Tulsa King's latest episode, "Warr Acres," is named after an Oklahoman city, and the bellicose title is very fitting for the most violent installment of the Paramount+ series to date. Episode 7 puts the gangster in the show's Western-gangster crossover ambitions.
Most impressively, Sylvester Stallone's mafioso Dwight Manfredi isn't even involved in this week's mob killings. Instead, two main subplots fire on all cylinders in this episode. In New York, we see a much darker side to the Invernizzi dynasty as Chickie reaches the point of no return. And in Tulsa, Caolan Waltrip ties up a loose end, making Black Macadam stronger than ever. The frontlines have now been plotted, and Dwight stands to lose everything.
Warning: Spoilers ahead for 'Tulsa King' Episode 7, "Warr Acres."
Burying the Body
The episode opens with a good old-fashioned body dump. Under the cover of darkness, Dwight and Mitch (Garrett Hedlund) bury Black Macadam muscle Carson Pike near some abandoned warehouse. Odds are the burial site is on Mitch's land, which is situated on a reservation. If the law comes looking for a body, they'll have no jurisdiction to dig. Smart man, that Mitch.
Back in New York, the hospital is a revolving door. Pete (A.C. Peterson) has been discharged with a relatively clean bill of health. Now cancer-free, the doctor says he could live another 15 years if he plays his cards right — to which Chickie (Domenick Lombardozzi) replies with a labored "That's great." Meanwhile, the newly-jumped Emory (Loren Dunn) is in the hospital with a concussion and some bruised ribs. He has no memory of the attack, and he's convinced it was a run-of-the-mill attempted mugging. Dwight urges Tina to move her family down to Oklahoma until things cool down.
But T-town is increasingly rife with gangsters. Tyson (Jay Will) and Manny (Max Casella) pick up Goodie (Chris Caldovino) at the Tulsa train station, and tensions are high. Manny explains that he's been in Oklahoma since 1998, the year he left New York (or when he "ran like mascara," according to Goodie). Goodie spots Dwight's Invernizzi pinky ring on Tyson's finger. Uh-oh.
Dwight and Mitch send Carson Pike's bloodied jacket to his girlfriend, Roxy (Emily Davis), and she brings it to the Black Macadam dive bar. She's hysterical when it becomes clear Carson was killed, and Caolan Waltrip (Ritchie Coster) seethes with rage when he realizes Dwight beat him at his own game.
Stacy is On the Case
In other news, The Higher Plane is in shambles after the FBI raid, but Bodhi (Martin Starr) is relieved to see that a flash drive he had hidden away in a secret compartment in his office was untouched. He plugs the drive into his laptop and logs into an encrypted account.
Tyson and Manny ferry Goodie to the Bred 2 Buck, where Dwight immediately interrogates him about Emory's attack the previous night. Goodie doesn't know anything about it, and he doubts Chickie was involved. Pete defended Dwight after Nico's killing, and Chickie knows his father wouldn't stand for any retaliation against Dwight or his family. Goodie claims he had no idea about Nico and Tina, either: "I would've clipped him myself. Nobody knew. I'm telling you." Goodie may be innocent, but Chickie certainly isn't.
Stacy (Andrea Savage) and a still-devastated Roxy meet in secret, and Stacy asks her to steal Waltrip's laptop, which is bound to have something incriminating on it. Roxy wants out of the game, but in order to stay out of prison, she must hold up her end of the bargain and remain an ATF informant. "Don't do it for me. Do it for yourself. For Carson. He deserves to have that f***** put away," Stacy tells her.
That night, Goodie calls Pete and Chickie and gives them the lowdown on Dwight's doings: He's making good money at the dispensary and the saloon, and Manny Truisi just happened to be living in Tulsa when Dwight arrived — a coincidence that Chickie thinks "sounds like bull****." Pete looks suspicious when Chickie denies knowing anything about Emory's attack, but when Goodie informs him that Tyson is now wearing Dwight's Invernizzi pinky ring, the focus is back on whether "The General" has gone rogue. "He's his own man out here, that much is obvious," says Goodie. "He's not going to be controllable for much longer."
Seems the only one who can really rattle Dwight Manfredi is Stacy. She barges into his hotel room asking if he killed Carson Pike, and Dwight doesn't exactly play coy. She's caught between throwing the book at Dwight (Oklahoma has the death penalty) and risking everything to protect him — and herself. If the ATF finds out Stacy continued an undisclosed relationship with a felon, she'll lose everything.
