Tulsa King Recap: School’s Out

As a seasoned cinephile with decades of experience under my belt, I find myself utterly perplexed by Tulsa King. The show’s portrayal of education is reminiscent of a political rally gone awry, and its handling of cultural sensitivity leaves much to be desired.

Dwight Manfredi don’t need no education. Dwight Manfredi don’t need no thought control. No self-expression and creativity, basketball with no points, and gender-neutral Little Orphan Annies in the classroom. Teacher, leave dem kids alone. Eyyy, teacher, leave dem kids alone!

In a way that feels like it could’ve been penned by a local chapter of Moms for Liberty, the series Tulsa King introduces its unconventional protagonist Dwight Manfredi to critique modern education. This is done through a caricatured progressive school setting, where Dwight expresses concerns about football and receives a response suggesting it’s too violent. The intended sympathy in this scene isn’t for the educator aiming to nurture well-rounded citizens. Instead, it’s for Dwight, who champions physical discipline when children misbehave. He argues that such methods worked fine for him, despite the last 25 years notwithstanding!

It continues when they get home. “They’re training them to be patsies and fall guys,” he hollers. “Wimps!” When his daughter and sister chide him that the world is not the dog-eat-dog hellscape he believes it to be, he replies, “Do you not watch the news? You gotta be ready for everything. You can’t be naïve and gullible, like they want you to be, and listen to what they’re saying all the time.” Add “YMCA” and you’ve got a Trump rally. Is he supposed to sound a little over the top? Sure, but his heart’s in the right place, and that’s what really counts, right?

In simpler terms, the brief sequence featuring Dwight’s weekly reminiscing about how things weren’t like they used to be can be seen as an occasional, unrelated segment. However, the climactic scene where Dwight and his team subdue a nameless group of Chinese immigrants who are working for Cal Thresher to sabotage wind turbines is crucial to the storyline and rather disturbing. It’s questionable whether including a scene depicting the brutal beating of Asian immigrants on a 2024 show serves any purpose beyond giving Sylvester Stallone an opportunity to appear tough.

In simpler terms, scenes like these in “Tulsa King” sometimes leave us puzzled because even though Dwight and Mitch are involved in questionable activities, such as buying a car dealership to grow their empire, it’s surprising when characters like Donnie Shore, who is supposed to be legitimate, use underhanded tactics like offering freebies to create a sense of obligation among customers. Essentially, Donnie Shore is pretending to be authentic while trying to deceive people and make more money.

At the wind farm, Dwight and Jimmy discuss the urban legend that Indigenous people have no fear of heights. Although it’s accurate that Mohawk “Skywalkers” built many iconic New York structures, it’s more about mastering fear in a Bene Gesserit way, as reported by several workers; Jimmy, however, attributes the connection to their work to simply taking on jobs that others wouldn’t.

Regarding the diverse ethnic groups residing in New York, the Italians are attempting to resolve their disagreement. Inspired by Vince, who aims to assume control following the volatile and patricidal Chickie, a meeting is arranged between New York, Kansas City, and Tulsa. This gathering takes place in Atlanta, which serves as neutral territory. (It’s quite possible that Georgia’s generous tax incentives for film production and the relocation of ‘Tulsa King’ from its original city to Atlanta for filming have no connection to this arrangement.)

In summary, during our tour of the characters, Tyson and Armand vie for dominance, while Cal contests with Dwight about the turbines and their shared affection for Margaret. Interestingly, Cal also disputes with his associate, Dwight. This situation makes me question how long he’ll continue to oversee his own operation. Meanwhile, Dwight anticipates Thresher’s future betrayal by the Chinese mob, viewing him as a target rather than an ally.

This week in Tulsa King, Dwight’s quirks are still front and center. Various scenes show brief spats between Dwight and those close to him that usually culminate in the whole gang sharing a hearty laugh at Dwight’s endearing qualities. For instance, an argument with his sister and daughter about human nature not changing is resolved when they buy him a La-Z-Boy. A humorous moment also occurs as Margaret learns Thresher is being exploited by the Triads, but they share a chuckle nonetheless. The episode concludes with Dwight and his partner splurging on multiple bottles of an expensive Champagne at a restaurant, courtesy of Thresher, while grinning ear to ear.

It’s just so odd to think of this show in the context of the rest of the work of head writer Terence Winter. “Human nature does not change” is something you might have heard on The Sopranos and Boardwalk Empire, but those shows wrestled with the implications of that statement until they were bloody with them. Tulsa King uses it as a reason why boys shouldn’t be allowed to star as Little Orphan Annie in the school play. It feels so diminished and cheap.

To clarify, characters in a show like Tulsa King don’t embody the values of their writers, and the series isn’t meant as a political platform. However, it’s important to note that Dwight’s actions, such as extorting Bodhi, murdering bikers, or mockingly embarrassing his ex-girlfriend in court, may not be morally right but are portrayed in a way that we, the audience, can still find acceptable. In fact, these actions are often presented in an entertaining manner.

In simpler terms, when Dwight expresses that schools make boys weak, and his interactions with immigrants involve physical violence, the show doesn’t explicitly condemn him like it does with Tony Soprano or Nucky Thompson through their heinous actions. However, Dwight is portrayed as charming and entertaining, which is his character’s defining trait. So, are you not finding him appealing? Isn’t that part of the appeal?

2024-10-13 17:53

Tulsa King Recap: School’s Out

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