Just like he did in the first season of Tulsa King, Dwight “The General” Manfredi (Sylvester Stallone) comes out on top yet again. After a closely fought contest with Caolan Waltrip (Ritchie Coster) in the first season, Dwight prevailed, and he repeated the trick once more this time around. By the time credits rolled on the show’s Season 2 finale, Dwight had displaced Cal Thresher (Neal McDonough) from the marijuana business, and with the help of another rival, removed Charles ‘Chickie’ Invernizzi (Domenick Lombardozzi) from this particular chess table. Is it all peaches and roses? No. Just like in Season 1, Dwight might have gotten the attention of the law once again.
Stallone who both stars in and executive produces the series, is now looking ahead to what is in store for the Tulsa King. Speaking with USA Today in a recent conversation, Stallone confirmed that while Manfredi might have been reluctant to come to Tulsa in the first place, he most certainly feels at home now. “It’s a bittersweet situation,” Stallone tells the outlet of his character. “I’ve spent all my life in New York, and now I’m moving on to an entirely new existence.” It’s these strong Oklahoma roots that have most enraged Dwight’s adversaries in Season 2. Looking ahead, Stallone teases that the Manfredi crime family is likely to expand with the revenue stream from the Mitch Keller Car City dealership run by Mitch Keller (Garrett Hedlund). “You have to be pretty tough,” says Stallone. “Keller is going to grow a great deal next season.”
Beyond the pressure put on him by Chickie from New York and Thresher from Tulsa, in Season 2, Dwight had to deal with the intense heat brought on by Kansas City boss Bill Bevilaqua (Frank Grillo). Despite their clear detest for one another, Dwight and Bill seemed to share a greater dislike for Chickie, which ultimately resulted in the KC boss killing off the dethroned New York chief. It’s an unexpected and clearly fragile alliance that earns Bill half of Dwight’s empire. “I know Bevilaqua’s greediness. And for him to take out Chickie means nothing. He’s a psychopath,” says Stallone. “I don’t know if I could have whacked Chickie.” Going into Season 3, Manfredi and Bevilaqua are now business partners. But “this is not a marriage that’s going to last long.”
Stallone Promises an Unexpected Journey in Season 3
The Manfredi crime family is rapidly expanding and the events of Season 2 have it poised to expand even further. Prior to taking a bullet in his head, Chickie did come up with an impressive plan, alluding to opening up new “businesses” in untapped territories like Iowa, Nebraska, and Arkansas. It’s a concept which remains in play with Manfredi and Bevilaqua going forward, with Stallone saying:
“I’m going to take him on a journey that he’s never expecting. The main thing is to keep the fish-out-of-water situation going. Because once [Manfredi] gets settled in a situation, it becomes almost like a sitcom.”
Season 2 ended with Manfredi picked up by a tactical team with flashlights and guns with an ominous government voice telling Manfredi once he was in a dark room, “You work for us now.” Manfredi is no stranger to scraps with the law, beating one attempt to take him down in Season 2. This feels a lot different, and it seems like Dwight will act accordingly with Stallone teasing: “I’m not going to snitch, but if I have to do some deeds to people that deserve it, I’m going to. That’s how I rationalize it.”
The Season 2 finale of Tulsa King has aired on Paramount+. You can catch up on Tulsa King episodes on Paramount+.