Created by Taylor Sheridan, the first season of the crime drama “Tulsa King” took us on a thrilling journey where we saw an ex-felon trying to reclaim his lost empire bit by bit. Sylvester Stallone, in the role of Dwight “The General” Manfredi, exudes the kind of authority and suaveness that the role uncompromisingly demanded. Hands down, nobody could have aced the role the way he did. Stallone is the pivot around whom the entire story revolves, and though the writers do not bring anything absolutely unique to the plate, “Tulsa King” keeps you engrossed for its entire runtime of nine episodes.
Spoilers Ahead
When Dwight Manfredi came to Tulsa on the orders of Pete Invernizzi, he didn’t know anybody there. Slowly, he started building a team with people he could trust, enabling him to establish his dominance over the entire area. There were quite a few roadblocks that came his way, but Dwight was always able to surpass them. The FBI and the ATF had been on his back for some time, but Stacy Beale made sure that they weren’t able to get any sort of incriminating evidence against him. When Dwight decided to sell nitrous oxide, he came to know about a rival group operating in the same area called the Macadam gang. Caolan Waltrip was the leader, and he had warned Dwight’s gang to not encroach upon their territory. Dwight was not the type of man who got threatened by such people, as all his life, he had dealt with far greater perils. When Waltrip came to know that Dwight was an ex-capo, he decided to have a talk and asked him to leave. Dwight said that he had no right to tell him what he should and shouldn’t do. Caolan Waltrip felt disrespected, as no one had ever dared undermine his authority until then. Apart from Waltrip, Chickie had also become an unnecessary nuisance for Dwight. His life had been saved by Dwight, but he didn’t show even an ounce of gratitude. All Chickie had ever done was try to backstab the man whom he ironically called his uncle, and Dwight was aware of his intentions. Manfredi had to settle scores and make sure his family and his people were safe and secure. So, let’s see what happens in the season finale of “Tulsa King” and whether Dwight is able to defeat his adversaries.
Why Had Dwight Gone To Prison?
It was the year 1997, and Pete Invernizzi’s entire gang operated from Brooklyn, where they had established their dominance. A person named Ripple hadn’t paid his debt, and Chickie was entrusted with the responsibility of warning him about the consequences, but he had taken it a step too far and become violent, handcuffing the man in his apartment and beating him mercilessly. Vince was adding more fuel to the fire while Armand was telling Chickie time and again to not go overboard with his actions. Vince and Chickie broke his legs, and that’s when Armand realized that the situation was getting out of hand. Armand went and informed Dwight about it, as he knew that only Dwight could stop those two. Dwight arrived as soon as he could, and he saw that Chickie had a branding iron in his hand and that he had left a mark on Ripple’s cheeks. Dwight asked the men to leave Ripple immediately, but they couldn’t find the key to open the cuffs. The room caught fire accidentally, and Dwight realized that he wouldn’t be able to save Ripple. He shot him because he knew that if he didn’t take that step, Ripple would have had a very slow and painful death. The others escaped, and when the police arrived at the scene, they found Dwight coming out of the house. He took the blame upon himself, and for 25 years, nobody knew what happened on that fateful night. Chickie owed his life to Dwight, as whatever had happened on that day was all his doing. But it seemed like he had forgotten about it, and after killing his own father, his next target was Dwight Manfredi. Chickie was clear that either Dwight accepted the proposed terms and conditions, or he would meet a similar fate as his father had.
Armand Chooses To Face His Fears
After Stacy was shot by Caolan Waltrip, the FBI took Manfredi into custody. They had found out through the call records that Stacy had been in touch with Dwight for quite some time. Before they could further investigate him, Elliot Evans, a lawyer, came to his rescue. Lawrence Geigerman, a.k.a. Bodhi, had sent him to get Dwight released from custody. Dwight straightaway went to meet Stacy, and he was relieved to find out that she was out of danger and on the path to recovery. Dwight wanted to compensate her for what she had done for him, and he assured Stacy that he would in due time. Dwight wanted to settle things with Chickie once and for all. He wanted to make it clear to him that he was not obliged to share his profits. Chickie had left him to fend for himself, and now that Dwight had created an empire, he wanted a share in it. Dwight gave Armand the choice of laying low, as he knew that he felt intimidated by Chickie’s presence. But Armand said that he was done hiding, and for once, he wanted to face his fears and let it be known that he wasn’t going to get bogged down so easily. Armand said that for years he hadn’t been able to look at himself in the mirror. He was ashamed of the fact that he was so timid. He said that he felt the same fear when he saw Dwight for the very first time in Tulsa. Armand chose to fight and stand by Dwight’s side because he had a lot to prove to himself.