Later that night, Tina (Tatiana Zappardino) receives another mysterious phone call. This time, the caller breathes heavily before hanging up. There can be no doubt in her mind that someone (ahem, Chickie) is threatening her.
Caolan Waltrip Strikes Back
Early the next morning, Roxy sneaks into Waltrip's office and snatches his laptop. She's attempting to login when Waltrip catches her red-handed. She admits that she was arrested and became an informant six months ago. In perhaps the most disturbing sequence of the series yet, Waltrip taunts her, feigning that he's attracted to her and that he wants to "take care" of her. In the end, he strangles her to death with a lanyard.
Roxy is, of course, a no-show at the cafe, so Stacy calls her, and Waltrip picks up. She knows the drill: If it's the boss, then Roxy is gone — and with her, Stacy's case against him. "You dialed the number for hell," he says. "Darling, who did you think would answer?" Gotta hand it to the guy. He knows how to make an impression.
Over at The Higher Plane, Dwight has a business proposition for Bodhi: He should partner with Dwight and Mitch to open a casino in the back of the Bred 2 Buck, which would give them a license to print (and launder!) money. All they need is Jimmy the Creek's name on the casino registration and about $500K (from Bodhi, of course) to get started. Bodhi warms to the idea and reveals that he's a wealthy man, thanks to his secret crypto fraud operation. (He steals money from people who buy Bitcoin, however that works.) Bodhi shows Dwight his laptop screen, which lists his crypto balance of over $7 million. (So that's what that flash drive contained.) "Did you really think you were the only criminal in Tulsa?" Bodhi says, in one of the most stunning character moments on the show. I mean, really, who would've thought that guy was a criminal mastermind?
Chickie Does the Unthinkable
In New York, Chickie is having a crisis of faith, kinda. He lays it all out to his priest: he never wanted to be a mob man, but his father took his college fund, his future and his "soul." Chickie can't get out from under Pete's oppressive shadow, and his come-to-Jesus moment in the church results in his decision to commit patricide (as you do).
Later that night, Chickie is bathing Pete in the tub when he finally confronts him. Why did he stop Chickie from having a regular life? And does he really think Dwight Manfredi is a better man than his own son? But Pete won't hear his grievances, and Chickie snaps. He thrusts his father's head under the water, and Pete thrashes in the tub until he goes limp. When Pete is completely lifeless, Chickie walks, zombielike, to the mirror and touches the wig on his head, which was loosened in the struggle. The scene plays like some twisted psychopath's origin story.
In the hospital, Tina asks Emory what he thinks of moving to Oklahoma. It's not safe for them in New York, but Emory still believes his attack was nothing but an "unfortunate statistic." Besides, Tina's father abandoned her. Now she wants to relocate their family to be near him? No, thank you.
Back in Tulsa, Margaret (Dana Delany) has asked Dwight out for dinner, and it's going swimmingly. Turns out Fennario Ranch was named after a mythical place in Scotland, not after some Italian father or husband. (There goes those theories!) Dwight tells her that he was imprisoned for killing a man, and she takes it well — maybe too well, actually. She asks him what it feels like to kill someone, joking that she's felt the killing urge a few times herself. (Is Margaret Devereux the real big bad in Tulsa?)
Back in New York, the Invernizzis are gathered at the house for Pete's wake. Chickie has removed his wig and is now completely bald — and utterly menacing. Even Vinny, his most loyal dog, looks terrified when Chickie gives marching orders as Pete's body is carried out of the house: "Help me get this family back on f****** track."
In Tulsa, Goodie breaks the news of Pete's so-called heart attack, and it's as if half of Dwight's life has gone with the boss. Pete's death marks the end of Dwight's loyalty to the Invernizzi family, and the beginning of a new internecine war.
With his father gone, Chickie is now completely off-leash: he'll come for both Tina and Dwight. That much is certain. More mysterious is whether the rest of the Invernizzi crime family will follow Chickie's lead so soon after Pete's death. Goodie is one provocation away from fully transferring to Team Dwight, and Vinny (Vincent Piazza) isn't the capo Chickie thinks he is. Without Pete's reputation to shield them, will any of the New York gang carry out Chickie's orders? As for Dwight, "The General" has some major prospects. Bodhi will front the cash for the casino, which will expand Dwight's empire. But he needs muscle — and fast.
New episodes of Tulsa King stream Sundays exclusively on Paramount+.
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