WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for Tulsa King season 3, episode 8.
Tulsa King season 3, episode 8, “Nothing Is Over,” delivers a season-high installment when it needed it most and finally gets Sylvester Stallone and Taylor Sheridan’s crime drama back on track. With only two episodes left Tulsa King season 3, episode 8 reaffirmed that this occasionally lighthearted (albeit often unbalanced) mob series still has some adrenaline-pumping fuel left in the tank.
While Tulsa King season 3 has relied heavily on abrupt shock value elements – including an inflated cliffhanger ending that puts Dunmire behind bars at the end of episode 7 – episode 8’s explosive finish actually pays off in the clutch.
It’s impossible to excuse some of the biggest story blunders and character misfires that have surfaced in the middle four, maybe five, episodes of Tulsa King season 3. For example, Musso’s purpose in the series still isn’t entirely clear, and supporting characters like Cleo and Bevilaqua have more or less disappeared.
That said, I’m thrilled that this rocky season, maybe the most unfocused and ineffective yet, appears to be rallying in time for a gripping final two episodes – one that is sure to introduce the new cast addition we’ve all been waiting for, Samuel L. Jackson’s NOLA King.
Tulsa King Season 3 Is Gearing Up For Redemption With An Explosive Episode 8
Tulsa King season 3 is finally starting to go somewhere in episode 8, taking one of the darkest turns in series history as Dwight tortures the evil bombmaker, Dexter Deacon. Overlooking the fact that Dunmire going to prison ended up having no real effect on the show, having Dexter approach Dunmire to collectively swing back at Dwight was an intriguing progression forward for both their characters.
Of course, since it is Tulsa King we’re talking about, Dwight is able to swoop in and save the day just in the nick of time with a superhero-like quality. While somewhat cartoonish and Marvel-esque, this does make for a compelling sequence that also gives key supporting characters, like Spencer, Tyson, and even Bigfoot, more to add to the story than their typically light workload.
Burying Dexter alive before igniting a gripping bomb threat sequence straight out of the third act of The Dark Knight was not what I expected, which is probably why I love the change of course so much. It brings Dunmire back into the fold as the true big bad of the season, especially since he started off with such a diabolical edge that slowly dwindled by the middle of the season.
Even though the eight-minute bomb threat sequence that closed out the episode ate up a fair share of screen time, which you could argue was a cheap trick to add some more heightened drama to a mostly limp season, it worked for the intents and purposes of Dunmire’s villain arc and even Thresher’s political campaign. It may be an old TV trick, but it finally breathed some life into a series that was rapidly losing its flavor.
It’s About Time Samuel L. Jackson Showed Up To Keep Up Tulsa King’s Momentum
I expected things to pick up in Tulsa King when Jackson’s NOLA King entered the picture, but at this point, adding another character to this overstuffed series seems like the last thing it needs right now. Still, it’s Samuel L. Jackson we’re talking about, who could literally carry the series with Stallone single-handedly, and will be starring in his own upcoming spinoff.
If the NOLA King does make his introduction next episode, hopefully it will be to assist Dwight in silencing Dunmire for good. The political pieces seem to be falling into place for Dwight, but hopefully that ends there, since we really don’t need Dwight running for any legitimate offices, especially with Thresher in his back pocket. Instead, the Tulsa and NOLA Kings should become quick allies who make big moves, and maybe mutually beneficial ones, from society’s shadows.
Tulsa King season 4, which is already a lock at Paramount+, unless a Dexter: Original Sin situation happens to the Sheridan project, should take notes from Mayor of Kingstown season 4 – cut some expendable characters and establish a gripping premise right off the bat. The Dunmire and distillery narratives have turned a new page with episode 8, but they may not be enough to save Tulsa King season 3 from being a low point in the franchise.
Tulsa King season 3 will have to put on a masterclass with its final two episodes to truly redeem itself, which I’m afraid doesn’t have a solid enough foundation to pull off, even with so many moving pieces in play.
- Release Date
- November 13, 2022
- NETWORKS
- Paramount+
- Showrunner
- Dave Erickson, Terence Winter
- Directors
- Allen Coulter, Benjamin Semanoff, David Semel, Guy Ferland, Joshua Marston, Kevin Dowling, Lodge Kerrigan, Jim McKay
- Writers
- Joseph Riccobene, David Flebotte, William Schmidt, Taylor Elmore, Tom Sierchio, Regina Corrado, Stephen Scaia, Terence Winter
- Episode 8’s thrilling ending breathes new life into Tulsa King
- Dunmire is back in the same arch-villain mode he started the season in
- There’s still too many character arcs, some of which may be going nowhere
- Episode 8 had a tighter story & pace, but this season has been unfocused and all over the place
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