Paramount+’s Mayor of Kingstown season four, episode three opens with Mike (Jeremy Renner) arriving at Carney’s house, currently a busy crime scene. Over at the prison, Warden Hobbs (Edie Falco) tells the staff that Carney will be missed.
(The following is a recap of season four, episode three and contains spoilers.)
Kyle (Taylor Handley) is still suffering from the beating, barely able to stand up. Meanwhile, Cortez (Derek Rivera), the Colombian cartel member who shot Carney, is having a leisurely breakfast, and Robert (Hamish Allan-Headley) is cleaning his gun while drinking.
Mike and Ian (Hugh Dillon) watch as Carney’s dead body, eyes still open, is covered by a sheet. Mike leaves Carney’s place and visits his brother, informing him Carney was executed. Kyle’s shocked his lifeline within the prison just got whacked, but Mike tries to assure him it’s not connected to him. Mike doesn’t think Kyle has anything to worry about. Kyle confesses he’s never felt this helpless.
“Stay the course. We’ll get through this together,” says Mike. Next, Mike meets with prison guard Cindy Stephens (Laura Benanti) and tells her to forget everything they previously talked about. She needs to just keep her nose clean and put in the hours, like every other guard at the prison. Mike’s going to figure out another way to keep Kyle safe.
Bunny (Tobi Bamtefa) and Frank Moses (Lennie James) meet at a landfill, and Frank explains that he moves drugs through the trash carried away on trains. Government agencies don’t scan it or care about it. His drug business blends in with the garbage and no one is the wiser. Bunny’s impressed but wants to see every part of the operation before fully trusting Frank.
Their meeting is briefly interrupted with a call informing Bunny his guys on Grape St. took off this morning. Bunny wants them found ASAP.
Kyle’s in so much pain that he takes one of the pills Callahan smuggled to him.
Warden Hobbs’ right-hand man, David Torres (Clayton Cardenas), talks to Stevie (Derek Webster) and Ian about Carney’s murder, walking with them to Carney’s locker. Ian and Stevie obviously don’t like Torres, noting that he tries to look in Carney’s locker before they do. They dismiss him with a “f*ck off,” certain he’s fishing for details on Carney’s death and the investigation.
Carney’s locker is jampacked with junk, and Stevie finds drugs in his shoe. Ian tells Stevie to put it in his pocket as they pack up the rest of Carney’s belongings.
Mike calls Bunny and asks if he or Raph had any side deals with Carney, informing him Carney was murdered. Bunny finally admits he has a guard (Kevin Jackson) inside and after Mike cusses about Bunny keeping that a secret, Mike demands a meeting with the guard. He needs to deal with the guard one-on-one, without Bunny as the middleman. After the call ends, Frank suggests that Bunny shouldn’t be worrying about the prison game anymore.
Bunny continues his tour of Frank’s operations, meeting with Frank’s guys in charge of different parts of Frank’s operations.
Mike, Ian, and Stevie meet at the diner, and it’s weird that they’re the last three of the group still walking around outside. (Robert’s basically on home confinement, Carney’s dead, and Kyle’s in prison.) They fill Mike in on what they found, including a burner phone in Carney’s locker. Plus, he had hash in his shoe. Mike thinks this is all a setup; Carney wasn’t organized or smart enough to keep this side business from them. Ian admits there’s something off about Torres, and Mike believes maybe he planted the stuff they found in Carney’s locker.
Mike is adamant that Carney wasn’t dealing drugs. He confesses he’s not sure what’s up with Warden Hobbs and asks Ian and Stevie to hold off on wrapping up the Carney investigation to make whoever did it sweat.
Later, Ian and Stevie call Mike from the Grape Street apartments, breaking the news that parts of Bunny’s guys were found in a meal delivery box. They believe it’s three bodies, but the heads and torsos are missing. Mike is certain the Colombian cartel is sending a message that they’re not satisfied with just the drug trade in prison; they want to be big players in Kingstown.
