Month: September 2022

What did you do this summer? Did you try and chill out amidst all the rollercoaster news cycle? Or did you turn 60 and have the biggest success of your career? If you did the latter, then in some ways you’re a lot like Tom Cruise, who’s capped off one crazy summer the only way he knows how: by risking life and limb for a little teaser for movie theaters.

The footage, which you can watch above, features the Days of Thunder vet perched on a red biplane high up in the sky, cruising above the Blyde River Canyon in South Africa. They were busy filming some no doubt psychotically dangerous stunts for Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One. So why not film an extra death-defying one for a little intro for CinemaCon, the convention for movie theater owners?

The stunt mostly finds Cruise sitting on top of — not in — one of the plane’s seats, in front of his pilot. There’s only one hitch: Cruise struggles to talk. Surely it has something to do with the speed and the altitude. Whatever the case, it gives him a mushy-mouthed voice similar to Eric Cartman’s brace-faced sister, struggling to enunciate as he extols the glories of seeing big movies on big screens in big movie theaters.

Eventually he’s joined by the film’s director, Christopher McQuarrie, in his own plane, at which point the plane takes a big sideways dip, Cruise apparently glued or cemented to the plane’s surface.

In any case, this much is clear: Cruise is not going to let entering a new decade stop him from putting his life at risk just to entertain. He’ll even do it for quickie intro films! Perhaps it will endear him to another famous movie star who’s also been recording short films about the greatness of movie theaters: Nicole Kidman.

(Via IndieWire)

Let’s start with the easy part. Did you like In Bruges? You know, the 2008 movie starring Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson as two dopes working as hitmen who have to hide out in the city of Bruges, directed by Martin McDonagh? Then, yes, you will very much like The Banshees of Inisherin (which just premiered at the Venice Film Festival and will also play at the Toronto International Film Festival), the 2022 movie starring Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson as two dopes living on a small island off the coast of Ireland, directed by Martin McDonagh. I would put myself in the category of “someone who really likes In Bruges,” so, if you feel the same, let me tell you that this reunion of McDonagh, Farrell, and Gleeson not only met my high expectations, it exceeded them. As I type this I saw this movie over a week ago and I can’t stop thinking about it.

The Banshees of Inisherin will be an easier movie to write about once people have seen it. It would be a mistake to call it “subtle” in what it is attempting to do, but also to get into great detail about specific moments in the movie would be a disservice to a future viewer of a movie that they don’t have access to yet. What I will say is, in The Banshees of Inisherin, McDonagh has distilled the last 100 years of Irish history into two dolts who get into a heated feud for literally no reason.

Pádraic (Farrell) and Colm (Gleeson) are drinking buddies who live on a quaint, sleepy island off the coast of mainland Ireland. Set in 1923, the Irish Civil War is in its last throes, a conflict about the terms of Irish independence from Britain that (if my Irish history is correct) formed sides that still remain as heated political parties today. The battles can be seen from the island, but don’t seem to affect life much there one way or another. At least, it certainly doesn’t get in the way of a good pint.

One afternoon Pádraic is headed to the local pup and, as he usually does, stops by Colm’s house on the way, because, presumably, this is Pádraic’s daily routine. But this time Colm doesn’t answer him, even though he’s clearly right there. When Colm finally does show up at the bar, he tells Colm that he has decided he doesn’t want to be friends anymore and that’s that and all communication needs to end. At first Pádraic thinks this is a joke, and Colm’s reasoning in vague – giving explanations that vary from, “Pádraic is dull,” to, “devoting the rest of his life to making music.”

Pádraic’s frequent attempts to diffuse the situation – at first he assumes he said something insulting after a few too many pints – leads to aggression on Colm’s part. Namely, every time Pádraic tries to talk to Colm, Colm will cut off one of his own fingers. What starts as a simple, unprompted shunning eventually escalates into something much more twisted and violent. As much as Colm warns Pádraic to leave him alone, Pádraic simply won’t let it go.

Pádraic lives with his sister, Siobhán (Kerry Condon), who believes Colm is obviously overreacting, but also truly believes both men are idiots and isn’t at all happy that these two nitwits who are feuding for literally no reason is affecting her life in any way. She also has to fend off Dominic (Barry Keoghan), a nice enough lad, but is both too young and too naive. (And is often beaten and abused by his alcoholic father, who also happens to be the town policeman.)

