Dhruv Trivedi
‘Mayor of Kingstown’ is a gritty crime drama that follows the powerful Mike McLusky, unofficial powerbroker of the titular town, who maintains an uneasy peace between the authorities of Kingstown and the multiple criminal gangs that operate there. Hardened and ruthlessly cynical, Mike doesn’t think much of Iris when the two first meet. In fact, he immediately warns her about how dangerous Kingstown is and tells her to leave. However, Iris has other plans and decides to stay on.
Unfortunately for her, Iris is associated with the ruthless Milo, who then uses her as bait. The young woman has one of the darkest story arcs on the show and finds comfort only when she is with Mike. So what really happens to Iris? And do she and Mike eventually get together? Let’s take a look. SPOILERS AHEAD.
What Happens to Iris?
Iris is initially summoned to Kingstown by Milo, who orders her to get close to Mike. When that doesn’t work, and the McLusky brother remains aloof and unreceptive to Milo’s demands, the incarcerated crime boss decides to use a different approach. He has Iris kidnapped from Mike’s office and also leaves behind the dead body of an FBI agent Mike works with.
Milo’s strategy works, and Mike agrees to do his bidding despite the former giving no guarantees of Iris’ safety. Thus, even as the powerbroker grapples with Milo’s problematic situation, Iris is given to a local gang leader named Duke. Repeatedly assaulted and pumped full of drugs, she is then sold to another gang but fortunately saved when her latest captors are killed in a shootout. She eventually ends up at Bunny’s safe house, and the local drug dealer delivers her to Mike.
Despite Iris being a wily criminal used to blackmailing powerful politicians in New York, she is not prepared for the ruthless crime of Kingstown and pays a hefty price. She is assaulted so often that she is essentially numb by the end, saying that bits of her soul have been torn away by those who wronged her. However, she also wonders whether her soul can grow back, giving her story a much-needed spark of hope.
In fact, in the closing moments of season 1, she reveals that she thought of killing herself but then didn’t because she still has hope for her soul. Though severely traumatized, Iris survives her ordeal and finally finds a safe space in Mike’s cabin in the forest, which is where she is last seen with him.
Do Mike and Iris Finally Get Together?
Ever since they first meet, Iris strongly hints that she is interested in Mike. Though her initial attraction to him is likely not genuine but part of Milo’s plan to seduce the Mike, it is clear that she eventually develops feelings for the McLusky brother. In a town where everyone seems to be a ruthless criminal or corrupt cop, Iris finds him to be the only one she can trust. Eventually, Mike saves her from a gruesome fate and kills Duke in front of her. Iris subsequently reveals how touched she is that Mike killed someone for her.
Though a slight attraction between the two is unmistakable, the connection between Mike and Iris is seemingly not a romantic one. It appears as if they bond over shared traumatic experiences and their conversations invariably dwell on how dark and hopeless their everyday lives are. However, Iris and Mike also draw hope from each other, which becomes clear when the two spend a peaceful day together at the latter’s cabin.
The brief moment of sexual tension that arises immediately dissipates when Iris says that nothing is happening between them, and the two continue silently sitting next to each other. Thus, Mike and Iris do not end up getting romantically involved or sleeping together. Instead, they find mutual support and peace in the other’s company and appear to consider each other as kindred spirits who lead traumatic lives.
Read More: Are Evelyn Foley and Mike McLusky Together in Mayor of Kingstown?