Ian and Stevie think Cortez, the Colombian cartel guy they let go, is staying put in his squat house or taking brief trips to the diner. (They’re unaware he killed Carney.) Mike thinks it’s time to bring in Bunny and let him take care of the situation. He calls Bunny and says it’s time for him to bring his hammer down.
Bunny tells Frank that the Colombians took out some of his guys.
Mike finds Shaver from the Aryan Brotherhood on the wrong side of town and beats him up while reminding him it’s not his territory. As if Mike doesn’t have enough on his plate, Rebecca calls to let him know Evelyn and Robert got into it at City Hall and there were witnesses. (Robert’s not supposed to go anywhere near the DA.)
Mike and Ian confront Robert at home, and Robert insists Evelyn spoke to him first. Robert makes the mistake of calling Kyle an incredibly derogatory term and Mike lets it slide, ordering Robert to stay at home and stop stalking Evelyn.
Basically, Kingstown is falling apart, Mike’s overwhelmed, and no one is safe at this point.
Kyle’s in the shower when Carol steps outside for a smoke. She briefly pauses by the guard, watching him before walking out.
Mike meets with Frank and Bunny, and Bunny declares that he’s going to kill the Colombians for chopping up his men. Frank insists he’ll get it done. He might have legitimate businesses, but he knows “how and when to get his hands dirty.” Frank’s right-hand man, LJ, confirms it’s true, but Bunny still wants to get his own revenge. Frank reminds him that as partners they are in this together, and he will avenge Bunny’s loss because it’s his loss, too.
Bunny sets up a meeting between Mike and his guard inside, Kevin Jackson (Denny Love), and Kevin confirms he will keep a close eye on Kyle at all times. Kevin promises to do his best, and Mike warns him they’re friendly-ish until he gives him a reason not to be. Kevin wonders if this is what got Carney killed and Mike says it’s not. Mike promises to look after him if he looks after Kyle.
Back in his cell, Kyle chats with Callahan (Richard Brake) about keeping his head down. Everything Callahan says is meant to make Kyle feel more comfortable confiding in him.
Mike shows up without an appointment to speak with Warden Hobbs, and Hobbs reminds him he needs to go through official channels from now on. Hobbs claims she’s sorry to hear about Carney’s death, but it has nothing to do with her prison. Mike lets her know the KPD investigation is ongoing and it may lead to Anchor. He watches for her reaction and warns her that Kingstown’s messy right now, which means that mess will come into the prison. Hobbs insists her prison is secure and as they talk, it’s obvious how much they dislike and distrust each other.
Ian catches up with Robert at the bar, and Robert’s already drunk, earlier than usual. Robert rants about Evelyn and how she’s taken everything from him. He also talks about how much he’s done for the McLuskys and how Mike doesn’t appreciate it.
Ian drives Robert home and learns that Robert’s wife left and took their kid. Robert’s been home alone, just drinking and sulking. Ian leaves when Robert passes out.
Frank asks if Bunny trusts him and chuckles when Bunny says he does, 60%.
The day ends and Torres tells Warden he believes “it’s contained now.” She claims she knows it is but then shakes while taking a few pills and making sure her gun is on the passenger seat of her car, readily available.
Kyle wakes and finds pills in a packet under his pillow.
Everyone gathers at the bar to pay tribute to Carney, and Carol takes a seat next to Mike. They toast to Kyle and Carney.
Season four episode three ends with two of Frank’s men pulling up outside the Colombian squat house, while inside the saws used to cut up Bunny’s guys are being cleaned in a bathtub. Cortez is in charge. Frank’s men head inside, shooting some cartel members and setting others (and the building) on fire. Dozens of men scurry out the back of the building.
Frank’s guys leave the building, and Cortez kills them. He stands and watches as they burn.
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This post was last modified on December 28, 2025 7:41 pm