The ending of Tulsa King season 2, episode 8 ramps up everything about Sylvester Stallone’s crime show, especially the war between Dwight Manfredi and Bill Bevilaqua (Frank Grillo). After the bombing of Dwight’s Navigator and Tyson’s (Jay Will) reckless attack on Bill Bevilaqua at the end of Tulsa King season 2, episode 7, the show is quickly escalating. Tyson’s relationship with his family is strained but healing, Dwight’s relationship with Tina (Tatiana Zappardino) is getting worse, and war has broken out between the various gangs and power players. With so much going on at the same time, an explanation could be helpful.
Tyson’s attack on Bill Bevilaqua, combined with tensions that have been brewing all season, put all the characters of Tusla King season 2 into a full-scale war. Bevilaqua has already drawn blood, and it looks like there’s plenty more to come. Though the war has already started, the way it started doesn’t make much sense, especially considering Bill and Dwight worked out a deal at the Atlanta sit-down. As it turns out, their entire conflict is due to a series of misunderstandings that could change the entire course of Tulsa King season 2.
Dwight & Tina’s Falling Out In Tulsa King Season 2, Episode 8 Explained
Tina Still Loves Dwight, But Doesn’t Think Their Relationship Can Survive
Tulsa King season 2, episode 8 forced Dwight to confront some of the serious consequences of his life of crime, and the first of many came from his daughter, Tina. After Dwight asked Tina to take her family back to New York to keep them safe, she told her father that she didn’t think their relationship would survive breaking up the family again. Tina ended up leaving with her kids without saying goodbye to Dwight, so their relationship is under stress, to say the least. Tina may even cut Dwight out of her and the kids’ lives permanently.
While Dwight and Tina’s relationship certainly isn’t strong, there is a chance that the General could make amends. When Dwight told Tina that he didn’t want her to hate him, she responded by saying that she loved him, which made it hurt worse. Since Tina still loves Dwight, however, that means there’s a chance they could reconcile. It would probably take a massive change from Dwight to get back into Tina’s life, and she may even want him to leave the gangster life behind and go legit. In any case, Tina and Dwight probably won’t reconcile before the end of Tulsa King season 2.
Jackie Ming’s Takeover Of Cal Thresher’s Business Explained
Jackie Doesn’t Need Cal Anymore & Is Planning To Take Tulsa For Himself
One of the surprises of Tulsa King season 2, episode 8 came when Jackie Ming (Rich Ting) forced Cal Thresher (Neal McDonough) out of their business partnership. With his men pointing guns at Cal’s head, Jackie forced him to sign a contract that would legally transfer ownership of the entire weed business. Jackie and Cal’s partnership was always contentious at best, but Jackie’s betrayal still came as a bit of a surprise, especially considering all the money and knowledge Cal contributed to the weed farm and how much money they were making together.
Jackie’s reasons for pushing Cal out of the business were fairly straightforward. Jackie told Cal that he was able to succeed by being ruthless and taking what he wanted, which is exactly what he did with Cal’s business. Jackie had also said that he doesn’t believe in “half measures,” so being a partial partner in the weed farm was never going to fully satisfy him. On top of that, Jackie is likely trying to take control of all the criminal enterprises in the area, so he had to start by taking down Cal Thresher.
What Will Chickie Do Now That Vince Usurped The Invernizzi Family?
Vince Ousted Chickie, & The Former Boss Probably Won’t Take It Lying Down
For most of Tulsa King season 2, Vince (Vincent Piazza) has been planning to usurp Chickie (Domenick Lombardozzi) as the head of the Invernizzi crime family in New York. Tulsa King season 2, episode 8 saw Vince finally put those plans into motion. With the help of some other members of the family and the approval of the other New York gangs, Vince deposed Chickie, but he didn’t kill him. Vince offered Chickie a chance to calm down and potentially regain control in a few months. Before then, however, Chickie might want revenge for Vince’s betrayal.
As the gangsters mentioned, they knew Chickie killed Pete, and Chickie had also killed one of his own men just to make Goodie (Chris Caldovino) feel guilty. While that was a very good reason to remove Chickie from power, it’s also a reason he might want to attack Vince and pay back his betrayal with blood. Chickie is getting more violent and careless, but he’s also not stupid, and he knows that Vince has the backing of most of New York’s gangworld. That might be enough to force him to do nothing about being deposed.
Did Bevilaqua’s Men Kill Jimmy In Tulsa King Season 2?
