Heavy spoilers ahead for the Season 3 finale of Mayor of Kingstown. If you have not watched it yet, you can stream it with a Paramount+ subscription.
After a thrilling run on the 2024 TV schedule, Season 3 of Mayor of Kingstown has come to a close, and the wait now begins to see if it gets a Season 4. Let me tell you, this wait is going to be extra excruciating too, because the finale left me with three major questions about the Jeremy Renner-led show that have to be answered if the series is renewed.
For a quick overview, the episode centered around the fallout of Milo’s return, a massive bridge shootout, major power shifts in the prison, Iris eventually leaving and major tragedies. In a season that’s been all about the characters compartmentalizing their grief, things bubbled up in the finale, making it so they had to face it all (or not face it)…and there’s going to be consequences.
How Will The Warden's Death Impact Mike As The Mayor?
After a scary moment where it seemed like Kareem was about to take his own life at his home in Mayor of Kingstown, he ended up losing his life at the prison.
At the end of Season 3, after a somber call with his family, Kareem was stabbed by a group of prisoners with shivs. He called in on the radio that a prisoner was down (there wasn't) before going through the gate, he entered the prison yard willingly, and eventually, he was killed. He didn't fight back.
This will likely totally shake up the power structures in Kingstown. While Kareem wasn’t the warden for the entire show, he was a vital part of the system. With him gone, it’s unclear who will take his place, and how this tragic event will shake up the balance of control in the town.
I imagine it will really change things for Mike as Mayor too. Not only will he have to grieve this loss, but he’ll have to establish a new relationship with the warden and work on figuring out the new system if the show gets renewed. However, as sad, tragic and game-changing as this development is, it’s only one of three massive loose ends we’re dealing with at the end of Season 3.
How Is Mike Going To Free Kyle?
This whole season, Evelyn Foley, the assistant D.A., has been trying to impose consequences on those who practice unnecessary violence in Kingstown. Specifically, Robert and the S.W.A.T. team have been a point of focus for her, especially in the finale.
During the shootout on the bridge, Robert was yelling at an armed bystander to put his gun down. There was a kid in his backseat, and as far as everyone could tell the driver was innocent. But, it seemed like Robert was about to shoot him, despite Kyle yelling at him to stop, and eventually Kyle ended up shooting his co-worker.
Between Kyle’s wife’s terrifying moment and the fact that his son was born right after his mom died, emotionally he’s been carrying a lot. It’s all been bottled up all season, and when he took on his new role in SWAT, I was wondering when something big and dangerous would happen to him.
While I do understand Taylor Handley’s character's thought process here, because Robert – a known ultraviolet man – was about to kill an innocent man without repercussions, I also think this act was a breaking point.
One of the final shots of the season showed Kyle being taken away in a cop car. Mike was told that his brother was under arrest and that people were saying it was “attempted murder,” plus Evelyn told Renner’s character:
I fucking warned you. No one’s immune. Kyle’s under arrest, I’m charging him.
Mike left saying they couldn’t hold his brother, but Ian told him to calm down.
Ultimately, the story ends there, and we don’t know if Kyle will get out. I’m positive Mike will do everything to free him. However, it's not looking good. Between the desperation Renner’s character feels and the rage that is likely coursing through Robert, things will get ugly as they fight for Kyle’s future.
Is Iris Dead?
After finding out that Aidan Gillen’s Milo was alive and orchestrating many of the attacks in Kingstown, there was a terrible fight between him and the troubled trio of Mike, Konstantin and Iris. Ultimately, it ended with Iris shooting Konstantin in the head, Mike killing Milo for good this time, and Iris leaving town.
However, things got even worse when Iris boarded the bus to finally leave Kingstown. After sitting down, she opened up her little pill box, and she took a few white pills. When the bus stopped for a break, the driver found her unconscious with her eyes and mouth open in her seat. To be frank, she looked dead.
Iris has been through hell every season, but this one ended the worst because, in a matter of minutes, she shot Konstantin in the head per Milo’s order and had to leave Mike. I think it’s safe to say her life reached the lowest of low points.
Now, I don’t think she’s dead. While it’s certainly possible that she is, I mean she looked it at the end of the season, I have a hunch she'll live. I think that if the show is picked up, this overdose will lead to her returning to Kingstown, and being stuck there…again.
All around, it’s not good news for Iris, and Mike will likely be beside himself when he learns about what’s happened.
The episode ends with Mike’s voice-over, talking about when he got out of prison years ago. He questions if he’s good or evil, and wonders if he could become a better person. However, two of the people he cares about most – Iris and Kyle – were taken away from him in ways, and the power is clearly shifting in Kingstown with the death of the warden.
So, if Mayor of Kingstown gets renewed for a fourth season, there are a lot of tragic loose ends to investigate, and Mike will have his work cut out for him. As we learn more about the future of the show and its story we’ll be sure to keep you posted.