Like In Bruges, The Banshees of Inisherin is a dark movie that is often downright hilarious. And The Banshees of Inisherin somehow manages to be darker than In Bruges, a movie in which (spoiler for In Bruges) both main characters (probably) die. And as I alluded to earlier, this isn’t simply a movie about two morons. McDonagh shows us what happens when one person, group, government, entity shuts down all communication with another. It leads to confusion and angst, then eventually aggression and retaliation. It’s quite remarkable that a movie that plays so clearly as a giant metaphor also works so well as its own story. And that has a lot to do with Farrell and Gleeson settling back into their comedy routine they perfected 14 years ago in In Bruges. (Though, this time around there are a lot less Time Bandits references.)

You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter.

It remains to be seen where Elton John and Britney Spears’ new single “Hold Me Closer” will debut on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. On other ranks, though, the song is seeing some early success, which Spears celebrated with an Instagram post this weekend.

On Friday (September 2), Spears wrote, “Thank you to my fans for making my song number one for a week now !!!”

It appears Spears may be referring to the daily Worldwide iTunes Song Chart (which tracks Apple iTunes music store downloads). “Hold Me Closer” first reached No. 1 on August 26, remaining at No. 1 until August 31. It took a couple days away from the top spot before returning to No. 1 on September 3. As of the latest chart (September 4), “Hold Me Closer” remains on top and has been for eight total days.

Meanwhile, “Hold Me Closer” debuted at No. 1 in Australia, No. 2 in Ireland, No. 3 in the UK, and No. 4 in New Zealand. The tune has also been No. 1 for two weeks now on the UK’s The Official Big Top 40 radio chart show. As for the US, the top 10 spots of the Hot 100 chart are usually revealed on Mondays, but this week’s chart unveiling may be delayed to tomorrow (September 6) due to the Labor Day holiday today.

Shortly after winning back the AEW heavyweight championship in the main event of All Out in Chicago, CM Punk hit the post-show press conference and immediately launched into a tirade against the EVPs of the show amid allegations he was responsible for sending former friend Colt Cabana to Ring of Honor.

Punk’s falling out with Cabana stemmed from his infamous podcast appearance post-WWE that resulted in lawsuits against WWE doctor Dr. Chris Amann, and later lawsuits brought against each other. After it was reported that Punk had some involvement in Cabana, who was part of the AEW roster a year ago, being sent to ROH, Tony Khan came out in defense of Punk just days ago.

On Sunday night, Punk’s tirade included mentions of him not being a friend of Cabana’s in nearly a decade, how he paid all Cabana’s bills and has all the receipts to prove it, and how upset he was to be having to deny reports he alleges were put out by the promotion’s EVPs, which includes Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks.

“Now, it’s 2022. I haven’t been friends with him since at least 2014, late 2013. And the fact that I have to sit up here, because we have irresponsible people who call themselves EVPs, and couldn’t f***ing manage a Target, and they spread lies and bulls*** and put into a media that I got somebody fired when I have f*** all to do with him, want nothing to do with him, do not care where he works, where he doesn’t work, where he eats, where he sleeps. And the fact that I have to get up here and do this in 2022 is f***ing embarrassing. And if y’all are at fault, f*** you. If you’re not, I apologize,” Punk said (H/T Wrestling Inc for transcription).

He then turned his attention to “Hangman” Adam Page, who he called an “empty-headed f***ing dumb f***” who went “out on national television and f***ing go into business for himself,” referring to Page’s promo comments leading up to their original title match at AEW Double or Nothing.

The fireworks didn’t stop there, as reports detail how the reaction backstage to his comments allegedly resulted in a “melee,” per the Wrestling Observer. The people involved in any backstage confrontation have not been identified, but the Young Bucks were said to be there, according to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer.

Despite all of the backstage drama, Khan said the EVPs are still significant contributors to his organization, but admitted what is going on is a “dicey situation,” per Jon Alba.

Pat Stay, a Canadian battle rapper (often hailed as one of the best) from Nova Scotia, died at 36 years old this weekend. TMZ reports he was the victim of a stabbing in downtown Halifax early Sunday (September 4) morning, and later died in a hospital from his injuries.

