Stallone explains who got whacked and which enemies got closer in 'Tulsa King' finale
Spoilers ahead! Stop reading if you don't want to know where the bodies are buried after the Season 2 "Tulsa King" finale.
Season 2 of "Tulsa King" wrapped Sunday with transplanted New York mobster Dwight "The General" Manfredi (Sylvester Stallone) surprising himself by putting down strong Oklahoma roots.
His plucky Manfredi crime family has expanded, building the Even Higher Plane marijuana dispensary (with an adjoining recording studio christened by Jelly Roll), and badass bar owner Mitch Keller (Garrett Hedlund) stepping up as the face and manager of a family-owned car dealership.
"It's a bittersweet situation," executive producer Stallone tells Paste BN, speaking of Manfredi in the first person. "I've spent all my life in New York, and now I'm moving on to an entirely new existence."
Yet there are always problems. The jealous New York-based crime family, which booted Manfredi to the backwater but now wants a big taste of Tulsa money, sends underboss Charles 'Chickie' Invernizzi (Domenick Lombardozzi) there. And two new regional enemies – Kansas City mob boss Bill Bevilaqua (Frank Grillo) and steely Tulsa businessman Cal Thresher (Neal McDonough) have harshed Manfredi's mellow all season.
Before his foray into 2024 politics (introducing President-elect Donald J. Trump as the "second George Washington" at a Mar-a-Lago resort gala), Stallone, 78, broke down key finale points and what to expect in Season 3 (which has not been officially greenlit by Paramount+ but is happening).
The Mitch Keller's Car City commercial brings delicious cheese
On the finale fun side, the Mitch Keller Car City commercial featuring a pitch-perfect swashbuckling Hedlund is hilarious. Manfredi was initially going to direct the commercial within the show, but Stallone thought it was "lame to have a gangster with no idea" create this bad-car-commercial masterpiece. But the hokey commercial unveiling allows Manfredi to gather his lovable crew, many of whom are featured in the spot, for a group hug at his house.
Keller will continue to expand his car dealership world in Season 3, which can be perilous.
"You have to be pretty tough," says Stallone. "Keller is going to grow a great deal next season."
Chickie gets whacked in the finale, but not by Manfredi
Manfredi's enemy Chickie blows into town all alpha-mobster, convincing Manfredi to give up his growing empire. But, not seen onscreen, Manfredi and Bevilaqua concoct a secret phone plan to have Bevilaqua kill Chickie in exchange for half of Manfredi's empire. Come crunch time in the face-to-face meeting, Bevilaqua shockingly pulls out the piece and whacks Chickie.
"I know Bevilaqua's greediness. And for him to take out Chickie means nothing. He's a psychopath," says Stallone. "I don't know if I could have whacked Chickie." Manfried and Bevilaqua are now business partners going into Season 3. But "this is not a marriage that's going to last long," Stallone promises.
That cold killing was the main violence in the finale in a notable contrast to the first-season ending, which included a rival gang shooting bloodbath (won by Stallone's crew, of course).
What happened with Cal Thresher in the finale?
Manfredi continues an unusual business partnership with his other rival by literally pointing a gun to his head. Manfredi orders his new enforcer, Bigfoot (pro wrestler Mike "Cash Flo" Walden), to "Kill him." Bigfoot holds the gun but doesn't shoot. The scene originally called for Thresher to be "terrified," Stallone says. But the final result of Thresher telling Bigfoot to "shove it" allows McDonough to show formidable cool under the gun. Thresher agrees to stay out of the gangster life (likely until next season) and walks away, saying, "Good luck, Dwight."
What happens at the end of the 'Tulsa King' Season 2 finale
Just when order, love, and legal cannabis come to Tulsa, Manfredi and his wealthy equestrian girlfriend Margaret (Dana Delaney) are awakened at night by a tactical team with flashlights and guns. They haul off the hooded Manfredi, who's unceremoniously plopped into a dark room.
"You work for us now," an ominous government voice tells Manfredi. The mobster, who wouldn't squeal in New York and served 25 years in prison as a result, will offer Whitey Bulger-style cooperation next season. "I'm not going to snitch, but if I have to do some deeds to people that deserve it, I'm going to," Stallone says. "That's how I rationalize it."
The identity of the government puppet master isn't revealed, and Stallone is leading a search for the pivotal Season 3 player. "It has to be an important actor, someone we haven't seen in a while," he says. "I have a dream casting in mind. He's going to be surprised when I call, and might say no."
What changes are coming to 'Tulsa King' Season 3
Stallone says the Season 3 story will feature Manfredi expanding his territory beyond Tulsa. Before he was killed, Chickie alluded to sending the groundbreaking mobster into untapped territories like Iowa, Nebraska, and Arkansas. That concept is still in play with Manfredi and Kansas City-based Bevilaqua.
"I'm going to take him on a journey that he's never expecting," Stallone says. "The main thing is to keep the fish-out-of-water situation going. Because once (Manfredi) gets settled in a situation, it becomes almost like a sitcom."