Dwight tries to find his daughter, Stacy gets suspicious, and Dwight ramps up his business dealings. Spoilers ahead for Tulsa King, episode 2.
At the Mayo, Dwight has finally gotten his hands on a laptop and uses it too look up his daughter, Tina. I hope the two can repair their relationship after so many years apart, but it may be safer for Tina to stay estranged with Dwight’s business sure to bring trouble.
Stacy (Dwight’s fling from their night out) has a little secret: She’s an ATF agent, and she has her friend run a background check on Dwight. The woman informs Stacy of his background and family ties, and she lies to her friend by saying Dwight bought her a drink but nothing happened. It’s clear that if any of Dwight’s business dealings blow up and attract attention, Stacy and her friends are going to be on his tail. In therapy, Stacy confesses to her therapist that she slept with Dwight, but doesn’t mention his name. We learn it’s been over a year since she separated from her husband, Edward. Against her instincts, Stacy definitely wants more of Dwight.
Dwight wanders around downtown Tulsa and finds an odd circle, which a homeless woman informs him is known as the Center of the Universe. Once you step inside, nobody can hear you. Dwight tests it out, and finds she was telling the truth. I wasn’t expecting a supernatural aspect in this show, but I’m interested to see how it plays out and factors into the plot.
Dwight decides he needs a credit card, but Tyson runs him though the modern day rules for getting one: proof of ID, proof of residence, proof of income. Dwight has 0/3, so Tyson suggests a debit card instead after Dwight runs into problems in some stores not wanting to accept cash. Dwight and Tyson visit Bodhi to collect their weekly 20%, and Bodhi is high at 11am and questions why exactly he’s giving Dwight money (honestly, valid question) and after a threat to rearrange his kidneys, cash is handed over. Unfortunately, Dwight still has no valid ID so it’s a no deal from the bank manager.
While Dwight cheats off a teenager to gain a new driver’s license, whisperings are happening throughout Tulsa as Dwight’s presence has been noticed by some old foes. The New York crew aren’t too happy with Dwight either, as he gave Vince a jaw injury. With his new license secured and some cash slipped to the clerk as a bribe to speed up the application, Dwight is on his merry way back to the bank.
Stacy shows up at Dwight’s hotel, with him still very much on her mind. She comes clean and confesses she’s an ATF Agent, and she knows about Dwight’s history. She asks why he’s in Tulsa, and why he isn’t with his family. Dwight tells her he hasn’t seen Tina in 18 years. Stacy knows he’s definitely up to something, and warns him if he gets jammed up she will not be able to help him.
I really loved the second bank scene as the bank manager wrongly assumes Dwight and Tyson are a couple, and asks if Dwight needs a card for Tyson as well. The pair laugh it off and head off to their new mission: Visiting Jimmy, Bodhi’s weed supplier. Jimmy’s cousin, Bad Face, is not thrilled about Dwight’s presence at their farm. After a brief standoff, Jimmy welcomes Dwight, Tyson and Bodhi into his humble abode.
Dwight uses his business wheeling and dealing to secure a better unit price for Bodhi’s dispensary, much to Bodhi’s surprise. Dwight gets a surprise of his own when Jimmy informs him the apricot preserve he keeps snacking on is loaded with THC, which makes Dwight VERY chatty on the way home. While blowing smoke rings, he expresses his thoughts on a variety of things: GM is now electric, phones now have cameras, coffee is $5 a cup, and the Stones are still on tour. Bodhi comments that weed usually makes people mellow, but.. it sure doesn’t have that effect on Dwight!
Back in town at the saloon, Dwight sits and drinks with Mitch, who shares his struggles to care for his elderly father (played by the wonderful Barry Corbin!) and the three drink together while Dwight shows Mitch his father’s barber kit. Dwight earlier expressed he was ashamed of his father for being a barber and not knowing much English, while Dwight always wanted to be a Capo. He wanted something bigger and better.
When Dwight arrives home to the Mayo, his shiny new debit card is waiting for him. He immediately uses it to pay for an information report on daughter Tina, and gives her a call. Her husband Emory answers, and sadly for Dwight Tina doesn’t want to speak to him. Dejected, he returns to the Center of the Universe and confesses that Tina didn’t stop seeing him in prison because it was too hard on him. He stopped seeing her in prison because it was too hard on him, and the little handwritten letter from young Tina that he carries around is clearly a reminder of this.
Over the course of season 1, I hope Dwight and Tina at least see each other face to face so he can apologize and explain why he cut contact the way he did. Dwight carries a lot of internal pain and rejection, and he needs to work though that to have healthier relationships with those around him.
