Tulsa King Season 2, Episode 8, “Under New Management” is the official start of the mob war that’s been threatened since Episode 1. Here are the big moments and even bigger arguments that fans of the Paramount+ show have been waiting to see. And here are also some story points that, should the series return for Season 3, it might have a hard time figuring out what to do with. But on its own merits, this episode is everything that’s been bubbling under the surface.
“Under New Management,” as the title suggests, sees the power structure within the show turn into a game of musical chairs. Kansas City takes its shot at Dwight Manfredi, while in New York, Chickie Invernizzi finally gets what’s been coming to him. And desperate people make some very desperate moves that are likely to end with two characters dead. But with just two more episodes left in the season, one can’t say this show hasn’t ratcheted up the drama.
Tulsa King Season 2, Episode 8 Increases the Violence
But It’s for All The Wrong Reasons
Though there have been moves exchanged between Dwight’s crew and Bill Bevilaqua’s Kansas City mobsters throughout Season 2 — like the attempt on Dwight’s life that resulted in a dead man on Bill’s driveway — “Under New Management” is when the two sides officially declare war on each other. It’s interesting to see the different approaches the sides take, too. Dwight is very methodical in ordering his crew to shut down the Higher Plane and lay low, while the Kansas City guys are raving about how they should have done this a while ago. Yet that serves to truly highlight the difference between the two groups.
Dwight knows that his side is at fault, thanks to Tyson Mitchell going rogue at the end of Season 2, Episode 7, “Life Support.” Episode 8 opens on not only Dwight, but the entire rest of the group giving Tyson a lecture about all the ways his behavior was out of line. It’s great to see that all the characters are included in that scene, not just Dwight and Tyson — because as Dwight points out, what Tyson did has an effect on everyone. And after the important lecture that Mitch Keller gave Tyson before his ill-fated shooting attempt, Mitch in particular has a reason to be furious. For all the “mob as family” rhetoric that is used in this and other gangster shows, Tulsa King proves it with how Dwight and company react. But it still doesn’t seem like Tyson understands the full consequences of his actions.
Dwight Manfredi: If this was the real mafia, I have grounds to take you out right now.
On the flip side, the Kansas City squad is furious because one of their members is now in the hospital with two bullets in his shoulder, so of course they’re going to be more aggressive. However, that also comes from the top, as Bill continues to demonstrate that he has much less patience than Dwight. He just wants to get his after being squeezed all season — whether it’s dealing with Dwight or arguing with New York. But Frank Grillo’s best scene in the season to date comes when Cal Thresher approaches Bill for help with Jackie Ming, revealing that Ming ordered the car bomb that was intended for Dwight. Bill realizes that all of this back and forth has been for something he wasn’t even involved in, and Grillo is excellent at conveying his rage but also his frustration. It’s one thing to start a war; it’s another when that war starts because of the actions of two people who went off of their own accord. No one actually has control of this situation anymore.
Tulsa King Episode 8 Features an Incredible Family Scene
But What Does It Mean for a Potential Season 3?
The most memorable scene in Tulsa King Season 2, Episode 8 has nothing to do with the mob — it’s an early moment between Dwight and his daughter Tina Manfredi. Understanding what the situation has escalated to, Dwight sits down with Tina and encourages her to take her children and return to New York. This is a noteworthy scene on two levels. Firstly, it makes logical sense, because if the threat is really that serious, it would be out of character for Dwight not to be concerned about his family. Tina leaving for New York also ensures that the writers will not go down the cliche path of having her and/or her sons used as pawns for Dwight and company to rescue later on.
But what matters more is what the scene says about the Manfredi family. Tulsa King head writer Terence Winter told CBR that the family part of the show is what separates it from other mob stories, and this moment is some of the best possible proof of that.
Dwight is making the only choice he can when violence is almost on his doorstep (a throwaway scene later on reveals that the Kansas City guys have started watching his house). Yet Tina is absolutely right when she points out how sudden this change is — she’s just moved her whole life to Tulsa not that long ago, and it’s not that easy to uproot her whole family again. And that’s not counting the emotional damage. Tulsa King made the choice to move
Tina to Oklahoma, and now it’s letting the consequences of that play out.
Tina Manfredi: And just like that, after everything, we’re back at the beginning.
Yet this is one of the story points that the show will struggle with if it returns for Season 3, which it seems poised to. Is Tina going to somehow come back to Tulsa, or is this the last viewers have seen of her? By acknowledging how hard it is for her to leave, the writers have also acknowledged how hard it is for her to return. To have her pull stakes up for what would be a third time would feel implausible; even if / when this specific mob war gets resolved, there’s always going to be the threat of another problem on the horizon. When Tina says to Dwight she can’t live like this, the show has to honor that.
Yet not having Tina around is bittersweet because of the tremendous performances by both Tatiana Zappardino and Sylvester Stallone in that scene. Audiences can really feel the multitude of emotions that Dwight and Tina go through, and it’s one of the greatest examples of Dwight’s vulnerability and humanity. Just like Mark Mitchell is important to Tulsa King as the window into Tyson’s family, Tina is important to keep that theme alive on Dwight’s side, too. If she leaves, where does that story come from?
Joanne may still be present, but she hasn’t added anything that important to the story in Season 2 — and Dwight’s sister doesn’t bring the same emotional impact as his daughter and his grandchildren.
Tulsa King Season 2 Puts Jimmy and Armand at Risk
Will Either One Survive the Season?
The concept of a mob war doesn’t feel real until the audience sees consequences, and that’s what happens near the end of Season 2, Episode 8. More important than Chickie finally being given the formal heave-ho by Vince and the rest of the New York organization (which could also be a sign that he and/or they will be less relevant in Season 3) is that Jimmy is shot outside Higher Plane by one of Bill’s men, and Armand loses his mind and decides to rob Goodie at gunpoint. It very much looks like Tulsa King will be down at least one supporting character by the end of the season.
Jimmy’s wounds look incredibly serious, although the show could pull a fake-out like it did with Mark Mitchell and somehow get him to a hospital in time. Yet because he’s a character the audience cares about who isn’t totally essential to the plot, he’s also a strong candidate to kill off if the writers decide Dwight’s side needs casualties. As for Armand, he may still be alive but he’s outlived his usefulness… to anyone, including fans. The whole of “Under New Management” is about his desperation to save himself. He wants to go to the FBI, then he goes to Thresher, and then he resorts to stealing Dwight’s money. It’s hard to feel sorry for him, though, because audiences know what he got himself into. And it’s equally hard to believe Dwight will leave Armand alive after this. He already had contempt for him before; he’s got little reason to show him any mercy.
Jimmy (to Chickie): You lost the locker room, pal. That’s the bottom line.
But characters like Armand, Chickie and even Thresher have kind of reached the end of their storylines. Especially with the casting of Neal McDonough, it’s interesting how Thresher has wound up under Jackie Ming’s thumb. The idea of conflict between the two added some spice to that side of the story, yet that conflict proved to be very one-sided. Thresher’s clearly designed as a one-season villain, so it’d be interesting to find some way for him to try and get back into the mix at the end. Yet “Under New Management” feels like it’s poised to clear the proverbial board of any characters who aren’t entirely necessary to Tulsa King’s future. It’s an episode that gets to the chaotic point that fans want, but it also is looking ahead at the same time, and that’s why it works.