This bitch think I'm dead... I ain't never been more fuckin' alive.
"GANGSTAS DON'T DIE" is the first episode of Power Book III: Raising Kanan's fourth season. It was directed by Mario Van Peebles, and written by Sascha Penn and Albert Minnis. A revisit of the series' third season, the episode centers on various new narratives and unseen events around the previous season's time span, most notably Unique's recovery from his brush with death and his consequent fractured state of mind. It was released on March 7, 2025.
Plot[]
[To be added.]
Cast[]
Starring[]
- Patina Miller as Raquel "Raq" Thomas
- London Brown as Marvin Thomas
- Malcolm Mays as Louis "Lou-Lou" Thomas
- Joey Bada$$ as Unique
- Hailey Kilgore as Jukebox
- Mekai Curtis as Kanan Stark
Guest starring[]
- Omar Epps as Detective Malcolm Howard (special guest star)
- Grantham Coleman as Ronnie Mathis (special guest star)
- Tony Danza as Stefano Marchetti
- Chris Redd as Early Tyler
- Rosal Colon as Juliana Ayala
- Natalee Linez as Jessica Figueroa
- Paul Fitzgerald as James Bingham
- Glynnis O'Connor as Shirley Beaumont
- Liv Symone as Iesha
- Aliyah Turner as Krystal
- Sharon Washington as Joyce Thomas
- Aaron Roman Weiner as Agent Preston Tanner
- Terence Archie as Attorney Andre Barnes
- Kim Brockington as Dr. Loretta West
- Merissa Czyz as Social Worker
- David Deblinger as Dr. Philip Steele
- Francesco D'Onofrio as Tomasso Perrone
- Freddy Giorlando as Mikey
- Swann Gruen as Guy #2
- Christopher Hancock as Demar
- Madeline Hudelson as Kimberly
- Nayab Hussain as Doctor
- Kelly Miller as Dr. Leon Holt
- Sipiwe Moyo as Alexis
- Neil Vincent Smith as Guy #1
- Briana Swann as Nurse Campbell
- Emmanuel Williams as Russ
- Kevin Dean Williams as Marcus
Reception[]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| TV Fanatic |   [1]
|
| — | — |
| — | — |
| — | — |
Whitney Evans of TV Fanatic described the episode as "an odd but clever way to re-introduce everything", and Unique's journey from his awakening in the woods to his arrival at the abandoned warehouse in the course of three months as the "the most fascinating part of the whole hour". While she welcomed Early Tyler's addition and also noted the episode's "greater insight" into Raq's predicaments in Season 3, the series' "excellent job of showing all sides of her and detailing her complexities", and the "intriguing" dynamics among Raq, Marvin, and Stefano, Evans stated that Unique's recovery and the unseen events were not "wildly entertaining".[1] In his review of the season's first two episodes, The Knockturnal's Julian Cannon opined that Season 4 starts strongly with the blend of "deep character development with high-stakes drama". He also stated that "while the episode does a solid job filling in gaps, some of the material feels stretched", and that the pacing could have been "tighter" with a "more concise approach". He described Unique's "transformation" as "one of the most compelling aspects of the episode".[2]
Trivia[]
- The episode explored the Thomas siblings' history, with their father Elijah being the topic of Kanan's research paper.
- Lou-Lou's remark about his father's suicide, "Death gotta be easy, kid, 'cause life is fucking hard", is a reference to 50 Cent's "Many Men (Wish Death)", which has the line "Death gotta be easy, 'cause life is hard."
- This episode is the first flashback episode in the Power Universe since the last five episodes of the sixth season of Power in 2019.
- The episode reuses footage of Famous from the series' third season, and Antonio Ortiz' name notably does not appear in any of the credits despite his character's appearance.
Gallery[]
Promotional images[]
Videos[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Evans, Whitney (March 7, 2025). Power Book III: Raising Kanan Season 4 Episode 1 Review: Gangstas Don’t Die. TV Fanatic. Retrieved on March 10, 2025.
- ↑ Cannon, Julian (February 27, 2025). Power Book III: Raising Kanan Season 4 Kicks Off with High Stakes and Shocking Twists. The Knockturnal. Retrieved on March 11, 2025.