Dwight’s Showdown With Bill Bevilaqua Explained

Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Tulsa King season 2, episode 3The ending of Tulsa King season 2, episode 3 was a major twist, and it has some massive implications for the feud between Dwight Manfredi (Sylvester Stallone) and Bill Bevilaqua (Frank Grillo). Tulsa King season 2 has introduced two new enemies for Dwight to overcome: Cal Thresher (Neal McDonough) and Bill Bevilaqua. So far, Thresher has been the more aggressive of the two, but Tulsa King season 2, episode 3 showed that Bill has just as much bite. The stakes are rising for the entire cast of Tulsa King season 2, and all the converging plot threads can get a bit confusing.

Dwight already had a lot to deal with, from the threat of Thresher and Bevilaqua to his legal case and more, and Tulsa King season 2, episode 3 added to that growing list of problems. Now, it seems that Dwight could be heading towards all-out war with Bevilaqua, Thresher’s attacks will become much less subtle, and there might even be a double-agent in Dwight’s gang. Keeping track of all those threats will be crucial to the rest of Tulsa King season 2, so here’s everything you need to know about them.

How Dwight Won His Court Case In Tulsa King Season 2, Episode 3 Explained

Dwight Never Actually Bribed Stacy, & His Questioning Revealed The Truth

One of the biggest steps forward for Dwight and his efforts to rule Oklahoma in Tulsa King season 2, episode 3 was winning his court case. Knowing the circumstances of Dwight’s arrest is crucial to understand why he won the court case, even though the U.S. Attorney was personally prosecuting it. Dwight was being charged with attempted bribery of a federal agent after giving Stacy Beale $1 million at the end of Tulsa King season 1. The main reason Dwight was found not guilty is that he legitimately never bribed Stacy, and the ATF had a very thin case from the beginning.

According to Cornell Law School, bribery is defined as “corrupt solicitation, acceptance, or transfer of value in exchange for official action.” For Tulsa King, the most important part of that definition is “in exchange for official action.” When Dwight gave Stacy the money, he never actually asked for anything in return, something he himself pointed out in court. Because the money was never meant to coerce Stacy into doing something for Dwight, it legally can’t be defined as a bribe. Dwight was found not guilty because he truly was not guilty of bribery.

Another key part of Dwight’s trial is how he characterized his relationship with Stacy. While questioning her as a witness, Dwight made a point of highlighting that he and Stacy were originally romantic partners and became good personal friends after their relationship ended. Because Dwight was able to convince the jury that he was friends with Stacy when he gave her the money, he helped show that he didn’t actually want anything in return for his gift. Stacy also helped by actually telling the truth in court, and the jury saw that Dwight hadn’t actually bribed her.

Why Did Stacy Get Transferred To Anchorage & Is She Leaving Tulsa King?

Stacy Was Being Punished For Getting Involved With Dwight

After the jury went to deliberate, Stacy revealed that she was being transferred to another ATF branch in Anchorage, Alaska. Stacy told Dwight that “your life, my life, no matter what, are failures.” Stacy was right: she got transferred to Anchorage because she made a complete mess of her career in Tulsa. Having a romantic relationship and conspiring with a known felon isn’t good for a federal agent, and since Dwight was found not guilty, she can’t stay in Tulsa. Her boss, ASAC Hendricks, even mentioned that Stacy was a “tough sell” after everything she had done with Dwight.

Stacy also made it seem like she was saying goodbye to Dwight for good, and it wasn’t clear if she was leaving Tulsa King permanently. Since she’ll be stationed in Anchorage, Stacy likely won’t be returning to Tulsa King anytime soon. Her main roles on the show have also been replaced – Margaret Devereaux is now Dwight’s main love interest, and the ATF isn’t as big of a threat in Tulsa King season 2 – which makes it even more likely that Stacy won’t return. There’s still a possibility that Stacy could have some cameo appearances later on, but she likely won’t be a major character anymore.

Did Armand Take Cal Thresher’s Money & How Will It Affect Tulsa King Season 2?

Armand Likely Owes Cal Thresher A Favor Now

Dwight didn’t just have success in Tulsa King season 2, episode 3, though. Cal Thresher invited Armand Truisi to his house for a meeting, and he offered Armand $30,000 cash while saying “maybe one day you’ll help me.” Tulsa King didn’t show the end of their conversation, but at the end of the episode, Armand gave Dwight $10,000 to settle his debt, which seemed to heavily imply that he had taken Thresher’s money. Armand had been struggling to make ends meet all season, so taking Thresher’s money is likely the only way he could have come up with so much in such a short time.

If Armand did take Thresher’s money, he now owes the business tycoon a favor, which could be a real problem for Dwight later in the season. Thresher knows that Armand works for Dwight, and now that his plan to ensure Dwight was sentenced for bribery has fallen through, he may cash in that favor sooner rather than later. Armand also has very close and personal access to Dwight and the gang’s various operations, so if Thresher plays his cards right, he could deal some serious damage to the gang. In short, Armand taking Thresher’s money could easily lead to him betraying Dwight.

Bill Bevilaqua’s Failed Hit On Dwight Explained: Did Goodie Betray Him?

Dwight Turned The Tables On Bill’s Hit & Sent A Message

The court case, Stacy’s fate, and Armand’s decision are all interesting, but by far the most exciting moment in Tulsa King season 2, episode 3, was Bill Bevilaqua’s failed hit on Dwight. When they first met, Dwight completely dismissed Bill and essentially told him that he wouldn’t be getting any part of his criminal operation in Tulsa. Bill obviously didn’t agree with Dwight’s decision, so he settled on a plan to put a hit on him. As the ending of Tulsa King season 2, episode 2 revealed, Chickie was trying to get Goodie to betray Dwight, and he also played into Bill’s plan.

Bill told Dwight that he was sending one of his men, Carl, back to the Bred2Buck with a new business offer. Carl was actually supposed to kill Dwight, though, and Goodie was meant to get Dwight out there by himself. Chickie had also offered Goodie a chance to rule Tulsa after they disposed of Dwight, so it wasn’t clear until the last moment if he had taken the offer. Based on the fact that Dwight sent Bigfoot out to attack Carl from behind before leaving the building, though, it seems that Goodie told Dwight about Chickie’s offer and didn’t betray him.

There’s a chance that Goodie was also surprised by Bigfoot’s surprise attack, but it doesn’t seem likely. Bigfoot probably could have killed Carl with his bare hands, but it seems more likely that the plan was for Bigfoot to restrain Carl and for Goodie to stab him. It also wouldn’t have made sense for Goodie to be planning on stabbing Dwight, as Carl was probably planning on just shooting him and Chickie told Goodie that all he had to do was get Dwight outside.

After they killed Carl, Goodie, Bigfoot, and Tyson disposed of the body in an important way. The three of them brought Carl’s body back to Bill Bevilaqua’s estate in Kansas City and put a menu from the Bred2Buck into his hand to send a message. That essentially told Bill three things: his hit had failed and Carl was dead because of it, Chickie’s attempt to flip Goodie had also failed, and Dwight’s gang would now be openly hostile to Bill’s. The tension is rising between Bill and Dwight, and it will likely only get bloodier as Tulsa King season 2 continues.

Source: Cornell Law School