The eighth episode of Mayor of Kingstown Season 4 delivers a staggering blow that changes the series forever. Titled “Belleville,” the episode sees Merle Callahan escape prison and carry out a personal, brutal revenge against Mike McLusky, culminating in an act of violence that breaks the one good thing left in Kingstown. This is not just another death in a violent town; it is a targeted strike meant to destroy Mike and his brother Kyle from the inside out.
Merle Callahan’s Escape and Ruthless Revenge
The episode begins with a blaring alarm sounding across Kingstown, signaling that Merle Callahan has broken out of Anchor Bay prison. He does not waste time. His first stop is to see Todd Shaver, the man who had been running the Aryan Brotherhood’s operations in his absence. Unhappy with Shaver’s leadership, Callahan has his accomplice, the arsonist Pete McDonough, douse Shaver in kerosene and set him on fire.
Callahan’s real target, however, is Mike McLusky. To send a message, he has his men trash Mike’s office, covering the walls with Nazi graffiti. He then orders Pete to burn down the old McLusky family home—the house where Mike and Kyle’s mother, Mariam, once lived. Mike arrives to find the house engulfed in flames and risks his life to drag Pete from the fire. When Mike demands to know where Callahan is, Pete delivers a chilling warning: “He gonna reckon with you, Mike, but he gonna make you hurt first”.
The Calculated Murder of Tracy McLusky
Callahan’s plan to make Mike “hurt” is horrifically personal. He tracks down Kyle McLusky’s wife, Tracy, who had been hiding with their infant son, Mitch, in Belleville, Ohio. Callahan forces Tracy to call Kyle in prison. When Kyle answers, Callahan is on the line, holding the baby and calmly informing Kyle that he has “everything Kyle loves in his hands”.
“You know who I’m punishing, and you know he deserves it,” Callahan tells Tracy, making it clear her death is solely about vengeance against Mike.
Tracy pleads for her life and the life of her son, even suggesting Callahan go back to Kingstown to kill Mike instead. The scene then cuts outside the house. A single gunshot rings out, followed by the sound of baby Mitch crying. Callahan walks away from the house alone, leaving Tracy dead. The murder is a line the show has never crossed before—killing a character who represented innocence and a chance for a life outside Kingstown’s violence.
Kyle’s Breakdown and Mike’s Failed Protection
The aftermath is immediate and devastating. In his prison cell, a hysterical Kyle screams for help, ordering a guard to call the police in Belleville. He is later placed on suicide watch after trying to take his own life, unable to bear the loss. This tragedy directly undermines Mike’s entire mission this season. Much of his deal-making and maneuvering was focused on one goal: securing Kyle’s release from prison to protect him and his family. With Tracy dead, that purpose is obliterated.
Ian tries to console Mike, saying there was nothing he could have done. Mike, however, knows the truth. He replies, “All we do is survive it,” echoing the hopeless sentiment Warden Hobbs expressed earlier. The episode ends with Mike returning to Anchor Bay, the prison siren still echoing, as he is forced to continue his grim work despite the personal ruin.
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Mike’s Other Moves: Taking Down LJ and Uniting with Hobbs
While Callahan’s rampage unfolds, Mike continues his cold political games elsewhere. He confronts Lamar, Bunny’s driver who betrayed him to Frank Moses. Mike manipulates Lamar into proving his loyalty by assassinating Frank’s right-hand man, LJ. LJ is shot dead on the street, a major blow to Frank’s operations.
Furthermore, the crisis forces a new, uneasy partnership. Warden Nina Hobbs, reeling from Callahan’s escape on her watch and under threat from the Colombian cartel, has no choice but to cooperate with Mike. She gives him full access to the prison to question the Aryan Brotherhood, signaling a major shift in their hostile relationship.
The fallout from “Belleville” is absolute. Tracy McLusky is dead. The McLusky home is ashes. Kyle is shattered. And Mike, the so-called mayor who fixes everything, has been shown to be powerless to protect his own family. The episode resets the stakes for the season’s final episodes, transforming a story about criminal control into a raw, personal quest for vengeance.
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