Mayor of Kingstown Season 3 Episode 2 opened tensely, allowing us to see the emotions and turmoil a prison sentence takes on prisoners and their families.
Between the panning camera and the ominous music, we knew something was up. They sure seemed pretty interested in that bag of potato chips.
To see a dead convict on the ground didn't give much of a surprise.
More like another one bites the dust. This show sure seems to have a lot of people dying behind bars.
Mike sees the prisoner's death as what it is and tries to warn Bunny off making money moves.
But in a typical criminal move, Bunny doesn't give AF.
And Iris's behavior as she got pulled over is troubling, to say the least.
Related: Mayor of Kingstown Season 2 Episode 2 Review: Staring at the Devil
If you know you're riding illegally, why would you be so cavalier about breaking traffic laws?
It's a given that you're going to get busted.
And then trying to drive off with the police officer standing right there? You're asking for an arrest.
Back at the prison, multiple inmates are dropping like flies, foaming at the mouth and convulsing.
We've seen enough doctor shows to know they've been poisoned.
Time for the prison to go on lockdown.
Bunny is getting pampered at the trap house as he learns about the prison problem.
It turns out the heroine his crew brought into the prison and outside it is laced.
Now Mike has to fix the situation. But how? And do we really want him to? Bunny's cold, calculated nature suggests he may need to clean up his mess this time.
Mike did try to warn him about this potential disaster but he wouldn't listen.
Mike: Yeah.
Bunny: Mike. It's bodies dropping left and right man.
Mike: Yeah, I know. I'm on my way.
Bunny: Bitch cut the heroine with some foul shit, Mike. She probably broke up enough to set herself up.
Mike: Well look I'm not one for I told ya soes. But ...
Bunny: It's going to be bad for Raph. Okay? They gonna be all over his ass.
Mike: Look, I'll get to him. Alright? Want me to fix this?
Bunny: How?
Mike: I'll make it right. You just can't bitch about it later.
Bunny: Mike, I'm getting deja vu right now Mike. I don't like it.
Mike: I'm going to fix it. You're welcome.
As we watch multiple body bags getting loaded into the coroner's van, we hear from Evelyn and Moore that the casualties aren't just happening in lockup but also on the streets.
Looks like somebody has Bunny in their sights and is making a power play to put him out of business. Haven't we seen that storyline before already?
Mike has a private meeting with Bunny's inside man to give a solution on how to fix the heroin supply issue caused by the poisoned drugs.
The new inside man doesn't seem to want to cooperate with Mike's plan to form an alliance with another gang to obtain a new supply of drugs.
He even says he doesn't trust Mike.
Do we really trust you? He is a convict locked up in prison, which means he isn't trustworthy.
I think we'll take our chances with the Mayor, not the criminal. He has a lot of practice.
Related: Mayor of Kingstown Season 2 Episode 2 Review: Staring at the Devil
It's interesting to see Moore's change of stance on letting Mike access the prison to work his unique magic. Does he plan to operate above board now that he's the warden?
He wouldn't take Mike's calls in Mayor of Kingstown Season 3 Episode 1.
Now, he's punishing the guard for letting Mike onto the grounds.
We get that he's never liked Mike's arrangement, but as the guard says, he saves lives and does what the warden can't.
Warden Moore: You think I'm someone you can move around?
Carney: No. Kareem, I don't ...
Moore: Warden. And I'm not someone you move around.
Carney: I know that. What the fuck are we talking about?
Moore: I just looked at the visitor log and I didn't see Mike McLusky on it. And yet somehow, he was inside.
Carney: Okay, look Warden. We got all these cons dying. And all of this shit piling up on us. This is what Mike does. He's a partner. And we need backup. Sir, you got all these new hires. They're fucking babies man. They can't carry their own weight. Meanwhile I'm tripping on fucking entrails.
Moore: I know Mike McLusky. I knew him when I walked the tears in Kingstown Pen. And I know him now. He is a criminal, Carney. A criminal who abets other crimimals. That's his business.
Carney: He's trying to save lives.
Moore: And what lives are getting saved?
Carney: Goddamn man, you're so blind. You don't even see. He's doing what you can't.
Warden: Right.
Carney: What I'm saying is, you can trust him. And you can trust me.
Warden: Can I?
Carney: Hell yes. After what happened, what we went through.
