Mayor of Kingstown Season 4 Episode 2 ending explained: Who killed Carney?

Mayor of Kingstown returned for its fourth season on Paramount+ with the same raw edge that hooked fans from day one. Created by Taylor Sheridan and Hugh Dillon, the show dropped its premiere on October 26, 2025. It follows the McLusky family in the fictional Michigan town of Kingstown. Here the prison industry runs everything.

Jeremy Renner leads as Mike McLusky, the fixer holding the town together. Dianne Wiest plays Mariam McLusky and Hugh Dillon is Ian Ferguson. Taylor Handley is Kyle McLusky, Mike’s brother inside. Tobi Bamtefa is Deverin "Bunny" Washington, Derek Webster is Stevie and Necar Zadegan is Evelyn Foley. New faces include Laura Benanti as Cindy Stephens, Lennie James as Frank Moses and Edie Falco as Nina Hobbs.

Episode 1 kicks off with Kyle's transfer to Anchor Bay prison. He lands in admin seg for protection. Inmates linked to Merle Callahan jump him over past beefs with Mike. Bloodied and shaken, Kyle barely survives. Mike scrambles to lock down the prison. Meanwhile, a brutal rail yard massacre ordered by Frank Moses wipes out Russian mobsters like Konstantin Noskov and Milo Sunter. Bunny dodges a drive-by from Colombians. Mike releases their shooter, Cortez, hoping for a lead. The episode ends with Mike staring down new threats. His grip slips as old enemies circle.

Episode 2 ends with Carney gunned down at his door. The shooter is Cortez. But Warden Nina Hobbs ordered the hit through her deputy Torres and Colombian ties. She wanted to cut Mike’s inside line after he threatened her. 

Mayor of Kingstown season 4 episode 2 ending explained: Carney's killer revealed

Episode 2 "Promises to Keep" aired November 2, 2025. It picks up right after the premiere's violence. Mike wastes no time. He calls in favors to avenge Kyle's beating. Through Bunny's network, inmates corner the attacker in Anchor Bay. They stab him dead in a bloody yard brawl. Guard Kevin Jackson sees it all. Shaken, he begs Bunny for an out from the prison grind. Bunny shuts him down cold. 

Outside Frank Moses makes his pitch. He meets Bunny first, admits to the Russian hits, calls it a favor to clear the board. Moses wants in on the drug trade. He'll handle smuggling and muscle from Detroit. In return he demanded a 20% cut and a sit-down with Mike. Bunny haggles but agrees to vet Moses's crew. He tips Mike. Mike smells trouble. Outsiders like Moses spell doom. Still, he sets the meeting. At Mike's office, Moses lays it out plain. Kingstown faces a "plague" of rivals- Aryans and Colombians. He'll crush them if Mike stays neutral. Cops look away. Mike dodges a yes. He knows Moses kills without blinking.

Prison life boils over. New warden Nina Hobbs digs in. Mike storms the gates and demands Kyle's safety. Nina stonewalls him and declines special treatment. Mike threatens her world.

She fingers Carney as the leak on Kyle's attack. Carney, Mike's inside guy, feels the heat. He tips Mike that his old contacts are gone. Mike pushes him to rebuild. Carney sets up a meeting with rookie guard Cindy Stephens. At a dive bar, Mike recruits her. She'll watch Kyle in ad seg, feed names and intel. Cindy has kids so she hesitates but signs on. 

Ian chases ghosts too. He tails Cortez after Mike's call to cut him loose. He hopes for a cartel bust but duty pulls him back. At the station DA Evelyn Foley grills him on old murders, like Charlie's death. She flashes a video of Ian's car nearby. Ian bluffs her out. Evelyn's closing in as Stevie rides shotgun on the tail. Their bond with Mike frays under pressure.

Bunny hosts his sister's birthday bash. Mike calls mid part and warns again about Moses. Bunny brushes it off. He's got leverage. Then Kevin shows and pushes for a promotion. Bunny eyes him warily, doesn't know Nina's already flipped the guard. Back at the bar, Mike seals the Cindy deal. 

The close hits like a gut punch. Carney heads home late and lives with his sick dad. As the doorbell rings, he opens the door. Cortez stands there - the same Colombian shooter Ian and Stevie nabbed. Cortez fires point blank. Carney drops dead on the stoop. Cortez slips from the back door to make sure the old man sees his face. He spares the dad to pin it on the cops as Ian and Stevie released Cortez on Mike's say.

But Cortez didn't act alone. Fingers point straight at Nina Hobbs. After Mike's threat, she clocked Carney as the snitch. He spilt on Kyle's attack. Nina told Torres to "deal with" Carney fast. Torres links to the Colombians. We see him chat with their boss Roberto Cruz in the chow hall. Nina wants Anchor Bay locked tight and no McLusky leaks.

Carney's death guts Mike's intel line and forces him toward risks like Moses or leaning on greenhorns like Cindy. Torres pulls strings with the cartel for muscle. Cruz gets a favor. 

Theories swirl. Could Moses pull strings? Unlikely. He's pushing the alliance; not starting wars. The episode leaves Mike in the dark. He gets the call and rushes over to see the body and know it's war. 

In the next episode, Mike hunts for proof that Nina ordered the kill. He leans hard on Cindy for fresh intel. Kyle faces a new threat inside ad seg. Bunny tests Moses's loyalty with a risky job. Ian dodges Evelyn's net as the old man IDs Cortez. Expect a prison lockdown, more blood in the yard, and Mike forced to pick a side.

Stream Mayor of Kingstown Season 4 on Paramount+. New episodes drop on Sundays. 

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