by Charles Kirkland, Jr.
Death lurks around every corner on the latest episode of Mayor of Kingstown, Belleville.
Morning breaks under a pall of unease. Mike fusses with his tie, already bracing himself for the day ahead. Elsewhere, Hobbs prepares in a far more brutal way, methodically examining the wounds she sustained in last night’s attack. A phone call shatters the fragile calm. The worst has happened. Hobbs keeps her voice steady, ordering the caller not to panic and to begin a full search of every corner of the facility. When she hangs up, her composure cracks and she curses aloud.
Mike arrives at Bunny’s hospital room to meet with Frank Moses and his right-hand man, LJ. Frank is furious and promises swift, merciless retaliation against those who dared to attack him. Bunny cuts him off. He doesn’t want them dead, just caught. He’ll handle the rest himself. After Frank leaves, Bunny indulges in theatrical self-reflection, comparing his work to Denzel Washington’s. He further contemplates his “death” and resurrection with mournful reticence. Mike assures him that reckoning is coming.
The moment doesn’t last. The siren blares, signaling an escape. Ian and Stevie bolt from the diner as the owner calmly cocks her gun behind the counter. Mike pauses, staring off into the distance, already understanding the consequences of the sound.
Meanwhile, Callahan arrives at Shaver’s house. Accusing Shaver of disloyalty, Callahan delivers his judgment without hesitation. With the help of his fellow escapee, Pete the firebug, he sets Shaver ablaze, leaving him to die in agony.
Back at the prison, Hobbs continues issuing orders as the search intensifies. Entering her office, she pointedly turns down the nameplate of her deputy, a silent but damning gesture. At the same time, Mike confronts Lamar at his home, armed with proof that Frank Moses has turned him. Lamar breaks, confessing and begging for his life. Mike makes it clear: the only way Lamar can survive the wrath of both Moses and Bunny is by doing exactly as he’s told.
Driving again, Mike calls Hobbs to ask about the siren. She confirms the escape, Callahan and Pete are loose. Mike instructs her to line up every Aryan inmate for questioning. He then calls Rebecca, urgently telling her to get out of the office and get far away. His final call is to Ian: he’s heading to Shaver’s house to track Callahan down.
Mike arrives to find Shaver’s burned and mutilated body lying in the house. Dead. Ian and Stevie soon join him, and after a grim inspection of the corpse, the three decide their next move is the prison.
At the facility, Mike meets with Hobbs and asks about Torres. She lies that Torres called in sick but confesses that it is unusual and troubling absence. Mike offers Hobbs a brief, heartfelt speech of reassurance before turning his attention to the inmates. They isolate the Norseman, the same inmate who once led the effort to save Kyle’s life. Questioned about Callahan, the Norseman locks eyes with Stevie and begs for his cuffs to be removed. Stevie obliges and then brutally beats him with terrifying ease. Bloodied and broken, the Norseman finally delivers his warning: Callahan is coming for Mike, and he plans to make it hurt.
In Moses’ office, Frank and LJ reflect on their predicament and the lives they’ve led. LJ admits that things have grown too complicated—that there has to be an end to all this, some way out. After a few drinks, LJ heads outside to get the car. From the shadows, a masked man steps forward and fires six shots into him. The gunman flees to a nearby car, rips off the mask, and reveals himself: Lamar. Frank finds LJ’s body and collapses in grief.
Mike returns to his own home to find it ransacked, Aryan graffiti sprayed across the walls. As he searches the damage, he calls Ian. Ian tells him they’ve cornered Pete the firebug, at Mike’s house, now fully engulfed in flames. Mike charges inside and finds Pete burning alive. Dragging him out, Mike demands to know where Callahan is. Pete only grins through the pain and tells him the same thing everyone else has: Callahan wants to make him suffer.
Back at the prison, Cindy brings a phone call to Kyle, it’s Tracy. Kyle hears his baby crying in the background, then another voice cuts in: Callahan’s. Kyle swears he will kill him. He urgently tells Cindy to alert the police and send them to Belleville, to his sister’s house because a murder is happening right now. Tracy begs for her son’s life. The scene cuts to the exterior of the house. A gunshot rings out. Callahan emerges moments later, the baby still crying, and drives away.
At the diner, Ian tries to console a visibly shaken Mike, but Mike pulls away, unable to stay. He ignores Cindy’s calls and drives straight to the prison. In the parking lot, Hobbs is waiting. Without a word, they fall into step beside one another and walk toward the facility, both knowing that the worst is far from over.
Closing Thoughts
After presumably executing Tracy, what will Callahan do next? What will Mike do? What will Kyle do?
New episodes of Mayor of Kingstown premiere on Paramount+ every Sunday night.
