Power season 4 epsiode 3 spoilers: Tariq’s torment; Kanan’s psychology

Going into Power season 4 episode 3, let’s make one thing very clear: Kanan is the worst mentor that you could possibly have. That is provided, of course, that you want to be both a good person and a devoted son.

Starz has put out a few previews for the upcoming episode, and one of the biggest takeaways that comes from a specific sneak peek (watch over on the Starz YouTube channel) is just how absolutely nothing seems to be deterring Kanan in his quest to torment Tariq beyond every fabric of his soul. He learns from Tariq that Ghost is facing death in prison for the death of Greg Knox, and his response to the kid is simple: Pay it no mind. He may be his father, but he doesn’t want that to deter him from his new path. Kanan wants Tariq to be hardened, to hate his family, and to make him think that Ghost doesn’t care about anyone other than Ghost. He’s got a specific plan — he doesn’t want Tariq to full connect the dots as to his past with Ghost and Tasha, but he wants him to think that he is his savior.

Why do all this? At this point, his motivations are twofold:

1. He wants to hurt Ghost in every way possible, and taking his son away from him is one of the easiest ways to do that without expending too much effort.

2. He also wants to have a way to express more of his own pay, and there is something about doing it in this way that he finds especially appealing. If he makes Tariq in his own image, maybe psychologically he’ll feel more like he isn’t so alone in this world.

If we were to ask Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson one question about playing Kanan, it’d be this: What motivates him? Sure, he may think it’s revenge, but if he gets that, what’s next? Is he so singularly obsessed with stopping Ghost that if that happens, he has nothing left? Maybe he just hasn’t thought that far ahead, and this is all he’s been consumed with ever since he somehow made it through the ashes in one piece.

In the end, though, it’s some of this complex / interesting storytelling that makes Power one of the best shows of its kind on TV.

If you missed it…

There is some further news you can check out in regards to Sunday night’s new episode — all you have to do is head over to the link here. (Photo: Starz.)