Welp ...
I guessed right. At the end of last week’s Mayor of Kingstown review, I mentioned a quietly touching scene between Mike and Bunny’s cousin Rhonda. While I was describing Rhonda’s thriving cosmetology business, it dawned on me that the show was probably setting her up to be killed.
What I did not expect was that she’d be gunned down during the cold open of the very next episode. In her own beauty parlor, no less. While listening — ironically — to the Wesley Paige song “Better Days Are Coming.
” Television can be cruel. This week’s “Ecotone” breaks the season three pattern of quiet, scene-setting episodes followed by stripped-down, action-packed thrillers. Rhonda’s murder would seem to be the kind of all-hands-on-deck crisis that makes for an exciting Mayor of Kingstown .
But because Mike makes it his top priority to keep the situation from spinning out of control, the episode ends up getting sapped of a lot of its potential charge. What’s most notable about Mike’s de-escalation strategy is that it’s rooted in a persistent organizing principle — protecting Bunny Washington — that has been increasingly limiting his options. The whole point of “the Mayor” is that he listens to everybody, works with everybody and brokers deals that allow everybody in Kingstown to coexist, both inside and outside the prison walls.
Deal drugs? Mike doesn’t care. Traffic in humans? Hey, everyone’s gotta make a living. Lead a racist gang? Feel free to .
