Sumith Prasad
Raquel “Raq” Thomas and Unique have a complicated relationship in Starz’s crime drama series ‘Power Book III: Raising Kanan.’ Although they start as rivals, they team up together to fight their common enemy Sal Boselli in the second season of the show. When Sal sends his men to kill Raq, Unique saves her life, which paves the way for their togetherness. The duo starts to cherish a steamy companionship in the third installment, indicating the possibility of them ending up together as a couple. Raq and Unique are heavily invested in the crime scene of New York City, which ensures enough conflicts that can threaten their togetherness! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Raq and Unique’s Union
It isn’t a surprise that Raq and Unique get together in the third season premiere, especially after he asks her about having feelings for him in the second installment’s finale. Raq welcomes him to her life after parting ways with Symphony Bosket, who leaves her realizing they have highly varying personalities. Unique becomes a good match for Raq because they both share the same world. Whatever experiences molded Raq also made Unique what he is now. Therefore, she doesn’t need to explain her life or pretend to be someone else in front of her former rival while dating him.
“It’s not always uncommon that your greatest rival is also someone that you sort of admire. You always have some measure of respect for your competition, to a certain extent. […] by the end of the season, they [Raq and Unique] would have somewhat of a meeting of the minds you know, because they are so similar in many respects,” creator Sascha Penn told Variety about the foundation of their relationship. “She doesn’t have a lot of confidants. On a certain level, Unique provides that in ways that some of these other characters can’t,” he added.
In Unique, Raq has someone who can understand her plights and support her. The drug lord showing up at her house to save her from Sal’s men shows how well he knows her actions and the outcomes of the same. But being a part of such a highly dangerous world may negatively affect Unique’s chances of becoming Raq’s man for good.
Walking Out of the Game
In the first episode of the third season, Raq announces that she is “out of the game” for good. She doesn’t want to rebuild her narcotic empire after nearly getting killed for being the queen of the same. Raq doesn’t want to put her and her family members’ lives on the line anymore, which convinces her to walk away from the world Raq and Unique ruled for years. Unique, however, is starting a new chapter of his life as a drug lord. After Sal’s death, he is hoping to be a key player in the narcotic scene of the city by teaming up with Stefano Marchetti. In the third episode of the season, he meets the exotic fish seller’s contact to restart his drug dealings.
There’s a significant question of whether Raq wants to be the partner of a man who is still immersed in the world which she really wants to avoid. She may consider the valid possibility of Unique bringing more trouble to her house, dragging her back to the conflicts she wants to stay away from. With the FBI keeping an eye on her, a return to her roots is the last thing Raq needs at this point in her life. Therefore, she has enough reasons to enjoy intimacy with Unique without committing to him as his girlfriend. Furthermore, Raq may want to prioritize rebuilding her broken relationship with her son Kanan Stark, which won’t leave her much time to develop feelings for Unique.
If Raq really wants to be Unique’s woman, she may have to stand against her instincts to get out of the game. Having said that, if the FBI decides to hunt her down for killing Sal, she may get forced to protect herself in any way possible. Raq may return to the world that protected her for years and she cannot ask for a better partner than Unique if she decides to get back in the game.
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