With the stakes going higher in Tulsa King Season 2, Neal McDonough's Cal Thresher has, needless to say, turned heads. He has been known to portray influential, refined, and reprehensible characters for quite some time.
It adds up that McDonough brings a significant opponent for Sylvester Stallone's Dwight "The General" Manfredi.
But as the story unfolds with Dwight gradually taking over Tulsa's underworld, Thresher is a territorial businessman ready to disrupt the status quo.
According to MovieWeb, the introduction of Thresher could turn out to be a pivotal point within the power struggle between Dwight and his opponents, now that the game is at a higher stake than ever, in every single episode.
McDonough is more than just the next obstacle since he, after all, does represent a formidable figure; he is a key figure in the power struggles that have defined the very essence of Tulsa King. But who is Cal Thresher and how will his arrival impact the direction the series will take with Dwight?
Cal Thresher is a new villain on Tulsa King Season 2
Neal McDonough plays Cal Thresher, a man in the real estate business tied deep to the criminal underworld, and he arrives in the continuation of Tulsa King Season 2 with jarring changes to the plot. That menace is what McDonough is known for: Robert Quarles in Justified and Malcolm Merlyn in Arrow.
And it's with that strangeness that he gives Thresher an interesting life, for his character is not just a gangster but rather a new, entire force calculated to upset the string of control that Dwight has established in Tulsa's criminal empire.
As per Collider, Thresher thrusts his character into the balance of power in the city where he brings another level of control and influence that could be equal to that of Dwight himself. His presence is not just all about brute strength but about strategic warfare as well.
As a businessman, Thresher's tactics are always accountable to manipulation, alliances, and a wholesome knowledge of using his resources to undermine his enemies. This is what makes him far more dangerous than most mobsters that Dwight would have faced.
In fact, according to Variety, McDonough's Thresher is meant to be one of the most powerful antagonists of the series, and of course, this means forcing on Dwight both outside dangers within his fold and enemies within ranks.
His arrival signals increased stakes, especially with the tough past battles that Dwight's crew has barely survived against one or another rival gang. Tulsa King Season 2 promises even hotter clashes with dreadful consequences for the ambitions of a character like Dwight.
The power struggle between Dwight and Thresher
While this is a battle of control over Tulsa's crime underworld, it is also a battle of wits and wills. Thresher is calculated in dismantling the operations of Dwight; by contrast, Dwight is old school, quite hands-on, from what could be seen.
As ScreenRant explains, in the core theme of the show, acceptance over annihilation, there's this power struggle between the two men.
Well, while Dwight has so far managed to build a loyal crew that includes colorful characters like Mitch (Garrett Hedlund) and Bodhi (Martin Starr), the first season of Tulsa King showed that they can be just as vulnerable as when confronted with greater, better-organized threats.
Read more: A list of shows like Tulsa King
The arrival of Thresher obliges Dwight to reposition himself, challenging the strength of his alliances and forcing him to reconsider what works for him. Neal McDonough projects insecurity in Thresher's character, as one wonders whether he will outmaneuver Dwight or fall prey to the experience of the mob boss.
In one of the scenes in Tulsa King Season 2, it is quite evident how well Thresher can outsmart his opponents.
"Dwight may have the muscle, but Thresher has the brains," says one source from Paramount+.
Thresher represents how power brokers rely on less pressure and more influence to accomplish their will. This is a circumstance that, in contrast to the gangsters who openly work through institutionalized terror, makes him more repulsive.
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To see how the rivalry between Dwight and Thresher goes down, do not miss Tulsa King Season 2, exclusively available on Paramount+.
Read more: Is there going to be a Tulsa King Season 3?
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