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| Image Credit: Paramount+ |
The season 2 finale of Tulsa King had some explosive twists and turns and more than a few developments for Dwight Manfredi (Sylvester Stallone) and his gang. Throughout season 2 of Tulsa King, Dwight had to deal with an almost inordinate amount of problems. He had enemies coming at him from three directions — Tulsa, Kansas City, and New York — and he also had personal issues to deal with, like his relationship with Tina (Tatiana Zappardino). The season 2 finale of Tulsa King resolved many of those issues, but it also left some questions unanswered.
Every character on Tulsa King Season 2 had something to do with the season finale, and everyone will surely be affected by it. From Dwight’s newly legitimized business ventures to his feuds with Cal Thresher (Neal McDonough) and Bill Bevilaqua (Frank Grillo), many of the characters on Tulsa King have bright futures ahead of them. Some, however, have no future at all, as Tulsa King Season 2, Episode 10 had a very surprising death: Chickie Invernizzi. However, that wasn’t even the biggest twist of the episode, and they all needed some explaining.
Dwight Let Cal Thresher Live at the End of Tulsa King Season 2
Cal Thresher was one of Dwight’s main enemies throughout Tulsa King Season 2, but he didn’t meet his end in the season finale. Instead of killing him, Dwight simply took over Cal’s massive weed farm and let him live. This was a particularly surprising choice, given the amount of damage Cal has caused, from trying to rig Dwight’s trial to directly attacking the Wind Farm. Dwight didn’t seem to want to put Cal through everything he’d done, but the General had a few reasons for letting him live.
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| Image Credit: Paramount+ |
Dwight told Tyson that he didn’t want to leave a trail of bodies in his path anymore. Cal seems to be proof that Dwight is moving on, more peacefully.
The main reason Dwight let Cal live was simply because he couldn’t kill him safely. Cal is a big-time businessman and millionaire in Oklahoma, and if he were to disappear, people would notice and investigate. Dwight likely let him go so that the FBI or another law enforcement agency wouldn’t be breathing down his neck. Plus, Dwight told Tyson that he didn’t want to leave a trail of bodies in his path anymore. Cal seems to be proof that Dwight is moving on, more peacefully.
Why Bill Bevilaqua Killed Chickie in the Tulsa King Season 2 Finale
Chickie’s gradual decline throughout Tulsa King has finally come to an end, but his death was a bit of a surprise. Chickie had been sent to Tulsa by Vince to convince Dwight to rejoin the Invernizzi crime family or kill him. After Dwight refuses his offer, Chickie approaches Bill Bevilaqua and tries to convince him to kill Dwight, but Bill kills Chickie instead. The moment came suddenly, and Bill’s gun also only snuck into the corner of the screen, making Chickie’s death a bit of a shock.
As sudden as Bill’s decision to kill Chickie was, it had some preparation and rationale. Right after killing Chickie, Bill tells Dwight “50%.” This was a reference to his share of Cal Thresher's weed farm, meaning Bill killed Chickie to get half of the weed farm instead of a quarter. Bill also gave some clues about what he thought of Chickie. He knew Chickie was no longer in charge of the Invernizzi family and probably saw Dwight as a safer person to work with. This made the choice between killing Chickie and killing Dwight very easy for Bill.
Chickie's death completely changes the makeup of the Tulsa King underworld. Vince is now the undisputed leader of the Invernizzi crime family, which could spell the downfall of the New York mob. As unbalanced and ineffective as Chickie is, Vince is no smarter and has far less experience running the mob. Chickie's name also carried weight with people like Bill Bevilaqua and Dwight, while Vince is mostly known as a jerk and a pain in the ass. It’s hard to say exactly what will happen to the Invernizzi family, but Vince’s leadership doesn’t appear to be an advantage.
Did Dwight Really Go Legal? Gang Activities Explained
After Mitch Keller (Garrett Hedlund) presented his commercial for the car dealership, Dwight held a gang meeting. During his speech, Dwight told everyone that the gang had gone legal and that everyone would receive a cut of the proceeds. Dwight wasn't lying: all of his businesses are now legal. Bred2Buck and Even Higher Plane have always been legal, and he bought the wind farm with Med Hat's money, not his illegal earnings. Cal Thresher's weed farm is also legal, as he willingly gave Dwight his property.
