Mike McLusky was Kingstown’s, lonely man. He lived for his brother, Mitch, the Mayor of Kingstown. Together, they ran their father’s business. After Mitch’s murder in Episode 1, Mike struggled to find a reason to stay back in Kingstown. He decided to leave, but the legacy called him back. Mike decided to become the new mayor to tie up loose ends left after Mitch’s death.
The Loose Ends
In Episode 1, the McLusky brothers promised to settle the dispute between a gangster, Darryl Johanson, and a prison guard, Sam. However, the two ended up blowing punches, and Sam fractured Darryl’s skull. The incident soured Mike’s relationship with the local gangster lord, Bunny. He pointed a gun at Mike, and Mike decided to end the gangster’s arrogance.
During Mitch’s funeral, Mike told officer Ed to remove Bunny’s men from the prison yard. Bunny’s men used the yard to smuggle drugs into the facility. Mike wanted to take away Bunny’s dominance to show him that they were the prisoners, not the police.
Mike returned to Mitch’s office. The bloodstains on the carpet tormented Mike. He burnt the carpet with alcohol to remove the stains. Mike was probably disturbed, and in this state, Bunny called to threaten him. Mike took out the ammunition from the safe and raided Bunny’s garden. Bunny handed over Sam’s letter to Mike in a panic, thereby ending the root of all causes.
After the incident, Special Agent Aldrich and Perry visited Mike at Mitch’s office. They told him that Mitch had an agreement with them. Mitch was a paid informant for the law enforcement agency. The agents asked if Mike wanted to make the same arrangement with them. A disturbed Mike signed the papers and took his payroll for 2500 dollars.
When Mitch’s secretary, Rebecca, asked Mike if they were still in business after Mitch’s death, he handed over the cheque to her, highlighting that he had finally decided to take his brother’s throne.
Milo Sunter
Milo Sunter stole some money in an armored car heist. He killed two armed guards during the robbery. Mitch arranged the surrender of Milo, and as a part of the deal, Milo hid a portion of what he stole. Milo thought he would take the money upon his release, but he was sentenced to life. Hence, in Episode 1, Milo sent his wife, Vera Sunter, to Mitch so that he would help her dig out the money. Mike took out the money and deposited it in Mitch’s safe, but Alberto Ramos found out about it. He killed Vera and Mitch.
The police seized Milo’s stolen money, and Milo’s henchman, Joseph, threatened Mike to return it. After Mike smashed his head, Joseph visited Milo in prison. Milo told Joseph that they had to deal with Mike differently. He couldn’t be threatened by physical force. To deal with Mike, they needed a cunning approach. Milo asked Joseph to call a woman named Iris to seduce Mike. He knew Mike was emotionally vulnerable and thus decided to use his weakness to get back his money.
The Black Bear
Mitch’s death created a void in Mike’s life. His brother, Kyle, pointed out that Mike was a dangerous man for this business. He was lonely and had nothing tying him down. Mike could be extremely destructive and burning down Mitch’s office to clean it was a clear sign of his impending madness. Kyle again pleaded with Mike to leave Kingstown and pursue his dream of joining a cooking school. Mike mentioned again that he was just tying up some loose ends.
In Episode 1, Mike saw a black bear in the woods near his cabin. The creatures caught Mike’s attention. Probably, Mike was trying to fill the void with the bear. Mike didn’t have any emotional connection with another person, and the bear became Mike’s escape.
In Mayor of Kingstown Episode 2, he brought food for the bear. He looked at the bear munching fries, and it made him feel content. In the end, Mike and Bunny shared a conversation about cooking food over an open fire. Mike couldn’t attend a cooking school while being the Mayor of Kingstown. But, he could try his hands at open fire cooking and feed his new friend, the black bear in the woods.
Attending the execution of Juan Jesus Gracia in prison with his sister and mother made Mike realize how fragile life is. The protagonist was yearning for emotional comfort; he wanted to get rid of his loneliness. A traumatized Mike approached the only friend he had, Bunny. Even Milo knew about Mike’s emotional vulnerabilities, and this new woman, Iris, who would enter Mike’s life, would decide the protagonist’s fate.
Mayor of Kingstown is a 2021 Crime Drama Series starring Jeremy Renner.
