms. Figueroa shows up at the police station to identify her son, horrified at the fact that she was unable to save him. Marvin stops by Joyce’s place, where he tells her honestly that he is incapable of killing his mother, even if it means relieving her from pain. She is disgusted by his decision and tells him to leave. In the dead of night, Unique shows his face in a dark alley as Quan gets ready to leave. The latter is surprised that Unique is alive, but given their past relationship, a new partnership may be in the works, complicating matters even further for Raq.

Ms. Figueroa gets on a bus to leave town but, on her way, receives another flashback of a grown Famous talking about how he is involved in a lot of bad businesses. She shows him a lot of affection like she always does. It paints the relationship in an even more tragic light now that Famous’ fate is confirmed. However, we still don’t know what happened to him or how he ended up where he did. Maybe Detective Garcia had something to do with it, or it could have been something else entirely. The episode ends with Kanan receiving the news about Famous on his phone, which leaves him shocked and saddened. He pulls out one of Famous’ music tapes as he sits down on the sofa and reminisces about his best friend and the pain of his loss, which is sure to affect him moving forward.