'Tulsa King' Season 2 Review: Sylvester Stallone fails to recapture past magic in season full of holes
Contains spoilers for 'Tulsa King'
Sylvester Stallone makes a dashing comeback as mobster boss Dwight Manfredi in 'Tulsa King' Season 2, bringing his trademark machoism and action to the screen. Now, if you've seen Season 1 of the show, you know it had its own charm with sharp and witty writing that felt like a breath of fresh air in the action genre, but Season 2 lost all of the elements that made it a success in the first place.
One of my major complaints about Season 2 is the inconsistent pacing, with certain episodes feeling stretched out or missing substantial story development. While the first three episodes of 'Tulsa King' Season 2 focus mostly on establishing the narrative through the introduction of new characters, the remaining episodes feel more like fillers before the actual season takes speed.
'Tulsa King' Season 2 struggles to match Season 1's energy
The writing for 'Tulsa King' Season 2 is lackluster compared to Season 1, as the show fails to capitalize on its strengths. While I enjoyed the camaraderie of Manfredi's gang as this bunch of misfits began to establish a familial bond but that's it. Nothing much happens until the spectacular Episode 9, where gang members kill Jackie Ming (Rich Ting). With the spectacular end of Season 1, I anticipated a high-stakes confrontation, more machinations, and more turf conflicts, as this is what characterizes 'Tulsa King,' but sadly, it's similar to getting robbed, as we only witness a small part of it.
Taylor Sheridan, who is well renowned for reviving the Western genre with 'Yellowstone', leaves his trademark footprints in 'Tulsa King' Season 2 as well, where we witness gangsters battling, ranch owners dealing with troubles, and the protagonist is hellbent on preserving his family. Yes, there are some parallels between the storylines of 'Yellowstone' and 'Tulsa King', but each show has its own appeal. The writing for Season 2 lacks the impact that made Season 1 so compelling. I mean, much of Season 2 lacks action, with episodes dragging on and Manfriedi's snooze-fest preaching serving as fillers. There are so many characters in 'Tusla King' Season 2, that instead of Manfriedi making lengthy speeches, we could have used that time to focus on character development. Not only that, but the two new antagonists, Bill Bevilaqua (Frank Grillo) and Cal Thresher (Neal McDonough), are also severely underutilized; after all, they were billed as major bosses who would go to any length to make Manfredi's life a living hell, but the show fails to encash on that marketing as well.
Sylvester Stallone kills it as mobster in 'Tulsa King' Season 2
Stallone should undoubtedly be recognized as a National Youth Icon since he is more ripe than ever at the age of 78. In addition to his blazing physicality, the man's distinct dialogue delivery steals the show. Stallone has a commanding screen presence, which makes Manfredi's portrayal all the more convincing. I mean, there are certain characters that you can't see anyone else playing, such as Leonardo Dicaprio as Jack Dawson in 'Titanic,' and the same can be said for Stallone's Manfredi, as the character appears to be an extension of Stallone's own personality rather than a character in a television show.
Chickie had a lot of potential as a character, but Season 2 takes it down a notch, but Domenick Lombardozzi still ensures that our hatred for Chickie keeps afloat. While Chickie's character development was stifled, Lombardozzi delivers a standout performance as the unpredictable, good-for-nothing antagonist. That being said, 'Tulsa King' Season 2 is not a waste of time or uninteresting, but if compared to the expectations set in Season 1, it falls short a million times. I wish the screenplay had been better written, with more gang conflicts and larger stakes. With the least character developments and a weak screenplay, 'Tulsa King' Season 2 significantly underperforms as compared to Season 1.
'Tulsa King' Season 2 trailer
