Spoilers below for the latest episode of Tulsa King, so be wanted if you haven’t yet streamed it via Paramount+ subscription!
With the seventh episode of Season 3, Tulsa King continued widening the tense rift between Dwight Manfredi and Robert Patrick’s Jeremiah Dunmire, while also showcasing the damaged father-son relationship between ol’ Jeremiah and his annoying egotistical son Cole (Bean Knapp). Not to mention laying out how Dwight & Co. managed to lure the Attorney General onto their side. But it’s what wasn’t shown at all that was most noticeable to yours truly.
At this point in Tulsa King’s run, we’ve obviously seen more than enough of Sylvester Stallone’s Dwight pulling cons on gangsters both minor and major, and while that’s still fun enough to keep this as one of Paramount+'s best shows, I’ve found myself drawn quite heavily to Bodhi’s evolving story in this third season, perhaps more than any other plotlines. And yet Martin Starr’s character was completely absent, despite all the other main characters being present.
Bodhi's PTSD-Laden Storyline Stands Out And Deserves More Attention
Given that so much of Tulsa King's on-screen story is devoted to ball-busting machismo, gangster violence, and Tyson's attempt to rise up the ranks as Dwight's right hand, I always enjoy when the show takes a step back from the dark vibes and puts the spotlight on Bodhi and Grace, who have both maintained their small-fish status while part of Dwight's crew. In the past, it's been largely for comedic purposes, and while that's still largely the same, Bodhi's also dealing with shit this season.
The Season 2 drive-by shooting in front of the dispensary that left Glen Gould's Jimmy The Creek dead still haunts Bodhi, considering Jimmy had become his best friend behind the scenes of Dwight's operation. To have his BFF ripped away like that in such a violent manner had a huge impact on Bodhi's mental state, especially since he held Jimmy in his arms until he fully passed on. It's the kind of experience that would make anybody leave their current job, but that's not currently a luxury he's been granted.
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Bodhi took it upon himself to stand up to Cowboy Art, the dude responsible for killing Jimmy, earlier in the season, using a gun to smash the gangster in the face while also threatening the dude's life. Rather than solely relying on aggression to make his point, Bodhi explained why Art's actions fucked him up on such a deep level, and the two men came to an uncomfortable-but-survivable compromise in the end, with Bodhi understanding that adding more violence to the situation wouldn't produce any miracle solutions.
Even when Starr's characer appears to be having a good time, as it went in Episode 6 during his road trip with Grace, the more fractured side of his persona resurfaces immediately, in this case whenever he got that phone call from Art asking about Bevilaqua. The villainous party was looking for help in locating his boss, which must have felt very strange for Bodhi.
Yet in Episode 7, we don't get any real updates about him, despite Grace being around to help out with the casino craps game shenanigans that put the Attorney General into Dwight's back pocket. Maybe Bodhi just ate too many edibles and is sleeping for a few days.
What Martin Starr Told Me About Bodhi's Season 3 Storyline
When I talked to Tulsa King's cast to promote Season 3 on Paramount+, I asked Martin Starr about Bodhi's getting arguably deeper character development than what might have been expected. And he told me it's all part of an ongoing plan for the character that was set up back in the earliest days. In his words:
That's really fun. You know, I think some of this was set up in Season 1 a little bit with, just the way the process works. I don't know, it didn't make sense that he would just fit in line with everything, and Terry agreed. So that scene where everyone was shooting guns and I abstain, was kind of like the beginning of a potential story where he has to kind of combat, or come to terms with, that peaceful side of himself that he's trying to rely on heavily.
For so long, Bodhi has been the outlier pacifist who has mostly avoided getting his hands too dirty while running the legal weed shop side of things, but has obviously found himself in more troublesome waters. As it turns out, Sylvester Stallone himself is one of the creatives who has pushed hardest for Martin Starr's character to get a bigger and richer storyline. According to the actor:
To be able to toy with becoming a mobster, with going into the dark side a little bit, is really fun. And with that scene in particular, Sly is pushing to make that a part of the evolution of the character this season, which was super fun. In his knowing everyone's lines, he's also very aware of everyone's trajectory and storylines, and is very present in trying to make sure that people do get some fun things to evolve their stories and their character arcs through the seasons. So it's really fun to have that kind of be the head of the dragon here, for him to be in charge.
I cannot wait for the day, perhaps in Season 8 or 9, when a van pulls up, its side door open, and out steps Bodhi in full Punisher garb, with a semi-auto locked and loaded in each hand. It's hard to imagine such a fate coming for a character who's largely avoided the senseless violence, but spend enough time around ducks, and you're liable to start quacking.
As such, I believe that this show will indeed give Bodhi a big make-or-break moment before Season 3 wraps that will put him on the path to no return, where he'll do something that will further tarnish whatever remaining innocence he has left.
Will Tulsa King fully turn Bodhi into a hardcore gangster ASAP, or will this evolution continue on into the as-yet-unconfirmed Season 4? Find out when new episodes air Sundays on Paramount+.
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