Warden: What we went through? What the fuck did we go through, Carney? Huh? Oh, I see. I see. You've been through some shit and you need some peace. A little break.
Carney: I'm good.
Warden: No, no. no. You need a rest bit. I get that.
Carney: So wait, are we good?
Warden: Yeah, yeah. I mean, after what we been through?
The random visit from Anna to Mike was a bit odd and warned us that Anna would seek revenge for her son's death. It will be interesting to see how that scene foreshadows what's to come.
Kyle calls Mike to check in on Iris, who's been missing for hours. It's not the first time Iris has gone missing, so do we blame Mike for being so nonchalant about her disappearance?
Related: Mayor of Kingstown Season 2 Episode 3 Review: Five at Five
While he's getting grief about not meeting his nephew yet, Evelyn calls Mike to ask for help with the mass of dead bodies left from Bunny's bad heroin.
Whatever is in the drugs going around, it's dangerous and fast-acting, taking out bodies indiscriminately. But whatever the compound is, they can't identify it yet.
It's scary enough to hear about the dangers of Fentanyl and have to worry about accidental transfer. The chance that this fast-acting poison could get into the schools is a parent's worst nightmare.
Thanks, Evelyn, for that source of no sleep tonight.
Mike: So what's the dope laced with?
Evelyn: A narcotic. A Neapolitan. It's a combination of drugs. It's going to take a minute but they're going to isolate the compounds. Talking about molecular structure. I don't know. I don't know. What I do know, this guy's heart gave out. 30 years old. No track marks. No evidence of long-term use. 22 years old. She was a goddamn mother of three.
Mike: Yeah, there's Meth.
Evelyn: Yeah.
Mike: Fentanyl. Bleach.
Evelyn: I don't know. We gotta wait for the lab.
Mike: Yeah, that'll take a minute.
Evelyn: Yeah.
Mike: So, what can I do for you?
Evelyn: There's bodies dropping in the prison.
Mike: That's DOC.
Evelyn: Yeah, and the streets.
Mike: That's KPD.
Evelyn: This is a goddamn death march. We're breaking out in sores, like lepers, okay? It's going to hit the schools next. Because it always does.
Mike: Yeah, well I can only deal with what's in front of me. And what the fuck is really in front of me here?
We finally found out why Bunny ain't been able to get ahold of his drug runner. They found her dead in a car outside the prison.
Leave it to the Warden not to cooperate with the Kingstown police. You'd think he would want answers about what he has circulating around his prison.
While Robert and his wife visit Kyle to meet the new baby, Kyle confides that he wants to transfer to SWAT.
Robert thinks it's a bad idea, too, but not for the same reasons we do.
Mike learns about a new player in town, the Russian Constantine, whom we met last episode when he put several bullets into a young woman while she clutched her baby.
It's possible that he's the one who ordered Bunny's drugs to get tampered with as a power play.
Mike starts to get suspicious about the Warden after Carney comes to complain about being transferred to a new unit after his confrontation with the Warden.
It's interesting to consider the potential outcomes when Mike learns the truth about the Warden's revenge after the riot in Mayor of Kingstown Season 2.
PTSD or not, Kareem is no better than Mike when it comes to working in the gray area. It's time to get off the high horse and take what help he can get.
Related: Mayor of Kingstown Season 2 Episode 1 Review: Never Missed a Pigeon
After meeting with Anna and finding out her son's killer is free, Mike lets Bunny know he's marked. Someone is trying to take him down.
The question is, who? We know it's the Russians, but they don't. And how long will it take Mike to realize Iris is in jail?
He left a message saying he understood if she took off. But he's supposed to have this brilliant mind that solves all these problems.
Will he miss the biggest one right in front of his face?
Will he or one of the brothers find out about their mom's car being in impound or happen to see Iris?
She's not cooperating with the police, so she doesn't get a phone call to notify Mike or anyone else to bail her out.
And when will Mike meet his new nephew? Is his aversion because he doesn't like kids or because he's not the touchy-feely type?
Could the writers decide to throw a baby into his life?
There is a baby still out there in the custody of a cold-blooded maniac.
Could he have an interest in Iris, who ends up with an interest in the baby?
What are your thoughts on how this week played out? What predictions do you have about what will play out in the upcoming episodes? How do you like the third season so far?
Leave your thoughts in the comments and be sure to share with a friend who is as obsessed as us! We always love connecting with fanatics.