Throughout the second episode of Mayor of Kingstown season 4, Mike McLusky has been busy making arrangements so that no one would dare to lift a finger against his brother, Kyle, again. In the previous episode, an inmate attacked Kyle while he was being transferred to administrative segregation, and even though we still don’t know who ordered the attack, the ending of the episode implied that it was Mike’s sworn enemy, Merle Callahan. He’s locked in a cell next to Kyle’s and playing all those mind games with him now to exact revenge from Mike. But Mike doesn’t know that yet, and I am still waiting for the moment when Mike will finally find out who was behind the attack on Kyle, because Callahan may have survived the last hit, but he won’t be lucky the next time. The second episode is mostly about a shift in dynamics. Mike’s losing his close allies one by one while his enemies are closing in. And trust me, I am so excited to talk about how everyone’s planning to get rid of the Mayor of Kingstown, but we all know Mike McLusky isn’t going anywhere. He’ll always have the upper hand no matter how strong his enemies are or become. Also, there’s a major death at the end of the episode, and I think I know who’s behind it. So, with a spoiler warning, let’s dive straight into it.
Spoiler Alert
Bunny Meets Frank Moses
The first episode introduced us to a new gangster, Frank Moses, an old head out of Detroit, who had ruthlessly killed a bunch of Russians on the rail track. We weren’t aware who Moses was working for or why he was so keen on cleaning up the streets of Kingstown. However, the second episode revealed that those Russians were a gift to Bunny Washington, and Moses wanted to do business with Bunny and his friend, Mike McLusky. The death of prominent Russian mobsters, Konstantin Noskov and Milo Sunter, had created a power vacuum that Moses wanted to fill. Moses told Bunny that either one of his allies could take charge of the border distribution, or it would sooner or later be seized by his rivals, the Aryans or the Colombians. And that would be a problem for him and Mike. The Colombians had already tried to take Bunny out in the previous episode, and he wouldn’t be able to put up a fight against the cartel alone, so he needed a partner, and Moses was willing to extend his support.
Moses offered Bunny cross-border transport and security, which meant he would smuggle his drugs across the border and take a 20 percent cut for his services. However, before starting this partnership, Moses wanted to meet the Mayor of Kingstown. Well, it’s no surprise here that Moses is looking for much more than just a partnership with Bunny. If he wants to meet Mike or take his help, then we know that he has his eye on something else. But what? We’ll find out eventually. Also, it’s quite ironic that Moses wants to replace Konstantin and Milo. They were both Mike’s worst enemies, and it’s possible that Moses will ultimately become the same the moment he reveals his true intentions.
The Guy Who Attacked Kyle Is Dead
Until now, Mike was of the opinion that it was the Colombians who’d killed the members of the Russian gang on the tracks, but Bunny finally told him the truth. It was a gift from Moses, who wanted to create an alliance with him and Mike, and this new enterprise would not only give Bunny an opportunity to expand his trade but also help him protect himself against his rivals. However, Mike wasn’t sure if Bunny should join forces with someone like Moses. Well, the way he killed those thugs on the tracks suggests he’s not someone to toy with. Outsiders always bring trouble to Kingstown and make a mess out of everything. Mike didn’t want Bunny to repeat history, but he was persistent. In the end, Mike agreed to have an audience with Moses, but in exchange, he wanted Bunny to take out the man who dared to lay a finger on Kyle.
Inside the prison, Raphael, along with other members of the gang, cornered this guy and punctured his guts with a sharp object. Kevin Jackson was on watch during this time, and it was obvious from the look on his face that he didn’t want to be a part of these violent attacks anymore, especially after the new warden, Nina Hobbs, gave him a subtle warning in the previous episode. Kevin even went to meet Bunny at the end of the second episode and told him that he wanted out of Anchor Bay, but Bunny shut him down. It’s quite evident that, sooner or later, Kevin is going to meet the same fate as Carney. Oops. I’ll come to that in a bit.
Mike Meets Moses
It seems like everyone else on the show knows more about Moses than the viewers. I mean, I know they are intentionally holding back information so as to make this new villain seem more mysterious and dangerous. In the episode, Mike’s secretary, Rebecca, says the man’s murderous, as if we don’t know better. Nevertheless, Moses finally paid a visit to Mike and told him that a fresh plague of outsiders was going to descend on his town, and now it was up to him to choose a side. He could either let all the gang members fight on the streets and disrupt the peace, or he could just let Moses take charge of the territory so he could keep everyone else out. He wanted Mike to name the price of his loyalty or his allegiance, whatever you might want to call it. He was going to shut things down and tie up the loose ends, and he wanted Mike to look out for him. In short, Moses meant trouble. He was going to bring chaos to town and eliminate his rivals the way he killed gangsters on the tracks, which obviously would bring him on the police’s radar, and he just wanted Mike to convince his cop buddies to look the other way. Well, Mike neither joined hands with Moses nor did he try to stop him, mostly because he was helping Bunny, but he knew that he was going to cross paths with Moses again.
