Mayor of Kingstown Season 1 Episode 10

The Piece of My Soul – The show begins with a riot in the prison yard. Iris (Emma Laird) is having breakfast as Mike McLusky (Jeremy Renner) gets ready for work. She wants champagne to celebrate a new chapter in her life. He suggests writing the second chapter. In the car, Mike receives several pages of text messages. He flips on the radio to a news segment about the prison riot. Officials believe the inmates have 75 guards held hostage inside the prison.

He calls his mother, Mariam McLusky (Dianne Wiest) who informs him, his brother, Kyle McLusky (Taylor Handley) is missing. She scolds him for not answering his phone when the police arrive at her house. He suggests not answering the door and telling them she lost saw Kyle this morning. She tells the police officer Kyle was last seen yesterday before he went to work. Kyle’s wife, Tracy McLusky (Nishi Munshi) breaks down when the police leave. She orders Mike to let the police do their job and stay away from the prison. The police do not have jurisdiction in the prison. He promises her Kyle will not die.

Mike calls the prison guard, Ed’s phone, which goes to voice mail. A media crew is based in front of the prison. Kingstown Police Department Captain Walter (Rob Kirkland) tells Sergeant Robert Sawyer (Hamish Allan-Headley), state police want to work with SWAT. He refuses to take instructions from “fu**ing clowns.” State police have jurisdiction over the prison. He runs his team, or they sit and watch from the bleachers. Assistant DA Evelyn Foley (Necar Zadegan) meets Mike asks if he is going to, “Let the grownups handle it.” Robert schedules a meeting with the state police tac manager, Hank.

Mike alerts Robert that Kyle is inside the prison. The inmates will find out now that the department knows. Robert angrily reprimands the police for jamming the cell signal. They are jamming the single to prevent the inmates from communicating with outside sources. He reminds them about the guards and homicide detectives, Kyle and Ian (Hugh Dillon) inside the prison. They were aware of the guards, but not Kyle and Ian. He suggests Mike wait for Kyle to reach out to him and call the others to let them know SWAT is coming.

Channel 10 news reporter Anwar Knight reports on the prison riot from a helicopter. The inmates shoot at the helicopter, forcing it to veer away from the prison.

Kyle and Ian are walking through the prison tunnel when they encounter inmates in a physical confrontation. They hurriedly turn around and head back in the opposite direction. Kyle receives a text from Mike. Mike alerts Robert of Kyle’s text “Track my location do it fast.” They track his phone to the southeast corner underneath the prison.

Captain Walter asks Mike for a favor. The hostage negotiator (Michael Friedman) alerts Mike, the inmates will only talk to him. When he agrees to do it, State Police Watch Commander (Paulino Nunes) reminds him, he is a police informant. State trooper (David Chinchilla) reads him his Miranda rights. They assume he is a criminal because he works with criminals. Inmate Carlos (Jose Pablo Cantillo) tells Mike, it is not a riot, but a revolution. The inmates will do whatever is necessary to defend the prison. He suggests they watch the yard while he gives them their demands. Surveillance footage shows the guards under sheets being led into the prison yard. The guards, beaten, are tied to a metal structure in the center of the yard.

Carlos says there is nothing they can do to the inmates because most of them are in for life. The prison is no life, it takes their dignity, manhood, and things that make them people. Warden Mills (Adam Clark) sets in on the negotiation. Mike says this is not Carlos, he is reading it. The person in charge orders to meet Mike in the prison yard. Mike asks what will happen if the police do not let him attend the meeting. Carlos orders an inmate to kill a guard (Dru Viergever). He says, “They’ll let you.” Mike, frustrated walks outside for a smoke.

SWAT enters the prison through the underground tunnel system. Nunes asks Mike if he knows what the inmates want. They want payback.

Milo gets a prison uniform out of the guard’s locker room.  Ian comforts Kyle who is tripping out as shotguns can be heard in the background. An inmate yells, “It’s judgment day motherfu**ers.” Ian caps his hand over Kyle’s mouth to muffle his screams. Inmates discover them hiding in the tunnel. As an inmate threatens to shoot, SWAT approaches from behind. The inmates are shot Kyle pleads with Robert to get them out of the tunnel. Robert encourages him to get retribution or regret it for the rest of his life. Ian and Kyle follow behind SWAT into the prison.

Iris enjoys the outdoors at Mike’s cabin when a black bear approaches. She rushes inside and grabs a knife.

