SPOILER ALERT: The following contains spoilers for Tulsa King Season 3, Episode 7.

Tulsa King Season 3, Episode 7 makes the Dunmires more interesting than Dwight Manfredi and his crew. With just three episodes left in the season, that’s a bit concerning for the Paramount+ show. But if it pays off these latest developments, it might be worth it.

“Art of War” has a dramatic title for a relatively slow-paced episode. After Tulsa King did its version of a road trip movie in “Bubbles,” this is largely the show’s attempt at a con movie. Dwight manipulates both Cal Thresher and the Attorney General, in order to get the Attorney General to turn on Jeremiah Dunmire. Meanwhile, Tyson, Goodie and Spencer pull off their own heist by holding up a local fraternity house known for its drug supply.

The latter plotline primarily provides comic relief, and doesn’t add any value to Season 3’s main story. And some of the other subplots that seemed like they were going to come back around don’t: Dwight deals with an upset Quiet Ray via a phone call early on, while Bill Bevilaqua is absent entirely after winding up in federal custody. That’s been the most uneven part of Tulsa King this time around: opportunities to make the storyline bigger instead wind up passing by.

But it’s when the Dunmires are on screen that “Art of War” has some potentially long-term value. Speaking of Spencer, she’s still meeting up with Cole Dunmire—who shows his first signs of being more than a henchman to his father. Cole confesses to Spencer that he doesn’t want to mess up their relationship, and later on he seems to reach a tipping point with his dad during another argument. This creates the potential that Cole might finally snap. If he happens to pivot over to the Manfredi side, that’s great for Tulsa King‘s latest battle. But even if he doesn’t, it would still be good to see that character development, given how much grief Jeremiah has constantly given him.

And while Dwight, Margaret and the crew taking advantage of both Cal’s political ambition and the Attorney General’s gambling habit is entertaining—like a far less flashy page out of an Ocean’s movie—it’s Jeremiah’s reaction that ends Tulsa King on a high note. When the Attorney General informs Jeremiah that he’s changed his allegiance, Jeremiah attacks him and gets arrested. The attack scene itself is not that intense (the series has shown a lot worse), but the fact that it’s enough to put Jeremiah Dunmire behind bars is what matters. That’s a plot twist that has some potential.

Obviously he’s going to get out at some point; there has to be that final showdown between Dwight and Jeremiah, and Tulsa King wouldn’t keep an actor of Robert Patrick’s caliber on the sidelines for very long. But how will everyone react to Jeremiah’s temporary detention? Will they find a way to take advantage? Will Cole be any different not having his father around to give him orders and demean him? There are ways that the writers can use this to have some fun, and it happens just in time, because with only a few episodes left there’s still a lot of business left to handle.

Tulsa King streams Sundays on Paramount+. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Paramount+.

Article content is (c)2020-2025 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.