Stay was widely respected in the hip-hop community, so some of the biggest figures in it have taken a moment to pay tribute to the late rapper.

After hearing the news, Eminem took to Twitter to write, “hiphop lost one of the best battlers of all time … RIP @patstay .. KINGS NEVER DIE!!”

Drake also praised Stay on his Instagram Story, writing, “RIP to the Sucka Free Boss @patstay902 one of my fav rappers ever.”

The Alchemist also shared his thoughts, writing, ‘“I can moonwalk with steel toe boots on’ Rest in peace Pat Stay. Battle Rap icon and king. If u know me u know i always thought he was the best. I’m hurt.”

Immortal Technique also tweeted, “Rest in Power Pat Stay. I may not have known him as well as many other of my friends who are broken and in a lot of pain. But I met him in passing and he was a cool down to earth dude.”

Check out reactions above and below.

There was a highly anticipated event this past weekend: the London Taylor Hawkins tribute concert. It was a massive, six-hour, 50-song show, which all started with Dave Grohl giving a touching speech about his late Foo Fighters bandmate.

Grohl said (as Loudwire reports):

“Ladies and gentlemen, tonight, we’ve gathered here to celebrate the life, the music, and the love of our dear friend, our bandmate, our brother: Taylor Hawkins. For those of you who knew hm personally, you know that no one else could make you smile or laugh or dance or sing like he could. And for those of you that admired him from afar, I’m sure you’ve all felt the same thing. So tonight, we’ve gathered with family and his closest friends, his musical heroes, and greatest inspirations to bring you a gigantic f*cking night for a gigantic f*cking person. So sing and dance and laugh and cry and f*cking scream and make some f*cking noise so he can hear us right now. ‘Cause you know what? It’s going to be a long f*cking night, right? Are you ready? Are you ready? Are you f*cking ready?”

Later in the show, Grohl broke down in the middle of singing “Times Like These.”

Check out a clip of the speech below.

Spoilers for House of the Dragon will be found below.

Whew. House of the Dragon‘s third episode did not mess around when it came to unfurling war in Westeros. Prince Daemon and Ceraxes (who is now a beloved dragon so far amongst fans) sure looked badass while swooping into battle against the Crabfeeder, even though underneath it all, Daemon and Corlys’ alliance actually isn’t faring so well against the enemy. The former remains an audience favorite although he could have lost his life this week, given his impulsiveness, but more to our point right now, it’s time to discuss what happened in King’s Landing and Kingswood.

Rhaenyra spent this episode raining metaphorical “dracarys” while expressing her (understandable) frustration at not being listened to by her father, and King Viserys I spent this episode getting drunk and trying to marry her off. She’s not having it, and a key moment in this show indicated that Rhaenyra really could be the true heir, even if her dad seems to be leaning toward handing it off to his 2-year-old son, Aegon. And a royal hunt that meant to honor Aegon actually ended up going Rhaenyra’s way.

This rare stag, the White Hart, toyed with the mind of Viserys after reports that the beast was nearby in the woods, which should signify good things for Aegon’s future as heir. Or maybe not? (The line of succession ain’t so clear, even though Viserys expressed that he remains committed to keeping Rhaenyra on her path for the Iron Throne.) It’s complicated, obviously, and later, a different (less legendary) stag is captured and (very ungracefully) killed by Viserys. Elsewhere in the woods, the actual White Hart approaches Rhaenyra, as though nature had declared that she is the chosen Targaryen monarch. She peacefully observes the stag, a non-move that’s quite unlike her violent display upon the boar that Ser Criston already ensured was dead.

It’s easy to see why Rhaenyra’s not thrilled with her position despite outwardly being named heir. Also in this episode, plenty of powerful dudes tried to figure out who Rhaenyra should marry, as if she has no choice in the matter. Otto Hightower even suggested that she marry her 2-year-old half brother, which sure reinforces this prequel’s committment to being icky. Oh yes, the Targaryens are gonna Targaryen.

HBO’s House of the Dragon airs on Sundays at 9:00pm EST.

The first of two planned Taylor Hawkins tribute concerts went down this weekend — on Saturday, September 3 at London’s Wembley Stadium — and it was a massive event. So many Foo Fighters associates and friends/admirers of Hawkins took the stage, combining to put on a tremendous 50-song performance that spanned six hours.

