Finally, Landman Season 2 Episode 10 returns to the business of storytelling in the vein we want.
This should have occurred around midseason. Instead, we had a meandering second season that left the best for last.
That’s not ideal, but I’ll take what we can get. And in that respect, we got a lot of bang for our collective buck in the finale. Hallelujah!
Editor’s note: Because this was a long episode with lots of nuance, I’m including a little something extra. There is a full, scene-by-scene (ish) play-by-play Landman Season 2 Episode 10 recap for those who need it at the link.
Once you’ve had a look, come on back, and let’s discuss. It’s the finale. Don’t be shy. Read along, and once you get to the bottom, share your thoughts.
Because this is a big one, the one we’ve been waiting for all season long.
Tommy is BACK, y’all. The truth is, 2008 probably put the fear of God into him, and he was walking an even keel, just trying not to experience it again.
He just needed a little shove to shake him out of his stupor. Cami shoved, and instead of stumbling, Tommy found his footing and came roaring back to life.
And what a day to do it. Angela was parting with her baby girl (granted, it’s only for two weeks), Cooper was facing a murder rap, and Tommy was about to get into business with the cartel.
The man was daring God to toss even more crap his way, and God listened. I don’t know if Taylor Sheridan is a God-fearing man or even if Tommy ordinarily checks in with “the creator,” but when the shit is flowing downhill, why tempt fate?
Tommy was already on a tear when he challenged God, and God delivered, reminding him that it can all be over in an instant. There’s no point treading water when the clock is ticking.
I had a swift kick in the ass myself this year, buying TV Fanatic. I still need reminders now and then to get off my ass and make life happen. It happens to all of us. Well, except Angela. And I finally understand her, thanks to Tommy.
We’re going to save the guts of Tommy’s revelatory actions for later. It’s the big kahuna, and the rest of the story leads up to those amazing final scenes.
Pursuant to the encounter Ainsley had with her new roommate, Paigyn, during Landman Season 2 Episode 9, the finale doubled down on the goodness brewing inside of the Norris mother and daughter.
When they had the opportunity to live together outside their room, the truth of their issue came to light. It happened organically. Paigyn was genuinely concerned with Ainsley’s physical well-being. That said a lot about them.
But I’ll be honest: in a different environment, I wouldn’t have recognized them and would have wondered why they were interested in Ainsley.
It took a genuine moment to hit me, and that didn’t happen until the kids on bikes began tossing insults. But that’s the thing about a change of environment. It changes perspective, too.
Ainsley stepped in immediately, and it worked in her favor in multiple ways. She showed everyone her huge heart and that, with the right encouragement, she could be a star.
She was late to her first practice, struggled with the training — the warm-up was even too much for her — and Paigyn noticed she needed extra ankle support.
Standing up for Paigyn not only resolved their earlier issues but also showed the coach that Ainsley is worth the investment. One angle has longer storytelling potential, but both are worth the time.
In my review of Landman Season 2 Episode 9, I discussed how Paigyn effectively shut the door on any relationship with Ainsley by putting themselves first. Finally, Ainsley got a chance to say how that made her feel, and Paigyn, with a little time to think it over, apologized.
Compromise is the mother of invention, but it’s also the mother of relationships. We aren’t all in lockstep, and our ability to accept that others have different ideas and needs is crucial to relationships, whether personal or societal.
People on both sides of the political spectrum are taking issue with this story, at least as it was laid out in the previous episode. On Facebook, people were annoyed that it even existed. On Reddit, the common thread was that there aren’t people like Paigyn in real life, so it was farcical and not natural.
What Redditors failed to recognize was that Paigyn wasn’t in an everyday situation. They were under pressure, too, and under pressure, it’s easier to make mistakes.
Closing out Ainsley was Paigyn’s. Ainsley’s mistake was running away. But the distance worked. They see things more clearly, and now they can become friends, and their worlds will be more open and enriched.
