Few people ever imagined that a mob drama would be one of Sylvester Stallone’s biggest hits. And yet, here we are. At the moment, Tulsa King is sitting on top of Paramount+’s streaming charts, and with Season 4 (plus a spinoff) already confirmed, things are only going to get better.
Stallone is no stranger to the gangster genre, having starred in movies like Capone and Get Carter. However, he tends to prefer straight-out action flicks, and while he has tried to stick in that particular space even in the later stages of his career, reviews of his shoot-and-punch projects have been mixed in recent years. His dialogue-heavy TV show is what fans and critics prefer.
Created by Taylor Sheridan, the series is about the mob Capo Dwight “The General” Manifredi, who is sent to the financially barren location of Tulsa, Oklahoma, shortly after completing a 25-year sentence. His bosses in New York don’t expect much of him, but he surprises them all by building an empire. However, like many other great TV shows, Tulsa King isn’t perfect.
Here’s what doesn’t make sense about it.
Where Are the Cops?
Dwight, even at an advancing age, is charming and competent to the extreme, but it’s totally bizarre how law enforcement always stays away from his activities. So far, he has conducted his activities without much interference. There is never any active surveillance on Dwight, yet it’s common for high-ranking mafia members to be monitored.
No One Cares About Dwight?
So far, ATF agent Stacey Beale has been Dwight’s only real threat from the other side of the law. Ideally, the region’s police ought to have sniffed into Dwight’s activities several times. Does he have the local cops on a payroll? This could be possible, but it is never hinted at. Several FBI and DEA agents ought to be peeping, too. After all, this is a well-known mafia figure who has managed to build a major empire in just a short span of time.
Fighting his enemies has already proved hard enough, but, apart from the hardy grunts, Dwight needs to face an epic struggle with the badge-wearing elements, too, for everything to make sense. Still, there is a reason to be hopeful. Kevin Pollak is set to have a major role later in Season 3 as Special Agent Musso, who EW describes as an “FBI agent who has an axe to grind.” Hopefully, this won’t be yet another lawman that’s dealt with quickly. There either has to be a real rivalry or some form of quid pro quo. Kind of like what we saw between Tony Soprano and Agent Harris in The Sopranos.
No One Adheres to Cosa Nostra Codes
From early on, we are informed that Dwight is a capo in the Invernizzi family. Like any other person in his position, he must have gone through the process of “getting made” and take an oath. Interestingly, Dwight never acts like a Cosa Nostra member at all. He never adheres to any mafia tradition. The newest bull in Tusla’s underworld simply does what he sees fit, without having to consult anyone.
An Unusual Level of Autonomy
In Tulsa King, head writer Terence Winter does what he did for The Sopranos — provide a dense cross-hatching of friendships, loyalties, and duplicities, each key figure and event jostling all the others. But isn’t it strange how Dwight manages to get a loyal crew without a code? Everyone who works with him simply got on board via a gentleman’s agreement, something the Italian-American mafia never does. “Omerta” has to exist; otherwise, people will easily switch loyalties.
Additionally, the mafia values family, yet no one in Dwight’s crew appears remotely interested in getting married and having kids. Most importantly, the mafia is all about respect for superiors. Without it, everything falls apart. Surprisingly, Dwight answers to no one. For his actions (and those of his crew) to make sense, he would need to quit the Cosa Nostra and go his own way.
Business Acumen and Rapid Growth That’s Almost Hard To Believe
The Paramount+ series makes us believe that someone can be locked up for a quarter-century and come out as sharp as ever, with the acumen of a Fortune 500 CEO. Dwight rarely struggles in his ventures. He is brilliant at identifying opportunities and quick to grow a business from nothing to something. Additionally, each of his investments has extremely high returns.
He Has All the Answers
The desire to make Dwight a true kingpin as soon as possible is understandable. Sadly, being the top has numerous disadvantages, as there is nowhere else to go. What next for the antihero? All he can do is switch from one hustle to another. A better approach would have involved a three-season-long rise to the top. Dwight should never have become the “king” of Tulsa until Season 3.
Who are the customers anyway? In Tulsa King, there’s no “common man” population to speak of (they rarely intrude on the action). These gangsters do gangster things, and no one even notices. Where exactly might we be? Certainly in the real world, but in a nirvana of pure criminality, some sort of dreamland whose only reality is violence and aesthetics.
Dwight’s Flashy Nature
With a fashion sense inspired by John Gotti, Dwight normally walks around Tulsa looking like a million bucks. He has expensive watches, imported suits, and designer sunglasses. But any mob buff understands that this is a big mistake. The flashier you are, the more attention you get from the authorities.
Dwight Gotti?
We understand that Dwight’s fashion sense is just a beastly product of desire… a desire to do something he hasn’t done in a long time (wearing prison uniforms all the time can be frustrating). However, he knows the rule (as old as the Cosa Nostra itself), so he should do better. Staying flashy, especially in an area where it’s easy to be noticed, isn’t wise.
Remember the Goodfellas scene where Jimmy ‘The Gent” Conway reprimands one of his crew members for buying expensive outfits after a heist? Watch any other popular gangster movie and you’ll notice how everyone is careful with what they wear, despite having a ton of cash to spend on anything. John Gotti went down because of his showy nature and thirst for fame. It would be sad for Dwight to go down the same way, but such an outcome would be the perfect recompense for his foolishness.
Staying on Top Without a Proper “Army”
It’s also baffling how Dwight has the entire Tulsa underworld in a chokehold without having the numbers. His crew has fewer than 10 men. There are no street soldiers and associates. Given the lack of numbers, any enemy should have an easy time taking out Dwight and his men. After all, most of them aren’t the “action hero” kind with proper combat training.
Operating on Luck?
Considering all the potshots he takes at his enemies, it seems incredible that Dwight has survived this long. We’d like to believe that the mobster and his crew are extremely capable, but after a while, the shallowness of this characterization and the show’s glib impassivity becomes a little unnerving. Viewers will find themselves asking how a new crew that’s still learning the ropes can beat everyone. Lately, some weaknesses have been seen, but this has come too late.
Considering Dwight’s high rank in the mob, Dwight should have been given a few men after being sent out alone. He should never have been dumped into an unfamiliar pond and forced to swim by himself. And a man like him doesn’t look like someone who’d agree with that. Currently, Dwight would need to build an army of street soldiers for everything to make sense.
Dwight’s Exile
Speaking of Tulsa, the choice to send Dwight to the new location is generally baffling. Here’s a capo who served 25 years without talking. Upon release, he ought to be highly rewarded. Instead, he is sent to rot in a territory with zero potential. That’s not how the mafia operates. Normally, the best are appreciated and the worst get whacked.
Better Ways To Deal With the Situation
It could be argued that Dwight would never have been allowed to stay since the boss’s son, Chickie, saw him as a threat. But a Don’s son never holds any real power in the mob. Rarely does a prince ever succeed the King in the real mob. Logically, Dwight’s choice to serve time without “ratting” ought to have earned him several admirers in the family. And in the democratic setting, Chickie’s wishes would have remained nothing but wishes.
If Chickie really feared that Dwight would challenge him for leadership, the best thing would have been to have him whacked, rather than send him to an area where he might build something and become untouchable. Let’s say Chickie wanted Dwight to go away, yet still be useful. In such a case, he should have sent him to major racketeering states like Florida, Nevada, and California, where the mob likes to set up shop, not a dull location like Tulsa.
- Release Date
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November 13, 2022
- Network
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Paramount+