Liam Gallagher joined Foo Fighters to open the show, and from there, performing in various capacities were Nile Rodgers, Queens Of The Stone Age’s Josh Homme (including a Them Crooked Vultures reunion), AC/DC’s Brian Johnson, Metallica’s Lars Ulrich, Paul McCartney, Hawkins’ 16-year-old son Shane Hawkins, and many others. Dave Grohl closed the concert with a solo rendition of “Everlong,” the last song Hawkins ever performed live.

The second Hawkins tribute concert is set for September 27 at Kia Forum in Los Angeles.

Find the full setlist below (or here via Setlist.fm).

1. Liam Gallagher and Foo Fighters — “Rock ‘n’ Roll Star” (Oasis cover)
2. Liam Gallagher and Foo Fighters — “Live Forever” (Oasis cover)
3. Nile Rodgers, Chris Chaney Omar Hakim, and Josh Homme — “Let’s Dance” (David Bowie cover)
4. Nile Rodgers, Chris Chaney, Omar Hakim, and Gaz Coombes — “Modern Love” (David Bowie cover)
5. Chevy Metal — “Psycho Killer” (Talking Heads cover)
6. Chevy Metal and Kesha — “Children Of The Revolution” (T. Rex cover)
7. Justin Hawkins, John Lousteau, and The Coattail Riders — “Louise” (Taylor Hawkins & The Coattail Riders cover)
8. Justin Hawkins, John Lousteau, and The Coattail Riders — “Range Rover B*tch” (Taylor Hawkins song)
9. Justin Hawkins, John Lousteau, and The Coattail Riders — “It’s Over” (Taylor Hawkins & The Coattail Riders cover)
10. Wolfgang Van Halen, Dave Grohl, Justin Hawkins, and Josh Freese — “On Fire” (Van Halen cover)
11. Wolfgang Van Halen, Dave Grohl, Justin Hawkins, and Josh Freese — “Hot for Teacher” (Van Halen cover)
12. Violet Grohl, Dave Grohl, Alain Johannes, Chris Chaney, Greg Kurstin, and Jason Falkner — “Last Goodbye” (Jeff Buckley cover)
13. Violet Grohl, Dave Grohl, Alain Johannes, Chris Chaney, Greg Kurstin, and Jason Falkner — “Grace” (Jeff Buckley cover)
14. Supergrass — “Richard III”
15. Supergrass — “Alright”
16. Supergrass — “Caught By The Fuzz”
17. Them Crooked Vultures — “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” (Elton John cover)
18. Them Crooked Vultures — “Gunman”
19. Them Crooked Vultures — “Long Slow Goodbye” (Queens Of The Stone Age cover)
20. Pretenders and Dave Grohl — “Precious”
21. Pretenders and Dave Grohl — “Tattooed Love Boys”
22. Pretenders and Dave Grohl — “Brass In Pocket”
23. James Gang — “Walk Away”
24. James Gang — “The Bomber: Closet Queen / Bolero / Cast Your Fate To The Wind”
25. James Gang and Dave Grohl — “Funk #49″
26. Violet Grohl, Mark Ronson, Chris Chaney, and Jason Falkner — “Valerie” (The Zutons cover)
27. Brian Johnson, Lars Ulrich, Foo Fighters, and Justin Hawkins — “Back In Black” (AC/DC cover)
28. Brian Johnson, Lars Ulrich, and Foo Fighters — “Let There Be Rock” (AC/DC cover)
29. Stewart Copeland and Foo Fighters — “Next To You” (The Police cover)
30. Stewart Copeland, Foo Fighters, and Gaz Coombes — “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” (The Police cover)
31. Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Dave Grohl — “2112 Part I: Overture” (Rush cover)
32. Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Dave Grohl — “Working Man” (Rush cover)
33. Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Omar Hakim — “YYZ” (Rush cover)
34. Brian May, Roger Taylor, Rufus Taylor, Foo Fighters, and Luke Spiller — “We Will Rock You” (Queen cover)
35. Brian May, Roger Taylor, Rufus Taylor, and Foo Fighters — “I’m In Love With My Car” (Queen cover)
36. Brian May, Roger Taylor, Rufus Taylor, Foo Fighters, and Justin Hawkins — “Under Pressure” (Queen cover)
37. Brian May, Roger Taylor, Rufus Taylor, Foo Fighters, and Sam Ryder — “Somebody To Love” (Queen cover)
38. Brian May — “Love Of My Life” (Queen cover)
39. Foo Fighters and Josh Freese — “Times Like These”
40. Foo Fighters and Josh Freese — “All My Life”
41. Foo Fighters and Travis Barker — “The Pretender”
42. Foo Fighters and Travis Barker — “Monkey Wrench”
43. Foo Fighters and Nandi Bushell — “Learn To Fly”
44. Foo Fighters and Rufus Taylor — “These Days”
45. Foo Fighters and Rufus Taylor — “Best Of You”
46. Paul McCartney, Chrissie Hynde, Dave Grohl, Omar Hakim, and Pat Smear — “Oh! Darling” (The Beatles cover)
47. Paul McCartney, Chrissie Hynde, Dave Grohl, Omar Hakim, and Pat Smear — “Helter Skelter” (The Beatles cover)
48. Foo Fighters and Omar Hakim — “Aurora”
49. Foo Fighters and Oliver Shane Hawkins — “My Hero”
50. Dave Grohl — “Everlong”

