by Charles Kirkland, Jr.
Violence and confrontation reign in the third episode of Mayor of Kingstown, “People Who Died.”
Marvin Gaye’s “Trouble Man” plays ominously over the unfolding events from the previous episode, including the discovery of Carney’s murder, the calm, almost ritualistic dining of his killer, and Warden Hobbs informing the correctional staff of Carney’s “passing.” The intro begins.
In full maintenance mode, Mike visits Kyle at the prison to deliver the news: Carney has been killed at home. Shaken, Kyle confides that he feels like he’s losing control inside the facility, questioning whether he’s done the right thing. Mike reassures him, reminding him to stay the course and promising to be there to guide him through it.
Meanwhile, Bunny meets with Frank, who unveils the inner workings of his illegal shipping operation running out of Canada. He moves his product hidden among loads of garbage bound for landfills. “Nobody cares about trash,” Frank says with a grin. As they talk, one of Bunny’s drug-selling street crews is ambushed and wiped out by unknown attackers. Bunny thanks Frank for sharing his methods but warns that he needs to know more before trusting the partnership.
Still in maintenance mode, Mike meets Cindy at a remote spot. He tells her to forget everything he said before, apologizing for pulling her in and making it clear he will not be working with her anymore. When she asks about Kyle and whether she should keep helping him, Mike’s reply is cold and clipped, telling her to just do her job.
Mike wraps up his rounds with a visit to Bunny, who is now joined by Frank. Mike shares what he knows about Carney’s death. Bunny insists he had nothing to do with it, claiming he is already dealing with his own crisis. Mike tells him that his missing men were slaughtered by the Colombians. Frank offers to “handle” the situation as a gesture of good faith. Bunny reluctantly agrees and arranges a meeting between Mike and Kevin (Denny Love) to assist with Kyle.
Mike meets the already jittery Kevin and delivers the same pitch he once gave Cindy, outlining what he needs him to do for Kyle. Kevin hesitantly agrees. When Mike presses him, Kevin finally asks, flatly, if this is the kind of job that got Carney killed. Mike does not have the real answer, so he lies, assuring him Carney’s death had nothing to do with it.
Elsewhere, the ragged and disheveled Robert (Hamish Allan-Headley) continues his downward spiral. Evelyn (Necar Zadegan) catches him lurking around Town Hall and accuses him of stalking her. Their confrontation explodes in public. She accuses him of letting Kyle take the fall for him, and Robert threatens her in full view of witnesses. Evelyn storms out, telling Robert to get help. When Mike and Ian hear about the incident, they track Robert down. Robert insists he was there for a meeting and that Evelyn approached him. Mike tells Ian to “take care of him.” Later, Ian finds Robert at a bar, escorts him home, and gets him onto the couch with a glass of water. Foreboding music swells, but instead of violence, Ian simply leaves him there.
That night, two of Frank Moses’ men storm a safe house used by the Colombian hitters. Armed with guns and a blowtorch, they tear through the building, executing everyone in sight. Upstairs, the lead assassin hears the chaos and hustles the remaining crew out the back to safety. When the gunfire fades, the leader strides through the burning wreckage and out the front door just as Frank’s men are making their escape. He shoots them both, igniting the blowtorch tank in a burst of flame, and walks off as their bodies burn in the street.
Closing Thoughts
Is Assistant Warden Torres working for Hobbs or the cartel? Will the trust between Frank and Bunny be tested when Frank’s men are found at the crime scene? With Kyle opening up to Callahan, what troubles await him?
New episodes of Mayor of Kingstown premiere on Paramount+ every Sunday night.
