Episode Grade: (7.9/10)
Mike runs out of time and will now have to face the consequences of his broken promises. Milo’s bonds resurface.
Plot (40/50)
This was another solid development-heavy drama-filled episode with several storylines advancing. As the idea of the prison system in Kingstown being overhauled brews in the background, an intriguing dynamic is developing between Kingstown’s biggest players. In the previous episode, Mike was dismissive of the potential overhaul. He can deny it all he wants, but clearly things won’t be going back to the way they were before the riot. In reality, he’s behaving this way because he feels threatened. In the current setup, he’s the “mayor” of Kingstown. That role, as difficult as it may be, is unique in its power to deal with both the law and the criminals. Now let’s say this new system of compartmentalized prisons is successfully implemented. All of a sudden, there aren’t as many issues among the inmates, and as a result, there isn’t that much of a need for the proclaimed mayor of Kingstown. You can’t break up yard fights if there are no fights, and there are no yard fights if there is no yard to begin with. With that said, Mike’s not the only one whose influence is threatened. In fact, everyone in a position of power, be it police officers or detectives or prison guards, is under threat of losing their influence. This is dividing people who were once all on the same team (more on that in a bit). Mike happens to be at the center of it all, so he’s feeling the most pressure. The DA’s being scrutinized by the federal government after what happened with the riot, so they’re not budging on the release papers that Mike promised Bunny and the other gang leaders. Bunny and the leaders are getting restless on the inside as inmates are moved to other prisons. Their patience with Mike has just about run about, but they keep it together under the premise that Mike is working on getting them the release papers, and that they won’t get moved to another prison. Unfortunately for Mike, the entire camp was -surprisingly- cleared out very soon after he promised Bunny that he and the other leaders wouldn’t be moved. This puts Mike at the point of no return. He’s lost his credibility with the gangs, and his influence with the folks on the other side of the law is waning at an alarming rate. Take Kareem, for example: he kept Mike in the dark about the transfers even after Mike had explicitly asked him to keep him informed. The only good thing Mike had going for him this episode is that Milo’s bonds have resurfaced, and that they’re, more or less, under his control. Could Mike use this as a bargaining chip to get the DA to uphold their end of the deal by finally signing the release papers? That would get the gang leaders off his case, for now, but he’d then have the DA and Milo to contend with. That’s probably a price he’s willing to pay to stop the gangs from coming after him. The question is, can he get them out before they do some serious damage?
Character Development (11/15)
If it wasn’t made clear in the previous episode, it’s as clear as day now: Mike’s lost his touch. He’s been so distracted by Iris and Milo that he’s failed to read the room. Bunny’s put so much trust in him, and he’s failed to repay that faith at every given opportunity. He literally delayed coming to Bunny’s aid to chase Stevie’s lead and ended up arriving at the camp too late. Mike needs to compose himself and restore his reputation right away if he wants to survive the imminent onslaught from the gang leaders, Milo, Kareem, the DA, the FBI, you name it… He’s even lost his leverage with Evelyn, who herself is naturally under a ton of pressure from her superiors seeing as there was a violent prison riot not too long ago. Maybe Mike should’ve thought through his plan a bit more instead of relying on the word of individuals who have absolutely no motivation to keep their promises AND who have shown a willingness to break their word in the not-so-distant past. It doesn’t help that Kareem, as the interim warden, is refusing to cooperate with Mike at all. If Kareem keeps this up, he’s going to be a real threat to Mike’s ability to restore his reputation. Might this be the time when Mike finally leans on Kyle? Kyle, as an actual member of the force, has a better chance of getting to his peers than Mike does. Speaking of Kyle, he’s so desperate to be useful that he’s practically begging Mike to include him in the family business at this point. Seeing him break down at Mitch’s grave gave us insight into how much value Kyle derives from his work. Because he’s unemployed at the moment, he doesn’t feel useful, and that’s really messing with his head. Kyle’s not the only one struggling to fit into his new situation; Iris is having an equally miserable time fitting into her new life as well. What exactly is her thought process here? She’s been in this position before so she knows what to expect, so what’s she doing? I’m not sure what the writers are trying to accomplish with her character at this point. The only character that’s almost as annoying as Iris at the moment is Mariam, but at least I can see the thought process behind her actions. It’ll be interesting to see how she reacts to Kyle’s inevitable team-up with Mike.
Theme/Messages (4/5)
- If your plan assumes the best case scenario, then you don’t really have a plan. Ditto if you’re counting on people to put your interests ahead of theirs.
- Whenever there’s major change incoming, a divide quickly develops between those who embrace change and those who want to keep things the way they are.
Acting (12/15)
Jeremy Renner (Mike) and Tobi Bamtefa (Bunny) were solid, as was Necar Zadegan (Evelyn). Taylor Handley (Kyle) stood out with his display of emotion.
Cinematography (12/15)
- Great bird’s-eye-view shots of the graveyard (11:00 onwards, 12:07)