Mike’s deal to get the bosses out of jail after they’ve selected new leaders is falling apart as Paramount+’s Mayor of Kingstown season two episode four kicks off. The prisoners are all being moved to different facilities, and Bunny (Tobi Bamtefa) is out of the loop. He demands to speak to Mike but Carney (Lane Garrison) plays tough guy and refuses. Carney says the Crips will be dispersed to jails all over the area, and Bunny doesn’t have any pull.
Bunny warns Carney that he’ll find out who allowed this and there will be retribution. Finally, Carney hands over his phone and lets Bunny call Mike.
Mike (Jeremy Renner) insists he’s taking care of it but Bunny thinks he’s no longer in charge. Mike describes moving inmates as just a dumb bureaucratic reaction to a fight and that they won’t be moving the main players. Bunny confirms none of the leaders have been relocated.
Bunny’s got a bad feeling about this but Mike claims he’s on top of everything. (He’s not.)
Between the riot and the massacre on 23rd Street, Asst District Attorney Evelyn Foley (Necar Zadegan) has, in her words, “So much sh*t on my plate right now I do not have room for gravy.” In this case, “gravy” is the deal she struck with Mike and the leaders.
She knew the tent city inmates were being transferred but she’s got the Department of Justice breathing down her back. Plus, the ACLU is looking for someone to blame for the deaths in the prison.
Evelyn believes her job’s in danger and that when the house of cards falls, it’ll take down Robert and his SWAT team too. She couldn’t care less if the criminals are inconvenienced. However, the DA is working on release papers right now – but it’s complicated. After he signs the papers, the judge will still have to sign off.
Mike knows the DA’s using the bust he gave him to help his career. And if the DA screws it up, there will be more deaths and more chaos. “He doesn’t know these people. I do. And when sh*t goes south on the inside, it’s going to find him on the outside,” says Mike.
Before leaving, Mike tells Evelyn he needs Bunny out right now.
Kyle (Taylor Handley) visits his brother’s grave, confused over what to do next. He sobs as he admits he needs help. His next stop is Mike’s new office – which looks just like the old one – and its packed waiting room.
Kyle doesn’t want to keep searching for Iris and thinks a better use of his time would be helping Mike run things. Since the riot, Mike’s been slammed with people needing his help and Kyle wants to pitch in. Kyle admits he needs to feel like he’s worth something and wants to contribute.
Bunny has a one-on-one with Gunner (Dylan Kenin), the Aryans leader, who’s come to the conclusion that Mike played them. Bunny still stands by Mike but Gunner thinks if they don’t get out now, they won’t ever get out. He warns Bunny that he needs to get Mike to do his job.
Mike heads to the prison at night and tells Bunny the DA is taking a victory lap over this bust. When he’s done, he’ll sign the papers and get them out. Bunny reminds him he’s held up his end of the deal but Mike hasn’t come through. There’s only a week or so left before tent city is torn down, which means everyone will be moved in the next few days. Mike swears he’s getting his side of the deal done. (Again, that’s a lie/wishful thinking. He’s not.)
Mike asks Bunny to continue trusting him and just hang in there. However, Bunny might be the least of Mike’s worries. Bunny reveals the other leaders are angry over this, they’re blaming Mike, and they want payback.
“Mike, get your sh*t in order or they’re coming for your ass – and soon,” warns Bunny.
Mike shows up outside of Captain Kareem Moore’s home and grabs a minute with him before he takes his kid to school. Kareem (Michael Beach) admits he gets advance notice about the inmate moves and Mike asks him to keep the leaders in tent city. If they get moved, the deal will fall apart. (Mike is totally overestimating everyone’s commitment to this deal.)
Kareem explains he doesn’t listen to Mike and doesn’t have to do what he asks. If Mike’s plan doesn’t work, that’s his own fault. Kareem’s done following orders. Mike reminds him that if they lose Bunny, they lose the other generals. And if that happens, they lose the prison and ultimately Kingstown.
Mike thinks Kareem has the power to help himself if he doesn’t want his kid’s life to be put in danger when all hell breaks loose.
Meanwhile, the metal container Mike was supposed to retrieve for Milo is discovered by Horace the construction worker who stops his backhoe to check it out. He tells his boss he thought he hit a pipe but it was just trash. He continues working, covering the item with a layer of packed-down dirt.