Carney Is Dead
In episode 2’s ending, Cortez, the Colombian guy Ian and Stevie had arrested for firing at Bunny’s car, arrived at Carney’s house, where he lived with his bedridden father. Carney was about to leave home to meet Mike and Cindy at Russell’s, and the moment he opened the door, Cortez shot him point blank and killed him on the spot. But here’s something interesting. The Colombian shooter didn’t leave the house the same way he came in. Instead, he left from the back door and made sure that Carney’s father got a good look at him. The 20-year-old, Cortez, who might be working for the cartel, could have killed Carney’s father as well to erase the evidence, but he didn’t. The reason? Because it was Mike’s friends, Ian and Stevie, who had arrested him, and now the entire force would find out that they released a criminal who went straight to Carney’s house and shot him dead. In a way, Ian and Stevie were responsible. However, it was Mike who had asked Ian and Stevie to release Cortez because they didn’t have any evidence against him, and Mike wanted him to make a mistake or meet up with the people he was working for so they could arrest him red-handed. I mean, even Mike wouldn’t have thought that he would kill one of their closest allies. So this indeed is going to create a rift between Mike, Ian, and Stevie, which, as I said earlier, fulfills the objective of someone who is purposely targeting Mike’s friends to make the Mayor of Kingstown vulnerable. But first things first, who ordered the hit on Carney?
I think there was enough evidence throughout the second episode to suggest that it was the new warden, Nina Hobbs, and her right-hand man, Torres, who called the shots. If you remember at the beginning of the episode, when Mike visited prison and threatened Nina, she told Torres that it was time to reassign Carney, and called him a vestige of the past that they should have dealt with on day one. The reason why she said so was because Nina knew that it was Carney who’d told Mike about the attack on Kyle, which gave him the audacity to threaten her in her own castle. Also, a consequence of such a leak of information was that Mike used his connections and had Kyle’s attacker killed. That was a blotch on her reputation, and she didn’t want anyone else to go pulling strings in her prison. She asked Torres to deal with it as priority one, and the very next moment, we saw Torres talking to Roberto Cruz, the leader of the Colombian gang, in the chow hall. So the question here is, did Torres ask Roberto to get rid of Carney? I mean, Roberto couldn’t be acting on his own, and the way the Colombians have been flexing recently does tell that they have a new backer who’s supporting them from the shadows, and I won’t be surprised if their new ally is none other than Nina Hobbs. Or it could be the other way around. It’s possible that the cartel has some leverage on Nina and Torres, and they are using it to turn the tables in their favor. Maybe it is the cartel who wants to cut off Mike’s influence over the prison, because everyone knows how Mike has been helping Bunny get the upper hand in the business. I also saw some missed calls on Nina’s phone. I guess she has a family member living in Switzerland, which brings me to the possibility that the cartel may have threatened to harm her loved ones if she refused to work for them or in favor of the Colombians. Well, whatever the case might be, I am quite certain that Carney’s murder is somehow linked to the new warden who has been trying to get rid of Carney since the very beginning. I guess we’ll find out more about it in the next episode. Also, did you notice some sexual tension between Nina and Torres, or is it just me reading into things too much?
Mike Meets CO Cindy Stephens
It’s quite evident that Nina Hobbs isn’t what she pretends to be. She kept Carney out of the Ad Seg because she didn’t want Mike to know that she had been keeping Merle Callahan next to his brother’s cell. Nina’s plan was to keep Mike in the dark so he could no longer interfere with the workings of her prison. And now, with Carney gone, Mike has no direct contacts left inside the prison who could look after his brother. I mean, Kevin’s there, but he is more Bunny’s guy than Mike’s, and he’s already scared to his bones. Carney’s death is just going to intensify his fear, and I won’t deny that he could even turn against Bunny to protect his own life. This leaves Mike no other option but to make new allies if he really wants to ensure the safety of his brother.
Before his death, Carney had fixed a meeting between Mike and the new CO, Cindy Stephens, whom Nina had put in charge of the Ad Seg. You can say that it was Carney’s last gift to Mike, and for some reason, I believe he is going to be really grateful to Carney for fixing this meeting. I mean, the way Mike was blushing throughout his conversation with Cindy, you can tell where this might lead. But no gossip; back to business.
In episode 2’s ending, Mike met Cindy at Russell’s, and asked her to be his eyes and ears inside the prison, and keep a close watch on his brother and where he goes. However, we don’t know how helpful Cindy would be, considering she has three kids to worry about, and she’s fresh out of training, which means she can’t be mingling with someone like Mike McLusky on her first posting. But she did assure Mike that she would pick up Mike’s call whenever she could, and do whatever he says as long as she’s not crossing any DOC red lines. There was one more thing that Mike needed from Cindy. He was aware of the fact that there was a lot of inmate turnover in Ad Seg, and just for the safety of his brother, he wanted to know who was there with him. Well, if Cindy hands Mike this information, then Mike will finally find out that Callahan is sitting right next to Kyle. Nina had told him in the previous episode that Callahan was in the infirmary. In short, it won’t take long for Mike to connect the dots and realize that Nina’s lying through her teeth and pulling the strings from the shadows. This may force Mike to eventually unleash his wrath upon her to make sure that the new warden doesn’t take his threats lightly. We already know that Carney’s death is going to have major consequences in the show, and it’s entirely possible that Mike, who’s been a bit cautious of taking favors from Frank Moses until now, may enlist his help to make the Colombians pay for lifting a finger against a friend. The reason I believe Mike will seek help from gangsters and not from his cop buddies is because Ian’s already too tied up with his own mess. Evelyn is investigating his involvement in Morrisey’s murder, and after the whole fiasco with Robert Sawyer, Mike doesn’t have many friends left in the force, which leaves him with no other option but Frank Moses. And if you have been catching up with the show so far, then you already know what taking a favor from a mobster actually means.
