Tamal Kundu
The success of Starz’s crime-drama series ‘Power,’ which originally aired between 2014 and 2020, led to the creation of a sprawling franchise. Among the spin-offs that have come out since then, ‘Power Book III: Raising Kanan’ focuses on the younger years of Kanan Stark (Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson as adult and Mekai Curtis as young), one of the most notorious villains (later anti-villain) in the entire ‘Power’ universe. The prequel depicts how a promising, compassionate young man like Kenan turns out the way he does. We also learn how close he and his cousin Laverne “Jukebox” Thomas (Anika Noni Rose as an adult and Hailey Kilgore as young) were when they were young. It’s especially tragic if you know how their story ends, with Kanan gunning down Jukebox.
Jukebox’s Tragic Fate
Jukebox is an important recurring character in the original series. She knows both Kanan and Ghost from her past. Shortly after the introduction of the character, we learn how ruthless and cruel she can be. She especially doesn’t tolerate it when her crew members commit a mistake that ends up causing complications for her. Jukebox secretly controls a group of young criminals who steal and commit robberies for her. Using her police department connections, Jukebox stays above all suspicions.
In the original series, Jukebox is a corrupt law enforcement officer. In season 3, Jukebox stops a drugstore robbery and kills the robber as well as the store clerk before going back home to her girlfriend. During this period, Kanan stays at her home in order to regain his health after a confrontation with Ghost. When Kanan tells her that he has killed his own son, Shawn, Jukebox comforts her cousin, declaring that he has no choice as Shawn chose Ghost over him.
After Kanan gets better, Jukebox allows him to be part of her crew as they prepare to hit a jewelry store. When the police investigate the incident, she tells them that the robbers were white males, sending their investigation on an opposite trajectory.
After she discovers that Kanan has somehow grown close to Tariq, Ghost’s son, she decides to test where her cousin’s loyalties are. After he proves himself, she suggests that Kanan should kill Tariq. Later, the cousins hatch a plan to force Ghost to make a mistake. They knock Tariq out, take a photo of the young man, and try to use it to blackmail Ghost.
In season 4 of ‘Power,’ the cousins learn that Ghost has been arrested. Jukebox comes to see this as an opportunity to squeeze more money out of Ghost. After Ghost is released from prison, Jukebox kidnaps Tariq, intending to kill both him and his father. She also sends Kanan to find Ghost. Kanan and Ghost later steal money from Tommy so Ghost can pay the ransom.
The world of ‘Power’ is not without its ironies. Jukebox dies in Kanan’s hands. As we learn how close they used to be when they were young in ‘Raising Kanan,’ we are constantly reminded of how that relationship ended. Kanan shoots and kills Jukebox after she holds Tariq at gunpoint and forces Kanan to admit that he had ulterior motives for getting close to Tariq.
Read More: Is Raising Kanan Based on a True Story?
