[Warning: The following post contains MAJOR spoilers about Mayor of Kingstown Season 3 Episode 9, “Home on the Range.”]
If things weren’t already bad enough for the warden of Anchor Bay, Sunday’s newest episode of Mayor of Kingstown really put him against a proverbial wall.
Michael Beach‘s Kareem Moore, who has long been struggling with the trauma he experienced during the prison riot, is the one who’ll have to pay for his guards allowing such a high-profile inmate as Raphael (D Smoke) to escape… and, of course, the grenade bombing incident from last week’s episode.
In Episode 9, Kareem is told he’ll either need to tender his resignation within two weeks or be fired, and of course, he vows to refuse either option. With so much bad news on his plate, what could possibly be next for the warden?
TV Insider’s interview with Michael Beach continues to discuss this season’s penultimate episode and upcoming finale.
In this episode, Kareem is told that he either has a choice to resign or be fired. I know he explains that he won’t walk away because he’s gonna lose his pension and all this, but is there any part of him that thinks, “Maybe I can get a fresh start”?
Well, I mean, now his daughter is in therapy, right? And I think he’s afraid of losing the benefits that he has, that he feels he really needs now, for his family. I mean, it’s really and this is what’s really destroying him is that it destroyed him, and now he’s destroying his family. And I mean, I’m 60 years old, so I always see he basically is my age. So if somebody said to me, “Okay, Mike, you well, you’re gonna stop acting now, and you’re gonna go become a plumber at 60 years old”… I’d say like, “That’s not happening, dude. I mean, this is what I chose… So I’m going to leave the benefits that I do have that are helpful?” The problem is, he can’t fix himself. I think that that’s what’s just destroying things at a rapid rate at this point.
Related‘Mayor of Kingstown’: Michael Beach Explains Why Kareem Is ‘Trapped’
For that scene, what was it like for you to go into that crescendo of anger that he goes through?
I’ve worked really hard at making that scene more balanced, better, because when — the EP Dave Erickson is the dude is so with it, man, because I would, if you open the door and you tell me, “Hey, listen, text me, email me complaints or problems or things you like to work on a fix…” I spent a lot of time on that scene because originally, the young guy that comes in and he says, “Listen, you’re done.” He had all the power. And I thought Kareem, although he’s in this terrible situation in the state he’s been around, he’s not a rookie. He can’t just be pushed around. He has to fight back. So we worked on that scene for a little bit, and Dave came back with some beautiful stuff, and it had a much better flow for me. So that crescendo made a lot more sense to me.
It came from somewhere — I hope it turned out to be a good scene, I haven’t seen it yet — but I think we had the scene in like two takes. But Christopher, the director, he was like, “Look, man, you want to try something?” I was like, “Hey, man, I worked on the scene so much. Let’s try a couple more takes.” So we did a few more takes. But the great thing about having three and four cameras running is that in a couple of takes, you can have it. We had it in a couple of takes. It was because I think we spent so much time trying to figure out the rhythm of it, and I think we did that. So for me, it was a blast. It was a lot of fun to do.
After this encounter, what can we expect from Kareem in the finale?
Well, he’s got to figure out a way to keep his family together. He’s gotta figure out a way to move forward in the situation and fight for his job because he’s not going to go back to being a guard. Even if he goes back on the high level, he’s not going to step away. So in the last episode of this season, you’re going to see him make decisions in order to to save his family.
Mayor of Kingstown, Sundays, Paramount+
More Headlines:
‘Mayor of Kingstown’: Michael Beach on Crafting That Explosive Argument & Finale ‘Decision’ AheadPregnant Gypsy-Rose Blanchard Celebrates 33rd Birthday With Boyfriend Ken Urker‘Wheel of Fortune’: Vanna White & Ryan Seacrest Lock Arms as They Film First Show‘Below Deck Mediterranean’: Bri Muller Addresses Love Triangle Drama & Teases Catfight‘Mayfair Witches’ Teaser Reveals ‘Interview With the Vampire’ Crossover in Season 2 (VIDEO)
