SPOILER ALERT: The following contains major spoilers for Mayor of Kingstown Season 4, Episode 10.

Mayor of Kingstown has already proven itself to be the best Taylor Sheridan show. The Season 4 finale, “Belly of the Beast,” caps off a season that makes clear it’s one of the best shows on TV, full stop. Showrunner Dave Erickson brings everything together in a way that makes it feel more like a beginning than an ending. There’s plenty of runway now for Mayor of Kingstown Season 5, and Paramount+ would be foolish not to renew the series immediately.

Hugh Dillon’s episode “Teeth and Tissue” walked so that Erickson could run. So much of what works here is built on the foundation of Episode 9. But Erickson and director Christoph Schrewe team up to create an hour that is both massive enough to be a finale, yet also painfully intimate as it needs to be. There are only a few moments that viewers will see coming.

First things first, “Belly of the Beast” has to resolve the cliffhanger that tears the beloved diner to shreds. Schrewe is able to direct this in a way that conveys the urgency, but also enables the viewers to understand what’s happening. The decision to shoot Stevie raises the alarm level given Season 4’s track record of killing major characters, but luckily Erickson spares him. What’s more important in that moment is another clear sign that Kyle McLusky has changed: he pulverizes one of the three shooters. This whole sequence isn’t just dramatic, it’s not just symbolic of how everything in Kingstown has changed, but it serves a further purpose of continuing to develop (or is that destroy?) Kyle’s character. What Erickson does so well is make the Kingstown finale Kyle’s story instead of Mike’s story. Much like Dillon knew where to focus his narrative, Erickson understands that who really has to reach the finish line is Kyle.

Of course Mike still has an incredibly important role to play, both functionally and as Kyle’s brother. That’s seen in the subsequent turn of events, as Mike and Kyle brutally interrogate the surviving shooter. Mike does a lot of the dirty work, and actor Jeremy Renner is once again great at that part. But it’s also worth watching Renner when Kyle gets into the fray, to see how Mike reacts to his brother going over the line. He communicates that precarious balance between being worried, and wanting Kyle to get the revenge he deserves.

And there’s so much that can be said about the performance of Taylor Handley. Kyle being freed from prison has also unleashed the character metaphorically, and it’s been a pleasure to see Handley take Kyle up another level. It’s tragic and it’s been hard to watch—when even Nina Hobbs refers to Kyle as “a good man,” audiences know how much Kyle has lost—but from an acting standpoint, Handley has had his best season yet. He’s put together a performance that’s been so emotionally raw, grabbing the audience and pulling them into Kyle’s downward spiral.

Naturally, it comes to a head when Kyle comes face-to-face with Merle Callahan for the first time since Tracy McLusky’s murder. Fans already know that’s how Mayor of Kingstown will end, because that’s how they want it to end; they want to see Kyle take down his wife’s killer, not only for him but even for themselves. That final scene is perfect all around. Erickson doesn’t belabor the point; Callahan gets a few last words but the scene isn’t dragged out for dramatic effect. Richard Brake is creepy even as Callahan is clearly broken. And it comes down to Handley, who like Renner, says so much nonverbally. Fans can see the anger, the grief and yet, they still support Kyle. The choice to conclude “Belly of the Beast” with a silent embrace between Kyle and Mike is more powerful than any dialogue. Yes, Kyle has crossed a line over which he cannot come back. But he still has his brother, his brother still has him, and Kingstown still has them both. It’s as hopeful an ending as Mayor of Kingstown has ever had.

That’s critical, because Erickson also has to deal with the fallout from the destruction that Episode 9 wrought. With the McLuskys on a collision course with Callahan, “Belly of the Beast” uses Bunny Washington to tie up the Colombian problem. It’s entertaining to see Bunny back in control as he torments Cortez, after all the pain that Cortez has caused everyone else all season (rest in peace, Doug Carney). Raphael leads a prison attack on the Colombians as well. There’s no definitive end to this part of the story, which might be disappointing to some viewers. But there’s enough to feel like the “good guys” have won, at least for now. The biggest criticism here is a double-edged sword involving Kevin, who becomes a casualty of this war.

As soon as Bunny tells Kevin that he’s on his “last day” as a double agent in Anchor Bay, Mayor of Kingstown fans know that Kevin is going to die. It’s a near-certainty that any time a TV character is on their last day, they’re at the least going to be injured. It’s a shame to see that for Kevin. But on the other hand, his subplot this season adds a great bit of nuance to Season 4’s story. It’s the best example to date of how there are people in Kingstown who aren’t suited for this kind of morally grey life, and how Mike and Bunny are able to recognize that. It’s Mike who tells Bunny to cut Kevin loose. It’s good to remember that not all the characters in Kingstown are in the game—such as Erickson not forgetting to mention baby Mitch even though the plot is focused on Kyle’s revenge. And it’s just as meaningful for the main characters to see that, and not simply pull everyone else in with them.

Plus, Kevin’s death in front of Cindy Stephens adds more to Cindy’s compelling (albeit too short) emotional arc. Cindy’s clearly shown as shell-shocked from having to shoot Will Breen in Episode 9, and then she has to watch Kevin die. “Belly of the Beast” doesn’t have a lot of time to spend with Cindy, but Laura Benanti is brilliant with what she does get. Even Hobbs tries to check in on Cindy, which also says a lot about the progression of Edie Falco’s character. Cindy has a journey of her own to go on now, while also providing an anchor for Mike. All of her scenes are impactful, no matter how long they are.

Cindy is an example of how not every character gets closure. She, Hobbs and Cortez are all question marks going into a potential Season 5. But Erickson is economical in his storytelling, knowing what to make a priority in order to provide the most truthful episode. He doesn’t try to cram in everything, which would short-change something. He doesn’t play to a cliffhanger in hopes of getting a next season, because this show has already earned it. “Belly of the Beast” hits the important notes, and then gives just enough to the other characters so viewers have an idea of where they can go. For example, Ian Ferguson and his captain finally being on the same page about Callahan is an accomplisment given how much those two have been in conflict. It’s an acknowledgement that in Kingstown, sometimes due process is not a solution. Things do not work normally in this city.

That’s essentially the theme of the episode: the only way out is to go beyond the lines. But what separates Mayor of Kingstown from other crime dramas is its equally unflinching look at the cost of doing so. It has never condoned what its characters do, simply explained why, and Season 4 has been particularly self-critical. The Mayor of Kingstown finale caps off a season of self-destruction, but it takes all that and focuses forward instead of dwelling on the negative or the dramatic. It’s a well-rounded episode, not only in terms of writing and construction but in its humanity. This series is head and shoulders over the other Taylor Sheridan shows on air right now, but also so many other dramas, because it has an uncompromising but also completely vulnerable way of telling a story. It asks audiences to go out on a limb, but the writers and the actors are right there with them, all the way to the bitter (yet hopeful) end.

That’s the most fascinating part of the finale. It makes a brilliant case for Mayor of Kingstown Season 5 without even trying. Season 4 may have been a tragic whirlwind, but the finale establishes how much all of the characters have left to say. There is an incredible amount of possibility still within the borders of Kingstown. So much has ended, but in some ways, this finale feels like the series has just begun.

Mayor of Kingstown Season 4 is now streaming 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.