“I’d rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy.”
Last week’s Tulsa King ended with Bill onto Dwight’s connections to the federal government, stopping just short of calling him a rat… But what else would you call someone in Dwight’s predicament? The rest of the gang doesn’t find out about this yet, but Dwight does confide in his sister, Joanne (Annabella Sciorra).
As for Bill himself, he’s kind of a non-entity in this episode, though we can, at least, confirm that he’s been taken by Musso’s men. He spends the whole episode imprisoned, with just a couple of brief scenes of him freaking out in custody and demanding to be released, or at least receive a little attention. Musso grants neither.
Last week, I expressed my hopes that Mitch or Bigfoot would tell Bodhi about the body they left in the booze cellar. Unfortunately, they didn’t, so when we catch up the next morning, Bodhi is understandably upset at Mitch for not giving him any kind of warning about the grisly sight. Remember, the crooked health inspector isn’t just dead, his head was literally ripped in half from being crushed by a keg of bourbon.
As a result of the investigation into the unfortunate death of the health inspector, as well as potential legal disputes with the Dunmire clan, Dwight’s gang can’t sell the Montague 50, so they decide to get the word out there the old fashioned way, via old bootlegging routes. From here, the gang splits into three teams.
Mitch and Cleo head to Louisiana to meet with an old contact of Dwight’s who can move the booze. Bodhi and Grace head to St. Louis to sell some more booze on their own, while Dwight, Tyson, and Bigfoot head to Arkansas to meet with Vince and Quiet Ray. Before they head out, the gang teams up to steal the Montague 50, which seems like it would be a very dangerous move, but Mitch faces no consequences for K.O.ing the two cops guarding the booze. Maybe the implication is that the police investigation is somewhat off the books, so they can’t get into too much trouble for it. The fact that the scene is set to Jailbreak by Thin Lizzy makes it all worth it. In any event, they’re not the only cops whom Mitch will beat up before the end of the episode.
Related: Interviewing The Tulsa King Gang
Before they make it to Louisiana, Mitch and Cleo are stopped by a dirty cop, paid off by Dunmire, but after trying to talk their way out, they decide to just beat him up and smash his radio. Killing cops is off-limits, but they can still rough ’em up a whole bunch! Now, I thought Samuel L. Jackson was going to make his long-awaited debut as their contact in Shreveport, Louisiana, but nope! Instead, it’s a kindly older genleman working out of a church, who takes the booze off their hands. Mission accomplished!
On their way to Arkansas, Dwight and Tyson are tracked by a pair of Dunmire’s goons. They had placed a tracker on Dwight’s car when they crashed the Montague gala. However, they didn’t account for Bigfoot following them in his own car. Thus, when they stop at a gas station, Dunmire’s assassins are ambushed by Bigfoot, who takes them out with some brutal, but non-fatal, melee takedowns. Double-However, Bigfoot doesn’t notice Cole Dunmire following them in his own vehicle, so their guard is down when they make it to Arkansas.
The meeting between Dwight and Quiet Ray doesn’t start well, and it ends even worse. Quiet Ray demands 80% of the Montague 50 income, a joke of an offer that anyone would consider insulting. Unfortunately, the negotiations are cut short when Cole and a couple of goons in army cosplay (ICE-chic?) light up the joint. Fortunately, though they dress like military, they can’t hit the broad side of a barn, so, despite many dozens of gunshots fired between both sides, only one person is visibly shot. I’m pretty sure it’s one of Quiet Ray’s guards, but I’m not 100% sure, since the editing is a bit too chaotic and incomprehensible for me to fully track. Quiet Ray tries to blame Dwight for trying to assassinate him, but Dwight nips his suspicions in the bud, saying that Dwight himself was the target.
The episode ends with a shocking phone call from Goodie. He tells Dwight the bad news, that Armand has killed himself, that his body was found in a nondescript flophouse, surrounded by booze bottles. Just to drive the point home, we see a visual or Armand hanging with a noose around his neck, though he’s shot from the back, since it’s surely not Max Casella reprising the role just to be a corpse. From his car, Dwight tries to call Quiet Ray, presumably to tell him the news or to try and salvage their failed meeting, but Ray refuses to answer.
The End.
Zak’s Thoughts (I’m Zak)
RIP Armand, we hardly knew ye. He was one of my favorite characters in the show’s first two seasons, and now we had to wait more than half a season just to learn that he’s never coming back? Feels like a bit of a waste, and not a thematically significant one, unless the show is secretly sponsored by AA… And given the focus on the Montague 50 this year, that’s probably not the case. Of course, there’s always the possibility that it wasn’t suicide, but murder! I dunno, it feels like there’s more at hand here than what we’ve been told.
Grace is always the best-dressed member of the gang, but she really ups her game this week, with the orange belts/holster combo. Slay, queen! Yaaaas! That’s what the kids say, right? I’m hip!
It was nice to see Mitch’s papa, even if it’s just for a cameo.
I’m gonna be completely honest, I’d pay Robert Patrick to yell racial slurs at me all day. There aren’t many people in the world who can get away with it, but he’s one of them.
They say, “If you come at the king, you’d best not miss.” Well, the show’s called Tulsa King, and Cole failed to assassinate Dwight, and nearly killed Quiet Ray in the crossfire. I wonder if New York and Dwight will team up to wipe the Dunmires off the map, once and for all? Even if they do, I still don’t think Dwight will accept only 20% of his own profits, but it could help them to work together to make a deal, like when they brought Bill on board last season.
While the meeting didn’t work out, it was great to see Sylvester Stallone and James Russo trade verbal jabs in person. Sometimes it feels like a bit too much of the show is communicated through phone calls, so when we get to see these barrel-chested tough guys screaming at each other in person, it’s a delight.
In the leadup to the meeting between Dwight and Quiet Ray, I love the moment where both sides refuse to enter the room until the exact right moment. They’re punctual, and that means they can’t be a single minute early. Probably something about not showing weakness or whatever.
If Grace and Bodhi don’t hook up by the end of the season, I’m gonna be really mad! Maybe Bodhi should shave first, though. Or at least give himself a stylish trim. Chicks dig a guy who takes care of himself!
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