Multiple times per week, our TV and film experts will list the most important ten streaming selections for you to pop into your queues. We’re not strictly operating upon reviews or accrued streaming clicks (although yes, we’ve scoured the streaming site charts) but, instead, upon those selections that are really worth noticing amid the churning sea of content. There’s a lot out there, after all, and your time is valuable.

TIE: 10. Selena + Chef (HBO Max series)

The former Disney star is holding her own, not only after a successful music career and bouncing off comedy legends in Only Murders In The Building. For HBO Max, Selena took advantage of pandemic downtime to pump out multiple seasons of this show where she’s not the chef in each episode, but she’s learning a lot from them. The kitchen disasters are a good time, of course, but more than that, Selena and her friends show us the importance of surrounding yourself with those who truly care. Now, this show’s in the thick of Season 4 with other HBO Max projects falling by the wayside. Selena World Dominance is upon us.

TIE: 10. The Patient (FX series streaming on Hulu)

Not only does this show arrive courtesy of The Americans producers, but it’s also got Domhnall Gleason in a very different type of role (a serial killer named Sam) than we generally see him playing. His character terrorizes his therapist, Alan (portrayed by Steve Carell), who ends up being taken prisoner and then suffering from his own repressed memories. The mind can be a terrible place, as he finds, and because these producers are highly talented with topsy-turvy ways, don’t expect a straight-and-narrow route to a resolution.

9. Welcome To Wrexham (FX series on Hulu)

If you’re missing Ted Lasso, this show’s the next best (optimistic) thing. This show charts the inevitable chaos that ensues when two prominent (and lovable and funny) actors, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, decided to randomly buy a soccer team during the pandemic. From there, the Wrexham A.F.C. football club will never be the same, and the two new owners decided to make their journey into a TV show because why not? There’s a little Two Guys, A Girl And A Pizza Place shoutout in there, too.

8. She-Hulk (Disney+ series)

If you missed this week’s episode, then you missed some literal twerking between Tatiana Maslany’s lead character and Megan Thee Stallion. That’s nothing that anyone would ever expect to see from Disney, but since there’s no more of Steve Rogers and all of those butt jokes prolifering throughout the MCU, one might as well up the tush quotient in a spectacular way. It may not always be easy being green, as Kermit the Frog has warned us, but Jennifer Walters is definitely the lawyer that the MCU needs and deserves.

7. Elvis (Warner Bros. film on Amazon and other PVOD outlets)

For possibly the first time ever, Tom Hanks is not the best part of the project with which he’s involved onscreen. Rather, this is a collaboration between director Baz Luhrmann and Austin Butler as the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. There’s awards buzz around this movie, and it’s very discernibly done in the Luhrmann style. Still, the Oscars love a good transformation, and Butler goes though the paces of Elvis Presley’s short career and life and all of the less glamorous aspects of the King’s final days.

