WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for Tulsa King season 3, episode 10.
Tulsa King season 3, episode 10, “Jesus Lizard,” ends with Sylvester Stallone’s Dwight Manfredi predictably back on top, saving his sister, Joanne, with relative ease and silencing Dunmire once and for all.
What began as a promising, full-throttle season slowly deflated into a bit of an unfocused mess, especially during its middle episodes. Compared to other current Sheridan Paramount+ projects, like Mayor of Kingstown season 4 and Landman season 2, Tulsa King feels like it took a step back this year.
A sharper edge and fewer subplots helped boost the latter half of Tulsa King season 3 back into “watchable” status, but it wasn’t until Samuel L. Jackson’s “NOLA King” character showed up in episode 9 that things actually started to feel exciting again.
As most viewers could have guessed, Dwight and the NOLA King, Russell Lee Washington Jr., teamed up to take down the big bad Dunmire, whose pride, entitlement, and warped faith blinded him from seeing the many errors in his ways.
Ultimately, after his berated son, Cole, comes clean to Dwight about Joanne’s kidnapping, Dunmire goes up in flames by the end of the finale – a sort of unintentional metaphor for how much smoke was seemingly blown throughout most of the season.
Tulsa King’s Season 3 Finale Leaves Many Questions Unanswered
Now that the Tulsa King season 3 finale is here, it’s safe to say that this season may have bitten off more than it could chew. Several characters just faded or vanished with little to no follow-up. For example, the last time we saw Bevilaqua, he was in Agent Musso’s custody in episode 6. You would think Dwight would ask Musso about it when he got his federal liquor license.
Similarly, Cleo Montague, whose father was burned alive in her family home by Dunmire in the season 3 premiere, also disappeared after episode 6, except to check in on Mitch after the episode 8 bombing. You would think she would have had a bigger role in seeking revenge against Dunmire, the man who not only killed her dad so viciously but also tried to steal her bourbon fortune.
For a season-ending episode, this finale was nearly devoid of tension and stakes. The first half of the episode was essentially Dwight, Mitch, and the crew planning their predictable showdown with Dunmire – including buying illegal weapons in broad daylight. Cole conveniently and somewhat shamelessly betrays his Dad, handing Dwight the match he would use to burn down his family legacy.
The most interesting development in the Tulsa King season 3 finale was Thresher becoming the Governor of Tulsa, which could make him more of a foe than a friend once again. The sly Margaret seems to be looking at Thresher in a new light after his big win, which could add more fuel to the fire in the already confirmedTulsa King season 4.
Tulsa King season 3’s more promising developments were disappointingly abandoned in the finale. Quiet Ray, the other – and more compelling – season 3 villain, was hardly revisited before the end credits rolled. The spark of romance between Bodhi and Grace was snuffed out as soon as it started. Meanwhile, the connection nobody asked for between Spencer and Cole has apparently been given precedence.
Setting Up NOLA King Is Tulsa King Season 3’s Biggest Win
The clear accomplishment of Tulsa King season 3 was successfully introducing Samuel L. Jackson to the “Sheridan-verse” and generating hype for NOLA King. The Dunmire shootout sequence was the highlight of the finale, and Jackson’s boastful one-liner, “Let me have the teddy bear on the top row, please,” was, in a word, awesome.
The whole “Jesus Lizard” extended analogy was fine, but perhaps not as effective as it was intended to be. It’s equally great and annoying that everything works out for Dwight in this show, but a more heightened drama may have finally struck him with a major blow, like losing Joanne in the crossfire.
The way that this series handles its supporting characters can be quite sloppy, and might be its biggest problem. The bow that Dwight ties on top of season 3 is just too neat to feel fully satisfied about. If Dwight’s going to keep stacking up his chips in season 4, he should at least struggle a bit to make his victories feel more like achievements and less like an endless stroke of luck.
All things considered, there was really nothing in the Tulsa King season 3 finale that elevated the series from past installments. It almost feels like watching a sitcom or kids’ superhero show where, no matter what happens, there’s a guarantee that Dwight will save the day unscathed and set everything straight.
There was a general tone disparity that switched from campy to dark extremes this season, which made for a jarring and unregulated rhythm overall. Hopefully, Tulsa Kingseason 4 will be leaner, with fewer dead-end side quests, higher organic tension, and a much more definitive identity.
- Release Date
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November 13, 2022
- Network
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Paramount+
- Showrunner
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Dave Erickson, Terence Winter
- Directors
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Allen Coulter, Benjamin Semanoff, David Semel, Guy Ferland, Joshua Marston, Kevin Dowling, Lodge Kerrigan, Jim McKay
- Writers
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Joseph Riccobene, David Flebotte, William Schmidt, Taylor Elmore, Tom Sierchio, Regina Corrado, Stephen Scaia, Terence Winter
- Dwight’s showdown with Dunmire was entertaining
- Samuel L. Jackson’s NOLA King was set up nicely
- Season 3 altogether felt uninspired compared to previous seasons
- There’s enough characters and storylines for 2 different shows
- Dwight still hasn’t taken any hits, making his character one-dimensional
