‘Tulsa King’ Season 4 Premiere Shocker Is Dana Delany Leaving and Is Margaret Dead?

Taylor Sheridan’s television empire on Paramount+ continues to solidify its presence on the small screen, characterized by gritty narratives and intricate antiheroes. Leading this lineup is ‘Tulsa King’, the acclaimed crime drama featuring Sylvester Stallone as Dwight “The General” Manfredi, an exiled New York mob capo who must establish new criminal connections in Oklahoma. Over three successful seasons, the series has garnered a loyal audience by merging dark humor with sudden, brutal violence.

As Dwight broadened his operations from legal dispensaries and distilleries to more extensive local investments, his safety increasingly depended on the personal alliances he forged outside the mafia. Among the most significant figures in Dwight’s life was Margaret Devereaux, the elegant equestrian and owner of Fennario Ranch, who provided him with emotional stability. Viewers witnessed their cautious relationship develop over the years, offering the aging mobster a rare glimpse of genuine domestic tranquility.

That hard-earned peace was abruptly shattered in the Season 4 premiere of ‘Tulsa King’, an episode titled “WWDD”, which presented fans with a heartbreaking twist. After enjoying a warm dinner date with Dwight, Margaret set off on a business trip with Oklahoma’s newly elected Governor Cal Thresher. However, midflight, the pilots and passengers mysteriously lost consciousness, resulting in the private jet crashing into the Pacific Ocean.

Dwight learned of the tragedy when his sister, Joanne, woke him in tears to inform him that the aircraft had gone down with no survivors. While the physical aftermath was not shown on-screen and no bodies were recovered, the narrative strongly indicates that Margaret is dead. Consequently, lead actress Dana Delany is indeed departing ‘Tulsa King’, marking the end of her vital role in the Paramount+ series after four seasons.

The decision to eliminate Margaret and Thresher simultaneously was a calculated storytelling risk taken by series star and executive producer Sylvester Stallone. Stallone aimed for the premiere to deliver a shocking jolt that would redefine Dwight’s entire existence and eliminate any sense of complacency. “I wanted people’s jaws to drop, like, ‘What? Like that? That fast?’ Yes,” Stallone explained regarding the sudden double demise.

Stallone noted that allowing the romantic storyline to progress further would have lessened the show’s gritty urgency. “Because, speaking to you as a writer, I had gone as far as I could go in that relationship — other than getting married,” Stallone remarked. He likened this bold creative choice to removing Adrian in ‘Rocky Balboa’, stressing that stripping Dwight of a romantic anchor forces the protagonist to confront overwhelming grief, unrestrained rage, and intense personal guilt.

Returning showrunner Terence Winter similarly defended the choice to strip Dwight of his moral compass and emotional refuge early in Season 4. Winter emphasized that placing Dwight in a deeply vulnerable position serves as the dramatic engine for the upcoming episodes. “We wanted to put Dwight in the most vulnerable position he could be in, not just from a danger standpoint, but from an emotional standpoint,” Winter explained.

According to Winter, losing someone he loved under such horrific circumstances completely knocks Dwight off his moral pedestal, forcing him to rebuild himself from the ground up. Co-star Neal McDonough expressed mixed feelings about the twist, accepting Cal’s fate while lamenting Delany’s unexpected exit. McDonough praised Delany as one of the kindest and most talented colleagues in the industry, admitting he was surprised that the writers chose to write out Margaret permanently.

Delany’s performance added sophistication and charm to the series, making Margaret an essential part of Dwight’s evolution into a Southwestern power broker. Reflecting on Margaret’s feelings for the charismatic capo, Delany stated, “I don’t think she has to think too hard about that because she’s crazy about this big lug,” in an interview with film critic Manny the Movie Guy. Without Margaret to ground him in Oklahoma, Dwight now faces a harsher reality driven solely by vengeance and suspicion surrounding the tragic crash.

Dwight’s escalating grief coincides with a significant shift for the franchise both in front of and behind the camera. Ahead of the current season, Variety confirmed that the mob drama has already been renewed for Season 5, with production officially moving to New York City. The loss of Margaret signifies a clean break from Oklahoma, ensuring that Dwight returns to his brutal criminal instincts as his journey advances into uncharted territory.

Share your thoughts on Margaret’s shocking fate and what you anticipate for Dwight throughout Season 4 of ‘Tulsa King’ in the comments below!