It’s Too Early To Tell, But Jimmy Could Easily Die From His Gunshot Wounds
Near the end of Tulsa King season 2, episode 8, two of Bill Bevilaqua’s men did a drive-by shooting at Dwight’s weed dispensary, the Even Higher Plane. Both Bodhi (Martin Starr) and Jimmy the Creek (Glen Gould) were outside at the time, but only Jimmy was hit by bullets. The entire attack happened very quickly, so it’s too early to tell if Jimmy is actually dead, but his chances don’t seem hopeful. Jimmy was shot at least once in the abdomen, which isn’t always fatal, but also isn’t the best place to have an open wound.
Jimmy’s importance to the gang could also escalate the war between Bill and Dwight even further, as Dwight’s not going to let the attack go unpunished.
Whether Jimmy lives or dies remains to be seen, but either way, the attack is going to have some serious repercussions. Jimmy is an important part of many of Dwight’s operations: he’s the main producer of Bodhi’s weed, his name is on the casino license for the Bred2Buck, and he also helped set up the wind farm deal with Med Hat. Even if he survives, he won’t be able to run all those operations for a while. Jimmy’s importance to the gang could also escalate the war between Bill and Dwight even further, as Dwight’s not going to let the attack go unpunished.
Cal Thresher & Bill Bevilaqua’s Meeting Explained
Bill Might Want To End The War With Dwight, & He Isn’t Happy With Cal
Cal Thresher and Bill Bevilaqua talked face to face for the first time in Tulsa King season 2, and their meeting had several huge moments that need to be unpacked. The most important thing that happened during their meeting was Cal revealing that Jackie Ming was responsible for bombing Dwight’s Navigator, and therefore, the entire gang war. Bill was understandably furious with Cal for getting Jackie involved with Dwight, as he had warned the businessman against working with the Chinese mob. The main takeaway from that revelation, however, was that Bill now knows that he can make peace with Dwight if he can show him the truth.
The main takeaway from that revelation, however, was that Bill now knows that he can make peace with Dwight if he can show him the truth.
Cal and Bill’s meeting also revealed quite a bit about each of their characters, and how their relationship is going to develop as Tulsa King season 2 wraps up. Cal was clearly panicked that Jackie might kill him, so he went to Bill for help. Bill, however, sees Cal as the reason Vic got shot and the reason he got into a war with Dwight in the first place. Cal needs Bill to survive, but Bill might be thinking about killing Cal himself. Between Bill and Jackie, Cal Thresher doesn’t have great odds of survival.
Why Armand Robbed Goodie In Tulsa King Season 2, Episode 8
Armand Has Been Getting More Desperate All Season & Saw The Robbery As His Only Way Out
The last scene and final surprise of Tulsa King season 2, episode 8 centered around a largely overlooked character: Armand Truisi (Max Casella). Armand broke into the Bred2Buck and forced Goodie to let him take a huge amount of cash at gunpoint. That was a huge mistake by Armand, and Goodie warned him that Dwight would “skin him alive” once he found out. Armand must have known just how bad of a decision robbing Dwight would be ahead of time, yet he decided to do it anyway. Confusing as his decision was, Armand did have a couple of reasons to rob the Bred2Buck.
Throughout the entire season, Armand has been spiraling. His divorce has left him with child support payments that sapped his money, his deal with Cal Thresher to spill information on Dwight has gone bad on both fronts – Dwight knows about it and Cal is completely unsympathetic – and he’s been drinking heavily. This episode saw Armand dig himself even deeper into a hole by driving Clara and his children away entirely, getting fired at the ranch, and cutting off his income from Cal entirely. Armand’s desperation got the best of him, and he made a potentially fatal decision to rob Dwight and the gang.
Most of Armand’s problems trace back to Dwight coming to Tulsa, so he probably decided to rob the Bred2Buck to get revenge.
While Armand’s desperation was the biggest reason he robbed Goodie, it wasn’t the only factor at play. Armand has long blamed Dwight for his problems, and not entirely without reason. His involvement in Dwight’s gang was the main reason Clara divorced him, and it was a huge draw on his finances even before the child support. Most of Armand’s problems trace back to Dwight coming to Tulsa, so he probably decided to rob the Bred2Buck to get revenge. There’s also likely a mental health aspect to Armand’s decision, as the stress and shame of his situation can’t have left him in a good mental space.
The final two episodes of Tulsa King season 2 have quite a few loose ends left to tie up. From seeing how Armand’s decision plays out to showing who will win in the war between Dwight, Jackie, and Bill, the show is going to have to move very quickly to get to a satisfying ending. If Tulsa King season 2, episode 8 is any indication of the pacing, however, the series should have absolutely no problem answering all the questions it has raised. In fact, Tulsa King may have a few more surprises left in store.