Summary
Tulsa King Season 2 ends with a bit of a whimper in Episode 10, “Reconstruction”. However, a cliffhanger climax sets up a potentially intriguing third season.
I’m not sure what I was expecting to happen in the finale of Tulsa King Season 2, but it probably wasn’t this. Saying that Episode 10, “Reconstruction”, offers nothing would be underselling it a bit, but it’s surprising how many possible problems are neatly circumvented here. I already said that Dwight was running out of obstacles; this ending has to contrive a new one out of nowhere just for the sake of a cliffhanger.
Even Chickie fails to upset the balance. His death – unceremoniously shot in the back of the head by Bill – is totally unexpected, so it does deliver some shock value, but I suppose it’s only fitting. He was a loser, and there was little chance that anyone would be willing to work with him, let alone Dwight and Bill. But you’d have thought he’d have made a bit more of a fuss.
Tying Up Loose Ends
First on the agenda in “Reconstruction” is Cal Thresher. After ratting out and double-crossing Jackie in the penultimate episode, he starts this one thinking he’s now part of the gang. But he isn’t. Dwight gives him a pretty stern ultimatum – he either goes back to his non-criminal rich man’s life and leaves Dwight and his endeavours alone, or he dies. You can guess which one Cal picks.
This leaves a lot of money to be made, and Bill, who is made of sterner stuff, wants a piece of it. He’s also a little more entitled to a cut since his men helped Dwight take on Jackie at the farm. But Dwight isn’t willing to accommodate the 50% he’s asking for. It’ll be 25% or nothing. Bill, albeit reluctantly, agrees.
Business is booming. Everyone’s on the same page. The only wildcard remaining is Chickie.
RIP Chickie
The second Chickie arrives in Tulsa he starts throwing his weight around at Even Higher Plane, demanding to see Dwight. Luckily, Vince had already called to let Dwight know Chickie was on his way, and to suggest – not especially subtly – that if he didn’t make it back to New York it would be in everyone’s best interests.
Dwight isn’t interested in Chickie’s bravado, or his obviously bogus claim that if he returns to New York and helps Chickie overthrow Vince, he’ll be the head of the Invernizzi crime family at his side. Chickie has no negotiating power whatsoever, and he sulks off to see Bill instead.
Now, to be fair, Bill seems a bit more receptive to Chickie’s ideas, which I suppose is understandable since he has already been forced to settle for just 25% of Dwight’s profits and doesn’t like him a great deal already. So, for a while at least, it seems like Chickie has found an in.
No such luck. Bill and Chickie go to see Dwight together to try and strong-arm him into a deal, and Bill shoots Chickie in the head. There’s no fight, no argument, no tense back-and-forth. One minute Chickie is there, and the next he’s dead. At the very least, Bill gets his 50%.
Frank Grillo as Bill in Tulsa King | Image via Paramount+
Business Is Booming
With this, Dwight is free and clear in Tulsa. He has all of the weed operation that formerly belonged to Cal and Jackie, Mitch is now running Donnie Shore’s used car dealership, Armand gets his job back at the Fennario Ranch, and Even Higher Plane is still going well.
Even back in New York, Vince remains on-side, with his tip-off about Chickie revealing that he was really making a play to get rid of his old boss, not bring Dwight back into the fold. He’s happy with things the way they are – for now, anyway. When he gets used to his newfound power, that may change.
Who Kidnaps Dwight At the End of the Episode?
The cliffhanger ending of Tulsa King Season 2 comes out of nowhere. In it, Dwight is grabbed by some heavily armed and well-equipped men and taken to an unknown location, where he’s told, “You work for me now.” But who?
The obvious guess would be the FBI. Earlier in the episode, the Bureau were told to look pretty deeply into Dwight’s file, though the reasons why are mysterious, and we don’t know who might be behind this sudden interest in his affairs. We don’t even know if it’s the FBI who grabbed him, though if it isn’t, it’s an equally serious outfit.
Why would the FBI want Dwight? It’s possible they’d want him to work as an informant or some other kind of asset, which would be an interesting turn for Season 3 since Dwight would absolutely hate it. It’d also give Bill an excuse to stay involved, since if the FBI want Dwight to look into someone, it’s likely to be Bill and the Kansas City Mob.
But the truthful answer is that we just don’t know. We’ll find out in Season 3, though, if we get one.