Our world is challenging, and I’m never going to stop addressing those challenges. It’s how we grow.
Angela’s persona also got some much-needed enrichment on “Tragedy and Flies.”
She can be a lot, and I’ve questioned why Tommy even keeps her around. After all, didn’t they already get divorced? It turns out that I just didn’t understand, and I failed to recognize how broken Tommy was until he came back to life.
Tommy is a fixer. Not in the classic Ray Donovan sense, but pretty damn close. I loved that he explained he doesn’t share problems until he has a solution. And that he reminded Angela that while that trait can be exacerbating, when he says he will fix it, he will. He has never broken a promise.
There’s a huge distinction between holding things close to the vest for problem-solving and keeping secrets to keep someone else in the dark.
And it’s the anti-Angela, which could be why they’re good together. Angela doesn’t hold anything back. As soon as she learned Tommy had been fired, she was on the phone. They work differently, but to the same end.
She’s a speak-now kind of gal, and Tommy is a soak-it-in, fix-it, and then respond kind of guy. If they were the same, they’d butt heads. But allowing each other space to function differently complements them.
Suffering as he was about Ainsley growing up, she didn’t need to find out about Cooper until Tommy understood it himself. It would have been too much for her, and he wouldn’t have had the information he needed to mitigate it.
And holy moly did things go south quickly for Cooper and Ariana.
She was safe — battered and bruised, but safe — but Cooper wanted her to report the assault. That put him directly in the crosshairs with investigators.
They had chips on their shoulders. I don’t understand their beef, but it had something to do with the fact that the (now-dead) assailant was big in the business, and someone didn’t want it to go unnoticed.
Ariana saved the day by calling Rebecca.
They may not have had the best experience when they first met, but Ariana isn’t stupid. She knew Rebecca was good at her job. And if you have someone like that in your contacts, you use it.
Rebecca proved she’s good in pretty much any circumstance. Every direction she offered went a little bit farther to save Cooper from disaster. And don’t think Angela isn’t a big part of why Rebecca responded so quickly.
When Tommy described Angela as needing every meal to be memorable, every moment to be an experience, and every night to be a honeymoon, I realized how being with her works to his benefit.
Angela pulls people close, whether they like it or not.
She didn’t care if Rebecca felt close to Tommy when she invited him to the Pirate dinner. She just wanted her there. Rebecca is part of Tommy’s work family, and Angela wanted her to feel that.
Tommy is also a caregiver, but he’s got different instincts. You don’t breed loyalty like he has with his men without that quality. I mean, he lives with Nate and Dale. That says a lot.
Whatever you say about the dysfunctional Norris family, we have to agree that they aren’t exclusive and work to bring others into their orbit.
That’s where Cami loses out. She has been thinking only of herself — how she would react, what she wants, how others should respect her — and she listens to no one. She pushes people away, while Tommy and co. bring them closer.
So when she called Nate to the office to offer him the position of working president, he scoffed. She was shocked. She can’t read people. She missed the qualities that made people loyal to Tommy.
If she had worked with Tommy to alleviate his fears and brought him into her world instead of holding him at arm’s length and dismissing his input, things could have ended differently. But here we are.
It doesn’t mean things will be easy. Far from it. And I have to thank Cami for helping light the fire inside Tommy again. After getting fired, challenging God, and almost losing Cooper, Tommy decided to hold tighter to those he loves and overcome his fear.
Thankfully, Nate hadn’t forced through the acquisition paperwork for Cooper’s leases. Tommy stopped it, and they all worked together quickly to create something new.
Tommy’s first thought was to go legit. He visited Bob with a proposal, but Tommy turned him down because, as it stood, M-Tex was too tied up in Cooper’s leases, even without paperwork. It would look bad on their books, so he had to say no.
But not before offering Tommy a million-plus salary and benefits package, and a VP position, if he walked away. Yet you could imagine Tommy hearing Cami in his head, telling him he lost the fire in his belly to do the job.
