Episode Grade: (8.5/10)
Mike’s deal with Milo faces complications after an unexcepted ambush, causing Mike to retaliate against those who have done him wrong.
Plot (41/50)
In a season finale filled with drama, action, and some twists, we get the conclusion to the battle between Mike and Milo (at least for now). Mike’s issues with the AB reach a boiling point when three gang members come after him likely as payback for leaving Gunner in prison and for disposing of Davidson a couple episodes ago. He manages to fend them off, but as a result, he misses his meeting with Milo. Milo retaliates by invading Mike’s home and holding Mariam hostage, but a combination of Mike, Kyle, and Ian force Milo to retreat. However, during the shootout between the two sides, Kyle accidentally shoots Mariam. She’s taken to the hospital, and both her and Robert remain unconscious but stable. It is at this point that Mike’s had enough. He sends Bunny’s men on the inside to take out Gunner before turning his attention to Milo. The two set up another meetup where they finally complete the exchange. Once Mike gets Iris back, he blows up Milo’s boat presumably with Milo on it. However, there’s a phone call at the end of the episode between Tatiana and Milo where Milo states that everything went well. The timing of the call is unknown, leaving Milo’s fate up in the air. This was a solid conclusion to the season that leaves plenty of naturally unanswered questions to potentially address in season three: Is Milo alive? Will Mariam and Robert survive? What will Mike do with Iris now that he’s removed the cloud over her life that is Milo? Will Mike reveal that Bunny was the one who ordered the hit on Robert? If things escalate to the point where Mike and Bunny officially find themselves on opposite sides, how far are they willing to go to get what they want? Will Mike continue facing attacks from new-found enemies such as the AB? How will the new forces (Evelyn and Wendy) alter Kingstown’s landscape? There are a plethora of loose ends, which is expected given there’s been a general kicking of the proverbial can down the road all season long. Given the sheer magnitude of loose ends and potential for vengeful oversight in the form of Evelyn, one would assume that there isn’t much road left.
Character Development (11/15)
Mike has been contemplating the viability of being neutral for some time now, but a combination of events in this episode finally force him to let go of what little neutrality he was still holding on to: Bunny going after Robert and then making it clear that he will now purse his own interests with no altruistic consideration for peace, Milo going after Mariam, the AB going after him, and Kareem refusing to assist in any way. All that pent up frustration comes out violently when Mike takes out the three AB gang members and follows that up by teaming up with Bunny to take out Gunner, the leader of the AB, on the inside. Then, he caps his flurry of violence by blowing up Milo’s boat (with Milo seemingly on it) after retrieving Iris. He goes through all this trouble to get Iris back, and all the while, he still can’t define what Iris means to him. That was one of many interactions Mike has in this episode that show how messy the situation is in Kingstown at the moment. For example, Bunny clearly values Mike as a friend, yet he makes it abundantly clear that he values his freedom above all else. This newfound aggression and disillusionment is a direct result of Bunny’s recent stint in prison, which is ultimately at least partially Mike’s fault. Over to Kyle, who’s downward spiral continues after he accidentally shoots his mom and lands her in the hospital. It is only because of Mike’s critical pep talk that he stabilizes. Mariam is unlikely to die, but if she does, there’s absolutely no way Kyle avoids a complete mental breakdown. We got to see a bit of Kareem in this episode. He clearly hasn’t recovered from the trauma he faced during the prison riots, but this was the first time we hear him speak honestly of the crushing despair he feels. To summarize, the pillars that hold Kingstown together are broken past repair. They’re fighting every day to maintain their sanity, and more importantly, their functionality that is the bedrock of peace in Kingstown. Finally, I have some issues with the way Milo’s character was handled. Milo demonstrated none of his usual ruthless cunning, which is highly inconsistent with how his character has been built up to this point. He came off as desperate and weak in his attempts to wrestle the bonds away from Mike and escape Kingstown. It’s very hard to believe that Milo wouldn’t have noticed the explosives in the duffle bag, but it’s also hard to see how he would’ve escaped seeing as how he was on a boat. I suppose he could’ve jumped off while Mike was preoccupied with the two goons left behind, in which case he’d be stuck in Kingstown again. The questionable timing of the phone call with Tatiana leaves Milo’s fate up in the air. If he does survive, he’ll likely continue playing dead until the right moment presents itself for him to take revenge on Mike. The one good thing that was consistent with Milo’s character was his commentary on Iris. Both his comments to Iris and those to Mike about Iris had an ominous tone about them as he predicted that Iris would eventually let Mike down. His logic here is the same logic he had when he first sent Iris to seduce Mike in the previous season: Mike’s Fixer Syndrome makes him attracted to broken things, and in this case people, against all logic. Milo is predicting that Iris is broken beyond repair and that Mike is only setting himself up for bigger disappointment when she inevitably lets him down.
Theme/Messages (4/5)
- The Peter Principle is a fascinatingly simple phenomenon that is as relevant as it’s ever been.
- Unintended consequences are often times the most critical.
- You can’t help people that don’t want to be helped or aren’t willing to put in the effort to change.
Acting (12/15)
Jeremy Renner (Mike) and Tobi Bamtefa (Bunny) have been great all season. Aidan Gillen (Milo) was finally given extended screen time and was expectedly fantastic here.
Cinematography (11/15)
- Nice shot of Mike and Bunny arguing on the rooftop with the city in the background (13:36)