With the second season of Tulsa King drawing to a close, it appeared we were so close to a happy, definitive ending for Dwight (Sylvester Stallone) and the family. The season followed Dwight’s battles against New York, Bill Bevilaqua (Frank Grillo), and Cal Thresher (Neal McDonough), and it appeared he had won until the final scene gave us a killer sting to set up a third season where Dwight might only be delving deeper into the underworld, just when he thought he was out. So how did we get here, and what does it mean for Dwight and the family moving forward?
Dwight Bullies Cal Thresher Out of the Business in ‘Tulsa King’s Season 2 Finale
After dealing with Ming (Rich Ting) in the last episode with Bill and Armand’s (Max Casella) help, Tulsa King’s finale opens with Dwight and Thresher discussing how their businesses can move forward, with Thresher hoping to replace Ming with Dwight as his partner. However, Dwight, in classic gangster fashion, makes Thresher an offer he cannot refuse: Either Thresher leaves the underworld to the gangsters, or Bigfoot (Cash Flo) will blow his brains out.
It’s a rather straightforward scene that is almost surprising, given how casually Thresher lets go of his control over the business, stating he had gotten bored with “this enterprise” anyway. He walks away with his head held high, yet with what happens in the final scene of the episode, it’s tough to imagine he had nothing to do with Dwight’s kidnapping, especially considering his powerful connections in politics as shown by his relationship with the Attorney General earlier in the season.
The Threats of New York and K.C. Disappear for Now in ‘Tulsa King’ Season 2
Initially, it appears that Dwight will be gearing up for another war soon to come, with his rejection of Bevilaqua’s deal to split the Tulsa business 50/50 as well as Chickie (Domenick Lombardozzi) arriving in Tulsa on New York’s orders to either bring Dwight back into the fold or never come back. When Dwight rejects the two, Chickie goes to Bevilaqua with the offer to work together to bring down Dwight, and Chickie genuinely appears to be “enlightened,” as Dwight puts it, as he appears to be more calm and calculating in his plan.
Chickie and Bevilaqua present an opportunity to Dwight, which is to franchise the Tulsa model to other ignored, rural regions like Idaho and Nebraska. Chickie frames this as an equal deal for the three and tries to take control over Bevilaqua by speaking for him in the negotiation. This appears to be too much for Bevilaqua, who had earlier mentioned Chickie’s power was not as great as Chickie believed, and Bevilaqua shoots Chickie in the head. Dwight and Bevilaqua agree on a 50/50 split, with Dwight saying, “You earned it.” This leaves it open-ended whether Dwight knew Bevilaqua would kill Chickie or not. Bevilaqua did mention they had spoken on the phone, but the mystery of whether it was a surprise to Dwight or not keeps the underworld as a murky place where even the audience is kept in the dark at times.
The Family Goes Legit Before Dwight Is Kidnapped in the ‘Tulsa King’ Season 2 Finale
The finale of Tulsa King Season 2 initially appears to be heading to a definitive conclusion. Mitch (Garrett Hedlund) owns the car dealership, Bodhi’s (Martin Starr) weed setup is looking at almost “100% profit,” and Dwight says they have gone legitimate, with everyone in the family getting a “cut of all the businesses.” It’s an almost impossibly happy ending that gets turned on its head in the final scene.
While Dwight and Margaret (Dana Delany) are soundly asleep in bed, black ops soldiers burst into the room and kidnap Dwight. At first, we think Dwight has been arrested again, after a scene where law enforcement was told that D.C. was asking for everything they had on Manfredi. However, the bag over Dwight’s head is the first clue we get that this is not an ordinary arrest, coupled with the fact that zip-ties, not handcuffs, are placed on Dwight. He is marched down what looks like a warehouse and placed at an interrogation table, bright lights shining in his face. We don’t see the figure when Dwight inquires about their identity, and their answer is entirely cryptic: “You work for us now.”
While we don’t know who’s kidnapped Dwight, or what they want, we can infer that Dwight’s path to peace and legitimacy has been halted. Season 3 hasn’t been confirmed yet, but Tatiana Zappardino, who plays Tina, Dwight’s daughter, told Radio Times that “all the sets are held.” This implies a strong possibility we will eventually get answers about Dwight’s kidnappers and what new level of corruption he has stumbled into.
Tulsa King is available to stream on Paramount+.