Mayor of Kingstown Season 2 Episode 4 Review: The Pool

Mayor of Kingstown Season 2 Episode 4, “The Pool,” is the best episode of the season thus far — a briskly-paced outing that propels the story to new heights. We even revisit a loose thread from Season 1 that continues to unravel excitingly. 

If you recall, Milo asked Mike to find something for him last season while the former was still behind bars. Unfortunately, a construction worker happens upon a metal box chock full of bonds, which doesn’t end well for him. Callbacks like these are a great way to add more depth to Mayor of Kingstown and explore intriguing storylines that contribute to the overarching plot. 

TATIANA: The matriarch hyena does the hunting. They’re not like most animals. They band together to stop fights and deal with the problems inside the clan. 

Besides last season’s prison riot and Iris’s continued association with Milo, we haven’t tried to answer any lingering questions from Season 1. This particular episodic plotline with Horace showcases how formidable Milo and his lackeys, especially Joseph, truly are. That ending with Horace in the pool is a powerful climax to a tense episode. 

“The Pool” showcases the chinks in Mike’s armor. So far, he’s felt like an untouchable character despite all the threats hurled at him by Bunny and the others. He even walks away from the violent confrontation with Joseph relatively unscathed. However, this outing depicts Mike’s shortcomings and inability to follow through on a pivotal plan. 

Mike receives pushback left and right in “The Pool,” namely from Evelyn, who rightfully puts him in his place, and Bunny, who incessantly reminds him of the deal he made. Mayor of Kingstown displays a world of “me, me, me,” wherein everyone believes you must make solving their problem a priority and refuses to acknowledge that you’re saddled with at least a baker’s dozen dilemmas. 

MIKE: We’re all on the clock, Bunny. Since the day we’re f**kin’ born. This is all just borrowed time. 

That’s one thing this series excels at: showcasing humanity’s selfishness. It’s every human for themselves, and “The Pool” brilliantly conveys this. 

“The Pool” even holds fast to a rare sliver of hope in this TV universe. Miriam speaks to a group of juveniles, including the teenager who mugged her in the season premiere. She discloses how challenging it was for her after Mitch’s murder and how rage-filled she was. 

Yet, when she learned Mike and Kyle survived the prison riot and subsequent fire in the Season 1 finale, that ire dissipated and was replaced with gratefulness. It’s a lovely way to give context to Miriam’s series arc thus far. We bore witness to her understandable anger in Season 1, and the writers and Dianne Wiest beautifully depicts that shift in her this season. 

MIRIAM: When they walked out, something inside of me just cracked wide open. It’s like all the rage just leaked out. And what was left was thankfulness. 

We don’t get a ton of character development in Mayor of Kingstown (more like character deterioration), so moments like these are a breath of fresh air. Miriam’s newfound lease on life is a much-needed balm for the soul when watching the relentless bleakness for which this series is known. 

“The Pool” also spotlights the continual friction between Mike and Bunny. Their bond is at the core of Mayor of Kingstown, especially as the series questions whether there’s much of a difference between Bunny, the drug dealer, and Mike, the powerbroker and informant. There’s always been a thin line separating felons and law enforcement in this show. Everyone has committed their fair share of crimes on both sides of that line. 

Mike himself ostensibly resides in that shade of gray, but he undoubtedly favors Bunny more than anyone else. Jeremy Renner and Tobi Bamtefa boast wonderful onscreen chemistry. Besides their working relationship, you can sense a genuine bond and mutual respect between Bunny and Mike. Season 2 plays with the malleability of said bond and deftly tests its limits. 

“The Pool” is a much-needed step forward compared to last week’s somewhat meandering outing, setting the stage for the back half of the season and putting our characters, particularly Mike, in the most challenging spot they’ve been in so far. Here’s hoping there’s more compelling drama, impactful thematic exploration (we got a taste of that in Miriam’s scene), and experimentation with character dynamics on the horizon. 

Stray Observations: 

• Bunny telling Carney to get the “bass” out of his voice is a fun nod to a Rip Wheeler line in Yellowstone when he says, “You oughta tell your boy to watch the bass in his voice when he speaks to me.” 
• You might recognize Charles Baker, who plays the unfortunate Horace, as Skinny Pete from Breaking Bad and El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie. 
• Does Mike ever simply … turn off his phone? Even for a few hours? His stress levels are perpetually through the roof, no thanks to that thing. 
• Where do you think Kareem stored Bunny and the other generals after the inmates were transferred out of Tent City? Based on the preview of next week’s episode, it appears to be somewhere in the Kingstown prison. Perhaps the unsullied part of the prison? 
• It’s time for a new drinking game! Take a shot whenever someone tells Mike to get his house in order. You’ll be soused at least 15 minutes into the episode. 

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 new episodes every Sunday on Paramount+. Try Paramount+ for free, right here

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