Why Cal Thresher had so much power over Margaret Devereaux in Tulsa King Season 2? Details explored 

 Tulsa King Season 2 ( Image via YouTube / Paramount Plus )
Tulsa King Season 2 ( Image via YouTube / Paramount Plus )

The best dynamic in Tulsa King Season 2 is that of Margaret Devereaux and Cal Thresher's competition for dominance. Margaret begins as a stand-alone ranch owner with control over Fennario Ranch. However, the season slowly reveals how Thresher keeps her in charge by a combination of finances, society status, and threats, and this is a fantastic dynamic that is the foundation of much of the series.

The relationship is complicated. Thresher has power in several ways: his stake in Margaret’s ranch, social and romantic pressure, threats, and criminal connections. Margaret, on the other hand, shows independence, strength, and careful judgment, often working with Dwight Manfredi to resist Thresher’s attempts to control her.


Economic coercion in Tulsa King Season 2: 49% of Fennario Ranch

youtube-cover

The directest exercise of Thresher's control is material. By Episode 9, he owns 49% of Fennario Ranch, which gives him real control over what is done on the ranch. This ownership ensures that Margaret cannot make certain decisions with no consideration for his interests and limits her autonomy in definite ways.

Adding to the drama is that Margaret's former husband, Brian Gillen, originally owned the ranch. This adds to the history so that Fennario Ranch is a constant source of external tension and stress in her life, creating a huge advantage for Thresher when he buys his share. Tulsa King Season 2 illustrates subtly how property could be an instrument of power in love life and working disputes.


Social and romantic pressures in Tulsa King Season 2

Thresher's control is not limited to legal or financial. He also uses social and emotional coercion. Tulsa King Season 2 depicts him going to parties with offerings, such as fancy wine, that create an implied mutual expectation. This social etiquette strategy puts Margaret in a position where she must dance along the line between social duty and agency.

Thresher's female interest is another aspect. As Margaret persists in fending him off, their tension serves to demonstrate how societal and internal forces can condone economic power. These scenes serve to reinforce the truth that power is also psychological.


Intimidation and coercive tactics in Tulsa King Season 2

youtube-cover

Thresher's power also extends into intimidation. In Episode 5, his goons disrupt Dwight's wind farm, a venture into which Margaret has funds or strategic interests, demonstrating that Thresher can threaten her status indirectly. The series delivers these acts in a conniving manner of reminding Margaret that he can disrupt her universe short of absolute war.

Such moves demonstrate the way that his power is both a combination of legitimate and coercive forces, exerting pressure between him and Margaret during Season 2 of Tulsa King.


Alliances with other criminal actors

Alliances with other actors in the criminal game of Tulsa enhance Thresher's power as more durable, and they include Bill Bevilaqua and Jackie Ming. Such alliances enable him to move with increased support and resources, developing additional pressure points for Margaret.

While there are strained alliances that fall short of complete cooperation, the overall effect is that Margaret's action is always subject to the larger criminal framework of Thresher's operations. She has no mechanisms through which she can prevent herself from the long-term effects of his strategic alliances.


Margaret's agency and resistance

Despite Thresher's various sources of leverage, Margaret is a stubborn, independent woman. She boldly defies his romantic and business overtures and tries to keep resisting her interests and property. Her access to contacts, such as Dwight Manfredi, gives her the leverage to generate resistance to Thresher's leverage whenever necessary.

Critics argue that although her affair with Dwight is part of the narrative, Margaret's actions are not determined by this affair alone. She is independent and illustrates resilience in the face of economic, social, and criminal tension.


Why this power struggle matters in Tulsa King Season 2

Cal Thresher and Margaret Devereaux's relationship is the theme of Tulsa King Season 2's exploration of control and power. Control by virtue of a 49% stake in Fennario Ranch, playing party games and date games, intimidation, and forming alliances is a sophisticated strategy to exert control. Margaret's resistance, on the other hand, illustrates the strength of strategy and agency in the face of opposition.

This conflict is a manifestation of the multifaceted character of power and how personal autonomy may be eroded by networking, money, and status, but may also be able to defend itself in return.


Therefore, Cal Thresher's control of Margaret Devereaux in Season 2 of Tulsa King is because of his financial interest in her ranch, social and romantic blackmail, intimidation, coercion, and having a hand in the underworld of Tulsa. These all combined provide him with control in her life, in her personal as well as professional life.

But Margaret is strong-willed, even going to bat for property herself and summoning allies such as Dwight Manfredi when the situation calls. Their ongoing struggles are a recurring motif of the season, showing how power, autonomy, and survival all converge in subtle but forceful ways.

Also read: Where to watch Tulsa King Season 2? All streaming details of the Paramount+ series

Edited by Anjali Singh