Abhiroop Das
Created by Taylor Sheridan and Hugh Dillon, Paramount+’s ‘Mayor of Kingstown‘ tells the story of Mike McLusky, the unofficial power broker of the eponymous prison town that is almost always on the verge of collapse. However, maintaining this fragile system of checks and balances comes with a cost, whether physical, psychological, or relational. The previous episode ends with tragedy, as Callahan, after his miraculous exit from Anchor Bay, makes his way to the secluded town of Belleville. There, he mercilessly kills Kyle’s wife, Trace, while promising to wreak havoc on the rest of the McLusky family. With time running out, Mike has to thread the needle in a way that gets his business rival, Moses, behind bars and also frees his brother from prison. Both these plot threads intersect in this episode, titled ‘Teeth and Tissue.’ SPOILERS AHEAD.
Mike Adds Finishing Touches to His Plan to Take Down Moses
‘Mayor of Kingstown’ season 4 episode 9 opens with the grim confirmation that Robert Sawyer died by suffocation in his garage. While his death is made to look like a suicide, Ian is the one responsible, and he still has lingering feelings of guilt about it. Mike is right there on the scene and assures him that Sawyer’s death was a part of a larger, inevitable chain of events. They are joined by Evelyn, who is shaken by his death, but also distraught that he never got convicted for his real crimes. However, this in turn opens the door to a direct deal between her and Mike, with Frank Moses emerging as a new bargaining chip. To that end, he promises to deliver the Detroit gangster to her on a silver platter, and in return, she begins preparations for Kyle’s release from Anchor Bay within the next 24 hours.
From there, Mike makes his way to Moses’ headquarters, where he is still reeling over his right-hand man and closest friend, LJ. What he doesn’t know, however, is that Mike is the one who orchestrated the entire murder, and in the present, he continues to deepen his trap. A furious Moses promises to flatten the entire town in search of his culprit, but Mike offers to do the job for him, in return for a continued business partnership. In reality, he dials Lamar, tricking him into thinking that the worst is over. While Lamar is suspicious of Mike’s generosity, his hands are also thoroughly tied. Having killed LJ, he is bound to face Moses’ wrath, on top of Bunny already knowing about his crimes of betrayal. Thus, for now, he chooses to play it cool, unintentionally adding to Mike’s grand plan.
Breen Inches His Way Towards Complete Psychological Collapse
At Anchor Bay, Hobbs confirms that there has been no sighting of Callahan in Kingstown and that the other escapee has died. However, the momentary release in tension also comes with its own whiplashes, as she adds that Torres has resigned. In reality, this all but confirms that he was held responsible for the shipment error and was killed by the cartel in cold blood. With the prison meeting over, Hobbs calls out Officer Breen for his violent behavior in the previous episode. Here, the warden seemingly also hints at Breen being a sex offender who managed to walk free before putting him on restricted duty. This only adds to his slowly bubbling rage and toxicity, and an outburst seems inevitable.
On the other end of the prison, Cindy tries to initiate contact with Kyle once again, but he appears to be nearly catatonic. While the shock and trauma of his wife’s death are still hitting him hard, his release is almost a done deal, as we see Mike and Evelyn get the papers ready. Just as before, Kyle rejects a conversation with Mike, forcing the latter to make arrangements and walk into Ad Seg himself. Although the tension is heavy between the two brothers, Mike is able to reel Kyle back in by promising revenge against Callahan. Kyle is also the sole parent of Mitch now, and that is enough to bring him back into action and ultimately sign the papers. This also marks a moment of solidarity between Mike and Hobbs, and the duo promises to work together in the future.
Frank Moses Digs His Own Grave in a Thirst for Revenge
Elsewhere, Mike adds a final twist to his elaborate web, directly approaching Moses and revealing that Lamar was the murderer. While Moses initially feigns shock at this development, Mike brings the facade down, acknowledging the Detroit gangster’s hidden ploys as nothing more than a business strategy. In doing so, Mike cleverly mixes truth with lies, and Moses’ guard begins to weaken. The final nail in the coffin is when Mike declares a complete disinterest in whether Bunny is killed, as he is just about done with Kingstown and its many shenanigans. Hearing this, Moses is fully tricked and commits to taking revenge on Lamar. Before long, the latter is tasered and kidnapped from his home, and Mike tips off Ian to stake out Moses’ camp till he makes a mistake.
Bunny, now healed enough to walk on his own, makes a dramatic exit from the hospital with Mike. While the plan is to take revenge on Moses once he is behind bars, Bunny also has other big fish to fry. The first call goes to Raphael, who announces that he is all set to unleash a slaughter on the Colombian drug gang, provided that the warden has their back. Bunny agrees and is now officially back in business. Meanwhile, Moses calmly enters his office, where Lamar has been tied and taped. Although the Detroit mafia is eager for revenge, he descends into an elaborate monologue about how this town has dragged him back to the grassroots level of crime, especially with his closest ally now out of the picture. With this, Moses pulls the trigger, and that is all Ian and company need to arrest him dead to rights.
Kyle’s Exit From Prison Coincides With an Inmate Massacre
While Moses is apprehended by the police, an altogether different saga erupts in Anchor Bay. Breen, now stuck with odd jobs while on restricted duty, is called to wipe the prison cell of an inmate who defecated on and around himself. As Breen boils in anger and disgust, all of Ad Seg joins in on taunting him, and the cacophony ends up serving as his final straw. While we have seen glimpses of his anger management issues this entire time, this is the first time he completely snaps. After briefly heading downstairs, he returns with a shotgun, brutally gunning down a fellow officer and narrowly missing Cindy. Following this, he goes cell to cell, killing every inmate without second thought.
When Kyle hears the gunshots, he quickly figures out what is happening and voluntarily stands next to the bars, confirming that his suicidal desires have not waned just yet. However, he is saved from death in the last minute, as Cindy uses the emergency shotgun to shoot Breen in the head. That night, Kyle watches Moses enter the prison, this time likely for good, and jubiliantly heads back to the prison, only to be met with commotion. Hobbs is nearly at her wits’ end, as this massacre only delays her bigger goal of finding out the mole in the system. Cindy is particularly shaken by the incident and shares a warm embrace with Mike when they reunite.
On the relatively bright side, Bunny is back at his home and watches over the town from the balcony, prepared to take another shot at the stars. Meanwhile, Kyle is now a free man and walks out of prison with a single-minded goal for vengeance. The first pit stop is Dan’s Diner, where he reunites with Ian and Stevie. Except, trouble follows the group yet again, as on their way out, they are ambushed by armored gunmen. While it is possible that these are cartel hitmen, Mike being the target makes it an unlikely matchup. As the Detroit gang is all but depleted, the most likely backer of these shooters is none other than Callahan, proving that the McLuskys’ real battle is only just beginning.
Read More: Is Mayor of Kingstown Based on a True Story?
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