After three years, Tulsa King Season 3‘s new villain is finally making up for one of Taylor Sheridan’s most disappointing antagonists.
Despite leading the Black MacAdams, Season 1’s Caolan Waltrip barely posed a threat and was defeated through Bodhi’s hacking and a single gunfight.
He lacked weight, backstory, and genuine menace, a missed opportunity for a turf war dynamic.
Now, Jeremiah Dunmire (Robert Patrick) arrives in Season 3 as the kind of villain Waltrip should have been.
Rooted in Tulsa, steeped in Southern grit, and tied to the Dixie Mafia, Dunmire believes the city is his birthright.
Unlike Waltrip, he’s deeply connected to the land and its people. With Dunmire, Tulsa King is finally confronting the clash between urban ambition and Southern legacy.
Why Tulsa King Season 1’s Villain Failed to Deliver
Caolan Waltrip may have looked the part with his grimacing smile and leather-clad bravado, but as the main antagonist in Tulsa King Season 1, he fizzled out.
As the supposed kingpin of the Black MacAdams, he offered more bark than bite.
Despite wielding a biker gang and an opportunity to be the ‘country’ foil to Dwight’s New York mobster, Waltrip’s character was oddly unmoored.
He wasn’t native to Tulsa, just another outsider, like Dwight.
What could’ve been a poetic clash of big-city arrogance and Southern grit became a one-sided brawl, with Dwight steamrolling the competition.
Had Taylor Sheridan explored the rural-versus-urban clash through Waltrip, the story would’ve had more bite.
How Jeremiah Dunmire Changes the Tulsa King Game
Now, not only does Jeremiah Dunmire fix the mistakes of past villains, but he also brings with him a cultural reckoning.
Dunmire is a classic Southern enforcer with Dixie Mafia roots, whiskey-stained boots, and a chip on his shoulder the size of the Sooner State.
He’s a local king in his own right, one who believes Dwight is treading on sacred land. He doesn’t just want to win; he wants to expel.
To Dunmire, Dwight’s just an outsider playing cowboy in a town that’s already chosen its own. Unlike Waltrip, Jeremiah knows the land: its history, families, and unspoken rules.
And unlike Waltrip, Dunmire has shown he’s not afraid to get bloody. Within two episodes, his ruthlessness eclipses the entire reign of the Black MacAdams.
Tulsa King Season 3 Leans Fully into Its Western DNA
With Jeremiah Dunmire front and center, Tulsa King Season 3 finally taps into the Western spirit it’s long gestured at.
The first two seasons hinted at cowboy hats and ranch life, but never quite committed to the vibe. They felt like a gangster drama set in Oklahoma, not in Oklahoma.
Now, that’s changed. Dunmire brings not just a new threat, but a whole new atmosphere. The Southern air feels heavier, the bourbon hits harder, and the gunsmoke hangs in the air.
Tulsa isn’t just a backdrop anymore; it’s a battleground, almost a character in its own right. Dwight is no longer merely building an empire.
He’s being challenged by the very land he stands on. Dunmire is a living embodiment of the West saying, “You don’t belong here.”
Why Dunmire Is Better Than Every Previous Tulsa King Villain
Not only does Dunmire outshine Waltrip, but he’s also more compelling than Season 2’s forgettable foes, Bill Bevilaqua and Jackie Ming.
Bevilaqua, with his old-school Italian mob ties, and Ming, with his cold corporate veneer, never truly meshed with Tulsa’s unique flavor.
They felt air-dropped into a world they didn’t understand. Dunmire is the world.
His presence raises the bar. The violence feels personal. The story feels grounded. And the stakes finally feel real, not cartoonish.
More than just a “bad guy”, Dunmire embodies cultural tension, territorial pride, and the ghost of a forgotten South that refuses to die quietly.
With Jeremiah Dunmire’s arrival, Tulsa King finally feels sure of itself: a gritty, modern Western steeped in blood, bourbon, and backroom deals.
Taylor Sheridan’s storytelling finally feels matched by a villain who’s as rooted in the land as he is dangerous. Tulsa King Season 3 has dropped the training wheels.
The show isn’t trying to be a gangster tale with cowboy aesthetics anymore; it’s owning its neo-Western identity.
So is Dwight finally out of his depth? Or will the New York bulldog outsmart the Southern serpent? Let us know in the comments below!
And while you’re here, poke around at our other episodic reviews and editorial content. Maybe you’ll find a reason to return!
You can also catch our Tulsa King Season 3 Episode 3 review for a conversation about the episode.
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Jeremiah Dunmire fixes villain problem in Tulsa King Season 3, finally bringing grit, danger, and Southern pride the series was missing.
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Dwight’s losing control, Margaret’s playing politics, and chaos is the new currency. Read our Tulsa King Season 3 Episode 4 review before things explode.
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Dwight scrambles to regain control after a massive bourbon theft, while Margaret makes a bold political move in Tulsa King Season 3 Episode 4.
