Critic’s Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
4.5
Eighty minutes?? Landman Season 1 Episode 10 was a feature-length finale, and oh boy, did it deliver.
The near future of the show has changed significantly, giving us a better picture of what to expect from the second season.
The biggest stunner here is that despite the popularity of the show and its success for the streamer, Paramount+ hasn’t renewed it yet. While “The Crumbs of Hope” could serve as a series finale, the likeliness of this happening is very slim.
As an aside, as of this writing, there aren’t any photos for the finale, but if they arrive on Sunday, I’ll switch them out so you don’t feel like you’re reading old news.
Speaking of news, beginning the hour with Paul Harvey made me smile. Many of you won’t know who he is, but he was one of the greatest orators of our time. He compassionately weaved topical elements into his storytelling that appealed to all sides of the conversation.
His insights into the world were like no others, and hearing his voice to start the episode may have introduced him to a new generation. That’s excellent.
Monty’s Alive — For Now
Although he’s not dead yet, it’s a relative miracle that he’s still alive, so Monty’s attorney briefed Tommy and Cami about his wishes should his death occur.
In the event of his death, Tommy would be made president to facilitate the sale of the company, and the proceeds would be split between a foundation that Cami would run and a trust of which Tomy would be the executor.
Regardless of whether Monty makes it, he’s incapacitated and can’t run the company.
A $167 million farm-out is waiting to be executed, and Monty is waiting on a heart. Monty isn’t going to make it without a heart transplant, and even if he gets one, he’s got a long road ahead to recovery.
In light of that, Tommy accepts the role of president of M-Tex and the family estate, as well as the executor of the family trust. He wants a board with both the attorney and Cami on the board and someone from Goldman.
The Future of M-Tex
The farm-out is the deal that Monty made that was highly in M-Tex’s favor.
Tommy reveals that the worst-case scenario comes from another pandemic or OPEC flooding the market, dropping oil below 60.
The best-case scenario is $1.4 billion in 48 months or selling the paper for $800 million in six months before finding the next one. But it’s worthless until they drill.
Tommy has seen how drastically things change, and his recommendation for Cami is to sell now. Generations will never have to work.
But then what, Cami wonders. She’s thinking generationally, which shows that she’s closer in step with Monty than we realized.
It’s not the money that Monty wanted, but what they did with it so that Monty would be remembered. Tommy sees that Monty wants the same thing that’s killing him. Does Cami want it to kill her too?
It made me laugh thinking about how the Duttons on Yellowstone might handle Monty’s need for a transplant. They might be so brash as to find who was a match and ensure that his heart was available whether he was ill or not.
The oil business may get away with a lot under the government’s eye, but they don’t have the train station.
When Tommy claims not to be a betting man, Cami reminds him that every puff on his cigarette shows that’s untrue. She wants to close the farm-out and roll the dice one last time. She may be rolling it once, but Tommy rolls it with every decision he makes.
Girls, Girls, Girls
If ever a song described Angela, Ainsely, and their antics, it’s the stripper anthem by Motley Crue.
If Tommy was worried about Ryder’s intentions with Ainsley, I think Ryder just proved his value as a worthy suitor for Tommy’s little girl.
He went above and beyond for Ainsley, but he also couldn’t help but wonder if life with her would always be that crazy. Tommy knows the answer to that.
I do hate that she “pays” Ryder for his services with her body, though. The worst part of both Ainsley and Angela is that they use their sex as payment for love. We know how Ainsley learned to do that, but what about Angela?
I don’t think we’ll ever get that backstory, but if you’re holding out hope for a Landman future without the women Tommy loves, just shove that pipe dream in your back pocket for now.
When Tommy’s life passed before his eyes, a bookend of the Landman Season 1 premiere, all he saw was Angela. I don’t think it’s a stretch to think that the women in his life feed his soul and keep him alive.
Rebecca, Rebecca, Rebecca
When Tommy called Rebecca with orders, she was in the dark. She may think she’s the next best thing, but it’s Tommy who was promoted to president and holds the cards now, not her.
I loved Tommy putting her in her place after her snotty kickback about him being the buffer, not her. She’s got a lot to learn, and after what happened at the end of the episode, she should thank her lucky stars she’s only negotiating.
When they were talking, Tommy remarked that conceal and carry is legal in Texas, which is why everyone waves to each other as they’re driving by.
Mutually assured destruction keeps people peaceful. That played very well into the business with the cartel.
