How Did Bill & Dwight Settle The Score?

Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Tulsa King season 2, episode 10.The finale of Tulsa King season 2 had some explosive twists in store, and more than a few game-changing developments for Dwight Manfredi (Sylvester Stallone) and his gang. Dwight has been dealing with an almost overwhelming number of problems throughout Tulsa King season 2. He had enemies coming at him from three directions – Tulsa, Kansas City, and New York – and he had personal problems to deal with as well, such as his relationship with Tina (Tatiana Zappardino). The finale of Tulsa King season 2 wrapped several of those issues up, but it also left some questions unanswered.

Every character in Tulsa King season 2 had something to do in the season finale, and all of them will surely be impacted by it. From Dwight’s newly legitimized businesses to the beef he squashed with Cal Thresher (Neal McDonough) and Bill Bevilaqua (Frank Grillo), many Tulsa King characters have a bright future ahead of them. Some, however, don’t have any future at all, as Tulsa King season 2, episode 10 had one very surprising death: Chickie Invernizzi. That wasn’t even the biggest twist of the episode, however, and all of them need some explaining.

Dwight Let Cal Thresher Live At The End Of Tulsa King Season 2

Dwight Couldn’t Kill Cal, But He Also Didn’t Want To

Cal Thresher has been 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 control of Cal’s massive weed farm and let him live. That was a particularly surprising choice, given how much damage Cal has caused, from trying to rig Dwight’s trial to outright attacking the wind farm. Dwight didn’t seem like he was going to let Cal get away with everything he did, but the General had a few reasons to let Cal live.

The biggest reason Dwight let Cal live was simply because he couldn’t safely kill him. Cal is a prominent businessman and millionaire in Oklahoma, and if he were to disappear, people would notice and investigate. Dwight likely let him go to avoid having the FBI or another police agency breathing down his neck. On top of that, however, Dwight told Tyson that he didn’t want to leave a trail of bodies in his wake anymore. Cal seems to be proof that Dwight is turning a new, more peaceful, leaf.

Why Bill Bevilaqua Killed Chickie In The Tulsa King Season 2 Finale

Bill Saw Dwight As A Much Better Partner Than Chickie

Chickie’s gradual decline over the course of Tulsa King finally came to its endpoint, but his death came as a bit of a surprise. Chickie had been sent to Tulsa by Vince to either convince Dwight to rejoin the Invernizzi crime family, or kill him. After Dwight shot down his offer, Chickie approached Bill Bevilaqua and tried to get him to kill Dwight, but Bill killed Chickie instead. The moment came out of nowhere, and even Bill’s gun only crept into the corner of the screen, which made Chickie’s death quite startling.

As sudden as Bill’s decision to kill Chickie was, it did have some buildup and rationale behind it. Just after he killed Chickie, Bill told Dwight “50%.” That was a reference to his share of Cal Thresher’s weed farm, which means 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 wasn’t in charge of the Invernizzi family anymore, and he likely saw Dwight as a safer person to partner with. That made the choice between killing Chickie or killing Dwight very easy for Bill.

Chickie’s death completely changes the makeup of Tulsa King‘s underworld. Now, Vince is the undisputed leader of the Invernizzi crime family, which could spell the New York mob’s doom. As unhinged and ineffective as Chickie was, Vince is no smarter, and he has far less experience running a mob. Chickie’s name also carried weight with people like Bill Bevilaqua and Dwight, whereas Vince is mostly known as an idiot and nuisance. It’s hard to say exactly what will happen to the Invernizzi family, but Vince’s leadership doesn’t seem like an advantage.

Did Dwight Really Go Legit? The Gang’s Businesses Explained

Dwight Is A Legit Businessman Now, But His Past Crimes Will Catch Up

After Mitch Keller (Garrett Hedlund) debuted his commercial for the car dealership, Dwight had a gang meeting. During his speech, Dwight told everyone that the gang had gone legit, and that everyone would be getting a cut of the various proceeds. Dwight wasn’t lying: all of his businesses are now legitimate. The Bred2Buck and Even Higher Plane have always been legal, and he purchased the wind farm with Med Hat’s money, not money he earned illegally. Even Cal Thresher’s weed farm is legal, as he willingly gave Dwight ownership of it.

Though Dwight and his gang have gone legit, that doesn’t mean the future of Tulsa King won’t have more gangster action. Dwight still committed quite a few crimes to take control of all his businesses, and there’s a chance they could catch up to him legally in the future. Bill Bevilaqua also seems to be sated only temporarily, and he may take another run at the General in the future. The most compelling reason why Dwight may not get to run a truly legitimate empire, however, is because of Tulsa King season 2, episode 10’s biggest plot twist.

Who Kidnapped Dwight Manfedi In Tulsa King Season 2?

