Mayor of Kingstown Season 3 Episode 1 Review: Soldier’s Heart

The Mayor of Kingstown Season 2 Episode 10 ended on a major cliffhanger, leaving fans wondering if Miriam McLusky — mother of Mike — would survive.

However, we recently learned that Dianne Wiest was not on the list of names to be part of the show’s third season.

So we should have been prepared. But we weren’t.

In true fashion, Mayor of Kingtown Season 3 Episode 1 opened with emotions — first a funeral, then an explosion as everyone returned to their cars.

Talk about setting the bar high for what to expect this season. And instead of grieving like normal people, Mike did his mayoral duties.

Related: David Glasser on Mayor of Kingstown, His Part in Taylor Sheridan’s Growing Universe

It’s interesting to see the tightrope he has to walk to keep the peace between the gangs — criminals and police.

The dynamic he shares with his officer brothers strikes an ideal balance with his ex-con ways.

It’s unclear whether things would be better or worse if his brothers stopped enabling him.

His brothers aren’t always better behaved than him, and they’re supposed to be upstanding, law-abiding citizens.

They definitely all share the trait of being hot-headed and stubborn. Having any of them involved in the raid was a bad idea.

As made obvious when Robert blew up the building instead of letting the cops make arrests.

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Sure, they were in a firefight with the Aryans, an all-white gang group.

But did they even have a right to be there?

Like they’re uber-bad guys, but are they the right bad guys for the situation?

We know that Mike only gave up the group as a way to keep everyone from looking at Bunny for the attack on Robert and the car bomb at the funeral.

Robert’s actions were more extreme than they called for, and they might have made enemies out of the wrong people.

The chemistry between Mike and Evelyn (Necar Zadegen) teased at more to come. Could there be romance in the air for those two? Mike is certainly protective of her.

Mike: Where’s your security detail, by the way?Evelyn: I’m going after anyone — Mike anyone — that my predecessor was too fucking chicken-shit to pursue politically. Or just too fucking chicken shit generally. And I promise you, Mike, if your name comes up, any association, I’m going to roll you up with the rest. I fucking swear to Christ.Mike: Yeah. Stop swearing to all this stuff. Alright. I hear you. Okay. I hear you. Roll me the fuck up. Where’s your security detail?Evelyn: I cut them loose. Mike: Hey. Not smart. Evelyn: I go after cops, Mike. You think I want them watching my back? No. Thank you. It’s too risky. Mike: I don’t give a flying shit, Evelyn. Look. Look what happened to Lockett. Okay. You need guns. You need that security detail. You hear me?Evelyn: Yeah. I have a gun.Mike: Nobody fucking cares. About your gun. Alright? Now you tell me who they are, I’ll vet them. I’ll make sure they’re straight from the fucking academy. Okay? Their cherry’s still intact. Evelyn: Oh my God. That’s just lovely. That’s lovely. Mike: Okay, I’m not fucking around. I’m serious. Evelyn: I know.Mike: Don’t let it happen again.

Not that that’s saying much, given his protectiveness over women in his orbit.

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Watching that van of weapons getting unloaded in broad daylight was terrifying.

There were people everywhere, and no one noticed or seemed to care.

Interesting to find out that those weapons were the stash that Bunny agreed to surrender. A sarcastic thumb to the nose to the police and rival crews.

The new player in town, Constatine, is a terrifying creature. Shooting the poor young girl, Tatiana, while she had her baby in her hands?

That’s not the kind of role model we want to see influence any child. The jury’s still out on the behaviors of Police Captain Moore (played by Michael Beach).

Police captain Moore: Kevin. Hey, you good?Rookie Guard Jackson: Yes sir. I even hit the gate.Moore: Yeah, that’s right. That’s right. Listen, your training was too accelerated. We all know it. The staff here. DOC. But we bled so much in the riot.Jackson: I’m happy to be here, sir. Happy to serve.Moore: Yeah. Your family in corrections?Jackson: Incarcerated, sir, where I’m from. Moore: Listen, so you’re good with what you witnessed?Jackson: I seen people die before.Moore: Yeah. I was told that you tried to — you tried to help the inmate.Jackson: It wasn’t a whole lot I could do.Moore: No. It wasn’t. Don’t — don’t ever do that again, son. Ever. Jackson: Yes, yes sir.Moore: It won’t be the last time you’ll experience that violence. But it will be the last time you offer aid before the seniors secure and you have backup. You’re lucky to be going home. You hear what I’m saying?Jackson: Yes Warden.

Was he right to tell the young guard not to help save an inmate’s life if he didn’t have backup? There’s a case for and against that line of behavior.

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Since we saw this moment with the young guard, we wonder if he will play a bigger role in the story this season.

Will he be an ally for the mayor or a hindrance since he’s in cahoot with the gang banger Bunny? What’s the history there?

The bond between Mike and Iris keeps growing stronger, and she seems to think it’s going in a direction he’s not feeling. Good job, Mike!

It’s too early to tell if she’ll leave her drug-using prostitution ways behind or if she’ll fall back into that life.

She has a container of pills left over from Miriam’s, so it could foreshadow a future relapse.

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Especially since Mike shut down her advances. She didn’t seem too happy to hear him say she had a place to stay in his home but not in his bed.

Let us hear your thoughts. Do we want to see Mike happy with someone, or do we want him to stay alone and broody so he can keep doing his work with the prisoners?

As seen with his mom, having attachments can leave you vulnerable when you have enemies.

Would it be wise to try hooking up with someone in the long run, especially when his crush is on the right side of the law, and he tends to skate on the edges and completely dance on the dark side when it suits him?

TV series like Mayor of Kingstown, Tulsa King, and Fire Country give us a unique spin on the same storylines.

Related: Jeremy Renner Is Back In Business in Mayor of Kingstown Season 3 Trailer

We get to see former criminals experience redemption and a chance to move on with a normal life after incarceration. Or see them revert to their old ways and become re-offenders.

In Mike’s case, he’s using his experiences in prison and his familiarity with the justice system to keep the peace between the two opposing sides.

And it sheds light on the corruption that exists behind bars as much as on the police force. We have characters we love to hate and characters we hate to love.

McLusky should be the kind of person we root against, and yet, time and again, we root for his outlaw ways and underhanded tendencies.

For the season premiere, Mayor of Kingstown Season 3 Episode 1 resolved some cliffhangers from last season and gave us a taste of what’s to come for the rest of the season.

Cliffhangers That Made Our Jaws Drop to The Floor

We have our tensions with Bunny and the problems about to pop off in prison now that someone of importance has been killed.

And we’ve met our new villain for the season. We will surely see more of him and the baby in future episodes. Will Mike have something to do with getting the infant away from the monster and into a safe home?

Could that baby be a redemption story for Iris and give her the will to stay sober instead of relapsing? And what role will Mike’s new role as uncle – and Kyle’s role as dad — have throughout the rest of the show?

Regardless of what’s to come, we’re happy to see that Renner recovered from his recent accident in time to return as McLusky.

Let’s hear your thoughts, Fanatics! How did you like the opening episode of the third season of Mayor of Kingstown?

Is it a worthy alternative for entertainment now that most shows have aired their season finale?

What other shows are you filling your time with as we await the return of our favorite series?

Leave your thoughts in the comments, and remember, sharing is caring. Share this article with someone you like.

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Sara Trimble is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. You can follow her on X.