6. Mo (Netflix series)

A third season of Hulu’s Ramy will soon be upon us, but before that happens, Ramy Youssef has co-created this series with funnyman Mo Amer, who stars and writes here as well. The show tackles a lot of the same sort of cultural themes as Ramy but while down in Texas, where Mo’s lead character is tackling life in America with his Palestinian family, who is bouncing between three languages and several cultural clashes.

5. Day Shift (Netflix documentary)

If you’ve seen one Netflix action flick, you haven’t seen them all, and this movie proves as much. Jamie Foxx stars as a vampire Hunter named Budd, who’s in trouble with his vamp-hunter union, which is a remarkably funny concept to consider. This is an action comedy also starring Snoop Dogg, Dave Franco, and Meagan Good, and it’s also J.J. Perry’s directorial debut, which will make you look forward to whatever he’s doing next.

4. The Sandman (Netflix series)

This dark fantasy masterpiece still hasn’t been renewed for a second season despite sitting on top of streaming charts for weeks. Neil Gaiman announced the release of a bonus episode featuring one of the series’ most hard-hitting arcs (including the “Calliope” story), and the entire season is stunning. Tom Sturridge does Morpheus justice, Boyd Holbrook captivates as The Corinthian, Gwendoline Christie’s a regal Lucifer, and Patton Oswalt’s perfect as the voice of Matthew the Raven. Oh, and Kirby Howell-Baptiste pulls off miracles as Death. You’ll love her and the show.

3. Harley Quinn (HBO Max series)

Our own Brian Grubb has been raving about this season, which maintains the entire series’ freewheeling spirit but with plenty of Harlivy, given that Harley and Ivy are now a full-on couple, and they’re really into plant life. This DC show barely even resembles the gritty Gotham that we generally see from Warner Bros., so here’s to hoping that we’ll see literally dozens more seasons. Hey, it’s an animated series, so that’s totally possible.

2. Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power (Amazon Prime series)

No matter what one thinks about Jeff Bezos, he’s finally pulled off a long-standing dream bringing a Game of Thrones-scale show to Amazon. This is one enormously expensive production, and all indications are that this was money well spent while bringing J.R.R. Tolkien’s fabled Second Age to the screen. A young Galadriel and exquisite visuals will bounce between majestic forests and Misty Mountains. If you’re into epic fantasy shows that qualify as event TV, then you’re no doubt swimming in joy between this and the number one selection of the week.

1. House of the Dragon (HBO series on HBO Max)

This Game of Thrones prequel is in it for the semi-long run, at least. Already, a second season is in the card, and the show’s already lining up Contenders vs. Defenders for the Iron Throne. A time jump will be in the cards soon, but before that happens, refresh yourself with a heaping helping of icky happenings that somehow eclipse the House of Targaryen’s tendency to find romance within their own ranks. Paddy Considine and Matt Smith shall continue as semi-warring brothers, and Millie Alcock is currently crushing it as Rhaenyra, but she’ll soon be portrayed by Emma D’Arcy while this show pushes forth to fill us in on what happened around 170 years before the O.G. timeline.

(SPOILERS for this week’s Power Book III: Raising Kanan will be found below.)

Raq is pressing onward with her plans of expanding the drug business outside of Queens. In Power Book III: Raising Kanan, she’s made her desire to do so clear over the last few episodes, and despite objections from the likes of Marvin and Lou-Lou, Raq has pushed full steam ahead. While she deals with that, Kanan is left to wrap his mind around how Detective Howard could possibly be his father. Raq calls Howard’s claim nothing more than crazy talk, but deep down, Kanan sees it to be more than that, and following episode four Pay The Tolls, that couldn’t be more true.

Kanan’s doubts about Raq and her honesty towards him continue to grow and it leaves him to investigate the truth himself. However, his attempts only bring him back to the doorstep of Detective Howard. Speaking of doorsteps, Jukebox lands on that of her mother Kenya (played by Letoya Luckett) who she has not seen since she was an infant. As she sits with her mother to learn about her and why she left, Jukebox is still giving Marvin the cold shoulder after he attacked her in season one. Elsewhere in episode four, Kanan finds new love, Lou-Lou looks to grow his label, Raq deals with new issues in her expansion efforts, and Famous finally finds a place to live.

Here are some of the biggest questions we had after the third episode of season two:

Cartier Or Symphony?

