'Power' Season 5: Kanan may be the literal devil, but Tasha could take him out (for good)
The moment the first trailer of 'Power' dropped, it was a no-brainer that we weren't going to get any role models or embodiments of actual heroes from the Starz show. Since then, we have learned to love each of the flawed characters despite their terrible life choices and criminal lifestyles.
Of course, those (of us) obsessed with 'Power,' love to glorify or at least in part, identify with the anti-heroes. We take the sparse heroic moments with only the same level of gratification as those that vilify our protagonists. However, it doesn’t hurt that our primary protagonist Ghost (portrayed by Omari Hardwick), at times, assume to be a better man that he actually is, confusing even the viewers into believing it.
The one unapologetic bad guy we loved hating from the beginning is none other than Kanan (portrayed by Curtis "50 Cent" Jackso). There are no redeeming qualities to this guy. I mean what can you say in defense of the man who murdered his own child in cold blood? He is trying to portray himself as the nice guy in the ongoing season 5, but we did not buy it from the start. He may have redeemed himself a teeny tiny bit by saving Tariq (portrayed by Michael Rainey Jr.), but are we really as naïve as Ghost and Tommy (portrayed by Joseph Sikora) to take this “good deed” at face value?
He is the OGG (Original Gansta Gangster) who taught Ghost and Tommy everything they know. When they ran the streets together, Kanan had taken them in and educated them about the drug game. When Ghost helped put him behind the bars, he should have known he has made an enemy for life, and no matter what he plans now, Kanan would be 10 steps ahead of him.
He has been seeking revenge on the duo ever since he got out of prison, and we watched him commit one heinous act after another, while they continue to remain in the dark. He wants to hurt Ghost where it hurts and where it hurts is the narcotics empire he took over and developed since Kanan’s arrest. But, that may not be enough for the devil.
He has enacted kidnappings, deaths and (now) has gone on to turn Ghost’s son against him and yet, Ghost seems to still be in the dark about his former mentor’s plans. Then again, this has been Ghost’s problem from the very beginning, he is too self-absorbed, to actually take notice of the things around him.
He does not give Tommy the respect he deserves despite years of working together, he does not value his beautiful wife Tammy who used to see him as her greatest gift and more importantly tried to force his children to get along with their then-possible-step mama, even when they made it clear that they were not ready for the adjustment. Does it come as too much of surprise that he hasn’t caught wind of Kanan’s masterplan.
Season 5 has been action packed so far, with the first three episodes, especially seeming like actual movies. Episode 4 ‘Second Chances’ allowed the characters and viewers, some breather, and then takes the whirlwind in before plotting a course of action. The episode had begun with the villain in disguise chatting with Ghost and Tommy their problem with the Jimenez.
At this point, Kanan conveniently lets it slip that Tommy should seek help from his father – who was released from prison, recently. This is an example of the very subtle ways Kanan is trying to cause a rift between the two brothers. As fans will remember, Teresi (portrayed by William Sadler) is the same guy who has blackmailed him before, and Ghost is understandably a little paranoid about this. At the moment, though, Tommy has given Ghost his word that he will not let his father interfere with their criminal empire.
After Tommy’s departure Kanan further manipulates Ghost into agreeing to end his friend’s potential relationship with his dad even before it rekindles. Ghost's disillusion that his actions will protect his friend is a far cry from Kanan's obvious ulterior motives. PS: Ghost’s fear about Tommy is not baseless, considering he did go hang out with recently released Teresi almost – a possible snitch - immediately after his conversation with Ghost.
While Tommy is hanging out with his Italian mob friends, Kanan’s hitmen shoot at them with blanks, which obviously rattles them. At this point, Kanan rides up like a goddamn hero and shoots his own men - making the time and tested savior move. After this “rescue” mission, Tommy finds himself indebted to Kanan, and further trusts his former mentor, but, of course, this plays right into the hands of the vengeful Kanan.
The grateful Italians welcome Kanan to hang out with them while they recover, during which he “accidentally” ends up revealing that Tommy hasn't been doing so great at his businesses, which obviously puts him (Tommy) in a difficult situation with the Italians.
Kanan is in for the long haul, and if he is not careful, he might get burnt, and this time around, there may be no coming back. Then again, who has killed the Devil and lived to tell the tale? So far, no one! But, Tasha (portrayed by Naturi Naughton) could be the first.
Remember, the teaser for season 5 from the Starz show was on put on hold? We guess the teaser was actually teasing Tasha’s plan to kill the fallen king. This is actually in tandem with the fan theory that Kanan and Tasha may have had a little something going on back in the day.
Let’s backtrack.
In season 1, Kanan had told Tasha that he fantasized about her while he was locked up and then, Tasha used to get suspiciously uncomfortable anytime Kanan’s name is mentioned; even he isn’t scary enough to get that reaction out of the queen bee. Now, we know that she is very much capable of cheating – in fact, she may be going to her side boo Terry (Brandon Victor Dixon) now that she has left Ghost.
The logical explanation to Tash and Ghost’s storyline is that not only did they get real familiar back in the day, but he may very well be her baby daddy. This would also explain why he killed his own cousin Jukebox (Anika Noni Rose) to save Tarik, who might be his potential love child with Tasha, just as Shawn (portrayed by Sinqua Walls) was Ghost’s love child with Kanan’s girl from long back.
Tasha, desperate to keep this affair and the parentage of her son a secret, would kill Kanan, at least that is our hope. He had it coming, and he should have died a long time ago, but the like the actual Devil it has been a little hard to actually kill him!
To watch Kanan’s evil plans get hatched and see if our theory will achieve fruition on ‘Power’ season 5, tune into Starz App on Sundays.