Dwight Seems To Have Been Kidnapped By A Secretive Government Organization

The final minutes of Tulsa King season 2 saw Dwight Manfredi kidnapped by a shadowy SWAT team in Margaret Devereaux’s (Dana Delany) home. The strike force then brought him to a nondescript location and sat him down at an interrogation table, where an unidentified man told Dwight “You work for us now.” It’s not clear who exactly the group that kidnapped Dwight was, but it seems like they’re some sort of secretive government organization. There were some clues in Tulsa King season 2, episode 10 that suggested the U.S. government wanted Dwight’s skills for something sinister.

The FBI agent assigned to Dwight’s case said he had to give “headquarters in DC” all the information they had on the General just a few days before Dwight was kidnapped. That hints that the group was connected to the U.S. government in some way, but their work appears to be completely off the books. All of their operatives weren’t wearing uniforms or any type of identification whatsoever, and wherever they took Dwight didn’t look like a prison or jail. It seems Dwight Manfredi is about to be used by a less than legal government agency, though there’s no telling to what end.

What The End Of Tulsa King Season 2 Really Means

The Past Always Catches Up, But It’s Still Worth Trying To Be A Better Person

Tulsa King has been telling a fairly consistent message since it began, and the ending of season 2 only made that message stronger. Ever since he got out of prison, Dwight has been trying and struggling to atone for his past mistakes. He made a lot of progress in Tulsa King season 2, such as how he made amends with Tina and how he let Joanne live with him, but he also experienced a lot of setbacks, such as Tina returning to New York. The ending of Tulsa King season 2 proves that Dwight can try to fix his mistakes, but he can’t outrun the past.

Perhaps the most thematically important part of the Tulsa King season 2 finale was the fact that Dwight said he had gone legit. Just as he finally left his gangster ways behind him (at least for the most part), he got dragged back into it. As soon as he finally got a chance to leave his violence behind, a shadowy group kidnapped him and is apparently planning to use him for something highly illegal. No matter what Dwight does, he can’t escape his violent criminal tendencies.

The ending of Tulsa King season 2 wasn’t all hopeless, however. Though Dwight can’t outrun his past, it doesn’t mean he can’t face it head on. Tulsa King shows that while reckoning with the past is extremely difficult, it’s not impossible, and it’s worth trying. Most of the positive things Dwight got from the finale of Tulsa King season 2 were because of his growing mercy and patience. He got rid of Chickie by being generous to Bill, and he got control of the weed farm by showing Cal mercy. Dwight benefited by trying to be a better man, and Tulsa King shows he made the right choice.

How Tulsa King’s Season 2 Finale Sets Up Season 3

Though Tulsa King season 2 is over, Dwight Manfredi’s story isn’t, and the show put in a lot of setup for Tulsa King season 3. The next season of isn’t officially confirmed by Paramount yet, but Sylvester Stallone confirmed it’s in development. Luckily, Tulsa King season 2’s final scene set up the next season perfectly, and season 3 should have a lot to work with. Tulsa King season 3 will almost certainly show what kind of work Dwight has to do for his mysterious kidnappers, and how that work will affect his recently legitimized businesses.

Related

Tulsa King Season 2 Finale Suggests “A Direction” For Season 3, Teases Star

Tulsa King star opens up on the direction season 3 could take and how events in the season 2 finale could play a role in setting its future.

The finale didn’t just set up season 3, however, it also set up Tulsa King spinoffs. Before he died, Chickie mentioned that Dwight and Bill could “franchise” their gangs to other states, like Nebraska, Iowa, and Arkansas. That wasn’t a bad idea from Chickie, and it could serve as the premise for a Tulsa King spinoff show. A Tulsa King spinoff set in New Orleans has already been teased by writer Terrence Winter, and seeing who Dwight picks to handle his first “franchise” and the challenges they face in a new city could easily be its own show.

Related

Garrett Hedlund’s Bigger Role In Tulsa King Season 2 Is Exactly What The Show Needed

Mitch Keller has become much more important to Dwight Manfredi and his gang in Tulsa King season 2, and this scene proves that he’s a big advantage.

There are also several other loose ends Tulsa King season 3 will have to address. Dwight’s falling out with Tina, for example, deserves to be explored more. Likewise, Bill Bevilaqua may have made peace with Dwight for now, but there’s no guarantee that peace will last. Bill could easily come after Dwight again, which could make for another compelling gang war in Tulsa King season 3. There are plenty of avenues another season of Tulsa King could explore, and the season 2 finale set them all up beautifully.

Tulsa King is a Paramount+ original TV series starring Sylvester Stallone as Dwight “The General” Manfredi. After being released from prison for murder, The General is sent to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he quickly sets up a new criminal empire. Tulsa King marks Stallone’s first leading role in a TV show.

Release Date

November 11, 2022

Seasons

2

Writers

Taylor Sheridan

Directors

Taylor Sheridan

Showrunner

Terence Winter

Expand