By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy. We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Paramount+’s Tulsa King debuted this Sunday with “Go West, Old Man,” an eventful premiere that acquaints us with Mafia capo Dwight “The General” Manfredi as he establishes a new criminal organization in the titular Oklahoma city.
Dwight (played by Sylvester Stallone) starts us off with an opening monologue played over his character prepping for release from a Pennsylvania prison. His voice weary but his tone even, he describes the monotony of his 25-year sentence in solid detail. Every new thought crashes into the rear of the one before it, his ruminations devolving into a syllabic pileup hammering home the idea that this guy is exhausted. And itching for his freedom, obviously. As the cell bars slide open and Dwight walks out, he says, “I married this life, and after keeping my mouth shut for all these years, I’m gonna see if it married me back.”
Immediately after his release, Dwight is whisked away to a posh Long Island estate and escorted into a room by jumpy bodyguards. There, he reunites with the mafia higher-ups for whom he languished in prison: Don Charles “Chickie” Invernizzi (The Wire‘s Domenick Lombardozzi) and his father, Pete Invernizzi (A.C. Peterson). After a bit of expository outrage (in which we learn about Dwight’s estranged family), Chickie decrees that Dwight shall go to Tulsa, to build a new criminal empire from scratch.
An upset Dwight relents and travels to Tulsa, where he promptly forces his “protection” on local dispensary owner Bodhi (Silicon Valley‘s Martin Starr) in exchange for a weekly commission. At this point, Dwight has already threatened dispensary employees, knocked a security guard out cold with a water bottle, and threatened to break Bodhi’s foot. To make things more confusing (for everyone but him), Dwight extends a hand in, um… his version of friendship. Bodhi, aware that he’s one wrong move away from being crippled, smartly asks, “Do I have a choice?” The obvious answer is no.
After checking into his motel, Dwight ends up at a cowboy bar called Bred2Buck, where he meets Mitch (Garrett Hedlund). Mitch is friendly but guarded, piquing Dwight’s interest. (Dwight later returns to the bar and learns about Mitch’s past as a bull rider.) Keep in mind that we still don’t know what Dwight is up to; we have some idea of his long-term goals, but no clue how he plans to achieve them.
The next morning, Dwight’s driver/assistant, Tyson (Jay Will), pulls up in a beaten-up Nissan. Tyson had picked him up from the airport in a cab, and Dwight had given him a stack of cash with specific instructions to go buy a Lincoln Navigator. Tyson explains that the car dealer wouldn’t sell him the car. Annoyed, Dwight has Tyson drive him to the dealership where he assaults the owner. The two leave the dealership in a sleek new ride.
Their first post-dealership stop is the mall, where, over ice cream, Dwight laments how long it’s been since he’s tasted dessert that wasn’t prison tiramisu. As they leave the mall, an unwitting Dwight catches the attention of a man who seems to recognize him.
Dwight drops back by the dispensary and hands new security cameras to a bewildered Bodhi, who hilariously points out that they didn’t have any problems before Dwight’s arrival. Taking recommendations from Bodhi and Tyson, Dwight checks in to Tulsa’s popular Mayo Hotel. He then returns to Bred2Buck and meets a woman named Stacy Beale (Veep‘s Andrea Savage). He takes Stacy and her friends to a local strip club and, after some flirting, sleeps with her. The encounter goes well until Stacy discovers that Dwight is 75. Disturbed by the “age canyon” between them, Stacy leaves without telling Dwight her name.
The episode ends on two intriguing notes. The first is that the man who spotted Dwight at the mall definitely knew who he had seen and has started making phone calls to interested parties. The second is that Stacy is an ATF officer who, through fate’s twisted sense of humor, has been assigned to an active investigation into Dwight’s dealings.
The final shot sees Dwight reading an old letter (written by his daughter) and telling the Tulsa skyline that the city belongs to him….
What did you think of Stallone as the ostensible Tulsa King? And will you keep watching?
Nope. Not a fan of Stallone.
Good to know. THANKS
I did not appreciate that he forced the employees in the CBD shop to sign him up to protect them. There were no problems until he came there. They are honest employees. No. Did not go over well.
he’s playing a gangster, its what they do.
The old phrase, “Bull in a china shop” came to mind just reading the synopsis.
I recently watched an interview w/Stallone and I ‘get’ that this is a big move for him. I’m just not sure I’m ready to dip a toe, let alone dive into, an extended trip to Tulsa with him.
I enjoyed it. I wanted to see Stallone’s debut in a television show. I liked the fact that he seems utterly exhausted just walking out of prison, realizing everything he’s lost after spending 25 years there. I was amused at the idea of him being sent to Tulsa, the middle of nowhere. Once he arrives there, he promptly starts brow-beating and doing what a mafioso is supposed to do. Cliche? Sure. I still laughed at some of his antics. I did not realize the man was in his mid-70’s. As the lady on the show said, I would have pegged him for a hard 50’ish.
I’ll be tuning in for more. The 2nd episode of Tulsa King is not available on Paramount+ yet.
Extra note: This role seemed to suit an aged Stallone. He appeared to have fun with it.
Am I missing something? I’m on Paramount+ and only 1 episode is up
I think this recap is only about the 1st episode. I believe that’s all that has been released.
The first sentence of this article says that the first 2 episodes have been released and the TVLine “What To Watch” for today also says that the first 2 episodes are streaming today
Sorry ’bout that, everyone. For a while there, it was a 2-episode premiere. Streamers, amirite?! –Mgmt.
At the moment, IMDB shows eps 2 &3 both available on 11/20. Is that correct?
Hey paramount get your checkbook out . You got a hit sly, terence,Taylor,and allen c make this story fly and believable m2j
It was amusing how he adjusted to life outside of prison and banishment to Tulsa. Google, Uber, legalized Marijuana… oh my! Ha! I liked the first episode.
oklahomans are going to have a special election early in 2023 to legalize recreational marijuana. also, i haven’t watched this yet, but i think there are more dispensaries than church these days in tulsa.
I liked it. Will tune in for the next ep. Stallone was fun to watch.
Absolutely! I loved ep1 and will definitely watch the season. I loved the reaction of the fbi agent when she realized she had sex with a man older than her father and the priceless look on her face when she found out his age in the motel room and when she found out who he was in the fbi briefing room. As someone else said, yes bull in a china shop came to mind. Looking forward to this show!
Very entertaining! Think this is a great show for Stallone. We will enjoy watching it.
Heck yeah! Off to a great start.
I thoroughly enjoyed this!
Excellent start. I’m in!
Loved the show. Can’t wait for the next episode.
The first 10 minutes seemed a little forced in the setup and I wasn’t sure if I would to invest in another episode. But then I warmed to the peripheral characters and was hooked with the reveal of the ATF agent. I’ll be watching.
Stallone’s face is too distracting
your comment is to distracting
Yeah, looks too much like Stallone
I enjoyed the first episode! I like everything about it, the comedy, the way he goes into a dispensary and walks out their protector, so funny! I can hardly wait to see the story unfold.
See u at the Emmy’s m2j
What hotel did Dwight stay at when he first came to Tulsa? Is it really in Tulsa?