Abhiroop Das
Co-created by Taylor Sheridan and Hugh Dillon, Paramount+’s ‘Mayor of Kingstown‘ is set in the eponymous fictional town, where every profession and lifestyle is centered around the Anchor Bay Correctional Facility. However, with criminal gangs, inmates, correctional officers, and the police all at odds with each other, it takes someone with a stake in all of these factions to come in and settle disputes. Mike McLusky, the wealthiest and most powerful man in town, fills in that very specialized role, ensuring that balance is maintained at the end of the day, no matter the cost. By the fourth season, however, most of Mike’s strongholds are crumbling, and the people most impacted by it are the people he cares for. In the premiere, his brother, Kyle McLusky, is sent into prison, where he immediately becomes the target of many inmates eyeing for revenge. An even bigger, more murderous mystery unfolds in the background, and deepens in this episode, titled ‘Promises to Keep.’ SPOILERS AHEAD.
Mike Tightens the Screws on Anchor Bay
In the opening minutes of the second season, chaos takes over at Anchor Bay. While some contribute to the cacophony by noise, others do so by actions, culminating in one inmate taking his own life in his cell. The incident shocks the rookie correctional officer, Cindy Stephens, but Callahan brushes it off as an ordinary Monday, much to Kyle’s surprise. Outside, Carney gets on the phone with Mike, relaying how all of his old connections in the prison have been cut off, making him effectively powerless as an insider cum informant. While Mike pushes him to start from scratch, deep down he understands that this is a structural problem, one that must be targeted at the source. Meanwhile, the cartel assassin caught by the police refuses to cooperate with them and keeps calling for an “abogado,” that is, a lawyer, much to Ian’s frustration.
On the other end of the town, Bunny meets Frank Moses, the person we earlier saw in the first scene of the season premiere. Though Frank admits to being the mastermind behind the Russians’ massacre, he frames it as a positive gesture for the Crip gang. Confused, Bunny probes further, but it soon becomes clear that Frank is here for business. With Milo and the Russians out of the picture, there now exists a power vacuum in the distribution network, and with Bunny helming the entire operation, Frank suggests taking charge of distributions and security, all in return for a 30 percent cut. While Bunny whittles the offer down to 20%, he does not let go of his caution, only agreeing to examining and handpicking every last one of Moses’ enforcers. The newly introduced gang leader does not shy away either, as he sneakily acknowledges Mike McLusky’s silent role in this entire arrangement and wishes to meet him.
Elsewhere, Mike intercepts Nina Hobbs at the gates of Anchor Bay, confronting her about not taking care of his brother Kyle as promised. Nina refuses to bend the knee as well, reminding Mike that under her rule, Kyle is no more special than any other inmate, and that the attack on him will be dealt with an adequate amount of investigation. However, this is not enough to convince Mike, and he goes all out in threatening her with direct harm the next time anything worse happens. After he is gone, Hobbs ponders with Torres about the best way to break free of the de facto Mayor’s shackles, describing him as a vestige of the past. Mike, on the other hand, sets up a meeting with Bunny and puts a hit on the inmate who attacked Kyle. While Bunny is happy to do the job, he doesn’t forget to relay Moses’ message, and Mike, although suspicious, agrees to a meet-up.
Ian Has to Deal With Personal and Professional Failures
When visitation hours roll up, Kyle limps his way out, hoping to meet Mike, but is surprised to see his wife there. Although he tries his best to convince her that his injuries are light, she sees right through the lie. Approaching things pragmatically, she reminds him that they are a team and that his topmost priority is getting his brother to smooth the prison experience as much as possible. Elsewhere, Mike makes his own strides, advising Ian to let the cartel suspect walk free and tail him in secret. The plan is nearly successful, but just when the suspect enters a discreet building, Ian is called back into the station by the captain, forcing him to retreat. Meanwhile, Mike is visited by none other than Moses, who immediately drops the charade of amicability and gets down to business. While Moses acknowledges Mike as the entity responsible for balance in town, he does not want many interruptions in his work. His attempts to buy Mike out, however, prove unsuccessful, forcing him to back down.
Back at the police station, things aren’t looking too good for Ian, as Evelyn has fresh information on the death of Charlie. When she shows video footage of Ian’s car exiting the scene to the police captain, questions about Ian’s involvement flare up once again. However, given that he took his license plate out at that moment, Evelyn has no real evidence at hand, and Ian forces her to leave in a desperate bid to hush her up. Meanwhile, trouble brews up in the prison when the assistant warden, Torres, tries to interrogate Bogota, the ruthless drug dealer. While Carney stops the commotion in time, he doesn’t let this escape Hobbs’ attention, in hopes of getting favors from her. Later, while Evelyn digs deeper into the case, we see an anxious Ian tailing her in secret, potentially hinting at a larger future conflict.
Carney’s Death Jolts the Cartel Mystery Back Into the Forefront
Later that night, Bunny gets a call from Mike regarding Moses while on the way to his sister’s birthday party. Here, the town leader reminds his ally once again of the threat that Moses poses, as there is a good chance that he is secretly planning to take over the criminal empire. However, Bunny reassures Mike that he has the upper hand in the alliance and will be prepared for the inevitable clash. Later, the birthday celebrations give way to a more serious discussion when he is interrupted by Kevin Jackson. In the previous episode, we see Hobbs unearthing Kevin’s connections with the Crips and then using them to convert him into an informant. Here, he tries to step into that role by suggesting that he is no longer fit for the job at Anchor Bay and wishes to climb up the ranks. While Bunny does not know the full picture just yet, he is nonetheless cautious and brushes off Kevin’s demands.
At a bar, Mike finally meets Cindy and introduces himself as Kyle’s brother. While the rookie officer realizes that she is about to be entangled in a situation far beyond her reach, she has no way of pushing back. Mike asserts that his brother is not in prison due to any fault of his own, and for that, he should have the best care available, even if it means tweaking the rules a bit. To that end, Cindy is tasked with collecting the names of all the prisoners at Ad Seg, which is bound to bring Callahan back into Mike’s line of sight sooner or later. The final scene of the episode takes us to Carney’s house, where he lives with his ailing father. However, the seemingly normal events quickly turn into horror when the doorbell rings, and Carney opens the door to a person who shoots him to death. A closer look reveals this person to be none other than the cartel assassin, which means their range of targets is much larger than anyone expected.
Read More: Mayor of Kingstown Season 4 Episode 1 Recap: Does Kyle Go to Prison?
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