A new flame or a familiar love. That’s what Raq is left to seemingly choose between by the end of Pay The Tolls. The episode begins with Cartier, a businessman who is tied to a singer that he and Lou-Lou have entered a one-song deal with. The episode comes to an end after Raq looks at a new house with Symphony, whom she’s been romantically tied to one-and-off since season one. Raq seems to enjoy different aspects of both Cartier and Symphony equally. Cartier’s business mind and knowledge of the drug game and Symphony’s “purity” and feeling of escapism that he gives Raq are both beneficial for her in different ways. The thing is, dealing with two men in addition to running a drug operation that is a bit shaky at the moment probably isn’t the best for Raq. She’ll have to pick a side or stay out of the love game at least.

Who’s Side Is Worrell On? Raq Or Unique’s?

This moment in Pay The Tolls was extremely brief, but very key to things going forward. Shortly after Unique stops by Juliana’s cornerstone to scare her a bit with his presence, he’s seen walking to Worrell’s in a surprising twist for the show. Remember, Worrell chose to work with Raq when Unique was wrongfully behind bars for Detective Howard’s shooting. Worrell even told Unique to leave Queens as there was no room for him in the drug game. Worrell was also present when Raq, Marvin, and Lou-Lou had the standoff with Unique for Juliana. With it’s seemingly clear that Worrell is on Raq’s side, the moment between him and Unique puts all of that into question, which leaves the business more vulnerable than ever to be attacked.

When Will Marvin Actually Say ‘Sorry’?

Marvin is still getting the silent treatment from Jukebox after he attacked her at the end of season one. Truthfully, the silent treatment comes at a rarity for Marvin because he barely sees Jukebox. He’s done everything he can to win her back, like softening his tone towards her and remodeling her room to hopefully make her happier. However, all of that has come without a true apology to Jukebox for his actions. Hopefully, Marvin’s anger management class will help him realize this, but an apology is absolutely needed for his relationship with Jukebox to be repaired.

Kanan Knows That Will Catch Up To Him Right?

Stealing a large amount of money from anywhere is risky business, but stealing it from Raq, Marvin, and Lou-Lou’s stash? Kanan’s got to know that will come back to get him one way or another. Sure, he’s still upset with Raq because he feels like she’s hiding something from him in regards to who his real father is, but taking out his frustration this way won’t end well for him. With Marvin taking out his anger on Worrell for the missing cash, the damage from Kanan stealing the money could be a lot more than he imagined. Raq tends to be light on Kanan when he messes up, but with a lot at stake with expansion plans in motion, Kanan’s punishment may be heavier.

Is Raq Fit For Battle With The Italians?

Raq’s expansion plans have hit a big obstacle already. Her hope was to expand the business into New Jersey, but an Italian gang there is making that extremely as they’ve intercepted not one but two of her shipments into the state. The Italians offer her a price to safely move product in New Jersey, but Raq pays it no mind as she’s determined to do things her way. The thing is, the Italians don’t seem like they’re up for any games as they may go to great lengths to keep Raq out of their territory. Raq is set on expanding and she’s set on expanding into New Jersey as she won’t let anyone tell her where she can and cannot sell product. A claim like that is one Raq will have to fight for and hopefully, she and her team are up for the task.

Is There Bad Blood Between Raq And Kenya?

After a couple of episodes of contemplating the move, Jukebox finally makes her way to her mother Kenya’s doorstop. Jukebox hasn’t seen Kenya since she was a young baby, and in reconnecting with her, Jukebox seems to be getting some of the answers she’s waited a lifetime to receive. Additionally, she seems excited to get to know her mother after all of these years. However, when she shares this news with Raq, she reminds Jukebox that family is a title that is earned and that if Kenya really cared about Juke, she would’ve come back for her a long time ago. While there’s certainly some validity to Raq’s statement, there was also a lack of empathy to an extent that you have to wonder what exactly went wrong when Kenya ran away. Could it have to do with Marvin going to jail? Maybe she and Raq didn’t see eye to eye about the drug game. A theory could be that there is much more to the story between Raq and Kenya, but maybe there isn’t. We’ll just have to wait for the next episodes to learn how it plays out.

New episodes of STARZ’s ‘Power Book III: Raising Kanan’ are available to watch on Sundays at 12:00am EST.