Even though Dwight and his gang have gone legal, that doesn't mean there won't be any more gangster action in Tulsa King's future. Dwight has committed a lot of crimes to take control of all of his businesses, and there's a chance they'll catch up with him legally in the future. Even Bill Bevilaqua seems to have had his fill only temporarily, and he may try his luck at the General again in the future. The most compelling reason why Dwight may not be able to run a truly legitimate empire, however, is the big twist in Tulsa King Season 2, Episode 10.
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| Image Credit: Paramount+ |
Who kidnapped Dwight Manfedi in Tulsa King Season 2?
The final minutes of Tulsa King Season 2 saw Dwight Manfredi kidnapped by a shadowy SWAT team from Margaret Devereaux’s (Dana Delany) home. The hit team then took him to an undisclosed location and sat him down at an interrogation table, where an unidentified man told Dwight, “You’re working for us now.” It’s unclear who exactly the group that kidnapped Dwight was, but it appears to be some sort of secret government organization. There were some hints in Tulsa King Season 2, Episode 10 that the US government wanted Dwight's skills for something sinister.
It looks like Dwight Manfredi is about to be used by a not-so-legal government agency, although it's unclear for what purpose.
The FBI agent assigned to Dwight's case said that they had to give "Washington headquarters" all the information they had on the General just days before Dwight was kidnapped. This suggests that the group was somehow connected to the US government, but their work appears to be completely illegal. All of their agents were not wearing uniforms or any kind of identification, and the place they took Dwight to didn't look like a prison or jail. It looks like Dwight Manfredi is about to be used by a not-so-legal government agency, although it's unclear for what purpose.
What the Ending of Tulsa King Season 2 Really Means
Tulsa King has had a pretty consistent message from the beginning, and the season 2 finale only reinforced that message. Since being released from prison, Dwight has been trying and struggling to atone for his past mistakes. Tulsa King season 2 made a lot of progress, such as how he made amends with Tina and allowed Joanne to live with him, but he also suffered a lot of setbacks, such as Tina moving back to New York. The Tulsa King season 2 finale proves that Dwight can try to make up for his mistakes, but he can’t move past his past.
Perhaps the most thematically important part of the Tulsa King season 2 finale was Dwight declaring that he’s gone legit. Just when he’s finally left his gangster ways behind (at least for the most part), he’s dragged back into the fold. Just as he finally had a chance to leave violence behind, a shadowy group kidnapped him and apparently is planning to use him for something highly illegal. No matter what Dwight does, he can't escape his violent criminal tendencies.
Dwight has benefited from trying to be a better man, and Tulsa King proves that he made the right choice.
The Tulsa King Season 2 finale wasn't entirely hopeless, though. While Dwight can't escape his past, that doesn't mean he can't face it head-on. Tulsa King proves that while dealing with the past is extremely difficult, it's not impossible and worth trying. Most of the good things Dwight achieved in the Tulsa King Season 2 finale were due to his increasing mercy and patience. He got rid of Chickie by being generous to Bill and gained control of the weed farm by showing mercy to Cal. Dwight has benefited from trying to be a better man, and Tulsa King proves that he made the right choice.
How the Tulsa King Season 2 Finale Sets Up Season 3
Even though Tulsa King Season 2 is over, Dwight Manfredi’s story isn’t, and the show has set up a lot for Tulsa King Season 3. The next season of Tulsa King hasn’t been officially confirmed by Paramount yet, but Sylvester Stallone has confirmed that it’s in development. Fortunately, the final scene of Tulsa King Season 2 set up the next season perfectly, and Season 3 should have plenty to work with. Tulsa King Season 3 will almost certainly show what kind of work Dwight will have to do for his mysterious captors, and how that work will impact his newly legitimized operations.
The finale didn’t just set up Season 3, it also set up some Tulsa King spinoffs. Before he died, Chickie hinted that Dwight and Bill could “rent out” their gangs in other states, such as Nebraska, Iowa, and Arkansas. This wasn’t a bad idea on Chickie’s part, and it could serve as a setup for a Tulsa King spinoff. A Tulsa King spinoff set in New Orleans has already been teased by showrunner Terrence Winter, and seeing who Dwight chooses to run his first “franchise” and the challenges they face in a new city could easily be a show in itself.
There are also several other loose ends that Tulsa King season 3 will need to address. Dwight’s falling out with Tina, for example, is worth exploring. Likewise, Bill Bevilaqua may have made peace with Dwight for the time being, but that peace may not last. Bill could easily go after Dwight again, which could set up another gripping gang war in Tulsa King season 3. There are a lot of avenues that another season of Tulsa King could explore, and the season 2 finale set them all up excellently.
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