The Price – The story begins at the prison, where inmate Milo Sunter (Aidan Gillen) is preparing a cup of coffee in his cell. He drinks his coffee while staring out a newspaper clipping about a land auction in Michigan. Mike McLusky (Jeremy Renner) is having sex with Assistance DA Evelyn Foley (Necar Zadegan) in a bedding store restroom. He doesn’t care, she canceled his CI order. She cannot be seen with him in public. He receives a call from Rebecca (Nichole Galicia) and exits the bedding store. She alerts him of calls from Carlos (Jose Pablo Cantillo) and Peterford Trucking.

Mariam McLusky (Dianne Wiest) is teaching a class about Jedidiah Smith’s South Pass discovery to inmates. As she leaves the prison, she is met by Mike who apologizes for missing supper. She asks him if he has spoken to his brother, Kyle McLusky (Taylor Handley).  She says, “Did he tell you.” He responds, “Tell me what.” She becomes upset with his responses and attacks him before saying, “Tracy’s pregnant.”   She doesn’t want Tracy’s baby to be raised by a widow. She wants Kyle to take the trooper position to ensure Tracy is less likely to become a widow.

Mike receives a call from Deverin “Bunny” Washington (Tobi Bamtefa) while driving down the highway. Mike agrees to meet Bunny when he refuses to talk on the cellphone. Bunny scolds him for screeching his tires, suggesting he relax. Agents are surveilling Bunny and other members of the Crips gang. Bunny says, “Boys want some candy sent over” for killing Kenny Miles (Billy Lush). He reminds Mike of his promise. Mike tells him if they start asking for things, they will get nothing. He encourages Bunny to ask for something minor like a lunchroom TV or more time in the yard.  Mike believes “uniforms” are going to ease up, frisking the female visitors and checking the mail less often. Bunny is worried about their safety because he thinks they will pay for killing Kenny. Mike encourages Bunny to distance himself before leaving.

Mike receives a call from Duke “Pete” (Andrew Howard), demanding he move him to the top. He calls Rebecca to tell her he will not be in the office today. He orders her to tell Iris to come back tomorrow. Iris tells Rebecca she is beautiful, she is flattered.

Mike erratically pulls into Peterford Trucking, almost hitting a semi-truck. He angrily walks over and picks up a red barrel and throws it into a picture window. He says, “You are at the top of the list, Pete.” Duke says he made quite a mess, he responds, “Yeah, well everybody’s gonna see the mess I can make.” He reminds Mike of the advice he gave about killing Kenny. He warns Duke about what will happen if he rats. He refuses to give them anything and repeats the same thing he told Bunny about the guards loosening their grip. Mike doesn’t take sides and the whites are outnumbered 10 to 1 in the prison. He warns, “Don’t tell me what to do again ever” before he skids out of the parking lot.

At the cabin in the woods, Mike is standing on the porch when the black bear arrives looking for food. Mike sees a car pulling up the drive. He runs into the woods and comes up on Kyle who immediately defends his reason for showing up without warning. The cabin does not have cell service and Kyle refuses to send smoke signals. He scolds him for hiding in the trees. They discuss Kyle’s trooper job offer, which is in narcotics in the Southwest Division from Grand Rapids to Muskegon. He would be in the Benton Harbor field office. Mike doesn’t believe the position would be safer than Kingstown. The narcotics division needs new troopers, not the transportation crime division in which he applied. The position starts at $70K, a $25K increase from his current job. Mike believes the drug smugglers up north are organized and smart. He says Kingstown has both good and bad criminals. He believes the position is open for a reason. Kyle shrugs the risks off and doesn’t know if he will take the position.

Mike is at his office, mixing coffee and alcohol for breakfast. Rebecca walks him and asks him what is going home because he hasn’t visited the office in days. She says Mitch was so good because he never took anything personal. She reminds him if there are no clients, there is no money coming in. He calls prison guard Ed (James Jordan) to request a one-on-one meeting. They agree to meet at the tugboat in an hour. Mike tells Ed everyone is breathing down his throat because of Kenny. They want their favors, including drugs. Ed isn’t happy with their consistent requests, refusing to give them their money and drugs. Mike wants the inmates to remember what it used to be like in the prison. He wants the leaders hit hard.

