Orion – The show begins with an investigation of the pizza restaurant. A law enforcement officer denies Mike McLusky (Jeremy Renner) access to the crime scene. He calls Stevie (Derek Webster) to give him access. He tells Mike his brother, Kyle McLusky (Taylor Handley) is still being held as part of the investigation. Detectives are questioning the distraught customer (Connor Smith) who witnessed the shooting. Mike goes speaks with the cook on duty at the time of the shooting.  The cook (Jorge Molina) tells his version of the incident. He denies knowing the customer who also witnessed the incident. Mike turns around when he hears Kyle asking for his “union rep”. Ian (Hugh Dillon) yells, “He shot at us”. Tom (Chris Owens) responds, “You didn’t identify yourselves as police officers.”

Mike demands to know why Assistant DA Evelyn Foley (Necar Zadegan) is at the crime scene. She asks him the same question. He walks over to talk with Kyle after they discussed the incident. Ian describes the incident that led up to the shooting. Kyle says there was no other option but to shoot the pizza clerk. The intoxicated customer “tweaker” was armed with a knife. Ian believes the clerk was selling meth. Mike speaks with Tom to determine which side he is on. He scolds him for grinding Kyle in front of the assistant DA. He responds, “I’m trying to keep a lid on this, they’re freaking out.” Mike wants him to investigate the shooting as a drug bust. Tom questions if drugs were found on the victim. Mike says, “Not yet.” He says, “It would simplify matters.”

Mike enters the pizza restaurant to tell Stevie the clerk is a drug dealer. Mike says he will get the right answers from the customer if he asks the right questions. He agrees with the drug dealer theory. The Assistant DA walks in and tells mike to help himself to her crime scene. He says they are looking at the shooting at the wrong angle, they walked in during a drug deal. Mike thanks her when she orders the body to be left at the crime scene until it has been searched. She has a client for Mike. He asks her out to dinner, she says, “The timing, Mike.”

At the prison, the guards are in the breakroom when Ernest “Ernie” Van Ackle (Tim Post) walks in. He sits down at an empty table and pops open a can of Vienna sausage. Guard Time Weaver (Jason E. Kelley) asks if he got it from the commissary. He responds, “Forgot my lunch.” Ed (James Jordan) asks who approved him for overtime. He admits to not being on the clock. They tease him until he gets up and walks out. Ed wonders if inmate P-Dog (Pha’rez Lass) is enjoying his dinner. He warns the guards to keep their eyes open during the night shift. Ed refuses to lock the prisoners down in their cells.

P-Dog is sitting in empty cells when his dinner arrives. He angrily dumps the food into the toilet before slinging the tray back into the meal slot. When the worker asks for the bowl, he threateningly says come get it. He retrieves the bowl from the toilet and tosses it back into the meal slot. The worker says, “Wow, you at that fast.”

Mike is at his office talking to a client. Tashard Little (Ryan Allen) needs advice about his 16-year-old brother, Tim. Mike says, “I negotiate for you” to support his fees. He agrees and leaves. Rebecca (Nichole Galicia) says someone from the DA’s office is waiting to speak with him. Mr. Shaw wants to discuss his daughter who was abducted and killed. James Parker confessed to the murder and later recanted. No one was prosecuted for the murder because her body was never found. He wants Parker to confess to his daughter’s murder, which would result in a stay of execution. Mike asks if this is what he wants. He says, “When he’s dead, he’s done suffering.” He wants Mike to find out why Parker has never confessed to his daughter’s murder. He gives Mike a check and leaves.

Iris meets with Joseph the Russian (George Tchortov) and Craig (Tony Nappo) to interview for a dancing position. He orders her to remove her clothes and get on the stage. She removes her clothes and turns around as directed by Joseph. Craig interjects when Joseph tells her to get on the stage nude. Milo wants Iris to have a cover, an exotic dancer. Joseph threatens Craig to not touch Iris.