Later, he brings the metal box home and breaks into it, discovering bonds worth millions inside. Although not all of them are still worth money, the box contains enough bonds to set up Horace and his wife as millionaires. Horace’s wife is smarter than he is and realizes these bonds are part of some criminal activity and are nothing but trouble.
Horace brings one of the bonds to his friend who owns a pawn shop. The pawn shop owner also doesn’t want anything to do with them and knows they’re bad news. However, he does know someone who can move them…but the dude’s dangerous. It’d be better if Horace just burned them all and forgot about it, but Horace begs for the name of the guy who might help him get money.
Elsewhere, Ian (Hugh Dillon) and Mariam (Dianne Wiest) are engaged in a friendly chat while she heads into the Kingstown Juvenile Detention Center when a guard interrupts with disturbing news. The non-violent offenders from all the prisons are being let go to make room for the prisoners from tent city. The situation on the streets is going to get hairy once the non-violent become violent after they’re released.
Ian pulled strings to get Miriam in to talk to the guys being held at juvenile hall but not to Marco. Marco had only been out a week when he robbed Miriam, and Ian says there’s no way Marco even remembers what she looks like much less cares about how she feels.
Miriam introduces herself to a large group of juvenile delinquents and explains she’s worked in prisons for 50 years but this is her first time in juvie. She also tells the teens that her husband was killed in a drive-by and her oldest son was killed in a robbery. She’s been filled with rage and wonders if any of them have felt the same.
A few open up but then one says he knows her son and wonders why she’s there. Miriam reveals after her boys escaped being hurt in the prison riot, her rage turned to thankfulness. She also describes being mugged and that the boy left her photos and her bag. She’s also thankful for that. (Love Dianne Wiest but Miriam’s not adding anything to the story at this point.)
Back to pressing matters, Horace makes the horrible mistake of thinking Joseph the Russian’s going to help him get money for the bonds. He’s unaware he’s turned to the worst person possible to discuss the buried metal box and its treasure.
Horace is tied up and beaten, and yet he continues to think he has a chance of getting money out of this. His finger’s cut off when he doesn’t immediately reveal the location of the box.
At that exact moment, Horace’s wife is so spooked about the bonds that she packs them up and drives to the police station even though it’s late at night.
Also at that moment, Bunny calls Mike and demands he comes to tent city. As he’s on his way there, Stevie (Derek Webster) calls and tells him he needs to come to the station. Horace’s wife is seated at Stevie’s desk as Stevie explains to Mike he’s got a situation that needs to be addressed before the chief finds out.
Mike tries to put him off but Stevie knows this is urgent. When Mike pulls up, Stevie shows him a bond and says a construction worker dug up the box. The box and its contents are in a gym bag in lockup right now.
Stevie needs to know how to proceed and Mike says to keep them out of the system. The only other person who knows about the bonds is Horace. (They don’t know he went to see Joseph the Russian.)
Stevie’s worried about what to do about Horace’s wife, and Mike suggests that he tell her to go home, wait for her husband, and if he doesn’t show up – she should move. Mike warns Stevie not to tell anyone and to put the bags in his trunk. Milo’s going to come looking for them.
Mike finally makes it to the tent city prison. The gate’s unlocked and there isn’t a soul in sight.
The following morning dozens of kids anxious to spend time in the community pool pour through its gates. One jumps in the pool and is met with the dead body of Horace, arms still tied to the chair he died in.
- Mayor of Kingstown Season 2 Episode 1 “Never Missed a Pigeon” Recap
- Mayor of Kingstown Season 2 Episode 2 “Staring at the Devil” Recap
- Mayor of Kingstown Season 2 Episode 3 “Five at Five” Recap
- Mayor of Kingstown Season 2 Episode 5 “Kill Box” Recap
- Mayor of Kingstown Season 2 Episode 6 “Left with the Nose” Recap
- Mayor of Kingstown Season 2 Episode 7 “Drones” Recap
- Mayor of Kingstown Season 2 Episode 8 “Santa Jesus” Recap
- Mayor of Kingstown Season 2 Episode 9 “Peace in the Valley” Recap
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