There’s nothing that will urge you forward faster than someone suggesting you can’t do it. Tommy knows he’s got what it takes. He lost it all once. But he’s got things now he didn’t have then, from Cooper’s instincts to his father back in his life to a team willing to go to the mat for him.
Is it ideal that he go back to Gallino for funding? No. But it makes sense both on screen and behind the scenes. Andy Garcia has been woefully underused this season, and this will get him more up close and personal for Landman Season 3.
I was surprised that he knew Tommy had been fired and didn’t urge Cami to reconsider. Maybe he knew things would work out as they’re meant to.
Tommy offered him a great deal, even promising to pay him back whatever he loses in the deal with Cami. I thought Gallino’s deal was set up so that he would win even if she lost, but I guess not.
Will this change of direction effectively write out Cami as Demi Moore for next season? I won’t be sorry to see her go. The character didn’t live up to her potential, and as a foil, she didn’t carry much weight either.
But Gallino is exciting. I often want to punch his smug face, but in a good way. He’s playful, even when promising to be brutal if it comes to that. Cami lacks that playfulness.
Did I mention none of this will be easy? When Tommy left the police station after settling things for Cooper, he didn’t look good. He knows this is a one-way trip. If he doesn’t make this work, he may be putting himself in an early grave.
He could be doing that even if it goes well. That’s why he made Tommy president and gave everyone he trusts positions of power in CTT Oil Exploration and Cattle. If things go south for him, they’ll be taken care of.
But he sees the writing on the wall. Monty was fucking around and finding out, robbing Peter to pay Paul until the books were cooked, and his health paid the price. Tossing back an aspirin periodically isn’t going help the heavy weight of anxiety Tommy feels.
Hopefully, the full picture of CTT will help him relax into it a bit. Like I said, things are different this time. He’s got a good team and his family.
But that damn coyote was in the field, reminding him that nothing lasts forever. We all have an end. It’s what we do before it comes that counts.
And Tommy’s exchange with Angela in the yard is telling. He sees her and loves her for her eccentricities. She reminds him that just because he can’t see his wins doesn’t mean they don’t circle him daily.
So yes, they’re good for each other. She’ll help him make every moment count.
And no, I didn’t miss that Cheyenne, aka Penny, is also family now and tied to TL CTT for the long term. That arc kind of reminds me of Summer on Yellowstone (have I already said that?).
It doesn’t necessarily make sense to most of us, but it’s a Sheridan thing. A guy thing. Men always believe they’ll score a young lady even when they’ve effectively been put out to pasture. And who are we kidding? It’s Sam ‘effin’ Elliott. Duh.
I’ll also go into more depth about Cooper and Ariana in a companion piece — an interview with Jacob Lofland. So click there to get that scoop, or just keep scrolling.
There are some questions to consider for next season. We’ve already wondered if Cami will remain. Her family was already erased, so seeing her go won’t be difficult.
Will M-Tex make it difficult to repay them for, well, essentially embezzling funds to pay for Cooper’s leases? Will Charlie be stuck on the ocean platform for M-Tex, therefore unavailable for our new CTT story?
Will Ainsley be at college when we return, or will a time jump take us to next summer so she’s around?
Was this the season I wanted to see? No, but the end works. It’s uplifting and promising, for both the near future and Tommy’s ultimate fate. That coyote is coming for us all. What we do until then?
That’s up to us.
My wishlist for Season 3 is that the big bad will be the business itself, not a human monster.
Let’s see what people can accomplish against the odds when they’re all working together for each other. Where everyone has everything to gain and everything to lose.
The only potential outlier we should see is whoever is above Gallino in the cartel. Gallino himself aches to be legit. Oil can get him there.
Someone will stand in his way, but please, give us a season where that’s not the focus so we can see what hard work and loyalty can do to make dreams come true.
But what about you? Have your say in the comments below. Goodbyes are hard!
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