Tulsa King star Max Casella confirmed Armand's fate in Season 3, and it's quite unfortunate. As one of Dwight Manfredi's loyal enforcers, Armand Truisi (Casella) had much to go through in the first two seasons of the hit Paramount+ series. Tulsa King Season 2 saw Armand betraying Dwight and his crew for money, but he later redeemed himself by helping them defeat Season 2's big bad, Jackie Ming. However, Armand is nowhere to be found in Tulsa King Season 3, leading fans to speculate about what really happened to him.
Tulsa King Season 3, Episode 3 provided a clue about Armand's whereabouts, hinting that he was on his way to Colorado to meet his family, but the installment later confirmed that he never made it as planned. While the series implied that Armand may have been arrested by the FBI and became part of the witness protection program, Tulsa King Season 3's latest episode finally revealed what truly happened to Armand.
Why Did Max Casella Leave Tulsa King?
Tulsa King Season 3, Episode 6's ending explained what happened to Armand, with Goodie informing Dwight that their allies confirmed that he committed suicide:
Goodie: "They found Armand. Hung himself in some flophouse. Bottles everywhere."
Some argue that Armand's unexpected fate is a narrative misfire for Tulsa King because it completely wasted his redemption arc in Season 2, which would've been interesting to explore in the brand-new batch of episodes.
Max Casella, who played Armand, addressed his character's fate in Tulsa King Season 3 on Instagram, confirming that he is not going to return to the Paramount+ show anymore following the sad Episode 6 reveal:
Fan: "Are you ever coming back to Tulsa King?"
Max Casella: "No."
Casella then responded with a praying emoji when the fan pointed out that he was sad about the news of his departure:
Fan: "What? Noo I’m sad. you were my favorite."
Max Casella:
When another fan asked why Casella is no longer in Tulsa King, the actor simply explained that the show's creators "killed the character," seemingly implying that it was done for creative purposes:
Fan: "Why aren’t you in Tulsa King Season 3"
Max Casella: "They killed the character."
Based on what Casella said, it's reasonable to assume that he was not on board with how the show handled his character's exit. Some may have felt that it was a cheap cop out for the show, considering that Tulsa King could've used him more in Season 3 due to the arrival of FBI Special Agent Musso (Kevin Pollak) and his mind games with Dwight. Others also pointed out that the decision to kill him off felt rushed.
Why Killing Off Armand Is a Bad Move for Tulsa King
Armand played an integral role in the first two seasons of Tulsa King, and killing him off-screen was not an ideal move for the series. If anything, the character deserved a proper send-off or even an on-screen death. This could explain why Max Casella was seemingly disappointed with his character's departure from the series.
As a complex character, Armand could've further elevated Tulsa King Season 3's plot by showing how a broken man would redeem himself for Dwight and his family. Aside from using Armand as a way for FBI Special Agent Musso to control Dwight, Season 3 could've utilized his exit in a more compelling way by proving his loyalty to the Manfredi crew by sacrificing himself, sending him off in a more heroic way rather than a rushed suicide exit.
Armand could've been the perfect weapon against the FBI, with him as a secret man on the inside for Dwight to eventually sabotage their investigation involving his crew. Removing Armand in Tulsa King also meant that the show lost one of its more compelling characters, and it completely undermined his already-established dynamic with the rest of the Manfredi crew.
Despite Casella's unfortunate exit, the fact that fans are asking about Armand proves that a huge chunk of the fandom still cared for the character, further indicating that his departure was a mistake.
Read more about The Direct's exclusive interview with the cast of Tulsa King Season 3 here.
