What To Know
- Mayor of Kingstown star Nishi Munshi reacts to that shocking finish to Season 4 Episode 8.
- The actress also reveals how the scene might’ve been even worse.
[Warning: The following post contains MAJOR spoilers for Mayor of Kingstown Season 4 Episode 8, “Belleville.”]
For the third time this season of Mayor of Kingstown, we’ve seen a long-time character exit the show in brutal fashion. This week’s casualty may be the most devastating yet, though.
Tracy (Nishi Munshi) and baby Mitch went into hiding at her sister’s house in Ohio, but it wasn’t far enough away from the war at home to keep her safe.
After Kyle (Taylor Handley) rejected Merle Callahan’s (Richard Brake) invitation to become a member of his white supremacist faction, the gang leader warned him there would be consequences. Soon after, upon moving to general population, his minions snuck him out through a kitchen cart, and the next call Kyle got was from his terrified wife right before she was slaughtered.
Tracy begged for her life, but more fervent was her plea for the life of her infant. In the end, a single shrill cry answered the question of whether Callahan would also murder the boy to spite his new nemesis, but still, according to actress Nishi Munshi, there was definitely talk of making that scene a double murder.
TV Insider caught up with the actress to discuss Tracy’s tragic fate, as seen below.
At the beginning of the season, Kyle told Tracy, “When I get out, we’re gonna leave Kingstown for good.” He seemed hopeful about that, but do you think she ever believed that?
Nishi Munshi: No. I think the belief that was strong when we were discussing it in, what, maybe Season 1 or 2, and I was really pushing for it. And I think that started to dwindle. And that’s the hardest thing for Tracy. I love my husband… but my trust started diminishing, yeah, in Mike and in that, in that promise.
Yeah, I was gonna ask: Throughout this season, so far, Mike (Jeremy Renner) has been trying very hard to protect Kyle, but he’s been so ineffectual for the first time. Do you think Tracy sees that, and has she lost her faith in him to do what he normally can do?
Oh, well, that’s a funny thing, because we have a really beautiful scene that I got to do with Jeremy. And as much as the times that Mike did slip up, and then I would get really angry, because I know Mike and Kyle are different people. I still held onto trust that, “Hey, if I just let go of the reins, I’m really putting this in your hands…” I still had a little sliver of trust and hope that something would come through.
Well, obviously, that plays out when she agrees to his suggestion that she move over to her sister’s. Do you think when she went there that she had any idea that she might be in danger, or do you think she was more worried about Kyle still?
Oh, I absolutely knew I was in danger. Tracy being Tracy, it’s like trying to be in two places at once. You’re torn. So at that time, I think I thought to myself, “Well, what would Kyle want me to do when it’s for the best interest of our child?” Oh, yeah. But I was just like, “I gotta be here for my husband.”
Dennis P. Mong Jr. / Paramount +
Before this week’s episode, Kyle didn’t seem to believe it, but he told her that Mike was working to get him out. Tracy was the one to kind of put a hammer on that, like, “Don’t get your hopes up. Just don’t do that to yourself.” Why do you think she did that? Did she really not have faith? Or she was just worried about his mental, mental health in that moment?
… Oh, I think that’s when the dwindling started happening. That’s one broken promise after another after another…. It was a bit more of just, “Love Mike, but he’s also a loose cannon,” so just moment by moment. We just need to take it one breath at a time to keep him hopeful, but still just that in-between line.
In this week’s episode, obviously, Tracy comes into the hands of one of the scariest characters in the show, Merle Callahan. First of all, what was it like for you to work with Richard Brake, and second of all, what was it like for you to craft that gutting scene where she’s making her plea, not just for herself, but for her baby?
So Richard is amazing, as we all know, and he just made it really easy to do, just his pacing, how generous he is, how fun he is. So that was half of it…. It was a lot of the body work that you do to come into that place of it’s not even thought out, right? It’s just instinctual. Things tighten up, and your fight or flight kicks in. Now when I think back on it… I just carried that feeling in my body. Oh yeah, there was everything coming out. I wanted to kill him, and also just find some way out. And I’m dealing with a psychopath and trying to out-think him. There was so much in the writing to work with that helped.
In the end, would Tracy be happy with what happened, in the sense that Mitch did survive? She was, at a certain point, asking for him to at least not kill the baby.
Sure, because our show has had intense, I think, once or twice, baby deaths… Absolutely, absolutely, that’s that internal, protective fear, where it’s, “You can take me, and anything else can happen, but…” Yeah, absolutely, I would. [But] I would be concerned. If Tracy’s looking from the other side, I would be concerned. And I joked and like, “I wonder what Michael do? Strap Mitch to the back of a car?” But yeah, yeah, I was relieved to see that. Yeah, we had these conversations where, like, “You got to kill the baby, too,” and then they’re like, “No, that’s too cruel.”
Oh my gosh, that would have been a nightmare. Because you don’t know until you hear that cry in the background. And it’s a little bit…
Yeah, we all got pretty dark. I mean, it’s a really collaborative group. So I was like, “If we’re really gonna do it, you know what? What’s gonna happen with the baby?” But, yeah, it was definitely a cliffhanger, for sure.
So all throughout the show, obviously, Tracy has been Kyle’s rock. What do you expect, knowing the characters the way you do, that death is going to do to him?
Oh, yeah, I remember one season I said, “I’m his rock, and he’s my rock…” I think he might just spiral — not that he can be out of control, but what he’s gone through, and our family meant everything to us. “I know how much you love me,” and how in this beautiful scene we had, Taylor’s like, “There’s no purpose if I can’t be there for you. What’s the purpose for me?” So I know he did everything for a family, but I’m guessing, yeah, spiral for sure.
We’ve seen, from the very first episode, that character deaths happen on this show. But at this point, you’ve been there for all four seasons. It must have been bittersweet. How was your last day, and what did you guys do to say goodbye?
Every year, usually do, like one thank you food truck or something. It was beautiful. You know, Christoph Schrewe, our directing producer, whoever could come and support all came, and that’s how it’s been throughout. One of the first tough physical scenes, Tobi [Bamtefa] came and supported me on set. And we all talk about that. So it was great — lots of hugs. We all got a really good chance this season to go bowling together and do other fun things together. So, yeah, we all just hugged it out and cried it out and went out to lunches. And it was great.
In Taylor Sheridan‘s shows, you see a lot of actors kind of go from one series to the next, different roles. It’s kind of a universe he likes to keep it in the family sometimes. So I was just wondering if there’s any other Taylor Sheridan show that you might see yourself wanting to hop over to next?
Oh, absolutely. I mean, he has, I don’t even know the number, maybe 10 or 11. The man’s doing amazing work. But, oh yeah, there’s a few that I would love to, from the cowboy to the action-packed, Yep, absolutely. If they want me back, it’s one of the best groups I’ve gotten to work with. So yeah.
Mayor of Kingstown, Sundays, Paramount+
