Mayor of Kingstown Season 3, Episode 8 Review: The War Comes Too Late (2024)

With only three episodes left, Mayor of Kingstown descends into complete chaos. Viewers of the Paramount+ show won't be totally surprised by where Season 3, Episode 8, "Captain of the Sh*t Out of Luck" takes them, because it was always clear from the Season 3 premiere that the plot would result in all-out war. After delivering a few episodes that shook things up, in Episode 8 is where the new level of violence finally seems to have stuck.

The creatively-titled episode sees the Crips exact some retribution against the Aryan Brotherhood for the murder of Rhonda, which Mike McLusky finally turns to his advantage, using it as a way to get out from under Merle Callahan's proverbial thumb. Elsewhere, the series takes a big step forward in Tracy McLusky's storyline, but it's one that will likely start a debate amongst viewers. There are things in this episode that can't be taken back, so the season should finally be able to maintain its momentum -- just in time to come to a crashing end.

Mayor of Kingstown Solves Mike's Callahan Problem

Season 3, Episode 8 Gives Mike a Creative Solution

Ever since Callahan gave Mike the ultimatum to attack Bunny in Mayor of Kingstown Season 3, Episode 6, "Ecotone," the question became how Mike would get out of it. It's perfectly fine for the characters to be on opposite sides, but the relationship between Mike and Bunny is so essential to the series that making them permanent enemies would be a huge blow to any potential Season 4. Luckily, two episodes after that threat, Mike uses a bad situation to get a (relatively speaking) good outcome.

The most shocking moment of the episode comes at the beginning; audiences can guess right away that the black-clad motorcyclist is up to no good, but it's who he attacks that gets jaws-dropping. Supported by a sniper on a nearby rooftop, the rider throws numerous grenades over the wall of Anchor Bay, catching Callahan and a few of his Aryan Brotherhood members completely off guard. The scene is visceral and chaotic; it also prompts a modicum of hope that Callahan might just be killed, even though doing so would disrupt the rest of the season. He's that vile of a villain that audiences can't help but root for his demise. Unfortunately, he survives, and escalates his demands to having Bunny -- and all of the Crips -- murdered. Mike, however, is one step ahead of him.

The use of military-grade grenades affirms to Mike immediately that Bunny's crew are responsible for the attack, since he saw their entire arsenal when he paid Bunny a visit at the end of Season 3, Episode 7, "Marya Was Here." However, he convinces Callahan that the military weaponry must have come from the Russians, causing Callahan to set his sights on Konstantin instead. This swerve is further backed up by Konstantin's own actions, as the Russian mob leader murders another of Callahan's men when they show up at his boat unannounced. When that information gets back to the prison, Callahan has all the ammunition he needs to go after the Russians. This means all three of the sides Mike has been wrangling are officially after one another, with Mike in the middle. After episodes of stopping and starting the drama, there's no going back now, and the show has a credible way for Mike to have solved his problem.

Mayor of Kingstown Gives More to Kyle and Tracy

Episode 8 Gets to the Right Place In a Different Way

Mayor of Kingstown Season 3, Episode 8 also brings both Kyle McLusky and Tracy McLusky's stories to their tipping points. Kyle's is easier to follow, as he gets into a confrontation with his new boss Robert that proves Robert was right to tell Kyle not to join SWAT in Season 3, Episode 2, "Guts." When the team raids Bunny's warehouse, only to find it empty, Robert claims that Mike must have tipped Bunny off about the search warrant. (In fairness to him, Mike's reaction to the news at the end of the episode -- smiling after saying that Bunny being on the run is "a good thing" -- suggests Mike may have done exactly that.) Kyle takes offense, and tells Robert that he's out of line.

This results in a brief scuffle between the two men, and it's a great scene for both Taylor Handley and Hamish Allan-Headley. Robert may be massively unlikeable, but he has reason to suspect Mike in this situation, while it's wonderful to see Kyle finally push back -- literally -- against Robert's attitude. It also highlights how Kyle deserves to stand more on his own. Stevie witnesses the scuffle and says that Mike needs to talk to Kyle, but whether it's Robert or Mike, Kyle's life shouldn't be governed by someone else. The little brother has his own moral compass and still needs to find his own way... although hopefully that next step is not another job change. Kyle would likely be a great SWAT leader with more experience, although that would leave Robert as the odd man out story-wise.

