Critic’s Rating: 4.15 / 5.0
4.15
It’s actually funny watching everyone trip all over themselves in their attempts to deter Dwight Manfredi on Tulsa King Season 1 Episode 2.
Dwight, the mobster with a heart of gold, goes about his business, being kind and friendly even when stabbing so-called friends in the back, and it seems to scare the bejesus out of the competition.
Whether Cal Thresher enlists a US Attorney to handle Dwight’s court case personally or Chickie joins forces with Bill Bevilaqua, people are moving mountains to stop Dwight’s success.
And make no bones about it. Dwight Manfredi is a success.
Maybe the way Dwight presents himself to the world gets so many others in a snit.
He is a nice guy. He’s made terrible decisions and continues on the wrong path, but he’s not a jerk. So many successful people are jerks that it stands out.
His demeanor catches people off guard.
How does his organization steal the catalytic converters from cars on a local car dealer’s lot, only to be later thanked by the guy for kindly returning half of them (plus promising Tina and Joanne new cars)?
Dwight also surrounded himself with like-minded people, and the guy the most similar to Dwight on Tulsa King is Mitch. He can sweet-talk someone into just about anything.
He was ultra smooth when, after returning half of the stolen catalytic converters, he made a play for buying the car lot, and the owner might think it’s the deal of the century.
Meanwhile, we’ve got Cal Thresher, who uses thick threats to get his way. It’s funny because Neal McDonough sometimes plays his bad guys with a 100-watt smile that catches people off guard.
But Cal’s smile doesn’t reach his eyes; it gives you the urge to bolt from the room.
Dwight’s style of doing business should be concerning. His kindness is disarming. It catches people off-guard, and they walk right into the trap he sets.
That’s how he got into business with Bodhi. What was supposed to be a shakedown turned into a business partnership.
Cal and Belivaqua have been working together, and when Chickie felt threatened, he decided to align with Bill, too, but their relationships are built on fear.
Fear may make macho men feel good when they get their way, but it leaves the door open for escape because living that way long-term is untenable. Fear doesn’t build strong partnerships; they’re a survival tactic.
Cal’s methods are going to bite him in the ass. But why is he going to such great lengths to stop Dwight anyway?
Dwight and Cal don’t have any direct competition. Dwight’s Tulsa business encroached on Bill’s territory, but Bill might have handled it much differently if he’d discovered that himself.
Cal pulled him in with the hope of taking Dwight down quickly. Is it because of Margaret? Margaret and Dwight did flirt a bit at the ranch, but there’s nothing else between them other than business.
Dwight said it. Men. They can’t be trusted.
If Cal had left well enough alone, Dwight might have pulled back a bit, regardless. He is trying to go legit. He’s going to grow weed; that much we know. But he sees the benefit of doing it legally vs illegally merely because of his time behind bars.
He’s not there yet, but the guy is trying. For goodness’ sake, he asked for a bank loan. What criminal goes that route? Even when he was turned down, he didn’t let it ruin his plans.
He went to the bank for a $7.5 million loan, and Tyson left with a coffee cup and a mouse pad. “Very shrewd,” Dwight said. Moments like that make every episode worth watching.
What was the significance of the article on the front page of the newspaper? It read, “Chinese organized crime infiltrates US marijuana market.” How does that relate to Dwight’s enterprise?
The kicker to all of this Cal nonsense was Dwight visiting the US Attorney to make a deal. If he had been able to make a deal, he might have been less likely to infringe on Bill’s business. Isn’t that ultimately what Cal wants?
I guess not if he’s more concerned about Margaret than business.
But when Dwight realized the connection between the “nonstarter” of no jail time and Cal’s influence, he walked away with a steely determination.
He will prevail in his case. And he won’t feel kindly toward Cal Thresher when he does it on his terms.
Bill seems more akin to Dwight than Chickie. I’d like to see Bill turn on Chickie and the Invernizzi family to join forces with Dwight. That would be a ways off since they just partnered against Dwight, but a girl can dream.
Chickie can’t be trusted. He just killed his father (a secret that is bound to come out) and Jerry. So why is Goodie so eager to get back into bed with Chickie?
He’s there in the trenches with Dwight and his gang. Does he really think he can create the same atmosphere of success Dwight has with his guys?
Oh, that reminds me. I laughed out loud when Cal said, “Successful people have a keen sense of reality.” I beg to differ.
The successful people he’s speaking about are the massive players, and from my perspective, they are so far out of touch as to be walking around blindfolded.
You need to look no further than politics, big pharma, or the tech industry to see how far from reality the “successful” people are.
But Dwight does have an air of realism. He walks and talks with people, getting on their level, which is his key to success.
When I interviewed McDonough for his role on Yellowstone, he mentioned how he likes to come into shows for one season with a magnificent arc before his characters flame out. Will Cal flame out before the end of Tulsa King Season 2? It wouldn’t surprise me.
Meanwhile, reporters were still trying to knock down Dwight’s door, which sent him to Tyson’s house for a good night’s sleep. Sylvester Stallone in rockin’ jammies, sleeping in a girl’s single bed? I would have never imagined that while watching Rambo. 😂
Since he’s in the process of renting a $6k per month mansion for Tina and the kids (with an option to buy), is that where he’ll hang his hat, too?
The Manfredi family is putting down roots in Tulsa. He plans to spend a long time with his new ventures, and we’ve seen how he treats people who get in his way.
Suddenly, Jelly Roll is everywhere, but his presence on Tulsa King makes a lot of sense.
As Dwight tries to make a better life, reconnecting with family and going legit, we can look at people like Jelly Roll for inspiration.
His history isn’t all that different from Dwight’s, and I like that they used someone who turned his life around to suggest that, even if he’s got missteps along the way, that could genuinely be Dwight’s future as the series continues.
Dwight said of Jelly Roll, “He’s a little delusional,” and the same can be said for Dwight. Hell, maybe I’m delusional for seeing an end to this story that twists The General from the clutches of thug life.
We shall find out!