Tulsa King: Season 3, Episode 5 - On the Rocks (2025)

The episode opens with the Montague Distillery launch party underway, celebrating the long-awaited bourbon rollout. Dwight Manfredi's crew is present, but Dwight himself is still en route. The atmosphere is festive, with Cleo making a toast and everyone sampling the Montague bourbon. Thresher, attending at Margaret's suggestion to mingle with influencers, becomes visibly frustrated and leaves the party early.

During the event, a health inspector arrives unexpectedly, clearly sent by Jeremiah Dunmire to disrupt the festivities. The inspector begins a thorough review of the distillery, muttering about numerous infractions as he inspects the cask room. Bigfoot, one of Dwight's men, takes matters into his own hands by loosening a top barrel. The barrel, heavy with bourbon, falls and crushes the inspector to death, smushing him completely.

Goodie is furious about the incident, but Mitch decides that since there were no witnesses, they will report the death as an accident to avoid legal trouble. With that settled, the party resumes.

Dwight finally arrives at the distillery just as Jeremiah Dunmire pulls up with a convoy of law enforcement officers, including the attorney general. Dunmire loudly claims ownership of the bourbon, accusing Dwight of theft. He commands Cole to take an axe to a barrel of the rare Fifty bourbon, symbolically destroying what he says is rightfully his. Spencer watches this with disapproval. The tension escalates as everyone draws weapons, preparing for a confrontation.

Amid the chaos, Dwight confronts Bill, his longtime supporter, accusing him of being a rat. Dwight presses a gun into Bill's chest, but Bill remains calm and points out that if their roles were reversed, Dwight would have no hesitation in killing him. Bill then leaves, signaling a fracture in their alliance.

Later, Bill is ambushed at a stoplight by two SUVs filled with federal agents armed with assault rifles, indicating he is being targeted. Meanwhile, Dwight meets with Deacon and discusses plans to use a professional bomb to break Dunmire's hold, showing his willingness to escalate the conflict by any means necessary.

The episode ends with the Montague Distillery's future uncertain, the crew shaken by the inspector's death and Dunmire's aggressive takeover attempt, and Dwight preparing for a violent retaliation.

SHORT NARRATIVE SUMMARY

The episode concludes with Bill's arrest. After the successful grand opening of Montague Distillery, tensions between Dwight and Bill reach a breaking point. Bill confronts Dwight about his suspicious behavior, his absence from the launch party, and his secretive meeting with Deacon. Dwight reacts violently to Bill's accusations, denying that he's collaborating with Musso or abandoning their partnership. Bill leaves Dwight's residence and is immediately stopped by armed police officers at a traffic stop, where he is arrested. The identity of who orchestrated his arrest remains unclear as the episode ends.

EXPANDED NARRATIVE ACCOUNT

The episode opens with the Montague Distillery in the final stages of preparation for its grand opening celebration. Bodhi has arranged for wine critics and influencers to attend the event. Bigfoot impresses everyone with his ice carving skills. Dwight expresses his concerns to Margaret about the event, noting that things have a tendency to go wrong for him. Margaret discusses her involvement in Cal's political campaign and mentions that Cal will be attending the opening.

As the grand opening party gets underway, a health inspector arrives at the distillery. This inspector is actually Jeremiah Dunmire's handiwork, sent to cause problems during the celebration. The inspector insists on conducting his review during the party and heads into the cask room, where he crouches close to the ground and begins muttering about infractions he observes in the cellar.

Bigfoot, attempting to scare the inspector, loosens one of the top barrels from the pile. The barrel, which is full of bourbon and therefore extremely heavy, falls directly onto the inspector. The impact is catastrophic. The vessel crushes the man completely, pulping his skull and leaving his brains scattered across the floor. The inspector is killed instantly.

Goodie reacts with outrage to what has happened. Mitch, however, takes control of the situation. He decides that because there were no witnesses to the incident, they will treat it as though it were an accident. With this decision made, the men return to the party as if nothing has occurred.

Cleo makes a toast to celebrate the distillery. Everyone samples the Montague bourbon. Dwight eventually arrives at the party, having been delayed en route. Thresher, who was invited by Margaret to network with the influencers on the guest list, takes off in a huff just as Dwight appears.

