Dhruv Trivedi
Episode 5 finds Mike McLusky with his hands full as tensions rise between the prison guards and their inmates. A few other cases have also landed into the hands of Kingstown’s powerbroker, to say nothing of his brother’s messy shootout, which might force Mike to call in some favors himself. Let’s take a look back at ‘Mayor of Kingstown’ episode 5 and make sure we’ve picked up all its grimy details. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Mayor of Kingstown Episode 5 Recap
The episode opens with Mike arriving at the scene of the shootout, only to find his brother, Kyle, and his partner, Ian, being questioned by an internal affairs officer. A few discussions later, it is agreed that Mike will be allowed to plant drugs on the victim to help his brother’s alibi and ensure that he is not investigated for unnecessary use of force. Back in his office, the reluctant Mayor of Kingstown is approached by a man from the District Attorney’s office.
The visitor is a man grieving for his murdered daughter and wants Mike to help stop the execution of the murderer, James Parker. When a confused Mike asks why the father wouldn’t want his daughter’s killer to be executed, the latter replies that he wants the perpetrator to remain alive and suffer instead. With this morbid case in hand, the McLusky powerbroker heads to Bunny, who informs him that tensions between the prison guards and inmates are close to reaching a breaking point.
Mayor of Kingstown Episode 5 Ending: Who is James Parker?
Meanwhile, Iris returns to Josef and is put to work as an exotic dancer. The club owner is delighted to have her but is warned by her boss that Iris is not as innocent as she looks and that she will destroy him. When the club owner tries to ask Iris about her whereabouts, she calmly replies that she is protected by Mike McLusky (despite being told the opposite by the powerbroker).
In return for information about James Parker, Mike agrees to escort Bunny’s nephew to a hockey match in a rival part of town. During the game, Bunny’s nephew is repeatedly shoved and taunted by bigoted players and their parents, resulting in an all-out brawl which Mike and the youngster narrowly escape. On the way back, Mike swears to show up at the next match with a bunch of dangerous brawlers by his side, an idea that Bunny’s nephew enthusiastically takes up.
Thus, while Mike seemingly forms a protective bond with Bunny’s nephew, he also gets some much-needed information about a convict named James Parker from the drug dealer. Though we aren’t told what Bunny digs up on Parker, we know that the man is in prison for the murder of multiple young girls. From the victim’s father’s description, it is also clear that Parker is a psychotic killer who mutilates his victim.
What Mike finds strange about the case is that James Parker was supposedly a lawyer and is therefore smart enough to have his execution indefinitely delayed. However, the man seems keen on being executed, which is scheduled to happen in two weeks. Thus, the only way Mike can find out more about James Parker, and try to get his death sentence revoked, is through his contacts inside prison. As iterated earlier, the grieving father who comes to Mike for help wants Parker to remain alive so that the criminal suffers through life instead of merely dying.
Who is Carlos?
Carlos is another character that makes a few appearances in episode 5 and seems to have an old connection with Mike. It is revealed that the Mexican gang leader knows the powerbroker from the time when they were both incarcerated, and Mike apparently “ran the yard” in prison. Like the other gang members, Carlos also wants favors for his gang members in return for helping kill Kenny. However, he gets the same unsatisfactory response from Mike that all the other leaders get — that the prison guards will not allow any more favors.
The fact that Mike bails Carlos out of prison, and the latter then silently listens and agrees to Mike, shows that the two have mutual respect despite not being on the same side. Of course, Carlos also realizes how much power Mike has, as becomes apparent when the gang leader is arrested at the end of the episode. Though Mike is not responsible for the arrest, he does know about it and does nothing to stop it, possibly to remind Carlos of the status quo.
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