Why Did Marvin Kill Sam? Did Tyson Hall Leave Power Book III Raising Kanan?

The second season of Starz’s crime drama series ‘Power Book III: Raising Kanan’ ends with Raquel “Raq” Thomas making sure that her son Kanan Stark will not be arrested for shooting Malcolm Howard. She asks her brother Marvin Thomas to take care of the predicament by killing the only witness to the incident, Sam. Despite getting “ordered” to put an end to Sam’s life, Marvin shows him mercy and asks the homeless man to escape from the unforgiving world of crime they are part of. Still, in the season 2 finale, the same Marvin kills Sam brutally! SPOILERS AHEAD.

The Inevitable Murder

At the end of the first season of the crime drama, Kanan shoots down Detective Malcolm Howard as per the instructions of Raq, his mother. Raq employs her people to ensure Kanan’s safety after the job is done to make sure that her son won’t get involved in the case. Meanwhile, Detective Shannon Burke digs deep into the murder attempt, only to discover that a man named Sam witnessed the crime. When Sam gets questioned initially, he fails to reveal the truth about the incident since he was intoxicated by drugs at the time. He eventually regains his memory and sets out to reveal what really happened to Howard.

When Raq learns about Sam and how he can hurt Kanan’s life, she asks his brother Marvin to kill him. Marvin, who has been murdering people time and time again for his sister like a trusted general, disobeys her for once. He gives some money to Sam and asks him to disappear from New York City to save his life. Marvin believes that the homeless man will flee from the place fearing death, only for the latter to get off the bus not far away. He shows up in Raq’s “jurisdiction” again, leaving Marvin without any other choice other than following his sister’s order.

In the second season finale, Marvin realizes that he cannot do anything to save Sam. He knows that he tried his best to safeguard Sam’s life but he cannot betray Raq’s trust twice for an unreliable man like the drug addict. Marvin may also want to avoid his nephew Kanan getting into trouble because of Sam, which convinces him to kill the latter.

Tyson Hall’s Exit From Raising Kanan

Tyson Hall, who plays Sam, left ‘Power Book III: Raising Kanan’ after his character gets killed off in the second season finale. However, he wished success to the cast and crew of the third season. “Although Sam didn’t make it, season 3 is a problem. Continue success to all [the] cast and crew,” the actor shared through an Instagram post. Hall’s exit from the crime drama is not surprising since Sam’s death concludes the arc of the character, leaving no scope for the actor to continue featuring in the series in a regular or recurring capacity.

Sam’s death can be seen as an unavoidable development in the second season. The show depicts the horror of drug addiction through Sam’s downfall and eventual death. His choice to get off the bus and return to Raq’s streets shows how the consumption of drugs can influence one to make fatal mistakes. Marvin getting forced to kill Sam, despite him wanting to see the former accountant escape, depicts how he cannot stand against the wishes of his sister. Therefore, the writers of the series can’t be blamed for concluding Sam’s arc, which paved the way for Hall’s departure from the show, irrespective of the fan following of the character.

Despite Hall’s departure from the series, we may see him appear again in the crime drama in a guest capacity in the future. In the second episode of the third season, Detective Adina Foyle gets suspicious about Shannon Burke’s death. If she sets out to investigate the same, the officer may discover the truth about Howard’s near-death experience and Sam’s involvement in the case. If that’s the case, Hall likely will feature in flashback scenes in one of the future episodes.

Read More: Are Kenya, Worrell, and Zisa Dead at the End of Raising Kanan Season 2?