WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for Tulsa King season 3, episode 4.
Tulsa King season 3 continues the new battle for power, wealth, and status between Dwight and the Dunmires, but does so with an uninspired pace in episode 4, “Staring Down the Barrel.” The violent tug of war has rapidly developed this season and created series-high excitement in the first three episodes, but this heightened tone is starting to lose some of its steam in Tulsa King‘s first filler episode of season 3.
After losing the Montague bourbon fortune, Dwight and his motley crew waste no time in getting it back. That said, the episode drifts all over the place to get there, between various one-on-one dynamics of several supporting characters. These scenes offer some much-needed sighs of relief after the full-throttle intensity of the first three episodes. However, they ultimately make Tulsa King season 3, episode 4 feel overly polished and choppy, which really kills the viewer’s sense of fluidity, immersion, and enjoyment.
Much of the screen time is given to Bodhi sitting in front of a computer screen, talking to other characters about an AI marketing scam and virtually stealing some of the Dunmires’ booze. There’s been a lot of noise around Tyson’s character becoming more unserious and unlikable this season, but his realization that his father once “ran with a crew” was a clever note to bring them closer together. Whether it was necessary or not is an entirely different point.
Tulsa King Season 3 Is On A Fast Track To Becoming Overstuffed & Convoluted
A few of the developments this season are a bit confusing after four episodes. Armand is still MIA, but Dwight doesn’t seem to be worried, claiming that he’s not a rat even though Armand disgraced himself and betrayed Dwight for Thresher just last season. How could he possibly have forgotten that?
The mystery and credibility surrounding Agent Musso is also beginning to slip after he had Dwight send a message to a corrupt watchmaker in Tulsa King season 3, episode 3. Musso conveniently knows everything about Dwight but still doesn’t make clear exactly what he has planned for their arrangement. His introduction set up a tense season 2 finale, but it hasn’t really panned out so far in season 3.
Tulsa King’s ensemble cast has grown and expanded with season 3, retaining several season 2 supporting characters and creating a more epic scale for the series than ever before. That may not end up being in the show’s best interests, however, as the focus has greatly shifted from being mostly on Dwight during the first two seasons to being spread out among a variety of characters, some less compelling, which may discourage some viewers.
Tulsa King season 3 is becoming more like Yellowstone with its expansion model, but the increased roles of the supporting characters are arguably not all that entertaining or convincing. In fact, character arcs for several characters, such as Tyson and Margaret, end up feeling forced and driven by unexpected personality changes and uncertain motivations. It all feels overly scripted and removes the human element from these characters, which makes them sound more like soapy caricatures.
The Latest Tulsa King Episode Feels Lazy & Uninspired Compared To Previous Seasons
The Dunmires came out hot to start out Tulsa King season 3 after burning Theo Montague alive in his own house and beating the hell out of Tyson. Apparently, this family’s “legacy” is built much more on brawn than brains, since all it took for Dwight to get his bourbon fortune back was to follow one person, the two-faced stripper Serenity, who played Tyson last episode, and showed up with some firepower and a deadly threat.
Cole’s obvious desperation to earn Jeremiah’s respect is pretty one-note at this point. As it turns out, Jeremiah isn’t as devilish as viewers may have suspected, saving Cole’s life after Dwight threatened to kill him if Dunmire didn’t turn over the stolen booze. A stronger scene may have forced Dwight to make that call himself, with Dunmire sticking to his guns. Instead, Dunmire deflates all the tension by surrendering and reveals that he’s not as cold-blooded as he has been built up to be.
This Dwight vs. Dunmire conflict is quickly becoming nothing but a giant pissing contest, and the series may be getting too big for its britches with so much going on at once. There are too many side characters and not enough action or focus to justify the wide ensemble in episode 4. This makes this latest installment nothing but an inflated and disappointing filler episode that completely halts Tulsa King season 3’s momentum in its tracks.
- Release Date
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November 13, 2022
- NETWORKS
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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
- Episode 4 offers some time to breathe after the full-throttle nature of eps 1-3
- Tulsa King is getting too big for its own good – too many characters, not enough substance
- Stallone takes a backseat on his own show & the supporting action feels forced & uninteresting
- The Dunmires are proving they’re not as villainous as previously thought, which really deflates the tension & momentum