SPOILER ALERT: The following contains spoilers for Mayor of Kingstown Season 4, Episode 2. It also contains discussion of suicide.

Doug Carney’s murder will reverberate throughout Mayor of Kingstown. Not just that Season 4 is now going to involve the hunt for his killer. Not only in the sense that actor Lane Garrison had become a fixture on the Paramount+ show. But it can be argued that Carney’s killing is the most impactful death in Mayor of Kingstown history.

Mayor of Kingstown Season 4, Episode 2 shocked audiences when Carney was murdered at his own front door by the Colombian that Ian and Stevie let out of custody at Mike’s behest. There have been more violent and more emotional deaths over the previous seasons, with multiple characters exiting stage right in the Season 3 finale. In terms of pure emotion, the tragic death of Mariam McLusky will likely always top that chart. But choosing to write off Carney has powerful effects that make his demise far more than the simple exit of a supporting character.

It feels counterintuitive; Carney holds little sway in the grand scheme of things, and even less by the time he dies. He’s just a prison guard at Anchor Bay, with most of his screen time coming when he’s helping Mike. Then the first two episodes of Season 4 specifically minimize him. His new boss Nina Hobbs makes clear that she has no respect for him, and when she finds out Carney’s aligned with Mike, she makes plans to move him out of the way—first professionally and then entirely. So Doug Carney (how many viewers even knew his first name?) is meant to be a nobody. Episode 2 reinforces this by showing who Carney is outside of both Anchor Bay and his relationship with Mike. He’s a regular guy who takes care of his dad and goes to work every day.

He’s also collateral damage. Carney dies because he stands up to do the right thing. When he sees Hobbs’ right-hand man Antonio talking to one of the most violent Colombian inmates, Carney reports it to Hobbs, who assures him it will be taken care of. Instead, the implication is that she takes care of him. Carney’s death is a painful reminder of two things: honest men don’t last long in Kingstown (at least not in one piece), and what happens between Mike and whatever other factions he’s dealing with has consequences for everybody. This show is about the entire town, not just Mike and the people in his orbit. That thematic resonance is one way that Carney’s death reaches further than any of the major character exits that have come before.

Of course, there are plenty of plot twists that can springboard off Carney’s fate. Most notably, when Mike becomes aware that Hobbs is ultimately responsible—because he will—that’s the worst ammunition she can give him. Like most people, Mike McLusky is particularly upset when something happens to someone he cares about. There’s no doubt that he cared about Carney, even if they weren’t best friends. This death will be the catalyst for Mike to take Hobbs head-on. He’s already infuriated with her for Kyle being injured, but now someone he knows has been killed. Death is a step up from what happened to Kyle, and Mike is only going to get more angry and more determined. Not to mention, it will further erode his self-confidence, because here’s someone else in his life whom he couldn’t protect (even if it wasn’t his fault). That conversation between Mike, Ian and Stevie alone will be a hard pill to swallow, because someone will likely bring up how it was Mike’s idea to put the killer back out on the street.

Yet there are chilling long-term consequences. With Carney dead, Mike has no choice but to turn to newcomer Cindy Stephens (played by Laura Benanti) not just to protect Kyle, but for anything else that needs doing by a corrections officer in Anchor Bay. Episode 2 saw him sort of get her on side, but it certainly wasn’t convincing. He understandably does not have the level of trust with her that he did with Carney, and she certainly doesn’t have the experience to wade into the grey areas he’ll ask her to traverse. The opening scene of Mayor of Kingstown Season 4, Episode 2 shows how Cindy is still well over her head. The only knowledge she has of the cruel realities of Anchor Bay is what Carney taught her, and she doesn’t have any cache or even much respect within those walls. So Mike really doesn’t have an effective asset on the prison staff anymore, when he needs one the absolute most. Hopefully Cindy can learn quick, but even if she does, there are limits to what she can do—whether it’s functionally or whether she just won’t be as willing to help as Carney was.

And it’s not Mike who’s going to feel those limits; it’s Kyle and Raphael and by extension Tracy and Bunny and possibly even Cindy herself. Carney’s death affects so many people within Mayor of Kingstown. As heartwrenching as it was to lose Mariam or Iris, those deaths are much more directly tied to Mike. (In fact, “Promises to Keep” reminds viewers that Mike doesn’t even know Iris died by suicide yet.) Carney might have been the proverbial little guy, but he was positioned right at the center of the action. He’s one of those people who carries the water so that bigger people like Mike and Hobbs can succeed. That’s why Carney will be missed. His death was the perfect way for Mayor of Kingstown to show audiences the true plot of Season 4, and effectively state that Anchor Bay has changed for the worse. But his absence will change the entire course of the season, both plot-wise and emotionally.

Luckily, there is a perfect silver lining that ought to give actor Lane Garrison a second life. While Carney is very clearly dead, fans of Taylor Sheridan shows will recall that even before Kareem’s death, actor Michael Beach was also recurring on Sheridan’s other crime drama Tulsa King. Beach is still there playing Tyson’s father Mark Mitchell, and he’s gotten some juicy screen time (including almost being killed off that show, too, but luckily Mark survived). It would be wonderful in so many ways if Garrison was cast on Tulsa King. Finding some way for him to reunite with Michael Beach would be one heck of a watch—not only for nostalgic purposes, but to see how they’d play off each other in different roles where they’re not in the same chain of command.

For his part, Garrison wants to reteam with Beach, whom he credited with helping him on Kingstown. He said in our interview that “I just loved working with the man. He’s so awesome and humble, and just had great suggestions and was very easygoing, no ego. Hopefully I get to work with him again.”

And Lane Garrison would be a fine addition to the Tulsa King cast. The entire vibe of that show is tough guys with quirky senses of humor, decidedly lighter than Mayor of Kingstown. Garrison has proven he can do the tough part in his sleep, but how fun would it be for him to show off more of his sense of humor? For him to play a character who’s more independent than Carney? And it wouldn’t be too hard to work him in; the one thing that show has in common with Kingstown is that there are always people coming in from outside the group. Mitch Keller had his old flame Cleo Montague return to Tulsa this season. Perhaps Mark has an old friend that he calls or refers Tyson to, since a recurring theme has been Tyson’s mom being increasingly concerned about her son. However it happens, Garrison turning up on Tulsa King would be a boon—and like with Beach, a way to ease the pain of his death on Mayor of KIngstown.

Mayor of Kingstown streams Sundays on Paramount+. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Paramount+.

Article content is (c)2020-2025 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.