The foreboding air thickened throughout the entirety of Mayor of Kingstown Season 4, building and building until it reached a crescendo in Episode 8, titled "Belleville." But the victim was not who one might have anticipated. Kyle has for now outmaneuvered Anchor Bay, Bunny has awoken from his coma, and Mike, despite his valiant attempts to juggle multiple, perilous gangs, remains relatively unscathed. Poor Tracy, however, pays the ultimate price, becoming the first major casualty of the season—though one suspects it won't be the last.
Just when Mike thought he had everything under his control, with Bunny awake and his plan to entrap Moses proceeding smoothly, even if it meant Bunny's convincing performance as an ally in the false idea of avenging the Colombian attack on his life, a blaring siren from Anchor Bay brought everyone back to reality. A prisoner is on the loose, and thanks to the previous episode, we know it's Merle Callahan.
Merle is traveling with a pyromaniac who immediately establishes his villainous credentials by setting Shaver on fire. I do wonder if this season boasts the highest concentration of people being burned alive in any show ever. I don't even think Apple TV+'s Smoke had this many instances, and that was literally about people being burned alive. We'll return to this character in a bit, but for now, just know he's out there, adding a bit of tension to Mike's misguided notions of being the puppet master.
Part of Mike's plan involves confronting Lamar about his betrayal of Bunny and forcing him to take out Moses' right-hand man to win back Bunny's trust. This is all part of a larger scheme that we haven't been fully privy to yet. I suspect the pieces will fall into place down the line, but "Belleville" serves to underscore that despite his deft maneuvering, Mike is losing control of the city's internal politics. Thanks to Hobbs, he lost the prison; thanks to Moses, he lost the Crips; and now, thanks to Merle, he's losing himself.
Speaking of Hobbs, she's now on Mike's side. Her close call with Carlos has rekindled her self-preservation instincts, so she informs Mike that the escapee is Merle and then, at his request, agrees to line up the Aryans so Mike, Ian, and Stevie can interrogate them about Merle's whereabouts and intentions. Torres is missing from all of this, and it's strongly implied that he's dead after Hobbs sold him out to Cortez in the previous episode, but we haven't seen any confirmation of that yet, so we shouldn't jump to conclusions.
In a hilariously absurd turn of events, Merle's escape partner, Marc, reaches an unhinged state upon witnessing a Black cop's presence and impulsively challenges Stevie to a fight, only to be effortlessly overpowered by the latter. It's easy to forget that this is the Aryan Brotherhood in action, as Merle often displays a generic brand of villainy with his biggest grudge being against Mike. Speaking of which, Marc's revelation confirms what we already suspected: Merle is going after Mike personally.
The plot takes a drastic turn in Mayor of Kingstown Season 4, Episode 8, as Merle returns to his office to find it ransacked by the Brotherhood and learns that a pyromaniac has set his house ablaze. The protagonist attempts to save himself from the flames but ultimately fails, only to be dragged out by Mike. However, Merle's intentions remain unwavering.
Instead of physical harm, Merle targets Tracy and her son Mitch. He manipulates Tracy into calling Kyle for the sole purpose of tormenting him and coldly explains her impending doom. Despite Tracy's understanding and willingness to sacrifice her own life for Mike's, Merle remains resolute. Richard Brake's performance here is chilling, truly menacing in his unfazed psycho demeanor. He embodies a proper villain, making Frank Moses seem like a mere afterthought. Lennie James has been stellar throughout the season.
Merle fulfills his promise, albeit off-screen, by killing Tracy while leaving Mitch alive. Though we don't witness the act, its confirmation later when Mike is reeling from the news underscores its gravity. The notion that there was nothing he could have done feels hollow. Now, the hardest part: telling Kyle about it. With just two episodes left, how much more stressful can this season get?
