As a movie enthusiast who’s seen his fair share of mafia dramas and westerns, I can confidently say that “Tulsa King” is serving up a unique blend of both genres, keeping me on the edge of my seat each week. The second season has been a rollercoaster ride filled with power struggles, double-crosses, and unexpected alliances – a true testament to the show’s storytelling prowess.
In the series Tulsa King, serving revenge swiftly is the key, or it’s on the house! Throughout its second season, the show set up a five-way power struggle over Tulsa’s marijuana farms: the New York mob, initially led by Chickie Invernizzi and now Vince Antonacci; the Kansas City mob under Bill Bevilacqua’s command; Cal Thresher, who transformed from an oil baron to a ruthless weed tycoon; Jackie Ming, Thresher’s partner and head of the local Triad organization; and Dwight Manfredi’s Tulsa gang, a diverse group consisting of small-time weed-store owners, Native American cultivators, wind farmers, a few wiseguys, and various associates. In this episode, it resolves the conflict in the blink of an eye.
It’s surprisingly quick and easy to reach that stage, too. Following his Triad partner’s betrayal in the cannabis business, Thresher receives a straightforward message from Bevilaqua: “Straighten it out!” With a growl, Thresher dismissively responds, “Go take a hike,” as he departs.
However, he follows orders without question. He approaches Margaret, the woman they both have feelings for, as she appears to be the only one who could potentially gain favor with Dwight. Margaret is a ranch owner, and while Cal has not been successful in his romantic advances, Dwight has fared better. Interestingly, Cal secretly owns 49% of her ranch, which Ming aims to control as part of taking over Thresher’s assets. This means that Margaret could be at risk of losing her ranch at any moment. Cal uses this leverage to persuade Margaret to put pressure on Dwight, who finds it difficult to resist her demands in the long run.
Thresher’s not alone dangling there at the end of his rope. Armand, Dwight’s rogue soldier, makes it as far as a crossroads out of town before giving up and heading back in an emotional panic. He runs to Ming for help, offering to lure him to the one place Dwight is most vulnerable: Margaret’s ranch, where their offscreen sex life takes place.
From my perspective, it’s generally assumed that things are this way, and if you’re not particularly perceptive, you might believe the same. Meanwhile, I find myself at home with Dwight engaged in a conversation with his sister Joanne, when suddenly Bigfoot, his bodyguard, breaks the silence with, “You have a visitor.” The identity of the visitor isn’t revealed until much later in the episode during a flashback. However, considering the circumstances, there’s only one person it could be – Armand. And given Dwight’s situation, the only thing that could possibly warrant his forgiveness would be for Armand to lure Ming and his men into a trap, leading them towards their demise.
Which he does. Leading them onto the ranch, he feigns anxiety-related exhaustion, then scampers away. And assassins from a coalition of all the local indigenous tribes — out for blood over the murder of Jimmy the Creek, one of their own, last episode — slit the throats of Ming’s rear guard. Gunmen from the Manfredi and Bevilaqua outfits, led by weed store employee and unlikely sharpshooter Grace, take out the rest of the Triads. As for Ming himself, Dwight hands his right-hand man Tyson the tomahawk he was given at Jimmy’s funeral service, and Tyson buries it in the Chinese-American ganglord’s skull. Sic semper tyrannis or whatever. Tyson has also been somewhat reconciled with his resentful mother thanks to his dad, so it’s a real red-letter day for him.
But that still leaves the question of Armand an open one, giving actor Max Casella one more chance to shine in a role he’s really made a meal of these past few episodes. Despite his role in the defeat of the Triads, Armand reveals he has no intention of living past the confrontation himself. He’d sworn never to run again, and he went back on his word, one final fuck-up in a life full of them. His intention, all along it seems, was to make up for his betrayal and then commit suicide by Dwight. But Manfredi spares him. “It’s never too late to make things right,” the boss man says, making Armand repeat it.
Next, “Learning to Fly” by Tom Petty unexpectedly starts playing while they deal with more than a dozen deceased bodies, among them one who met a gruesome end via an ax to the head, and Dwight ends up sharing intimacy with Margaret. It has a final-season vibe, doesn’t it?
However, due to his foolish act involving a gun at the airport that landed him on the no-fly list, Chickie is traveling by train to Tulsa with a specific purpose. The hasty exile of the esteemed Dwight Manfredi, who was seen as a threat to Chickie’s potential claim to the throne after his father’s demise, was one of the reasons cited for Chickie’s dismissal by other bosses. Technically, it was Chickie’s father who made the decision, but Chickie stood to gain the most from Dwight’s removal as a potential rival. If Chickie can persuade Dwight to return to the organization, some believe that Chickie too will be allowed back in their midst.
Is the climax feeling a bit underwhelming? Absolutely. The fact that the major conflict occurs in the second-to-last episode instead of the season finale feels quite reminiscent of HBO’s classic approach, harkening back to their Golden Age from The Sopranos to Game of Thrones. However, this leaves me even more curious about what could transpire between Dwight and Chickie in the final episode. Will we witness an extended emotional conversation? Could it be a dramatic acting display featuring Sylvester Stallone and Domenick Lombardozzi? Or perhaps a brutal fight to the finish line? Is there a surprise twist coming our way? (The Mitch/Tina romance, which seemed imminent, never materialized, just as an example.) Honestly, I can’t predict what will happen next on Tulsa King, and how often do you get to say that about a TV series?
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2024-11-11 01:53