Iris – The episode opens with what initially appears to be a night raid at a random house that leads to a hostage situation. When things take a drastic turn, it’s revealed that this is just a Swat training drill. Despite the screw-up Robert (Hamish Allan-Headley) tells Kyle McLusky (Taylor Handley) that he did an exceptional job.

Mike McLusky (Jeremy Renner) and Evelyn (Necar Zadegan) spend the morning together discussing the recent rash of overdoses. He assures her that Deverin ‘Bunny’ Washington (Tobi Bamtefa) is working on it but she tells him that she doesn’t think Bunny can fix it because drug analyses have reported traces of Russian meth and opioids in the OD victims. He assures her he will get on it, although she appears doubtful.

Ian Ferguson (Hugh Dillon) and Stevie (Derek Webster) are raving about taxes and the early release of minor offenders when Kyle and Robert show up to unveil the good news about Kyle passing his Swat entry exam. While congratulations are issued from all around, Ian learns that Captain Walter (Rob Kirkland) wants to meet with him, in his office in an hour. He refuses to tell him what the meeting is concerning.

Bunny intentionally ignores Mike’s calls as he and Digo (Phil Rice) visit with Cole (Patrick Cage) to gear up for what appears to be the apocalypse. Although Bunny and his crew are interested in the hand grenades, Cole steers them towards SAW, a modified assault rifle capable of firing 800 rounds per minute. At this point, Mike is so frustrated with Bunny’s inattention that he phones Ian and orders him to have patrol do a wellness check on Bunny. Ian tells him about Kyle making Swat, which Mike is not enthused about.

Tracy McLusky (Nishi Munshi) is welcomed back to the women’s correctional hospital ward by Lina (Lauren LaStrada) while Iris (Emma Laird) visits Konstantin Noskov (Yorick Van Wageningen) and Roman (Mark Ivanir). Before she meets with Konstantin, he is shown in a backroom binging on coke and raving stark mad about how Milo Sunter (Aidan Gillen) just rolled over.

Still searching for Bunny, Mike visits Rhonda (Nona Parker Johnson). Instead of Bunny, he finds Digo and Donnell Costa (Mark McKinnon), who wastes little time telling him that Bunny isn’t around and they don’t know where he is. Rhonda practically tells him the same thing while also offering to ‘pretty’ him up one day.

Tracy’s first day back doesn’t appear to be going so well when she is attacked by Sally (Allie McCulloch), who is complaining about severe stomach pains and requesting higher doses of pain medication. CO Breen (Matthew Del Negro) not only comes to her aid just in but appears a bit more attentive than he should probably be. Lina later teases her about the extra attention while he tells her that Sally’s pains are pregnancy-related. Tracy appears stunned, being that Sally has been locked up for three years and the prison doesn’t do congenial visits.

Konstantin is ecstatic to see Iris and rolls out the red carpet. When she tells him that she came back because she heard that Milo was gone and he was back, this sends him on another tangent about his distaste for him. They soon begin trading stories which eventually leads to him telling her the origins of her name, Iris.

Ian appears surprised when he meets with Captain Walter to learn that he’s personally received several letters of gratitude from the families of Charlie’s (Kenny Johnson) victims. Although Walter appears pleased with the much-needed win, he tells Ian that he doesn’t see how he can connect with someone like Charlie. Ian claims it’s all about respect but one still must always remember they are dealing with a serial killer.

Mike is just as surprised when he turns up at the Russia bar to find Iris meeting with Konstantin. Things only get stranger when Konstantin makes Mike discuss their business in front of Iris. Mike is in the process of telling Konstantin to back off Bunny when one of Bunny’s soldiers busts in and lays waste to the place. Mike immediately covers Iris. As KPD arrives and begins processing the scene, Mike poetically tells Konstantin to not hit back by saying that, an eye for an eye only leaves everyone blind. Although Konstantin doesn’t give him a definitive answer, it appears that he does agree.

It’s not long after this that Mike and Ian officially question Iris at KPD. Mike isn’t at all happy with Iris being with the Russians, even though she claims she was doing it for him. He’s even less happy when he learns about Konstantin’s job offer. Iris and Ian appear to be in agreement that if she backs out now, it will only look suspicious.

Mike pays Kyle and Tracy a surprise visit at home just after Kyle unveils the news about making the cut. It’s not long before Mike and Kyle find themselves alone discussing Iris’s involvement with the Russians. Kyle agrees to pretend that he doesn’t know Iris and says he’ll tell Tracy the same. Their meeting ends with Mike congratulating him for making the cut.

As soon as Mike leaves Kyle’s house, Bunny finally contacts him for a meeting. Mike wastes little time expressing his displeasure with Bunny ignoring his calls. The conversation goes that way for several minutes until Mike tells him about being at the bar when his man came in. After joking about Mike’s visit to Rhonda and her being a good businesswoman, Bunny tells him that if he wants a remedy to the violence, he needs to get his KPD gang on Konstantin.

Later that evening, Mike and Ian meet with Iris again in a hotel room where they brief her on the information, she should keep an eye out for. After she refuses to wear a wire, Mike gives her a burner phone, programmed with a number to his other burner. He tells her to only use the phone to call that number and to go straight to the meeting and back to the hotel room. Merely seconds later, Mike and Ian are watching Iris and Konstantin board a boat at the docks.

While Mike takes his anger about Iris’s predicament out on Ian, Konstantin questions her whereabouts after leaving Kingstown. She claims to have spent time in Detroit, where the deep pockets of the automotive executives and tech babies provided a good living. It doesn’t take long for Konstantin to return to his raving about Milo. As this transpires, Ian is now on his own tangent about the recent retirement of a hardnosed Detroit cop named McDaniel.

Iris’s time with Konstantin turns out to be well spent when she witnesses the Aryans picking up a shipment. Konstantin also hints at different living arrangements when he later drops her off at the hotel.

The episode ends with an ecstatic Iris calling Mike and telling him about witnessing the deal between the Aryans and Russians.

 

Mayor Of Kingstown Review

Although I am certainly not pleased that Iris will now likely be playing a much bigger role, I must say her story arc with Konstantin does add some intriguing depth to the story and her character. I was relishing the fact that she didn’t even get a line in the previous episode. This said, the story arc almost seems a bit lazy, given that it’s not much different than when she was with Milo or even the Aryans. I am not a fan of Tracy’s character but I did relish the nostalgia of Sally’s pregnancy. I wouldn’t even mind seeing this get a story arc of its own, as long as it doesn’t turn into something like a righteous pursuit.

It would have been nice if the episode had at least a prison scene or two but at the same time, I am glad to see that the series doesn’t need to heavily rely on that. Bunny’s war with the Russians really took off in this episode but it looks like that fire will be quickly extinguished. All in all, not a horrible episode, and a lot actually happened. I’d have to give it a 5.6 out of 10. I also enjoy what a wildman Konstantin is. He was practically snorting coke the entire episode.

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