The Mayor of Kingstown season 4 premiere was amazing. The show reintroduces all the characters and their previous storylines. They also bring in the new ones and explain who they are and what their deals are. One of the newer storylines follows the Colombians coming to Kingstown.
The first time we see the Colombians, they’re trying to kill Bunny. An effort that’s thwarted by Ian and Stevie. In episode 2, Stevie and Ian are interrogating the surviving shooter. Despite their best efforts, the shooter says nothing. Eventually, they let him go with the plan of Mike following him to see where he goes.
Unfortunately, Mike is told to break off. This becomes the downfall of one of this writer’s favorite characters.
With the new Anchor Bay Prison Warden, Nina Hobbs, putting her employees on notice, it was almost impossible for Mike McLusky to get information on what was happening. Thankfully, Carney has an idea. The new prison guard, Cindy Stephens (played by Laura Benanti), could be their new informant.
Cindy felt bad that she was there when Mike’s brother, Kyle, was attacked, so Carney sets up a meeting with her and Mike and says he’ll meet them later. Sadly, as Carney is on his way there, he's shot and murdered at his house after taking care of his father.
What's worse is that the shooter is the same guy Stevie and Ian released from their custody.
Three seasons of Mayor of Kingstown have taught me something everyone should know: never trust anyone on this show. There’s a scene in episode 2 that I believe proves this point perfectly.
After talking with Nina, Torres is later seen speaking to a Colombian hitter named Robert Cruz. Carney sees this and aggressively interrupts it. Carney doesn't know what's going on, only that it needs to stop. Now, it's unclear what Torres and Cruz were discussing, but I have a theory that Torres was setting up Carney to be killed.
It’s mighty convenient that Carney was killed the same night as that altercation. Could this be a coincidence? Of course. However, if you’ve been watching this series, you know it’s like V said in V for Vendetta, "There are no coincidences. Only the illusion of coincidences." Torres, more than likely, set up Carney to be shot, so Mike has one less resource within the prison. The bigger question is whether Nina is involved.
I refuse to believe that Nina is innocent in all of this. If I had to guess, she’s a product of a disgusting prison-industrial complex that gets paid per inmate.
And, while Mike does some dirty things, his deeds keep people safe. Meanwhile, a privatized prison doesn’t exist for rehabilitation. It’s all about the money, and you can’t have that with an empty prison.
Stay tuned to Show Snob to see if these theories are right.
New episodes of Mayor Kingstown season 4 are released Sundays on Paramount+.