Mike visits Deverin “Bunny” Washington (Tobi Bamtefa) to discuss Tashard. Bunny tells Mike he is receiving complaints from inmates, including his cousin, P-Dog. He orders Mike to tell the guards to back off before everything comes to a head.  Bunny refers to Tashard as a “rat.” Mike asks Bunny to leave Tashard’s brother who is a straight-A student alone. Mike agrees to trade Tashard for his brother. He asks Bunny if he has someone on death row near James Parker. Bunny says, “Hey, I don’t understand white people, man, y’all won’t get in a gunfight to save your life” but you all will kill and eat 20 children. Mike offers him top dollar to get to Parker. Bunny wants Mike to take his cousin, Akim (Drew Davis) to his first hockey game at the City Center. He will get shot if he takes Akim more than six blocks away.

Mike and Akim are off to the City Center. Akim wants to get out of Kingstown. He wants to play for the Red Wings.

At the Kingstown Police Department, Captain Richard Heard (Rob Stewart) tells officers Carlos Jimenez (Jose Pablo Cantill) filed his drug test. His parole has been revoked. Parole officer, Jefferson (Austin Strugnell) explains Carlos’ criminal history. Kyle and Ian have been brought in to help because the officers are short-staffed. Robert (Hamish Allan-Headley) suggests the raid take place during the day while they are sober. Captain Heard agrees and tells Robert to be safe.

Ernie masturbates in the shower. His wife, Wilma Van Ackle (Amanda Barker) yells for him to clean up his son’s vomit. He asks why she hasn’t taken their son, Hart Van Ackle (Garrett Bales) to the doctor. She angrily responds, “What’s the point” and orders him to clean it up before he leaves for work. She complains about him never being home and her never leaving the house as he cleans up the vomit.

At the City Center, Mike meets a hockey player’s dad (Patrick Stevenson).

Carlos is picked up while walking down a sidewalk. Robert pushes him up against a car and says, “You pussies never resist.”

Akim’s teammate, Tony (Reese Kontkanen) pushes him to the floor. His father congratulates him and says, “Knocked that little bastard right back across the railroad tracks where he belongs.” Akim gets up and slams his body into Tony who hits the floor. His father begins to yell for the refs to intervene. He calls Akim a “little punk.”

At the strip club, Craig sees Iris sitting with a male customer. He tells her the money is in dancing. She admits to selling a promise of a dance and pulls out a wad of cash. He tells her to be careful. She says, “I’m spoken for.” She claims Mike has spoken for her. He says she doesn’t seem like Mike’s type. A fight breaks out among the players and parents, forcing Mike to get involved.

Officers raid Carlos’ home. The pit bulls are removed from the property by animal control.

A fight breaks out among the players and parents, forcing Mike to get involved. Mike takes Akim home. He asks, “Why hockey.” He responds, “Look at the Williams sisters, Tiger Woods, PK Subban, they all play these white people sports and I mean, they dominate them.” He explains why he cannot play football and basketball. So, hockey is his way out. Mike suggests boxing and agrees to take him to every game. Akim laughs when Mike says he will have them hockey fathers carrying his gym back to his car.

Mike meets with the Assistant DA for dinner. She doesn’t understand what they are doing in a restaurant. She says, “I’m just here so that we can pretend we like each other so that you don’t feel guilty” about having sex with me. She is attracted to Mike because she would never have a relationship with him. She suggests they be a release for each other. He agrees, finishes his drink, pays the tab, and walks out of the restaurant. He doesn’t want to waste his time.

Carlos is booked at the police department and transported to prison. A dog is undergoing surgery to remove a balloon filled with narcotics. He is transported to his cell as the dog is transported to a holding area.

Bunny thanks Mike for taking Akim to his hockey game. Akim is the only male in Bunny’s family alive and not in prison. Bunny says, Well, for 500 years, running fast is the only thing that can free a black man.” He wishes the streetlights were turned out just one night, so he could see the stars more freely. They continue to discuss the stars as the episode comes to an end.

Mayor of Kingstown Review

As always, Jeremy Renner never disappoints. The scenes are beginning to run together, with some even feeling a bit repetitive. With a double layer of political correctness, it was difficult to finish out the episode. I feel hockey fans and players were being stereotyped as white racist rednecks. Even with Mariam missing from the episode, the other characters picked up where she left off. The episode would have been much improved without the pointless scenes and woke terminology, “white cracker”. The episode deserves a 7.

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