We just passed the 30th anniversary of the O.J. Simpson Bronco chase, during which an entire nation was glued to their TV sets, waiting to see if a disgraced NFL superstar could elude the cops on the Los Angeles freeways and side streets. And now, three decades later in Kingstown, a gang of drug dealers huddle around their police scanners, listening raptly as the KPD conducts a citywide manhunt for the two Aryan Brotherhood members suspected of blowing up a fleet of police cars. These Crips enjoy the sport of it all, in part because for once the local law isn’t after them, and in part because, well … car chases are riveting.
Like “Guts†two weeks ago, this week’s Mayor of Kingstown — “Rag Doll†— is also pretty riveting, and for much the same reason. Once again, nearly all the powerful factions in Kingstown have one goal: that focus drives an episode that moves briskly, confidently, and intentionally. In a show filled with characters who like to pontificate at length about what they do and why they do it, it’s good sometimes to stick these dudes in situations where they can be purely reactive — where who they are is revealed by what they do, not what they say.
Let’s start with our main Kingstown cops: Ferguson, Sawyer and Kyle. Two-thirds of these guys act according to form. Ferguson takes charge of the city’s roadblocks in his usual rough-and-ready way, trying to beat every crook he stops into giving up the names of the bombers. After the KPD does get one name (not via violence, but from the phone records for the burners the perps used to trigger the explosives), Saywer’s SWAT team comes in guns-a-blazin’ and shoots their suspect dead before he can give up his associate.
Kyle though shows maturity — New Dad strength? — by cornering the car thief who chauffeured the second bomber. As the SWAT guys close in, weapons drawn, Kyle calmly talks to this terrified accomplice, promising to let him off the hook for the boosted car if he cooperates with the police. Later at a bar, recovering from a stressful day, Sawyer suggests to Ferguson that Kyle has “leveled up†by showing courage (but perhaps not enough to join SWAT, given that Sawyer’s team prefers to shoot first and never ask questions).
The man to watch in this episode, though — as always — is Mike. What makes Mike “the Mayor†is that he’s not beholden to any laws or ethical codes. He can cut across lines. He can make deals. He does not care what kind of terrible things his business partners do. He only cares about results. (I have argued in these recaps that Mike rarely actually gets results. But that’s beside the point.)
As soon as Mike finds out that the cops are looking for an Aryan Brotherhood ex-con, he persuades Kareem to set up a meeting between him and Merle in the prison. After some terse catching-up pleasantries, Mike gets to the point. If the police find out the bomber was acting under orders from Merle, his big comeback in Kingstown Prison will be over. But if Merle helps Mike find the man … well, he can make the problem go away, Mayor-style.
I have to reiterate here how much I’m enjoying Richard Brake’s performance as Merle. He’s such a charismatic sleazebag, with his deep, slow, whispery drawl and his colorful turns of phrase. (Asking one of his underlings to wheedle him access to a phone, Merle says, “Conjure me a fucking miracle, you Nordic angel.â€) In theory, Merle should be beholden to Mike and in a mild panic, given the trouble these bombings can bring. Instead, he calmly uses the crisis to his advantage, saying, “Get me back into gen-pop, I’ll see what I can do.†In that way, Merle is a lot like Bunny, who waits patiently for the police to chase their prey into his territory, at which point he captures the bomber and calls Mike. Some people are always asking for favors. Others know it’s better to be owed.
The big centerpiece scene of “Rag Doll†— and the one that gives the episode its name — is a tense, well-acted, well-written conversation between Mike and the bomber, a stooge named Macon (Keir O’Donnell). Once again, Mike thinks he has the upper hand, as he tries to get this dope to give up the name of his boss. Instead, Macon defiantly hits Mike’s triggers by reminding him of the kind of man he used to be in prison, accusing him of selling out by working with the Black gangs, and implying that the Brotherhood is responsible for the violence visited against the McClusky family lately. Enraged, Mike pushes Macon off a building. When informed of this, Merle chuckles and talks about how people who fall three stories bounce off the pavement like — you got it — rag dolls.
This episode is credited to screenwriter Aalia Brown; and it’s notable for its memorable dialogue exchanges and purposefully constructed action. It’s getting clearer now that this season is going to be about Mike reckoning with his ex-con past and whatever he did — while working with Merle, apparently — to survive it.
“Rag Doll†ends with Merle finally getting access to a phone and calling the Russian mob boss Konstantin, who tells his new partner, “My friend, we are going to do great things.†But thematically speaking, the more important bit of closure comes earlier, when Mike tells Merle (whom he semi-affectionately calls “Cal,†shortening his last name “Callahanâ€) that he’ll work with the Aryans whenever they need him … “for old times’ sake.â€
Hearing that rationale, Merle smiles. “Sure, Mike,†he says. “If that’s the sugar you need to swallow the load? Old fucking times’ sake, yeah.â€
Solitary Confinement
• While Kareem is trying to keep the prison walled-off (so to speak) from the chaos in the Kingstown streets, he’s not doing enough to handle the two troublemakers on his own staff. Mike’s inside man Carney is getting more and more brazen in his attempts to defy Kareem’s orders and control the prison. Bunny’s inside man, Kevin (Denny Love), cozies up to Kareem by snitching on his fellow guards … which Kareem warns could lead to his colleagues ignoring his cries for help someday.
• Kareem has another enjoyably prickly conversation with Merle in this episode when he approaches the old racist creep in the prison library and asks him if he’s as discriminating in his choice of literature as he is in his choice of associates. Merle answers, “Well I ain’t exactly readin’ Harlem Renaissance. My eyes ain’t watchin’ God.â€
• The overhead shots during the manhunt through Kingstown are well done, capturing the desolation of the city and the sense that the people below are caught in a kind of maze. Kudos to the Mayor of Kingstown crew, led this week by director Nina Lopez-Corrado.
• The only substantial non-manhunt subplot this week involves Anna Fletcher, the woman who two episodes ago murdered her son’s paroled killer after Mike couldn’t do anything to keep the man behind bars. Feeling guilty, Mike pushes Evelyn to get Anna a minimum sentence, so she won’t spend the rest of her life in prison. Evelyn says she’s unable (or, more accurately, unwilling) to help, but Mike keeps insisting because saving Anna from harsh punishment is personal to him. Why? He explains, “My mom had that same look.â€