‘Tulsa King’ Season 3, Episode 4 Recap – It’s A Family Affair

Jeremiah Dunmire’s goons stealing the Montague 50 seemed like a much bigger deal than it ends up being in Tulsa King Season 3, Episode 4. The truth of the matter is that it was really an excuse for some relationship-building interpersonal drama, which is fair enough, since there are a fair few dynamics continuing to percolate. It also helps to establish Dunmire as an even more credible villain, since despite him losing this particular battle, it showed what he’s willing to do – or, more accurately, what he’s willing to lose – to win the war. If I were Cole, I’d be looking for pastures new. But that’s just me.

When you step back and look at the whole picture, there’s a lot more at stake than the missing 50. Tyson is still working on his relationship with his father, which has evolved now that Mark knows he isn’t going to let this idea of being a gangster go. The older man, who here reveals a shadier past than his son ever suspected him of having, has to find a way to coach his son through his mistakes and hope he doesn’t fall for anything quite so obvious as being honey-trapped by a sexy stripper. We’ll have to see how that goes, but the fact that Tyson decides to wait for backup after figuring out where Dunmire is offloading the 50 instead of rushing in all guns blazing is a positive sign.

Dwight, meanwhile, is being pulled this way and that between his reluctant responsibilities to Musso and those to his newfound family. He’s really pushing this angle in “Staring Down the Barrel” to enough of an extent that I thought Vin Diesel might have wandered onto set at one point, but that’s earnestly how he feels. He’s also trying to keep things running smoothly with Bill and the KC Mob despite previous differences and potential future problems, which Bodhi, who still hasn’t forgotten the events of the previous season, isn’t helping with either.

This does feel more like Tulsa King of old, though, doesn’t it? Dwight and Bill working together to track down the booze has a nice vibe to it, and I hope we get more of them on the same page. Sure, the big dramatic question here is whether Bill will be swayed by tempting offers from the New York families and try to unseat Dwight for an arrangement with them, but I kind of feel like we’re heading in the opposite direction. The more begrudging respect that forms between Dwight and Bill, the more unintentional defensive headshots they’re both privy to – how real did that look, by the way? – the more likely they are to have each other’s backs when the time comes. If we stick with the Fast & Furious analogy, the scene where the Rock helps Vin back to his feet is yet to come.

Everyone seems to know what Dwight is up to in Tulsa King Season 3, Episode 4, some with more specificity than others. Ray hears through the grapevine that he’s getting into booze, which would make him a more direct rival, and while this is obviously something to worry about long-term, it’s no cause for immediate concern. But Musso seems to know what Dwight is doing in real-time, which suggests – at least to me – that there’s a mole within Dwight’s organisation feeding him info. I think Dwight has picked up on this, but he hasn’t said anything about it yet. But I’m now looking at his entire crew with a slightly more suspicious eye.

With this in mind, there’s a brief suggestion that Margaret is going behind Dwight’s back in order to make an offer to Cal Thresher in exchange for her getting her share of the ranch back. She’s willing to help him in his governor campaign – as it turns out, nobody likes him – but only if he plays ball, which he reluctantly agrees to when it becomes obvious that Margaret is telling the truth about his generally off-putting demeanour and absent sense of humour. But Margaret tells Dwight about it immediately, so there’s no ambiguity. Sure, she is using the fact that Dwight would stand to benefit from Cal being in office as a way to facilitate something she wants, but that seems fair to me.

You might think the final stand-off here in “Staring Down the Barrel” is a little disappointing, but I’d sooner describe it as “telling”. With the Dunmire business suffering thanks to Bodhi’s online meddling and Tyson and Mark having tracked Serenity, who turns out to be Cole’s girl, to the warehouse where they’re offloading the 50, it’s obvious that the ball has re-entered Dwight’s court. But we get to see firsthand where Cole’s desperation for approval comes from. Jeremiah is utterly uninterested in anything Cole does and attributes all of his success to God in a way that’s veering into creepy fundamentalism. He’s even willing to let Cole be killed rather than give the booze up, which surely hasn’t gone unnoticed by Cole himself. He’s probably used to it, but I do wonder if he might begin to see Dwight’s crew as his potential salvation rather than his adversary. Time will tell in that regard.

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