Mayor of Kingstown Recap: The Devil You Think You Know

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While Mayor of Kingstown keeps things moving with plenty of plot twists, it rarely feels genuinely surprising, especially if you watch a lot of crime dramas. That’s why I was genuinely caught off guard by a moment in the latest episode. In “Sins of Omission,” Ian suddenly suspects Mike isn’t being completely honest with him, and he’s furious about it.

For some time now, Ian has been deceiving Mike, putting on a friendly and supportive act while secretly making shady deals and eliminating anyone who gets in his way. This week, he’s at it again, causing a car accident for the inquisitive ADA, Evelyn Foley. Despite this, Mike continues to trust Ian. However, Ian surprisingly appears genuinely bothered when he learns about Bunny’s new business partner.

After the violent clash that concluded last week’s episode – where Frank Moses’s team attacked the Colombians’ drug lab – Mike confesses he asked Ian to stop monitoring Cortez, allowing Frank’s group to operate freely. Ian sees this as a serious mistake, as everyone, including Mike himself, knows the Detroit crew is dangerous. He questions how Mike could let Frank’s team gain a presence in Kingstown without alerting the police.

“Sins of Omission” is a particularly exciting episode, with multiple plotlines moving forward quickly. We see Ian nearly cause Evelyn serious harm (we’ll discuss that in more detail shortly), and Bunny finally orchestrates Raphael’s revenge on the Colombians for the attack on Cortez at the beginning of the season. A surprise attack by the Crips on Roberto Cruz, the Colombian prison leader, leaves many of his men injured, leaving Bunny satisfied that their point has been made.

However, Mike is seeing things differently. He’s noticed that Warden Hobbs has only punished the Crips after the recent attack, which supports his belief that she and Torres are working with the Colombians. He receives more evidence from his informant, Kevin, who tells him Torres is using the prison’s fuel trucks to run a smuggling operation.

This week, Cindy Stephens enters the story as one of Mike’s informants. The episode opens with her and Mike together, and closes with her providing him with the information he needs about the inmates in AdSeg. Thanks to Cindy, Mike learns his brother Kyle has been in prison all along, housed right next to Merle Callahan. Mike doesn’t realize Merle has been influencing Kyle, filling his head with ideas about strength and forming partnerships, or that Hobbs is encouraging Merle to continue manipulating Kyle. Because of this, Mike immediately jumps to the worst possible conclusion.

In short, Mike is unaware of Ian’s attack on Evelyn, is starting to lose Ian’s trust because of the issues with Frank Moses, is watching Kyle drift towards Merle, and is unable to get Bunny to acknowledge the danger from Colombia.

It’s really not shocking that Mike is in trouble again. He consistently takes on more than he can handle. However, the writers of Mayor of Kingstown deserve praise for throwing him into the thick of things so quickly this season. They’ve definitely raised the stakes and the intensity.

Despite all the building suspense, the most memorable parts of the episode are two unsettling conversations Mike has with people he trusts. First, he talks to Bunny, who’s been swayed by Frank’s promises of investing in legitimate businesses and escaping his dangerous past. Bunny ignores Mike’s warning about Frank’s possible ulterior motives, especially since Detroit is preparing for a conflict with the Colombian cartel. Bunny remains confident he can get what he wants from Detroit and then quickly leave. He even jokes about making a swift exit, saying he’ll “riverdance out of there.”

Mike is concerned that Bunny is focused on the distant future – planning to hand over his business to Raphael in ten years – and is missing the immediate dangers. Raphael’s life is in constant jeopardy, potentially targeted by Colombians with Hobbs’s approval. It’s no surprise Mike dismisses Bunny’s suggestions that he take a large payout and leave Kingstown, because Mike believes no one truly escapes the city; simply surviving is a victory in itself.

Let me tell you, the scene between Mike and Robert is explosive. Robert is absolutely furious – and rightfully so – denying any involvement in Evelyn’s accident. But it’s more than just that; he’s completely fed up with Mike’s constant criticism. He lays it all out there, reminding Mike he’s put his life on the line for this family from the very beginning. And after years of blindly following orders, he’s finally realized something crucial: Mike’s plans never work out. He doesn’t hold back, telling Mike point-blank he’s no leader. It’s a total breakdown of trust, and you can feel the alliances crumbling all around them.

This leads us back to Ian, who continues to publicly back Mike, though he might be secretly upset. He shares a revealing scene with his partner, Stevie (Derek Webster), who begins to suspect Ian was the one who caused trouble for Evelyn while he was supposedly caring for his diabetic cat – something Ian had never mentioned before, and wouldn’t normally keep quiet about. Ian quickly confesses the truth about his involvement with Evelyn to Stevie, explaining he’s facing a long prison sentence and will do anything to avoid it.

Mike likely didn’t anticipate his police colleagues might betray him to save themselves. Ian isn’t someone who believes in noble intentions, and when Stevie asks when the trouble will end, Ian darkly replies, “When we’re dead.”

Solitary Confinement

Last week, Jeremy Renner was publicly accused of harmful behavior by a former partner, Yi Zhou, though details of their relationship are unclear. Renner’s representatives have disputed these claims. Because he’s the lead actor in Mayor of Kingstown, it’s worth mentioning, as these allegations might affect how viewers perceive his performance as Mike McLusky.

The prison fight is visually compelling, and the director uses effective camera angles – particularly shots from above – to create a sense of dread. When the guards force the prisoners to lie on the ground, the scene takes on a particularly disturbing quality, resembling a battlefield littered with bodies.

Tracy, Kyle’s wife, thinks someone might have tried to break into their home, so Mike asks for a police patrol to check it out. Ian, seemingly preoccupied and in the middle of something, assures Mike he’s taking care of it – just before a loud noise suggests something has fallen or broken.

Although Ian only hospitalized Evelyn instead of killing her, Mike still wants to stop her from exposing corrupt police officers. He argues that Evelyn can’t help anyone if she’s dead, but questions whether simply frightening her into silence is any better.

Mike was furious that Ian called while he was with Cindy, snapping that it better be an emergency. Ian, matter-of-factly describing life in Kingstown, replied that in that town, people are always dying.

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2025-11-17 00:58