At the prison, a guard in full body armor walks up to his cell and warns two inmates, “This is the second time.” The inmates are confused by what is transpiring. The guard shoots the inmates with non-fatal bullets and mace. The inmates are transported to the shower to wash off the pepper spray. Ed walks into the shower and asks the inmate, “What did you learn today.” He tells him, “Everything you have, I gave you, and now, I’m taking it all back.” He is taking it back because the inmates asked for more. The inmate is on his hands and knees on the shower floor. Ed ordered to take the inmate to Ad-Seg.

Mike visits the Kingstown Police Department to speak with Ian (Hugh Dillon). He wants Locos gang leader, Carlos Jimenez (Jose Pablo Cantillo). Ian says Carlos has a flagrant nonsupport warrant. He spent three years in a Michigan prison for manslaughter. His last known current address is an aunt’s home. Ian calls the provided phone number, with no answer. Ian asks officer Keno (Derek Basco) to call Carlos’ aunt who only speaks Spanish. Carlos is at the ranch, where the Locos host dog fights. Mike orders Ian to pick Carlos up on the warrant, saying they all have their hands out.

At the prison, Mariam is preparing for a class when a fight breaks out among the inmates. She is taken into the classroom with another worker who complains about the inconvenience of the inmates fighting.

At the office, Mike retrieves a handgun and clips from a wall safe. Rebecca tells him Iris (Emma Laird) is waiting on their meeting. He jokes about her dress and Miami. She tells him Milo sent her. She asks if they had a fight. Milo wants to be makeup. She unsuccessfully tries to seduce Mike. He tells her to get out. She says Milo ordered her to make Mike happy. He suggests she go back to wherever she came from, or she will not make it. She starts to cry but admits to being strong. He retrieves his gun and clips from the office desk before leaving.

He visits the Locos ranch, where he meets a dog handler. The man refuses to tell Mike where Carlos is at. He drops something on the ground and tells the man to give it to Carlos. He pulls a gun up to the man’s chest, demanding Carlo’s whereabouts. He was picked up on a warrant.

He finds out Ian has Carlos for which he wants $3,700 to cover a bench warrant. Ian is in his car outside a pizza joint waiting for Kyle to bring him some food. He agrees to pay the warrant to give him access to Carlos. Ian orders Mike to call Kyle and tell him to hurry up with his pizza. When Mike contacts Kyle, he is concerned about a shady customer. Ian begins to enter the restaurant through an entrance door in the back alley. Kyle continues to monitor the customer when Ian contacts him to alert of his location. They need to wait until other customers leave before they can take the suspect. A Mexican cook (Jorge Molina) periodically looks at Kyle. Ian tells him to push “send” when it is clear.

At the Kingstown Police Department, Carlos is confused when he is released. Kyle eats Ian’s pizza while he waits on the restaurant to clear. The suspect is getting antsier by the second. Mike meets Carlos outside the police department. Mike reminds him of the $3,700 warrant. They discuss the agreement to take Kenny out. Carlos says they want their favor. Mike reminds him of the drugs on the inside of the prison and asks him if he wants the door unlocked. Carlos says, “Once you educate a people, you cannot make them unlearn.” Mike calls him a “drug dealer and thief”. Carlos says he doesn’t have any backup. Mike disagrees, saying “I run with the biggest gang in the city.” He tells Carlos it is for his own good. Carlos says they should have never made a deal. Mike responds, “They never did.”

The pizza joint is clearing out when Kyle hits “send” on his cell. Ian enters through the back entrance with a gun pointed at the suspect’s head. The cook pulls his gun and shoots at Kyle but misses. Kyle and Ian shoot him multiple times, leaving his body slumped on the floor. The man who was assumed to be a suspect asks for help. A worker repeats “I hate this city” repeatedly as the episode comes to an end.

Mayor of Kingstown Review

Another action-packed episode, with Mike McLusky running Kingstown with the help of corrupt prison guards and police officers. You are guaranteed to not get bored, as the story moves along at a quick pace. The prison education scenes would not be missed, as they serve no purpose in the show.

Would like to see more scenery instead of the frequent industrial plant and ship. Sometimes the scenery can speak volumes about a town. In this case, Kingstown is all about the prisons and inmates. So, it may not matter anyway. Four episodes in, the storyline continues to hold my interest. The episode deserves a 7.2.

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