Watching Tulsa King is really like hitting the road and experiencing, facing the expected and unexpected. Though, it is inclined towards expected more than unexpected, not too much to anticipate, but what they say, "It is about the journey not the destination".
I like Sylvester Stallone's Tulsa King more than Arnold Schwarznegger's Fubar in terms of story, narrative, plot and/or performances.
It could be said that Tulsa King is a one man show, Stallone's perfromance and presence in the show is that strong. Even though Stallone's performance remained at its best, somewhere at the top, other actors performances not only support Stallone but also they are not very far below his.
The story of this series is gang related, I know, not a new genre, may be not that exciting, as well, as it used to be. Writers/Creators made some changes in the story and plot. I liked these changes, they keep the show interesting. You'll notice them while watching the show.
Main character, played by Sylvester Stallone, is Dwight Manfredi. He was prisoned for 25 years. After getting released, instead of rewarding him for his silence and services for the gang, the boss, under the influence of his son, sends him to a city, Tulsa. Tulsa is completely free of any of the gang related activities. Despite of this, Dwight turned the city into a profit making venue. It is interesting to watch how Dwight made this happen, no doubt, a fun to watch journey.
Dwight's character is so strong that I got emotionally invested in this character. I am sure, others viewers would have the same reaction. One of the strongest attribute of Dwight's character is being loyal, whether this loyalty is for his boss or gang or for his friends and members of his newly formed gang. He also rewards them generously and back their actions when they are right (or not 🙂). He believes in fulfiling his liabilities and responsibilities, even the forced ones.
The reason to love this show is Dwight. He is more a businessman than a gangster who has ideas and know exactly how to implement them. He knows how to turn the tide in his favor. He has a keen eye for the details. At the begining of the show after reaching to Tulsa, he came to know that selling "Pot" is legal in the state. Even after getting this information, he went to a local store that sell it and offered the owner (Bodhi, played by Martin Starr) protection. You must be laughing or smiling just like I did (Selling is legal, man, why does he need protection?). Dwight was serious, though, and had a logical reason for this offer. No doubt, the business was legal but it was made very difficult by the law to dispose of the money earned. This was the very issue the owner, Bodhi, was facing. He had millions of dollars in his office safe and was unable to spend them. Bodhi understood the offer and accepted it. Dwight didn't take the money, instead he became his partner for laundering the money, a win-win situation for both, mostly for Dwight.
Interactions and conversations between Dwight and villians are some strong scenes of the show. They kept me fully occupied in the show and didn't let my attention to divert somewhere else without even for a second. Dialogues from both, dwight and villian/s, had the same impact (Watch the last scene from the second episode of the third season as an example). Interactions and conversations among other characters are also enjoyable. No preference there. Though, Bodhi and Goodie are remarkable. Despite its genre, mafia, this series has a flavor of light comedy and humor, and is used quite intelligentally throuhout all of 3 seasons.
All of the characters are interesting and fun. One of the characters is Dennis Goodie Carangi, played by Christopher Caldovino, a recurring character. Goodie was high ranking old-school mafia member of New York Invernizzi Crime family and sent to Tulsa to keep an eye on Dwight. Dwight turned him to his site and made him second-in command. Though, where his actual loyalty lies is still questionable. Even though he is an old-school mobster, after joining Dwight he solves their problems sensibly, calmly, and in the most practical way possible. It is also fun to watch him dealing with the issues in his own way. Writers have written the dialogues, situations in all of his scenes very smartly and Christopher Caldovino's style of delivering them and performing the scenes makes them even more iinteresting to watch. Despite being serious, his scenes are among the best comic scenes of the series.
Dwight took some misfits of the society under his wings and turned them into gangsters. Very villionous of him. But, this is what made it interesting. The behaviours of these misfits after turning into the gangsters is what fun to watch. A salute to the creators/writers for making this smart depiction part of the story.
The story which was started with gang, mafia, crime, has reached to political influences and political powers in the third season. Tulsa King is one of the series' which get better with every episode and season and finally becomes one of most wanted show to watch.
Third season is better than previous two, and the most exciting one, as well, up until the second last episode of the season. I didn't get satisfied with the way they have wrapped up the season in the finale. How they developed the character of Dunmire, it needs a little more efforts to end.
