Mayor of Kingstown Season-Premiere Recap: Heads You Lose

"Welcome back to Kingstown, friends! Remember to wear a jacket, because it's always cold and gray here. You might want to carry around some cigarettes and snacks, too, to pass along to your many friends and relatives who are no doubt either incarcerated in or employed by Kingstown Prison. Oh, and it would be helpful if you could remind us of your gang affiliation whenever you roll back into town. Russian Mafia? Aryan Brotherhood? Columbian? Crip? Cop? Some combination of the above?"

"As you may recall, the last time we were here, the city suffered a major bloodletting. By the end of Mayor Of Kingstown's third season, we'd seen the deaths of the prison's warden Kareem, the warring Russian mob bosses Konstantin and Milo, and the former prostitute Iris - the latter a pet reclamation project for Kingstown's unofficial "mayor," Mike McLusky (Jeremy Renner)."

"Mayor of Kingstown is the kind of show where any given episode is either thrillingly action-packed or muted and explanatory. The season-four premiere, "Coming 'Round the Mountain," is largely action-free, aside from a few brief eruptions of violence. The series's head writer, Dave Erickson, is primarily concerned with introducing all the new faces, while also catching us up on what the old ones have been up to since the season-three finale."

Kingstown remains cold and gray, with prison connections shaping daily life and local allegiances. Season three left multiple key figures dead, including Warden Kareem, mob bosses Konstantin and Milo, and Iris; Mike McLusky's brother Kyle was taken into custody after shooting Officer Robert Sawyer. Season four restocks the cast and shifts focus to character and setup. The premiere "Coming 'Round the Mountain" is largely action-free, concentrating on introductions and aftermath rather than thrills. Edie Falco joins as Nina Hobbs, a fervent Christian warden reputed for reforming flawed institutions. Head writer Dave Erickson emphasizes bringing new faces and reconnecting with established characters.

Read at Vulture