Tulsa King Season 3, Episode 4: “Staring Down the Barrel” — Power Plays, Family Rifts, and a $150 Million Heist
Sylvester Stallone’s return in “Tulsa King” Season 3, Episode 4, offers fans everything the show has become known for: criminal chess moves, bruised egos, tense stand-offs, and, this week, the recovery of a legendary bourbon stash that’s driving the plot’s latest war. Here’s a detailed look at why this episode is sparking so much conversation within the Tulsa King community.
The Setup: Bourbon, Betrayal, and a Broken Crew
The end of Episode 3 left Dwight “The General” Manfredi’s crew devastated. Their $150 million Montague “Fifty”—a batch of prized 50-year-old bourbon—has been stolen by the rival Dunmire family. Emotions are raw. Dwight’s right-hand, Tyson, is sidelined after inadvertently leading Cole Dunmire straight to their fortune, further stressing the fragile loyalty within the group.
Chasing the Bourbon: Tension and Twists
Episode 4 wastes no time escalating the crisis. The crew tracks the stolen barrels using security footage, which leads Dwight and Bill to the driver who helped the Dunmires with the heist. Things go south fast—Bill shoots the driver in a cold-blooded moment that underscores just how high the stakes are this season.
Meanwhile, Tyson’s father, Mark, steps back into the action. Rather than berate his son for the colossal blunder, Mark teams with Tyson for a stakeout, which eventually uncovers the missing bourbon’s location. The father-son dynamic adds unexpected emotional weight, showing that, even amid criminal business, family bonds (and old wounds) are never far from the surface.
The Warehouse Showdown: Everything on the Line
The episode’s climax unfolds at a warehouse, where Cole Dunmire hopes to win his father Jeremiah’s respect by unveiling the stolen bourbon. The tension is electric: Dwight and his men arrive, leading to a tense standoff with Cole and Jeremiah. With Cole at gunpoint and the barrels hanging in the balance, the episode teases the possibility of a violent, irreparable rift. However, Jeremiah ultimately relents, giving up the bourbon to save his son’s life—a choice that may undermine his standing but secures a temporary peace. Still, the warning is clear: this is merely a pause, not an end, in the Dwight–Dunmire war.
Character Moves, New Fractures
Serenity’s Betrayal: The club worker Serenity, previously trusted by Tyson, is revealed as a Dunmire double agent. The twist isn’t shocking to long-time viewers, but it reinforces the show’s theme: trust, in Tulsa King’s world, is always provisional, always at risk.
Bodhi’s Side Mission: Bodhi, mostly stuck behind a computer this week, exposes the Dunmire AI scam and helps virtually claw back some of the stolen liquor digitally, if not physically, underscoring the modern criminal’s toolkit.
Tyson’s Coming of Age: The realization that his father was once involved in criminal activity—and their partnering on this mission—marks a major shift for Tyson’s arc.
Is Tulsa King Losing Steam?
Critics and fans alike have noted that while this episode finally resolves the immediate bourbon crisis, it also feels like a “breather” or “filler” compared to the non-stop tension of earlier Season 3 episodes. Some consider this a much-needed pause, allowing supporting characters and relationships to breathe, while others worry the show is becoming overextended with too many side plots and not enough focus on Stallone’s lead.
What’s Next?
The end of Episode 4 resets the board: Dwight is back in control of his fortune, but old grudges and new fractures (including in his own crew) spell more trouble ahead. The Dunmires aren’t finished, Tyson has grown but isn’t fully trusted, and Serenity’s betrayal shows that in Tulsa, no alliance is ever safe.
Tune in next week as Dwight’s empire faces unpredictable new threats, and the quest for control in Tulsa only gets bloodier.
Sources: Paramount+, ScreenRant, PrimeTimer, TheReviewGeek, SoapCentral, Reddit discussions, and more community coverage.