Dwight, Armand, and Tyson ambushed Chickie, Vince, and Goodie. Dwight made it clear that he was breaking all ties with the Invernizzi family and was going to operate independently. He had a good relationship with Goodie, and he gave him the option of joining his gang. Goodie agreed, and Chickie went back to New York, as he knew that it would be a stupid decision to mess with Dwight in his territory. The next thing on Dwight’s list was to deal with Caolan Waltrip, and he told his people to get ready for the final showdown.
‘Tulsa King’ Ending Explained: What Happened Between Dwight And Waltrip?
The first thing that Dwight did was to flush Waltrip’s bank account and make sure that he didn’t have any money to carry out his activities. Waltrip had a huge amount of money that he had procured through his illegal activities over the years, which gave him leverage. Dwight knew that Bodhi was an IT genius, and he could help him hack Waltrip’s account. Bodhi set up a bogus hotspot and gained access by sending a malware Trojan horse. Dwight sent a huge chunk of that money to Stacy and kept the rest for himself, as he had plans to renovate Mitch’s bar and open a casino there. Dwight waited in his den, as he knew that after stealing all his money, he had left Waltrip with no option other than to come out of hiding. The bar became a battlefield, and there were shots fired in all directions. Dwight finally killed Waltrip and became the uncrowned emperor of Tulsa.
The enemies had perished, and the authorities still didn’t have any dirt on Dwight. Tina, Dwight’s daughter, shifted to Tulsa, and it seemed like things had finally gone back to normal. Dwight could see his life from there, and he was happy to be around his family. He had not been there for his daughter when she was growing up, and he wanted to make up for the lost time. He felt elated when Tina called him dad, and he realized that no material wealth could ever equal that feeling. The casino was all set for its grand opening, and Dwight had invited everybody he knew to be a part of the celebration. But his problem had not ended, and he had no clue what the FBI was planning behind his back.
Stacy Beale was told that she could be reinstated to full duty if she provided some incriminating evidence against Dwight. Stacy didn’t know what to do as, on one side, she had an opportunity to get back her job, and on the other side, she could save the man whom she had loved and had an immense amount of faith in. When the party in the casino was in full swing, Stacy arrived with the police and FBI at the scene. She had given them the flash drive that Dwight had sent to her. The authorities now had evidence based on which they could arrest Dwight for attempting to bribe a federal agent. Dwight stood there in disbelief, as he had never thought that Stacy could betray him. Tina saw the authorities take her father, and it seemed like history was repeating itself. After all this time, she started becoming hopeful about the fact that she could mend her relationship with her father. While sitting in the police vehicle, Dwight apologized to Tina, knowing that she had done nothing to deserve such a life.
What To Expect From ‘Tulsa King’ Season 2?
Though “Tulsa King” season 1 ended with Dwight going back to prison, the story is far from over. We believe that Stacy must have some plan of action in her mind. Though she had given the authorities what they wanted, she might have some way of getting Dwight out of there. It was a big win for the FBI and the police, as they had tried to catch hold of the ex-capo for years. Though they still didn’t have any evidence to prove his involvement in other criminal activities, charging him with attempted bribery had bought them time. Dwight was an intelligent man, and we have seen how he was always a step ahead of others. In season 2 of “Tulsa King,” we would see him figuring out a way to quash all the charges against him. It is possible that he would be able to prove in a court of law that he had been falsely implicated through hook or crook. We might witness another rival gang rising in Tulsa and taking advantage of Dwight’s absence. Dwight had earned trusted friends who would stay by his side no matter what, and we are pretty sure that they would try their best to bring him out. Dwight might have lost control of the reins for a bit, but we are hopeful that in Season 2 of “Tulsa King,” he will get the better of authorities and run the show on his terms and conditions as he always had.
“Tulsa King” is a 2022 Drama Thriller series created by Taylor Sheridan.
