Warden Hobbs (Edie Falco) is having a rotten day, which she deserves, as Paramount+’s Mayor of Kingstown season four, episode eight begins. Callahan’s gone missing, and that news comes hot on the heels of the hijacking of the cartel’s shipment.
(The following is a recap of season four, episode eight and there are spoilers.)
Ian (Hugh Dillon) cruises by Robert’s house and doesn’t see any movement. He joins Stevie (Derek Webster) at the diner, while Mike (Jeremy Renner) heads to Bunny’s hospital room with a treat from Dairy Queen. Frank (Lennie James) and his right-hand man, LJ (Verlon Brown), are already there, and Bunny (Tobi Bamtefa) says he’s ready for some payback. Frank claims he’s going to take care of it himself, while Mike suggests KPD’s on the case. Frank will put his army on the case and take care of business.
Bunny demands to be the one who handles the person who shot him.
Mike, Frank, and LJ discuss the situation after leaving Bunny, and Mike informs them one of the Colombian cartel’s guys inside Anchor Bay has been taken care of. Frank hopes the KPD will help them get the job done. He admits he doesn’t want to hang around Kingstown any longer than he needs to.
Mike returns to Bunny’s room alone and Bunny confesses that it took all the restraint he could muster not to attack Frank. Bunny also confesses he’s learned ambition comes with risks and since Mike’s not ambitious, he trusts him the most. The doctor told him he was dead on the operating table for 67 seconds, and he confesses he didn’t see any light or family members waiting for him on the other side. Mike believes Bunny’s supposed to be here and that’s why he didn’t stay dead.
Guard Cindy Stephens (Laura Benanti) arrives at work just as the siren goes off at the prison. The noise is heard all over Kingstown, and Ian and Stevie don’t even have time to finish their breakfasts. Cops race over to the prison while Merle Callahan (Richard Brake) and his pyromaniac minion, Pete McDonough (Johnny Dinan), arrive at Shaver’s place. He’s been handling the Brotherhood since Callahan was locked up, and he hands over a stack of cash. Callahan informs Shaver he’s heard disturbing things about how he’s running things. Callahan has Shaver set on fire—and it’s a grisly death.
Hobbs orders her guards to keep searching and questioning the prisoners. She flips over David Torres’ nameplate after giving him up as a scapegoat to the cartel.
Mike barges into Bunny’s driver Lamar’s house and demands to know what Frank gave him to set up Bunny. Lamar confesses he was busted in Detroit and Frank got the charges dropped. Mike warns him that he’s basically a dead man; either Frank or Bunny is going to get rid of him. Lamar begs Mike to let him run and even offers Mike the cash Frank gave him. But Mike has a different plan that’s Lamar’s only real way out of this.
Warden Hobbs calls Mike with the news of Merle and Pete’s escape, claiming he’s the first outsider to know. Merle’s been out at least 10 hours and Hobbs promises Mike she’ll do whatever he needs. He asks to have all the Aryan prisoners gathered in one place.
Mike’s next call is to Rebecca (Nichole Galicia), warning her to leave immediately. Next, he calls Ian and Ian tells him not to go to Shaver’s. But Mike knows that’s where Merle would head to get money.
Shaver’s place is unlocked and Mike finds Shaver’s newly crisp dead body.
Callahan and Pete take off in a truck, with Merle happy to be free.
Ian and Stevie look around Shaver’s, and Ian points out the meth and money are gone. Mike’s certain Merle is already in Canada, but Ian believes Merle’s coming for Mike. He wouldn’t have left town yet.
Mike meets Hobbs at the prison to make sure the cartel’s still okay with her after the shipment was hijacked. She insists they just need to get through today. Mike, Ian, and Stevie join the Aryans in the yard—the same location where Warden Kareem Moore was murdered—and Mike asks their leader, Marc, where Merle might be. Marc reminds him he just saved Kyle and then picks a fight with Stevie, ready to go at it if they’ll just remove his cuffs.
They take him up on it and Marc advances on Stevie, but Stevie isn’t a lightweight. Stevie wants revenge for Kareem’s death. That, plus the fact Marc’s a raging white supremacist, is enough to light a fire under the normally mellow Stevie. Marc doesn’t get in any hits, but Stevie lands vicious punches. Ian finally has to pull him off before he kills Marc.
Marc’s taken a beating, and Mike’s threat that he’s putting him in the hole where he’ll get savagely abused is enough to make him confirm Merle’s hanging around. Marc says that wherever Mike is, that is where Merle will be. Even though he talked, Mike assures him he’s going to the hole, so he better stretch and get ready for what’s coming.
Ian knew Merle wouldn’t leave town without coming after Mike first. Mike replies, “Let him f**king come. Saves me the trouble.”
Hobbs stops Cindy on her way to Ad Seg, asking if she noticed anything about Merle that might give away where he’s heading. Hobbs warns her to watch out for every man there because they will try and take advantage of her. Cindy doesn’t tell her about Mike or offer anything useful.
Frank and LJ reminisce and relax, and LJ suggests that maybe it’s time to take things a little easier. Frank chuckles but doesn’t respond. A short while later, LJ retrieves the car and as he’s stepping out of it, Lamar pumps multiple rounds into his chest. Frank emerges from the building and sobs while scanning the street.
It’s late at night when Mike makes it to his office and finds the door broken in. Merle and/or his men have destroyed the office (and Mike’s bedroom), and there are Nazi symbols on the wall. They didn’t take his gun, so Mike calls them amateurs. As he’s looking around, Lamar calls and says it’s done. Mike tells him to meet him at the Outreach at 10.
Ian calls with the devastating news that Pete set Mike’s house on fire. By the time Mike arrives, flames have consumed the house. Ian notices that Pete just ran back in the house and Mike goes after him, smothering the flames and pulling him back outside. He tells Ian to clear everyone away as he asks Pete where Merle went. Mike tortures him and Pete coughs out, “He gonna reckon with you, Mike, but he gonna make you hurt first.”
Cindy wheels the phone to Kyle’s cell, saying it’s a call from Tracy. Tracy (Nishi Munshi) says her husband’s name, but it’s Merle who has the phone. He’s also holding their baby. Merle taunts him that he has everything Kyle loves in his hands.
Kyle begs him to let Tracy go, but Merle says it’s too late. Kyle wants to know what he wants, and Merle replies with a smile in his voice, “This. Exactly this is what I want.” Merle hangs up as Kyle screams that he’ll kill him.
Kyle yells to Cindy and tells her to call the Belleville, Ohio, cops and tell them there’s a murder in process in the house and that Merle has his wife.
Merle quiets the baby while pointing a gun at Tracy, claiming it’s not personal. It’s all just to punish Mike. Tracy suggests that he head back to Kingstown and kill Mike, but spare her son, Mitch. (Merle’s surprised about the baby’s name.) She cries, begging for her baby’s life. Merle doesn’t know what she really deserves, but no one gets what they deserve.
Merle says she can close her eyes and tells her to just breathe as she continues to beg for her baby’s life. Mitch starts crying and Tracy makes a move. The scene switches to the exterior as a gunshot rings out. Mitch is alive and crying as Merle gets back in his truck and drives away.
Ian tries to assure Mike there’s nothing he could have done. Mike’s sure Kyle is going to kill himself; he refused sedation. But Ian thinks Kyle will stay alive for Mitch’s sake.
Cindy calls Mike on his way to the prison but he doesn’t pick up. Hobbs is waiting outside and escorts him in.
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