‘Tulsa King’ Showrunner Explains Why Dwight Saves Pilot
Mafia capo Dwight Manfredi (Sylvester Stallone) takes an immediate interest in Pilot the horse in Tulsa King. The creature frequently breaks free from his home to roam the streets of Tulsa. When Dwight learns that Pilot will be put down in episode 6 of the Taylor Sheridan series, he decides he can’t allow that to happen. Here’s why.
[Warning: Tulsa King Episode 6 spoilers ahead.]
Dwight buys Pilot the horse in ‘Tulsa King’ Episode 6
When Dwight first arrives in Tulsa, he sits down at a cafe to enjoy an espresso. There, he spots a white horse trotting alone down the road. Spencer, the barista, explains that the horse’s name is Old Pilot. He lives about a mile away but prefers to roam as he pleases. “Not all horses are a fan of the pasture,” she explains.
In Tulsa King Episode 6, Dwight returns to the cafe and waits for Pilot to come along. Sadly, Spencer informs him that the horse is being put down. Pilot keeps breaking out of his stable and racking up fines for his owner. Dwight then takes Spencer to find the horse’s owner and offers to buy him for $300.
‘Tulsa King’ showrunner Terence Winter explains why Dwight saved Pilot
The stablehand gladly agrees to Dwight’s offer in Tulsa King but asks why he is so adamant about buying an old horse like Pilot. “He kept you on your toes,” Dwight points out.
In a Behind the Story video, Tulsa King showrunner Terence Winter further discussed what Pilot means to Dwight. “The horse Pilot is really the equine version of Dwight himself,” Winter explained. “This former champion who has seen better days, who is kind of put out to pasture, and people kind of overlook him.”
“When Dwight takes the horse in and buys him, it’s sort of Dwight’s commitment to Tulsa and his life there,” Winter continued. “He’s now responsible for another living thing, and it’s his way of planting the flag and saying, ‘I live here now, and this is my horse.'”
Dwight forms his own band of misfits in Tulsa
Throughout Tulsa King, Dwight has been drawn to outcasts like himself. This is what leads him to save Pilot the horse, and it has a lot to do with his connection with ATF agent Stacy Beale. Stacy was sent to Tulsa after struggling with the trauma of 9/11.
Now Dwight is putting down roots in Tulsa and bringing together his own band of misfits, including Tyson, the driver, and Mitch, the bar owner. When Dwight saves Bodhi’s cash from an FBI raid, the weed shop owner finally comes around to his partnership with Dwight and enjoys dinner with his associates. All seems well in Tulsa until Black Macadam hits back and attacks Dwight and Mitch.
New episodes of Tulsa King drop Sundays on Paramount+.
