Reviewer Rating: 4.15/5.0
4.15
In The King of Tulsa Season 1 Episode 2, it was really fun to see everyone trying to stop Dwight Manfredi.
Dwight, the gangster with a heart of gold who does his own thing and is nice even when he stabs so-called friends in the back, seems to scare the hell out of the competition.
Whether it’s Carl Seschel hiring the U.S. Attorney to handle Dwight’s court case himself or Chicky joining forces with Bill Bevilacqua, people are doing everything they can to stop Dwight’s success.
And make no secret of it. Dwight Manfredi is successful.
Maybe the way Dwight presented himself to the world rubbed many people the wrong way.
He is a good man. He made bad decisions and continued on the wrong path, but he wasn’t a jerk. A lot of successful people are jerks, so this one stands out.
His behavior caught people off guard.
How did his organization steal catalytic converters from cars at a local car dealer, only to be thanked by the guy and kindly return half (plus the new car promised to Tina and Joanne)?
Dwight is also surrounded by like-minded people, and the person in the Tulsa Kings who is most similar to Dwight is Mickey. He can sweet talk someone into doing anything.
When he returned half of the stolen catalytic converters, he purchased the car so smoothly that the owner probably thought it was the deal of the century.
Meanwhile, we have Cal Thresher, who uses intense threats to get his way. It’s funny because Neal Macdonald sometimes plays the bad guy with a 100-watt smile that catches people off guard.
But Carl’s smile didn’t reach his eyes; It makes you want to escape the room.
Dwight’s business style should be concerning. His kindness is disarming. People were caught off guard and walked into the trap he set.
This is how he does business with Bodhi. What was supposed to be a reorganization turned into a business partnership.
Carl and Belivaqua had been working together, and when Chicky felt threatened, he too decided to ally with Bill, but their relationship was built on fear.
Fear may make a manly man feel good when he gets his way, but it opens the door to escape because living like this is untenable in the long term. Fear does not create strong partnerships; fear does not create strong partnerships. This is a survival strategy.
Carl’s methods would bite him hard in the ass. But why is he going to such lengths to stop Dwight?
Dwight and Carr don’t have any direct competition. Dwight’s business in Tulsa was encroaching on Bill’s territory, but Bill might have handled it much differently if he’d found out about it himself.
Carl pulled him in, hoping to take down Dwight as quickly as possible. Is it because of Margaret? Margaret and Dwight did flirt a bit at the ranch, but there was nothing between them other than business.
Dwight said so. man. They are not worthy of trust.
If Carl is alone well enough, Dwight might back off a bit, anyway. He is working toward legalization. He’s going to plant weeds; that’s all we know. But just because of his time in prison, he saw the benefits of doing it legally and illegally.
He’s not there yet, but the guy is working on it. For God’s sake, he asked the bank for a loan. What criminal would take this path? Even when he was rejected, he didn’t let it ruin his plans.
He went to the bank and applied for a $7.5 million loan, and Tyson left with a coffee mug and a mouse pad. “Very smart,” Dwight said. Moments like this make every episode worth watching.
What is the significance of this article on the front page of the newspaper? It reads: “Chinese organized crime penetrates U.S. marijuana market.” How does this relate to Dwight’s business?
What started all this nonsense in California was Dwight visiting the U.S. Attorney to cut a deal. If he could reach a deal, he would be less likely to intrude on Bill’s business. Isn’t this what Carl ultimately wants?
If he cared more about Margaret than the business, I guess not.
But when Dwight realizes the connection between the “unlikely man” staying out of jail and Carl’s influence, he leaves with steely determination.
He will prevail in his case. He doesn’t look favorably upon Carl Thrasher when he gets his way.
Bill looks more like Dwight than Chicky. I would like to see Bill betray Chiggy and the Invernitz family and join forces with Dwight. Since they just paired up with Dwight, that’s still a long way off, but a girl can dream.
Qiqi cannot be trusted. He had just killed his father (a secret that was bound to get out) and Jerry. So why is Goody so eager to get back into Chiggy’s bed?
He’s in the trenches with Dwight and his gang. Does he really think he can create the same winning atmosphere as Dwight with his players?
Oh, that reminds me. I laughed when Carl said, “Successful people have a keen sense of reality.” I beg to differ.
The successful people he talks about are big shots, but from my perspective, they are so out of touch with reality that they walk around blindfolded.
Just look at politics, Big Pharma, or the tech industry to see how far removed from reality “successful” people are.
But Dwight does have a realistic streak. He walks and talks to people and gets to their level, which is the key to his success.
When I interviewed McDonough about his role on Yellowstone , he mentioned that he likes to show up for a season with a flashy arc before a character flames out. Will Carl flame out before The King of Tulsa Season 2 ends? I wouldn’t be surprised.
Meanwhile, reporters are still trying to knock on Dwight’s door, which leads him to Tyson’s house for a good night’s sleep. Sylvester Stallone wearing rock pajamas and sleeping in a girl’s twin bed? I never thought of that while watching Rambo. 😂
Now that he’s renting a $6,000-a-month mansion for Tina and the kids (with an option to buy), will he hang his hat there as well?
The Manfredi family is putting down roots in Tulsa. He plans to spend a long time working on his new venture, and we’ve seen how he treats those who get in his way.
Suddenly, Jelly Roll was everywhere, but his presence with the Tulsa Kings was significant.
As Dwight strives to live a better life, reconnect with his family, and move toward legality, we can look to people like Jelly Roll for inspiration.
His history isn’t that different from Dwight’s, and I like that they used a guy who turned his life around to hint that, even if he made mistakes along the way, this could actually be Dwight’s future as the series continues .
“He’s a little delusional,” Dwight says of Jelly Roll, and so is Dwight. Gosh, maybe I’m delusional about seeing the end of this story that frees the general from the clutches of thug life.
We’ll find out!
