The main attraction of Tulsa King is seeing Sylvester Stallone play a gangster, but the most recent episode proved that his character, Dwight Manfredi, isn’t really a mobster. Functionally, of course, Dwight is a gangster. He runs several criminal enterprises, he either commands or fights most of the cast of Tulsa King season 2, and he rules Tulsa with an iron fist. Though he certainly acts like a gangster, Dwight isn’t the same as an ordinary mob boss, and one moment he shared with Tyson (Jay Will) after the ending of Tulsa King season 2, episode 7 proves how different he is.
Tyson made a massive mistake by attacking Bill Bevilaqua (Frank Grillo). He didn’t wait for Dwight to find hard evidence, and he ended up attacking the wrong person. It also directly led to the gang war, even though Tyson wasn’t the only one to blame for Tulsa King season 2’s war. Tyson’s actions have had some far-reaching unintended consequences, and by the ending of Tulsa King season 2, episode 8, the first victim had already been shot: Jimmy the Creek (Glen Gould). In spite of all those consequences, however, Tyson got off with barely a stern talking to.
Dwight’s Decision To Forgive Tyson For Attacking Bill Bevilaqua Shows He’s No Ordinary Gangster
A Regular Gangster Would Have Killed Tyson, But Dwight Is Building A Found Family
Even though Tyson massively messed up by attacking Bill Bevilaqua, Dwight forgave him extremely easily. He told Tyson that he’s “part of a family” and that they would protect him “even when you’re wrong.” Dwight’s decision to forgive Tyson proves he’s not really a gangster: a regular mob boss would have had Tyson whacked for disobeying a direct order and starting a gang war. The Invernizzi family, for instance, tried to have Dwight killed in prison just because they thought he might have ratted Pete out to the police. A regular gang would only call themselves a family, but Dwight actually loves his group like they’re his family.
Dwight Not Being A Gangster Is Paradoxically One Of The Best Parts Of Tulsa King
Tulsa King Has Shown Sylvester Stallone’s Emotional Range & Acting Skills
Even though Sylvester Stallone plays a great gangster in Tulsa King, the fact that Dwight isn’t a true mob boss is one of the best things about the show. Since Dwight is building an actual family, instead of a simple criminal organization that calls itself a family, both Tulsa King and Stallone are capable of incredibly moving emotional moments. Stallone has shown off some of his best and most vulnerable acting in decades by playing Dwight, and Tulsa King has had a chance to tell a great story about a man trying to make up for his dark past and form a new family after a massive betrayal.
Dwight’s emotional connection to his family is also one of the many reasons Tulsa King has only gotten better with time. Many viewers likely tuned in to see Stallone order hits, make offers that can’t be refused and more. While the gangster scenes are why you start watching Tulsa King, the emotions are why you get invested in Dwight and his families, both his relationship with Tina (Tatiana Zappardino) and his relationship with his gang. If Dwight was just an ordinary mobster, Tulsa King wouldn’t be nearly as special as it is.