Abhiroop Das
Created by Taylor Sheridan and Hugh Dillon, the second season of Paramount+’s ‘Mayor of Kingstown’ pulls Mike McLusky back into the life of crime and violence he so desperately wants to break free from. As the de facto leader of the eponymous town, however, he has no choice but to walk the tightrope every day. With new forces at play, he has the added burden of trying to figure out exactly who is friendly and who is not. The previous episode with Mike discovering that the inmate parked right next to his brother is none other than Merle Callahan, the former Aryan Brotherhood leader and arguably the most dangerous man at Anchor Bay. With the source of fear and panic now turned inward, the fifth episode, titled ‘Damned’, explores the consequences in every shape and form. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Mike and Callahan’s Chess Game is Out in the Open
Season 4 episode 5 of ‘Mayor of Kingstown’ begins on a sombre note, as Mike eagerly awaits the prison visitation hours to meet his brother, Kyle, and relay the strange happenings of the last couple of days. Elsewhere, Bunny is experiencing a high point in his criminal career, as his first major shipment of arms is packed up and ready to go. As the Crips’ crew loads up the freight train, however, the Cartel’s hitman spies from a distance, taking notes and concocting yet another plan to take them down. Mike’s conversation with Kyle is as stressful and heartbreaking as ever, especially with both of them now aware that his neighboring inmate is none other than Merle Callahan, who is in many ways Mike’s arch nemesis. This puts the recent break-in at Trace’s home in an entirely new and grimmer light, and both Mike and Kyle realize that she and Mitch need to be out of town as soon as possible.
For Ian, things have only gone from bad to worse since his near-fatal attack on Evelyn, as she has no intentions of slowing down the Morrisey investigations. With a witness on board, her case is nearly rock solid, and the captain of the police force gives Ian an early warning of what is to come. The grand jury trial is in a few days, and Ian will almost certainly be indicted. Although he pretends to be unaffected, Ian realizes that being a cop does him no favors in front of a jury, and he must adjust his approach further to ensure his safety. Back at Anchor Bay, Mike advises his brother to keep the charade with Callahan up, but also add some much-needed distance. Kyle hesitates to reveal that he has already exchanged pain meds with his neighbor, and that their dynamic is too strong to snap out of easily. Back in his cell, Callahan talks about family, and Kyle is unable to resist a conversation, but the slight changes in his tone do not go unnoticed by the seasoned criminal.
Mike Has to Take Drastic Measures to Exert His Will on the Town
Mike, who is nearly at his boiling point, storms into Hobbs‘ chamber once again, nearly starting a fight with Torres along the way. If he was suspicious before, he is quite sure now that she is corrupt and has a larger role in the conspiracies surrounding Kyle. However, Hobbs assures him that she has only recently learned of the Callahan situation, and that aligns with what we saw in the previous episode. Countering Mike’s allegations of foul play, she points him to a mirror, revealing that she is fully familiar with his bloody past in prison. With no compromise in sight, Mike gives up and heads out to fulfill his next goal: bring Trace and the Mitch to safety. However, this means completely uprooting her from her life in Kingstown, and Tracy is barely able to contain her frustrations. She lashes out at Mike, pointing out how all of his actions end up in failure, before realizing that this is an uphill battle against forces far beyond her control.
Trace agrees to head to Ohio with Mitch, where she plans to live with her relatives temporarily. With his biggest concern out of the way, Mike returns his attention to Hobbs, this time with an intent to strike at her weak points. He contacts Ian for help, who then rallies the police force to ambush Hobbs while she is driving. While illegally searching her vehicle for contraband, he chanced upon a specialized gun that is the signature of the Cartel or gangs of similar status. Alarmed by the possibilities, he confiscates the gun in secret, both disarming her and sending a message in the process. While Hobbs’ criminal connections are essentially an open secret at this point, Mike still has nothing concrete to pin her down with, which only means that things will get messier from here. Ian has troubles of his own, and not wanting to involve Mike, he makes a gamble and contacts Sawyer to help him trace down the witness in the Morrisey case.
Ian and Hobbs Fight Fire With Fire in Their Respective Domains
Meanwhile, Mike makes a last-ditch attempt to find a truce with Evelyn, but unsurprisingly, her demands have not changed in the slightest. Knowing that freeing Ian and Kyle means going after Sawyer, Mike is unable to make a move and walks out in frustration. Behind his back, Ian and Sawyer locate the witness and proceed to corner him as a pressure tactic. However, he refuses to back down and instead threatens to film the two officers and tell everything to the police. As Ian tries to calm the situation down, Sawyer loses patience and shoots the man point-blank in the throat. In an instant, the entire atmosphere shifts, and Ian realizes just how ill-advised it was to involve a psychopathic officer in this mix. Still, with no option left, he lands the finishing blow himself, adding yet another death to his name. Elsewhere, Callahan decides to end the charade for good and brings up his past connection with Mike, much to Kyle’s dismay.
Here, Callahan reveals some interesting information about Mike’s time as an inmate, particularly how he had the ability to turn off his emotional switch and draw blood whenever needed. However, it was Callahan who kept him alive from behind the scenes, both inside and outside of the prison. He claims that his interest is in a sincere, peaceful dynamic with Kyle, even if he doesn’t believe that. On the other end of the town, an anguished Hobbs pays Mike a visit in an amusing role-reversal. This time, she agrees to their truce, having received the message on what Mike is capable of. Elsewhere, Ian and Sawyer drag the body out of their car and into the swampfield. Sawyer makes an incision into the dead body to add a GPS tracker, before the duo dumps the body and calls it a day. Mike, weary after yet another challenging day, reaches Cindy‘s home, but is surprised to meet her kids instead, who appear to be more than wary of him.
Later that night, it is Cindy who visits his home and explains that her previous relationship turned into a traumatic experience for her children, causing them to be extra cautious. While the couple gets closer, everything is about to erupt into chaos for Kyle, as two guards scoop him out of the ad seg and place him in an open dormitory ward. Kyle’s entire plan has backfired, and instead of Callahan being pushed out of his brother’s life, the exact opposite has come true. This is likely revenge on Hobbs’s part, as Kyle is now an open target for every inmate who is aware of his cop background. There is more bad news on the way. Bunny calls Mike, telling him to head outside. From his terrace, Mike watches in horror as the train containing Bunny’s shipment is set ablaze, sending a message that can be seen all across town. This is likely the Cartel’s revenge for the flamethrower attack, which means the war between these forces has just escalated several notches further.
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