Mayor of Kingstown Season 2 Episode 1 Review: Never Missed a Pigeon
Mayor of Kingstown Season 2 Episode 1, “Never Missed a Pigeon,” delivers a steady introduction to the season with its signature bleak, nihilistic flair.
The Kingstown prison riot from the final two episodes of Season 1 takes a significant toll on everyone, from guards like Kareem grappling with their PTSD and sexual assault to Mike, whose business is incarceration. Admirably, “Never Missed a Pigeon” addresses a seldom-addressed topic in television: male sexual assault—specifically, Black men. If there’s one thing Taylor Sheridan does well, it’s exposing the darkest parts of humanity.
MIKE: The hardest thing to do is forget. Forget the scars life gives you, forget the scars you gave others.
Mayor of Kingstown shines a light on many relevant topics, including toxic masculinity and its detrimental effects on our world. The season premiere shows a few male characters at their most vulnerable, namely Kareem and Kyle, who takes a job upstate to presumably cope with his experience during the riot. While catching a group of Canadians smuggling maple syrup (A little too on the nose, no?) to skirt a tariff, Kyle exerts more force than he should, thinking they’re concealing drugs.
Of course, besides toxic masculinity, this series draws a bold line concerning police brutality. “Never Missed a Pigeon” expands on that multiple times, from Kyle’s mistreatment of the smugglers to Ian and Stevie roughing up the teen who robbed Miriam and Robert killing that young Black man while exhibiting zero remorse. Seriously, he wasn’t even charging at Robert or attacking him.
It’s difficult to watch, but we can’t (nor should we) look away. Miriam’s refusal to press charges against the teen because of what the system will do to him indicates a much larger, more insidious, deeply systemic problem: white patriarchal supremacy. Conservatives can bemoan Miriam’s statements for being “too woke” all they like, but what Sheridan and Hugh Dillon show us in Mayor of Kingstown is the reality of the times.
IRIS: Why the boat, Mike? Why do something so nice? I’ll tell you why. The boat was for you. To make you feel better about all this.
“Never Missed a Pigeon” retreads ground and certainly rehashes some themes. That said, it’s the nature of this series — the gritty, bleak, demoralizing outlook on life. The monstrous creatures we humans truly are. The episode juxtaposes the darkness of Kingstown with the bright, sunny surroundings of Mike and Iris’s boat trip. We rarely see a vibrant color palette on this show, but “Never Missed a Pigeon” doles out hope in Mike and Iris’s bond.
Iris and Mike’s relationship is the sliver of hope we need to carry us through this narrative. While Sheridan and Dillon never shy away from the depravity and uncompromising wickedness we humans are capable of, they give us Mike and Iris to remind us of the good we can do. Iris, in particular. As brutal as her story is in Season 1, delivered in an unflinching package, it’s ultimately a tale of triumph. Mike also learns to let love seep through the cracks.
“Never Missed a Pigeon” also highlights the nonexistent line between law enforcement and felons and the corruption of our prison system. Normally, Mike slaughtering multiple people would’ve put him behind bars, regardless of his noble intentions in saving Iris. However, Stevie disposes of Duke’s phone and sweeps Mike’s crime under the rug.
MIRIAM (to Ian): No, your gang’ll kill him first.
There is no true morality in this universe. The bleakness and incessant violence can wear anyone down. That said, one has to admire Sheridan and Dillon in their mission to expose hatred, bigotry, and corruption through the lens of a Wire-esque thriller.
“Never Missed a Pigeon” is a solid season opener, brimming with nuanced performances from players like Michael Beach, Emma Laird (that woman is going places), Jeremy Renner, and Dianne Wiest. It lays the groundwork for what’ll hopefully be a gripping, mesmerizing, and grimly entertaining season. Milo’s escape will undoubtedly set Kingstown ablaze. Bring it on.
Stray Observations:
- Mark it in the history books, folks. “Never Missed a Pigeon” is the first time we’ve seen Mike McLusky genuinely smile. You can see it when he’s on the boat with Iris.
- Besides Mike, Evelyn, and Iris, Bunny is among the few likable characters. Oh, and Rebecca. She stays out of everyone’s business, which is a rarity in a place like that.
- Who likes seeing two-time Oscar winner and acting royalty Dianne Wiest beaten and bleeding? Nobody! (Boyle from Brooklyn Nine-Nine would be aghast.)
- We need more of Evelyn taking Mike down a few pegs, please, and thank you. Scratch that; we need Evelyn knocking every man on this show down a few pegs.
- You could make a drinking game out of every time someone drops the f-bomb. You’d be incredibly inebriated about 10 minutes in, too.
What did you think of this episode of Mayor of Kingstown? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Mayor of Kingstown streams Sundays on Paramount+.
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Melody McCune
Melody loves TV. Maybe too much. Besides being a Senior Writer for Tell-Tale TV, she's the Managing Editor for Geek Girl Authority, an Independent Contractor for Sideshow Collectibles, and a Senior Writer for Eulalie Magazine. Additionally, she has bylines in Culturess, Widget, and inkMend on Medium. To top it all off, she's a critic for Rotten Tomatoes and CherryPicks.
One thought on “Mayor of Kingstown Season 2 Episode 1 Review: Never Missed a Pigeon”
I love your review of the show except for the part about Miriam wanting the cops to release the guy who robbed and roughed her up. I don’t care how tolerant you are of allowing crime to be a part of your life, but letting him walk without any type of punishment is irresponsible. He is now pretty much empowered to keep repeat his actions on another innocent victim. At least give him some sort of punishment like community service helping out disabled or elderly people to learn some compassion for others.
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