Police officer Stevie (Derek Webster) and two other officers inspect Duke’s house. Stevie finds a cellphone, with Mike as a contact. Keno (Derek Basco) discovers shell casings in acid. Stevie says they can ask Mike what happened and drops the phone in acid to keep it from becoming evidence.

Mike puts on a bulletproof vest before entering the prison. Captain Nunes is not happy when he discovers SWAT is inside the prison. Captain Walter and Captain Richard Heard (Rob Stewart) discuss who has jurisdiction over the prison. The National Guard will be brought in to take the prison back. Nunes tells Heard, the governor says, “Not on my watch.” Every inmate in prison is watching the riot.

The National Guard arrives and prepares to enter the prison. Nunes orders Captain Walter to get SWAT out of the prison. He reminds him there are two police officers in the prison. National Guard accesses the prison toward, with the help of a firetruck ladder. Mike prepares to meet with the inmate in charge of the riot.

Robert orders his team out of the prison because National Guard has it under control. An inmate is shot while making shanks. Inmates protest in the yard. Milo can be seen wearing a prison guard uniform.

Mariam and Tracy are watching Channel 10 News when they see Mike enter the prison. She curses and angrily grabs her car keys. National Guardsmen are lined along the prison tower. Ed pleads with Mike to get them out. Inmate P-Dog “Paul” (Pha’rez Lass) says the guards will never leave the prison. P-Dog greets Mike and leads him through the crowd of inmates. Prison guard Ernest “Ernie” Van Ackle (Tim Post) approaches the National Guard. Guardsman Brian (Johan Strombergsson-Denora) demands to know what he is doing on the tower. He says, “This is my post,” refusing to leave. Brian hits him multiple times until he falls to the ground.

P-Dog says look what they turned us into. Mike says you were already made. The inmates are beaten every time they are fed. They went back on their promise when they killed meth head, Kenny Miles (Billy Lush.) He can choose how he dies. The inmates followed him into the yard, they were not forced to come. Mike says what about the guards. P-Dog says they are the “coldest, motherfu**ers criminals in here.” They take his daughter’s letters. Prison drugs are cheaper than street drugs. It is time someone told the world about the prison guards. He is the messenger. P-Dog shoots Ed in the head. The Guardsmen start firing into the yard while Mike tries to escape.

SWAT shoots an inmate as he tries to enter the underground tunnel. Inmates in the yard start to lay down on the ground. Mike watches the shootout from underneath a workout bench. SWAT continue to make their way through the prison, killing all inmates who get in their way. Ernie loads his weapon. Carlos is shot in the shoulder as he enters the yard. Ernie shoots several Guardsmen until they kill him.

The Guardsmen and SWAT advance into the yard. The guards are freed. Milo enters the yard wearing a guard uniform. Mike watches as Ian congratulates Kyle for doing such a great job. Mike asks Kyle if he is okay and hugs him while he cries.

Mariam arrives at the prison in search of Mike and Kyle.  She is frantic when she mistakes a man on a gurney for Kyle. She walks up and hugs Mike and Kyle. Mike walks over and sets down on the hood of his vehicle. He removes his bulletproof vest. Images of inside the prison and yard can be seen on the screen.

Mike arrives at his cabin, with a bottle of champagne. Iris is sitting on the floor, “I learned something today, what they took, I’ll never get back.” Everything they did to her, took a piece of her soul. She can live with it or cut the rest of it away. He learned that too. She thinks her soul may grow back. They sit in quiet as the episode comes to an end.

 

Mayor of Kingstown Finale Review

The finale focused almost entirely on the prison riot, which I felt was not a good move. An interesting hostage negotiation would have been a much better alternative to excessive violence. One must question if this were a true riot, would gang inmates work together to take down the prison. Also, would they be willing to sacrifice their opportunity at freedom to participate in a prison riot? In the show, the inmates died for absolutely nothing.

Surprisingly, Mariam broke down and showed her sons some love. Her gruff attitude is a bit much at times.

This is one of the least scenic shows I have watched in a long time We were provided little to nothing as far as the Michigan landscape goes. Oh, I must’ve forgotten, it was filmed in Canada. Why have a Michigan setting when the filming location is Canada?

There are enough cues to safely say there will probably be a second season. Milo leaves the prison in a guard uniform and Mike’s number in Duke’s cellphone at a crime scene. The episode deserves a 7.5.

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