'Tulsa King' Season 3 Episode 1 Recap: "Blood and Bourbon" Heats Up Dwight’s World

Rachel
Sep 21
3 min read

Man in a dark purple suit and black hat, holding a phone, standing outdoors. Background is blurred with trees and a person walking.

Welcome back to Tulsa, where the bourbon burns as much as the bullets fly and Dwight Manfredi is still trying to play mob boss while dodging feds, frenemies, and flaming buildings. Tulsa King Season 3 Episode 1, titled Blood and Bourbon, kicks off with all the grit, swagger, and scorched-earth energy we love from the series.

This episode throws him back into the fire, literally, with a new business venture, an old-school mob threat, and a bourbon war that could rival Prohibition. Oh, and did we mention the FBI is watching his every move?

Dwight Faces a New Federal Problem

The episode opens with Dwight handcuffed in a dark room, sweating under a single light bulb like a scene from every classic mob movie. Enter Agent Musso, played with slick menace by Kevin Pollak, who has one goal, squeeze Dwight into becoming a puppet for the FBI.

Turns out the guy Dwight mercy-killed while he was burning alive last season was Musso’s informant. Oops. Musso threatens to take down Dwight’s entire Tulsa crew, Margaret included, unless The General plays ball. Dwight is given an offer he can’t refuse, or at least, one that comes with a threat he really can’t afford to ignore.

Margaret Is Not Having It

After getting out of federal limbo, Dwight rushes to Margaret to do the honorable thing, dump her. He tells her she is too good for him, cue the violin. Margaret is not impressed. She storms into the casino later to call out his cowardice and declares she is sticking with him no matter how messy things get. Honestly, give this woman a medal. Or at least a backup plan.

Meet Quiet Ray: The Mob Boss with the Least Subtle Name

Before Dwight can even pour a bourbon, he gets summoned to New York to meet Quiet Ray, a senior mobster who wants Dwight to take a deal and retire gracefully. Or share his Tulsa profits. Or both. Basically, Ray wants a piece of the action, and Dwight flat-out refuses. Politely, but firmly. Let’s just say the New York family is not going to take rejection well.

A Bourbon War Is Brewing in Tulsa

Back home, the real action begins. Enter Cleo Montague, Mitch’s stunning ex and the daughter of a distillery owner. She’s trying to stop her father from selling the family bourbon business to Jeremiah Dunmire, aka the Liquor King of Tulsa and a total snake. Dwight sees opportunity, smells profit, and decides to get in the bourbon game.

Despite a handshake deal with Dunmire, Dwight offers to double the price. Montague senior is tempted but afraid of crossing Dunmire. And he should be. By the end of the episode, his home is up in flames and his body is likely in a very bad state.

Bodhi Has Had Enough

Meanwhile, Bodhi is spiraling. Still grieving Jimmy’s death, he ends up pistol-whipping a Kansas City thug he believes is responsible. Dwight stands by him. Good to know loyalty still counts for something in this mafia circus.

Fire, Bourbon, and a Whole Lot of Trouble

Tulsa King Season 3 Episode 1 Blood and Bourbon brings everything fans love about the series, sharp writing, dangerous liaisons, and Dwight juggling mob life with his awkward attempt at morality. With the FBI closing in, new enemies rising, and the bourbon business literally exploding, this season promises plenty of chaos.

Stay tuned, because if Episode 1 is any indication, things in Tulsa are about to boil over. Got theories? Favorite moments? Bourbon recommendations? Drop them in the comments and let’s talk Tulsa.

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