Simply Murder

Episode

3

Air date

November 21, 2021

Writer

Taylor Sheridan

Director

Taylor Sheridan

Episode guide
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The End Begins	The Price

Simply Murder is the third episode of the Paramount+ series, Mayor of Kingstown^[1]. It premiered on November 21, 2021.

Synopsis[]

After a tragic accident has deadly consequences, an all-out manhunt ensues. Meanwhile, Mike reaches out to a former prison contact.^[1]

Plot[]

As a result of Kenny’s irresponsibility, he inadvertently caused the deaths of his lady and their child, who both end up charred alive in the trailer where he cooked his meth. His son was only five years old, and as a result of his gruesome death, this event is enough to unite Kingstown’s law enforcement and criminals as well. The Kingstown police officers agreed that Kenny must be brought to justice, and not via means of a courtroom.

With Kenny on the run, Mike is given the responsibility of finding him and arranging a deal whereby justice is served. Elsewhere, Kenny sobs and punches himself in the face, clearly devastated by his own role in the tragedy. Even his own boss agrees to turn him in if he sees him.

Prisoners of various affiliations are all volunteering to do the deed. The cops are determined to have Kenny killed without a fair trial, so when Kenny presents himself to Mike, he’s offered a deal. If he turns himself in, as a parolee he can be put in protective custody. He’ll still be convicted, he’ll still be sent to Death Row, and he’ll still be executed, but at least he’ll get a trial. When Kenny follows Mike’s advice, though, he’s still placed in general population and immediately set upon by all the prisoners, stabbed and beaten to death while the guards look on. Refusing to help out in the process. Mike, upon hearing the news, smashes his office up in frustration.

The fragile balance of peace in Kingstown hangs on by a thread, as it is contingent on Mike keeping the scales even. If the police enlisted an affiliated prisoner to kill Kenny, the police would have been indebted to the gang. As Bunny laughingly mentions to Mike later, they’d milk that debt forever.

Mike also realizes that even if he is the so-called Mayor of Kingstown, there’s only so much influence and power that he wields. Unfortunately because according to most, Kenny had broken a sacred code by inadvertently killing a child. So many people wanted him dead that they ensured it happened without thinking too far ahead. Now, Kenny has been killed by various members of several gangs with the police’s full knowledge and complicity, meaning that everyone will suddenly owe everyone else a favour. With Mike being the broker of those favours.