Suddenly, multiple police cars arrive at the property with sirens blaring and lights flashing. Jeremiah Dunmire also drives up to the scene. Dunmire makes a large, angry speech, claiming that he has rightful ownership of the Montague Fifty and that Dwight has stolen it from him. He demands its return, backed by law enforcement officers.

The bulk of the episode's tension, however, centers on the deteriorating relationship between Dwight and Bill. Ray has been attempting to flip Bill against Dwight, and Bill has been searching for evidence that would allow him not to betray his boss. However, Dwight's behavior keeps making Bill suspicious. Dwight has been disappearing to do Musso's bidding, and his secretive actions and evasiveness fuel Bill's concerns.

At Dwight's house, Bill and Dwight have a heated exchange. Bill questions Dwight about his absence from the launch party and his suspicious meeting with Deacon. Bill asks Dwight directly if he intends to drop him from the business. Bill's concerns have intensified, and he is seeking reassurance about their partnership.

Dwight, visibly frustrated and defensive, reacts violently to Bill's insinuations. He becomes angry and paranoid, fighting with guilt over his actions. When Bill suggests that Dwight might be collaborating with Musso or making hidden plans behind his back, Dwight explodes. He yells at Bill, "What are you saying, that I'm a fucking rat?!" Dwight sticks the muzzle of his weapon into Bill's chest in a threatening gesture.

Bill remains calm despite the threat. He points out that if the situation were reversed, and Bill were acting as suspiciously as Dwight has been acting, Dwight would kill him without hesitation. Bill says, "But I didn't," and then leaves Dwight's residence.

After leaving Dwight's house, Bill is stopped at a traffic stop. Armed police officers surround his vehicle and arrest him. The episode ends with Bill's arrest, leaving his fate uncertain. Who orchestrated the arrest remains unknown, and the dynamics within Dwight's crew have been fundamentally altered by this event.

Yes, Tulsa King Season 3, Episode 5 ("On the Rocks") does have a post-credit scene. In this scene, after the main events of the episode, Bill is arrested at a traffic stop by armed federal agents. This arrest comes as a shock and is portrayed as a betrayal, with the orchestrator of the arrest remaining unknown at this point. The scene sets up significant tension and uncertainty about Bill's future and the impact on Dwight's operations. It also hints at deeper conspiracies and fractures within the group, especially as Bill had just confronted Dwight about his suspicious behavior and alliance with Deacon. The post-credit scene effectively raises the stakes for the upcoming episodes by showing Bill's sudden downfall and the looming threat against Dwight's empire.

During the Montague Distillery launch party, a health inspector arrives unannounced and begins aggressively questioning the staff. While inspecting the cellar, Bigfoot attempts to intimidate him by loosening a barrel, but the massive bourbon barrel falls and crushes the inspector, killing him instantly. The crew scrambles to cover up the incident, treating it as an accidental workplace mishap.

Jeremiah Dunmire arrives at the distillery event with police after not hearing back from his health inspector. He publicly accuses Dwight of theft and corruption, using the inspector's absence as justification to storm the event and disrupt the launch, turning the celebration into chaos.

Dwight meets privately with Deacon, a professional bomber, and offers him $250,000 to demolish Dunmire's house. The meeting is tense and methodical, with both men aware of the risks. Unbeknownst to Dwight, federal agents are secretly documenting the exchange, adding further danger to his plans.

Bill becomes increasingly suspicious of Dwight after noticing his secretive behavior, including missing the launch party and meeting with Deacon. Their conversation turns confrontational, with Dwight reacting violently to Bill's questions. Bill ultimately leaves, shaken and questioning their alliance, and later is arrested, further straining their relationship.

After the inspector is killed by the falling barrel, Dwight's crew decides to conceal the evidence and treat the death as an accident. Later, the inspector's body is discovered in the bourbon cellar, escalating the danger and scrutiny surrounding Dwight's operation.

Tulsa King Season 3, Episode 5 "On the Rocks" is not family friendly. The episode contains moderate violence and gore, including scenes of brutal beatings and a shocking incident involving a character's death. There is severe profanity throughout, with frequent use of strong language. The show also features moderate depictions of alcohol and drug use, as well as references to drug dealing. Some scenes may be frightening or intense, making the episode unsuitable for children or sensitive viewers.