Warning: This recap contains spoilers.
In today’s episode of Tulsa King, “Caprice,” Dwight’s road test turns messy when Armand decides to try and take him out in the middle of it via a drive-by shooting at a red light. Meanwhile, Stacy still can’t seem to stay away from Dwight, Tyson shares his mafia capo aspirations, and a potential new business venture awaits just on the horizon.
New business ideas
Dwight and Tyson stop in to see Bodhi at The Higher Plane while there’s a bustling party going on. And because Dwight’s a businessman at heart, his interest is immediately piqued when he sees that partygoers are paying to take hits of nitrous oxide. Bodhi tells him that there’s a local music festival coming to town that charges $10 a pop, and after doing the math, Dwight surmises that they’re basically making over 100 grand off of it when all’s said and done. Eager to cash in on the opportunity, Dwight makes his way over to Bred 2 Buck and asks Mitch if he, as a bar owner who has a sudden need for a whole lot of whipped cream, can order nitrous in bulk for him.
A road test and a drive-by
Dwight may have passed his written driving exam, but he still needs to take a road test. Things get off to an interesting start between Dwight’s struggle to turn off the windshield wipers in the parking lot and the instructor, Paul’s, story about how he and his parents were mugged by a man with a samurai sword when they visited New York in the 80s. However, any worries about turn signals swiftly go out the window when a car pulls up beside them at a red light, and a masked man (who happens to be Armand) begins shooting at them.
Rather than driving off, Dwight gives chase to the man, wildly pursuing him across the cit and causing car accidents left and right. The SUV is full of shattered glass, and Paul is covered in blood and screaming that he needs to take him to a hospital. Dwight’s able to catch a partial plate number before Armand escapes, so he uses the blood dripping from Paul’s head to write it down on the windshield so he doesn’t forget it.
Afterward, the police bring Dwight in for questioning — they ask for a statement, because they want to know who wants him dead. However, Dwight shrugs off the question and suggests that whoever did it may have had it out for the driver instructor; he’s probably failed a lot of people. Dwight calls Chickie to see if he knows anything about the drive-by, insinuating that Vince may have had something to do with it, and although he sounds tough on the phone, he’s visibly shaken after he hangs up.
Stacy Beale
Despite the fact that she said she wouldn’t be able to help him if he ended up in a bind, Stacy casually pays Dwight a visit at the police station when they take him in for questioning. The police are annoyed that the ATF is butting into the investigation. Afterward, they go out for dinner, and Stacy opens up to Dwight as she tells him about her time spent working in New York. They end up sleeping together again.
Stacy returns to the remains of the house that was blown up during the ATF standoff and finds that one of the dogs is still on the property. She brings it home with her, going so far as to call Dwight to ask what she should name it — “I was thinking Chance,” “As in second … or last?” Surprisingly, she tries hinting at wanting to get together with Dwight again that night, but he has to turn her down, because he has other plans.
Tyson’s aspirations
While Tyson and Dwight are out driving around, Tyson casually asks him where he sees him in the next five years. Dwight’s not sure what he’s getting at, so Tyson clarifies that he wants to be a mafia capo, even if he’s not Italian. Shrugging him off, Dwight tries to tell him that he’s not a “bad” guy. Later, still not ready to let it go, Tyson tries to cite Goodfellas to defend his case. However, Dwight just tells him he should go to college. In his opinion, it doesn’t even matter what you major in — the whole point of a degree is just to show an employer that because you were able to commit to showing up for class all those years, you’ll be a committed employee, too.
After the driving test disaster, Tyson meets Dwight at a diner, and Dwight slides an envelope full of cash across the table toward him — it’s his severance pay. Dwight doesn’t want to put him in danger, because what if the SUV had been parked outside of his parents’ house? Tyson argues that he’s 25 years old, and he can make his own decisions. He wants to be a part of this. Dwight relents and tells him to go back to the dealership to get a new car (but not a black Navigator this time, and preferably for free … they clearly sold them a lemon last time, seeing as it’s full of bullet holes). Back at home, Tyson’s father’s concern for him grows as he overhears him practicing “threats” in the mirror upstairs in his room.
Fennario Ranch
Dwight pays Paul a visit in the hospital, settling down at his bedside with flowers and a card — the latter of which contains $10,000 “to compensate his pain and suffering.” Paul feels uncomfortable about accepting the money, so Dwight casually tells him that he can do him a favor in exchange: see if he can find out any information about the Chevy Caprice that shot them.
Paul comes through with a location on where the car was dumped. Although Armand had tried to light it on fire, he foolishly didn’t roll the windows down, so there wasn’t enough oxygen for it to fully catch. Tyson and Dwight go to check it out, and they find DMSO inside of the car, which is a flammable substance that’s used to treat inflammation in horses. There’s also a scrap of cloth with the letters ‘FR’ on it, which — with the power of Google — they’re able to connect to Fennario Ranch. Dwight drives over by himself and meets the owner, Margaret. Although he tries to pretend that he’s a private investigator looking for information about the car, she doesn’t believe him, and she’s unimpressed when he tries asking if she thinks any of her employees might be capable of shooting someone.
Ever the patient man, Dwight remains parked outside of the ranch as night falls. Eventually, he sees Armand leaving, so he follows him home. When Armand parks in his driveway, Dwight glances down at the gun sitting in the car beside him. However, a child runs out of the house, which gives Dwight pause.
Episode 3 of Tulsa King is now streaming exclusively on Paramount+. Catch the next episode on Sunday, December 4, and stay tuned for our weekly episodic recaps.