Tracy's storyline goes in the opposite direction. While Kyle asserts himself with Robert, Tracy goes to Mike for help with Will Breen, the rapist working at Kingstown Women's Prison. Understandably enraged, Mike contacts Ian -- who lures Breen outside a local bar for Mike to violently assault him. Mike informs Breen that Breen is going to transfer out of the women's prison to Anchor Bay and then leaves him bloodied outside the bar. It's another fantastic sequence for Jeremy Renner, who hasn't lost a step in his portrayal of Mike. However, it means that Mike is the one to solve Tracy's problem, when it would be much more rewarding for Mayor of Kingstown to find a way for Tracy to get that victory. Mike fixes a lot of things, but he shouldn't have to fix everything, and Season 3, Episode 8 undercuts Tracy's strength by shifting that storyline away from her.

Mayor of Kingstown Pushes Konstantin Over the Edge

Season 3's Other Villain Is Losing His Sanity

With all the talk about the Russians, Mayor of Kingstown Season 3, Episode 8 also takes some time to check in on them -- and likewise, affirms what audiences have been picking up on since Season 3, Episode 5, "Iris." An increasingly more drug-addled Konstantin is deeply attached to Iris, and continuing to express his disdain for the city of Kingstown. When the Aryan Brotherhood members show up on his boat looking to pick up extra drugs to replenish their supply, he lectures them about having manners and "cause and effect" before impulsively murdering one. This information is passed to Mike via Iris, who warns him that Konstantin "is cracking."

Konstantin has been described by Hugh Dillon as a psychopath, and he's now even worse, because he's a psychopath who isn't in control of himself. What's more, there's a tragic element to him because he knows it. He spends most of "Captain of the Sh*t Out of Luck" wanting to buy Iris a new life somewhere outside of Kingstown -- even if it means leaving him. A comparison is drawn to Tatiana and Milo, as Iris and Roman talk about why Konstantin killed Tatiana. It all comes back to loyalty. But no one really has loyalty to anyone in this mixed-up mess, except for Mike and Iris, and Mike would also like to see Iris get out of town.

The underlying theme of Season 3, Episode 8 is people trying to protect their loved ones. It's Mike protecting Tracy, it's Kareem talking to his wife Vanessa trying to get help for their daughter, it's Bunny moving Roe and Trey to somewhere else, it's Konstantin trying to save Iris from the inevitable battle royale. So many characters have good intentions -- but they're all also committed to the cycle of violence that makes them have to worry about the people they care for. That creates emotional stakes for the finale, but with only two episodes after this, pacing might become a problem.

The biggest failing of Mayor of Kingstown Season 3 has been having one explosive episode, followed by one that slows everything back down. Between "Marya Was Here" and now "Captain of the Sh*t Out of Luck," the show has found the kind of dramatic momentum it was promising all season, and there's nowhere to go but to another huge conflict at the end. However, two episodes is not a lot of time to both have that massive conflict and show its fallout. Tracy's story seems done, but it's not for certain. How will Kyle's story end -- or will it get swept under the rug as the focus shifts back to Mike, Bunny and Callahan? What about Iris' personal growth that she needs to go forward? Episode 8 hits the notes it needs to hit, but it might be a case of getting there just a little too late.

Mayor of Kingstown streams Sundays on Paramount+.

Mayor of Kingstown Season 3, Episode 8

8

10

Anchor Bay is attacked from outside its prison walls. Mike takes care of some important business at Kingstown Women's Prison.

Release Date

November 14, 2021

Creator(s)

Hugh Dillon , Taylor Sheridan

Cast

Jeremy Renner , Hugh Dillon , Tobi Bamtefa , Taylor Handley , Emma Laird , Derek Webster , Hamish Allan-Headley , Aidan Gillen

Main Genre

Drama

Seasons

2

Streaming Service(s)

Paramount+ , Prime Video , Apple TV+

Pros

• The opening attack on Anchor Bay is genuinely shocking.
• Episode sets physical and emotional stakes for Season 3 finale.
• Kyle and Tracy's storylines reach high points.

Cons

• Tracy's storyline is resolved not by her, but by Mike.
• Bunny has limited screen time in this episode.