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What is a heart attack letter in ‘Mayor of Kingstown?’

The series has been making headlines recently following a pair of intriguing episodes.

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The series Mayor of Kingstown follows the McLusky family and their attempt to restructure Kingstown, Michigan. Throughout the show, the McLusky family will have to deal with various hard-hitting issues preventing the city from progressing, including inequality, systematic racism, and corruption, to name a few. 

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Mayor of Kingstown, which premiered on Paramount Plus in 2021, stars Jeremy Renner, Emma Laird, Nichole Galicia, Hugh Dillon, Kyle Chandler, Taylor Handley, Dianne Wiest, Aidan Gillen, Hamish Allan-Headley, and many others. The series has been making headlines recently following the premiere of two episodes, including “In Left with the Nose” and “Drone.”

In season two, episode six, titled “In Left with the Nose,” police sergeant Robert Sawyer, portrayed by Headley, revealed that he was given a “heart attack letter” and the district attorney advised him to get a lawyer while in a crisis meeting with Mike (Renner), and Kyle McLusky (Handley), and Ian Ferguson (Dillon).

This article will address what a “heart attack letter” is, why Robert and his SWAT team received it, how this could jeopardize his team’s future, and how Mike plans to save the day.

The heart attack letter, explained

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According to Fiction Horizon, a heart attack letter is a document sent out to an individual or a team when Kingston PD internal affairs plan to investigate them. In this case, Robert received the heart attack letter because the government looked into the numerous inmates’ deaths when a prison riot ensued while detectives Ian and Kyle tried transferring a criminal, Milo Sunter, to the DA’s office.

Why are Robert Swayer and his SWAT team involved in the heart attack letter?

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In the early stages of the prison riot, Ian and Kyle were knocked unconscious by the individuals that instigated the rampage. After waking up, the detectives found themselves trapped in a middle of a riot and attempted to hide in the prison’s vent. While in the vent, Kyle informed Robert about their location and the event that had transpired.

Robert and his SWAT team immediately rushed to rescue Ian and Kyle, but it came at a price. To get the men, Robert and his team had to make the tough decision to shoot and kill inmates, and because this incident occurred outside the force’s jurisdiction, it caused a lot of conflict for those higher up.

During the episode, Robert assumed he received the heart attack letter because of an inmate sharing information about what happened with the district attorney. But it was later revealed that one of Robert’s men was the culprit behind this. What makes matters even worse is that this individual and the SWAT team have also participated in other illegal shootings against criminals to prevent them from using the justice system in their favor.

Robert ultimately discovers the identity of the person who betrayed him in the seventh episode, “Drones.” The individual was Ben Moore. The episode revealed that Ben negotiated a deal with the district attorney to testify against his colleagues. This revelation would upset others, including Ian and Kyle because they claimed that Ben shot about 20 inmates at least.

How does Mike plan to help Robert and his SWAT team?

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As things came to a head, Mike advised Robert to make sure that everyone’s story regarding the situation was similar so that they combat Ben’s testimony.

In addition to suggesting the indistinguishable story, Mike also shared with Robert and the team that they should refrain from communicating with Ben due to his alliance with the district attorney. Mike brings up that he is the only person who can directly speak to Ben because he isn’t connected to the investigation. With his ties to the assistant district attorney, Mike can also get details regarding the case that can help Robert and the team.

Although details regarding the outcome of the case has yet to be revealed, fans can assume that Mike will do anything in his power to get the charges dropped against Robert and his team, and re-shift the focus to the Aryan Brotherhood, the town’s true menaces.

All episodes of Mayor of Kingstown are now streaming on Paramount Plus.