*Power Book III: Raising Kanan is entering its fifth and final season, and for Patina Miller, Raquel “Raq” Thomas is not simply facing the consequences of the game. She is standing in the wreckage of the family she tried to control, protect, and build at the same time. This interview contains spoilers from episode one.
The hit STARZ crime drama has always framed Raq as a woman who understands danger, but Season 5 tests her in a more personal way. Speaking exclusively with EURweb, Miller said Raq always knew life could end badly, but that did not mean she was ready for the particular kind of betrayal and devastation awaiting her.
“I think she’s always known that it could possibly end this way,” according to Miller. “I think that’s why she’s wanted her brothers in line. She’s wanted the unit to be the unit, because she knows what they do.”
For Raq, family has never been separate from business. Her brothers, Marvin and Lou-Lou, were not just muscle or partners. They were part of the system she believed could protect Kanan. But the final season forces Raq to confront the failure of that system in the cruelest possible way.
“To have it happen, to lose her brother at the hands of her son is something that she never thought in this world would happen,” Miller told us. “It’s devastating to be stuck in the middle, to have to figure out what to do.”
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That is where Raq becomes one of television’s most complicated mothers. Fans may argue about her decisions until the Wi-Fi gives out, but Miller said the foundation of the character was always love, even when that love came out sideways.
“I always wanted Raquel to lead with the love,” she explained. “I wanted that to always be the undercurrent of everything, no matter what happens.”
Still, Season 5 makes a hard truth unavoidable: love is present, but love is not enough. Raq distances herself from Kanan because she believes it is not good for him to be in her space, but the emotional math does not get cleaner just because the strategy changes.
“She doesn’t always show it in the appropriate way, but it is the thing that keeps being hard,” Miller explained. “When love is not enough.”
That heartbreak also pushes Raq toward a new business mindset. After years of negotiating with men who underestimated her, she is done auditioning for power.
“She’s tired of sitting at tables trying to talk people into the idea,” Miller noted. “She’s decided in this way to take up space in her own way, and she doesn’t want a middleman anymore.”
As Power Book III: Raising Kanan moves toward its final chapter, Miller says what will stay with her most is Raq’s resilience.
“She’s a dreamer, but she’s also a fighter,” Miller admitted. “You might hate her; she’s okay with you hating her… She’s a strong, strong girl.”
Power Book III: Raising Kanan Season 5 premieres Friday, June 12 on STARZ. New episodes stream weekly on Fridays on the STARZ app and across STARZ streaming and on-demand platforms. Episodes also air Fridays at 8 PM ET/PT on STARZ.
Jill Munroe is a Los Angeles-bred entertainment journalist, producer, and host. Follow her socials @StilettoJill or visit JillMunroe.com. Catch her live M-Thu on KBLA Talk 1580 from 6PM to 7PM.
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