Tulsa King

Episode Reviews

Sept. 15, 2024 – S2, E1: “Back in the Saddle”

After getting arrested for bribing a federal agent, Manfredi manages to post bail. But now, he needs a way to legitimize his business before his impending trial sends Manfredi back to prison for another 25 years.

We see flashbacks to Season 1, wherein Manfredi and his crew shot eight bikers who attacked their bar. (Manfredi himself shoves the leader’s head into a bullhorn before shooting him in the face.) In the present, a guy with a heavily bleeding face is shot in the head by a gangster.

While stuck in a holding cell, Manfredi knocks someone unconscious with a single punch. The guy had been threatening everyone in the cell and likely bloodied another man’s nose. The guard didn’t see the act occur, so he leaves him lying on the floor of the cell.

Chickie learns that folks are questioning how his father, the previous Don, died. (He told them his old man dozed off in the tub, but Chickie actually drowned him.) We hear many threats issued. Someone drives recklessly. A character gets into a fender bender while drunk (nobody is hurt).

When one of Manfredi’s men makes a crude reference to a sexual encounter in a massage parlor, Manfredi calls it “disgusting.” Manfredi warns someone heading to prison to stand up for himself unless he wants to “be wearing a dress” once he arrives. We see several women wearing formfitting and cleavage-baring ensembles.

We hear about a number of financial scams and illegal activities. People drink and smoke throughout the episode. Folks gamble in a casino. Manfredi tours his new business, a cannabis lounge, and he is frustrated when he learns they could be held responsible if people get “too high” while using the facility. People smoke marijuana.

We hear a man’s wife left him and took their kids after his criminal activities put their family in debt and danger.

A woman who was sleeping with Manfredi fears for her life after learning he made bail, since she’s the one who got him arrested. He shows up in her apartment with a gun, but he doesn’t harm her and promises to leave her alone since he had genuine feelings for her.

Manfredi’s daughter posts his bail even though she’s upset with him for getting arrested for the second time in her life. She was previously unaware of his illegal activities but hopes he’ll use this opportunity to go straight. He tells his crew he’ll go “straight-ish.”

Someone says, “God love him, he was blessed,” referring to a deceased man. Crosses adorn a mobster’s home. There are references to hell in poetry. We hear someone is “richer than God.”

There are nearly 40 uses of the f-word and a dozen of the s-word. We also hear frequent uses of “a–,” “b–ch,” “d–n,” “h—” and “p—y.” Several crass terms are used to describe male genitals. God’s name is abused four times (once paired with “d–n”) and Christ’s name is abused five times.

Nov. 13, 2022 – S1, E1: “Go West, Old Man”

Manfredi punches and beats up several men, often knocking them unconscious. (One man is knocked out after Manfredi throws a metal water bottle at his face.) Some Mafia members draw guns but don’t use them. A guard threatens to use mace against Manfredi. A man says he was “shanked” in prison. We hear about some murders. Manfredi threatens physical violence against several people.

Manfredi takes a woman to his hotel room and it’s implied they had sex. She tells him that he was the deciding factor in whether or not she should go through with a divorce. Many people go to a strip club. (We see the scantily clad dancers, and some male patrons grope women who don’t work at the club.) A man brags about his endowment. Some women wear tight and revealing clothing.

We hear 25 uses of the f-word, as well as multiple uses of the s-word, “a–,” “c–k,” “d–n,” “h—” and “pr—k,” along with crude slang for testicles. God’s and Christ’s names are also abused several times, the former sometimes paired with “d–n.”

Manfredi physically bullies a medical marijuana dispensary into paying him a portion of their profit in exchange for his “protection.” A woman says she is high. Someone is wrongly accused of being an illegal drug dealer. We hear about drug cartels. A man says he became addicted to pain medication after a bull-riding accident. (He says the addiction led him to make decisions that landed him in prison.) People drink and smoke.

Manfredi says his wife divorced him when he went to prison and that he hasn’t spoken to his daughter in 18 years. We hear about racism (which Manfredi stands up against). People lie. Manfredi tells a legal business to launder their money in order to protect it from the federal government. We hear about stolen guns and ammunition. Someone makes a rude comment about weight.

A woman sprays Manfredi with holy water after he uses foul language. Someone informs Manfredi that she and her companion are with the Church of God and that Tulsa is in the middle of the United States’ “Bible Belt.” We see many churches.