Ariana Says Goodbye to Her Past
Let’s take a little detour before digging into Tommy’s brushup with the cartel because Ariana finally began grieving her loss.
In doing so, she also realized that what she’s started with Cooper came too soon. She can’t process the loss and the beginning at the same time. She admitted that she let Cooper fill Envio’s spot in her heart, questioning the fairness of it to all of them.
Cooper, of course, wanted to help, and not just because she was so close to slowing things down. His heart is pure love, and selflessly getting to know who Ariana and Envio were as a couple is the best gift he could have given Ariana.
He turned a frightening moment for her into something special. He proved that he wasn’t trying to take Envio’s place by honoring her memories with him.
Their love is much different than what we see with other couples on Landman, and their honesty and openness are refreshing.
This Must Be Where Cooper Comes In
Tommy stepping in as M-Tex president to finish the farm-out must be where Cooper comes into the picture. The farm-out is right in the middle of WolfCreek. With the future riding on striking it big, there’s no better time to leverage Cooper’s drive.
Frankly, I’m too stupid to understand the deal Cooper is putting together with the smaller properties on WolfCamp, but Cooper is so determined and confident that it’s impossible not to stand with him as he makes his move, promising millions to those he goes into business with.
Will father and son find a way to partner on WolfCamp and bring all of their dreams to fruition?
I loved that right after Cooper explained his position and how he’d accomplish it to the cattle farmer, Tommy did the same for Rebecca, Nate, and Dale — like father, like son.
But does Tommy’s reliance on Rebecca pit Cooper and Rebecca against each other? Will Rebecca be problematic if Tommy and Cooper join forces at WolfCamp?
Maybe not. Rebecca isn’t ready for the job. She freaks out when she discovers the process they’ll use is fracking. She has a hard time advocating for something that she believes is wrong.
Tommy reminds her that their world now runs on oil, and until they find a real solution, they need to feed it, or the world will stop. I’m still not sure she’s capable of understanding that. She’s intelligent, sure, but her activist mind may be too closed to life’s realities.
Then again, we just saw how persuasive Cooper’s brand of humanity can be, so if anyone can bring her around, it might just be him.
Tommy Gets Worked Over by the Cartel — Again
Smoking isn’t the only gamble Tommy takes. Why on earth does he insist on visiting the cartel alone?
I’ve just finished watching The Wire, where I was gobsmacked at the thought that street dealers make more money than we can possibly dream of, so it didn’t surprise me when the cartel guy (Jiminez, I believe) told Tommy they make more money than the oil industry.
But destroying wells isn’t the way to any man’s heart, and Tommy pushed back. He’s got the US government at his beck and call, so Jiminez might want to rethink how he operates.
Jiminez just puffed out his chest and promised Tommy that it wasn’t “the message” but merely the warning of a bigger message to come.
If this is really what oil companies deal with daily, then we know why they make so much money. Not to mention, Rebecca would be wise to try to get a handle on her attitude if she’s ever in the same room with these folks.
Tommy paid the price by landing himself in the exact spot from the Landman Season 1 premiere. Bag over his head, being roughed up pretty good. The brutality though, I could do without. Torture isn’t my jam, and using fire as a weapon especially sets me on edge.
But things have been reset for Landman Season 2 by introducing the cartel boss, with Andy Garcia in the starring role. He swiftly put an end to the smaller guys who were making Tommy’s life hell, recognizing that they do, indeed, have to live together.
Tommy believes that they’ve got the upper hand. If the Boss wants things to go back to how they were, then they need to stop fucking with Tommy. But the Boss says they have the same presidents, senators, and other allies that Tommy has in his pocket. That’s another thing, sadly, that rings true.
The boss wants his land to be explored for oil, and it makes sense. Like Tommy said, the drug business won’t last forever, and the oil business not much longer. They might as well exploit as much of it as possible. And keeping Andy Garcia along for the ride? Excellent.
Tommy makes it home a little worse for the wear and with a lot of pressure on his shoulders. He’s now responsible for the company’s future and the future of two families, as well. It’s a lot.
If the coyote that was tragically shot at the end of Landman Season 1 Episode 9 represented Monty, the latest presented Tommy. Tommy knows things are changing, and the advice he gave the coyote is crossing his own mind — running might be a better option than sticking around.
Still, my bet is that he’ll cling to the business like he does his cigarettes — as a lifeline and a challenge. With every puff, he’s saying bring it on, and I expect no less from him as president of M-Tex.
That’s a wrap on Season 1. How do you feel about where things are heading? Share your thoughts with us in a comment below!
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