Sumith Prasad
The sixth episode of Paramount+’s crime drama series ‘Mayor of Kingstown’ begins with a group of men raining bullets on Rhonda’s salon, causing multiple deaths. Even though Rhonda is the one who gets targeted, the men really aim for Bunny Washington’s heart. The group wants the Crips leader to suffer immensely, and they realize that the best way to do it is to unleash wrath on his loved one. Since Rhonda is the drug dealer’s cousin, the men and their master’s aim is fulfilled. The attack on Rhonda is a major turning point in the deadly game Bunny and his enemy have been playing with Mike McLusky as a referee! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Konstantin’s Deadly Retaliation
Rhonda is dead. She gets killed by Konstantin Noskov’s men as an act of revenge against Bunny Washington. After arriving in Kingstown, Konstantin enters the city’s drug scene without respecting his rivals. Rather than selling drugs on his own, he finds a way to poison Bunny and his gang’s products, resulting in the deaths of the latter’s customers. The move badly affects the Crips leader’s operations. He even gets forced to send his associate, Raphael, to the Mexicans for unadulterated drugs through Mike. The move ends badly since the Mexicans eventually try to kill Raphael. Meanwhile, Konstantin makes a deal with Merle Callahan and his Aryan Brotherhood to sell “white powder” in an effort to dethrone Bunny.
When Bunny learns that Konstantin is the one who poisoned his drugs, he gets immersed in anger. He has been co-ruling the streets of Kingstown for years, and the last thing he wants is a foreigner to kick him out of his throne. To scare Konstantin, Bunny sends a group of his men to shoot everyone at Cavo, the nightclub that serves as the headquarters of the Russian Mafia in Kingstown. Rather than getting scared, Konstantin decides to retaliate. Since he cannot climb to the terrace of the Crips leader’s hideout without losing his army, he targets Rhonda, who is adored by her cousin.
By killing Rhonda, Konstantin asserts that Bunny cannot scare him. The murder also makes it clear that the Russians are very much a rival to the Crips, despite the latter’s hesitation to accept it.
Nona Parker Johnson’s Departure From Mayor of Kingstown
As of now, neither Paramount+ nor Nona Parker Johnson has announced the departure of the actress from ‘Mayor of Kingstown.’ However, the official confirmation is just a matter of formality at this point. Rhonda’s death makes it clear that Parker most likely left the crime drama. When it comes to character deaths, the thriller is nothing short of ruthless. The narrative rarely makes use of flashback sequences for late characters and their performers to make a comeback. Not even Kyle Chandler and Dianne Wiest, who play Mike’s brother and mother, respectively, have appeared in the series after the deaths of their characters, Mitch and Mariam.
Rhonda’s death and Parker’s supposed exit can be seen as inevitable, considering the narrative progression of the third season of the show. The installment primarily focuses on the war Bunny fights against the Russians and the Aryans. For any war to be depicted convincingly, there have to be fatalities. These deaths not only stun the viewers but also raise the stakes for the characters. Now, Bunny is not battling the forces who poisoned his drugs but the ones who touched his family. Rhonda’s death increases the stakes in the narrative as far as Bunny’s arc is concerned, justifying the writers’ decision to conclude the storyline of Parker’s character.
In the upcoming episodes, we can expect Bunny to come up with a plan to attack Konstantin. This time, his efforts won’t be scare tactics. The third season may conclude with a showdown between the Crips and the Russians, who also have the Aryans on their side.
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