Mayor of Kingstown Season 2 Episode 3 Review: Five at Five
Mayor of Kingstown Season 2 Episode 3, “Five at Five,” finds Mike taking matters into his own hands while searching for Iris as Bunny settles the score on the inside in a slower, less frenetic outing. It’s undoubtedly one of the least violent installments in the series thus far.
Make no mistake — not every TV episode needs to propel the story significantly or be packed to the gills with plot to entertain. Sometimes, all we need is quality world-building and character development. “Five at Five” is surprisingly action-light, save for a few scenes of violence. In that regard, it’s a breath of fresh air for the typically ultraviolent series.
TATIANA: Hope is good. Hope dies, we die.
“Five at Five” highlights one area Mayor of Kingstown struggles with: women. The show doesn’t know what to do with its women. Whether they’re subjected to abhorrent sexual violence or utilized as props to support the men, the women on this show seldom have agency. It doesn’t help that these women are almost exclusively viewed through the male lens.
For example, Dianne Wiest and Nishi Munshi, both series regulars with spotlights in the opening credits, are once again sidelined. Nichole Galicia’s Rebecca is still a mystery. It’s challenging for us as an audience to grasp who they are — especially Munshi’s Tracy — when they get little screen time.
The only female character with consistent screen time, Emma Laird’s Iris, was subjected to a disproportionate amount of sexual violence last season. It felt gratuitous in that way, like trauma porn. Now, judging by what we see in “Five at Five,” Iris might head down that path again. She even has a chip reinserted, courtesy of Milo.
REBECCA: I don’t doubt what hell that girl’s been through, but it’s not yours to live in.
Perhaps the Iris move is meant to punctuate the cyclical nature of abuse and how abused people tend to return to their abusers. However, the series puts her in the position of needing saving again, and it seems Mike is filling that role of knight in shining armor. That’s the thing — we’ve already seen this plotline. “Five at Five” recycles this when Mike tries to look for Iris.
There are a few instances where Mayor of Kingstown treads new ground in “Five at Five.” Bunny gets in a physical fight on the inside, which we haven’t seen yet. Thankfully, he rises victorious. We meet Gratiela Brancusi’s Tatiana, who seems keen on helping Iris while throwing Mike off her scent. However, the series appears content with incessantly stomping through old territory.
EVELYN: The world is changing, and you need to see it.
“Five at Five” is Mayor of Kingstown‘s weakest outing so far. While it boasts some intriguing moments, the episode falls short on character development and world-building as it slowly nudges the plot forward. Here’s hoping episode four kickstarts the narrative into high gear (and gives us more of the talented and criminally underused Aidan Gillen).
Stray Observations:
-
- Mike’s blood pressure must be through the roof at this point. It’s a surprise he hasn’t chucked his phone into the lake and skipped town.
- While the dialogue is mostly true to life in less populated areas of the country (and specific jobs, especially factories), all the f-bombs can detract from what’s really being said. The scene between Mike, Stevie, and Ian, when Mike learns about the police raiding Bunny’s family home, is proof positive of that.
- One thing that’s difficult to ascertain is why Iris returned to Milo. She could’ve fled Kingstown and sought work elsewhere. She no longer has the chip, so Milo can’t track her. It feels like a plot device to keep Iris in the overarching story.
- Kyle rejoining the Kingstown PD seems like a recipe for disaster, given what he experienced in the past.
- Mike’s got that good ole-fashioned plot armor — nothing can touch him. Of course, being a federal and criminal informant has its perks.
What did you think of this episode of Mayor of Kingstown? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Critic Rating:
User Rating:
Mayor of Kingstown streams new episodes every Sunday on Paramount+. Try Paramount+ for free, right here
Follow us on Twitter and 
Instagram!
Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!
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.