Staring at the Devil

Staring at the Devil is the second episode of Season 2, and the twelfth episode of the Paramount+ series, Mayor of Kingstown overall. It aired on January 22, 2023.
== Synopsis ==
After a power vacuum in tent city spills out into Kingstown, Mike makes a bold move to try and restore order. Iris is uneasy about her new living arrangement. Kyle finds himself in a dangerous situation.
== Plot ==
More death and bloodshed intensifies in the aftermath of the prison riots. Mike and Iris hide out on their boat while shots echo throughout the town. Unfortunately, Iris needs a new safe house after running away from her last place. Out of options of his own, Mike drives her to his brother’s house in the middle of the night. Both Iris and Mike are hiding from escaped Russian mobster Milo, but at that moment, as they ask Kyle for help, they realize that they cannot hide forever.
Kyle is less than happy about Mike’s latest request. It’s the early hours of the morning and the chaos wakes Mike’s mother Mariam and Kyle’s wife Tracy. Sensing tension in the family home, Iris tries to bolt, but Mike stops her from leaving in a forceful manner. Kyle agrees to babysit Iris for a couple of hours, while Mike sorts out this entire mess once and for all. Kyle worries that those that are after Iris will turn up on his doorstep, but Mike thinks it’s already an inevitability no matter how they spin this. 
Mike turns up at yet another crime scene, as another drive-by shoot-out takes place in the neighborhood. The detectives comment on how this shooting feels different from the rest, with innocent bystanders caught up in the mayhem. One police officer is even seen hurling up, after witnessing all the bloody violence. Mike and Ian find a discarded weapon and follow a trail of blood. They soon discover a victim hiding behind the bins, still alive. He won’t elaborate on what has transpired exactly but admits that this massacre was just further retaliation tactics. They see it as an eye for an eye kind of fight, and Mike thinks everyone will lose in these types of situations. Again, the lack of leadership inside the prison system means that there is no order on the outside either.
Bunny agrees that this bedlam is getting out of hand. He has an intense argument with Mike back on his trusty rooftop palace. Bunny is honest with Mike. He states that he didn’t give the order and blames the prison guards instead. They are killing inmates and then dumping the bodies, this could have provoked criminals on the outside to fight back. Mike wants an end to all this violence and asks Bunny to organize a truce. Bunny thinks whatever happens on the outside needs to be reiterated inside the prison as well. The gang leader wants Mike to act as a mediator in these negotiations. Mike then decides to ask Bunny to give him three hours, and to trust him, because he has a plan.
Mike quickly brings his own fiendish plan together. He contacts Evelyn and lays out his scheme to her that he wants the four gang leaders arrested and placed in prison, but on new charges. Then they can pick new leaders on the inside to restore balance. Once they have restored peace, the criminals will be released. Evelyn thinks it is utter madness but agrees to Mike’s plans. He meets with Kareem next and relays the plan to the new prison boss too.
Leaders of both sides of this war meet up to hear Mike’s master plan. Kareem is joined by Robert, who starts to frisk the gang leaders. The rivals are evidently antagonistic toward one another at first, but Mike keeps the peace. He is about to explain his plan when Evelyn arrives, sporting a bulletproof vest. Then police cars pull up with their sirens blaring. It seems the gang members have been conned. Mike tells them to remain calm, and he explains the situation. They are being placed under arrest, with new charges. Once they have restored peace they will be freed again. This means peace for everyone, with Mike wanting the guards to behave themselves as well.
Eventually, Mike pays Iris a visit and finds out she ran away. 
Whereas at Kyle’s day job, Kyle grows to hate his new partner, who never plays by the book. The partner irresponsibly pulls over a driver. He heads over without running the plates and is shot dead by the driver. Kyle shoots the driver and then erratically destroys the rest of the car with further gunfire. In his panicked state, he calls in the tragedy, desperate for backup and medical attention, but he can’t recall his location. Then he hears a baby cooing in the backseat. 
Next, Iris wanders the streets at night. She enters a church building and finds Milo hiding out in a back room. She tells the Russian mobster that she has nowhere to go, no home to call her own. Milo accepts her back with open arms and they embrace. 
Then, the gang leaders arrive at the prison camp. Crowds gather to welcome the new inmates, but they fall silent as soon as Bunny exits the vehicle. The inmates didn’t see this twist coming, although they don’t seem best pleased by their new arrivals either.
== Cast and characters ==
=== Starring ===
*Jeremy Renner as Mike McLusky
*Dianne Wiest as Mariam McLusky
*Hugh Dillon as Ian
*Tobi Bamtefa as Deverin "Bunny" Washington
*Taylor Handley as Kyle McLusky
*Emma Laird as Iris
*Derek Webster as Stevie
*Hamish Allan-Headley as Robert
*Nishi Munshi as Tracy McLusky
*Aidan Gillen as Milo Sunter
=== Guest starring ===
*Nichole Galicia as Rebecca
*Michael Beach as Captain Kareem Moore
*Necar Zadegan as Assistant D.A. Evelyn Foley
*Michael Gaston as Morass
*Lane Garrison as Carney
*Marcus Gladney Jr. as Ray Ray
=== Co-starring ===
*Dylan Kenin as Gunner
*Reinaldo Faberlle as Luis
*Brandon Tyler Moore as Police Officer
*Marcus Brandon as Dedrick
*Braxtyn McKinney as Young Woman
*Xavier Michael as Crip Shooter
==Gallery==
===Promotional images===
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===Videos===
Mayor Of Kingstown - Behind The Story- "Staring At The Devil" (S2, E2) - Paramount+
Mayor Of Kingstown - Iris Meets The McLusky Family (S2, E2) - Paramount+
Tobi Bamtefa on Mayor of Kingstown season 2, Jeremy Renner, playing Bunny, African-American history
==External Links==
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== References ==
Category:Episodes
Category:Season 2 Episodes