Landman cast as Tommy Norris, a crisis executive for an oil company who's forced to balance the complicated worlds of his home and family life after they begin to intertwine. The series begins with Tommy's son, Cooper (Jacob Lofland), beginning his first day working the oil fields, where he's toughened up by an experienced crew. Meanwhile, Tommy's daughter comes to live with him while his ex-wife is on vacation.
In episode 1's ending, Cooper is present when an oil rig explodes, causing the deaths of his entire crew. This piles on to Tommy's problems, as an earlier part of the episode also saw three vehicles, including a plane, crash, causing an explosion that involves his company. Both situations have attracted attention from law enforcement that, as Sheriff Walt explains, can't be ignored. This sets the usually mellow Tommy on an emotional path, where he calls Monty Williams (Jon Hamm) on the phone to yell at him, causing a tense verbal encounter between the pair.
Did Cooper Cause The Oil Rig Explosion?
The Explosion Was Caused By Faulty Equipment
There's a point in Landman episode 2 when Tommy arrives on the scene and starts asking Cooper questions about the incident. He asks Cooper if he turned a knob that looks like a Christmas tree, to which Cooper states that he doesn't . For a moment, it seems like Cooper has made some sort of mistake that led to the accident that would put Tommy in an even bigger bind of trying to protect his son. He also calls his son selfish in the hospital scene.
However, it doesn't seem like this is actually the case, with the issue being that the machinery just wasn't up to code. Tommy accuses Cooper of being selfish for wanting to be in the patch in the first place and continues to berate him for his decisions. Cooper suggests that if he has problems, it's because of the way Tommy parented him, implying that he hasn't been an actively engaged father. Cooper wants to be an oil CEO like Monty Williams but doesn't exactly know how to go about doing that.
What Tommy Meant In His "Dreamers & Losers" Speech
Tommy Compares Odessa To The American Frontier
Tommy's daughter, Ainsley (Michelle Randolph), has quite a large personality, and when Tommy explains to her that her brother is considering working on the oil patch, she calls him a loser. Tommy criticizes her for this and es down some wisdom about how everyone in Texas is either a dreamer or a loser. He compares contemporary Odessa to pioneer-era California, which loosely ties back to another Taylor Sheridan show Billy Bob Thornton appeared in, the pioneer Western drama 1823.
Tommy, knowing how his daughter has been coddled her whole life, suggests that in order to be one, she'll first have to learn how to fail.
The point of Tommy's speech is to suggest that working in oil is an enormous risk. The men who died earlier in the episode are paid $180,000, but at the risk that any day, some tragedy could occur. They're dreamers attempting to turn their lives around, and he ires their ambition. When prompted with the question of whether she's a dreamer or a loser, Ainsley says she wants to be a dreamer. Tommy, knowing how his daughter has been coddled her whole life, suggests that in order to be one, she'll first have to learn how to fail.
Jon Hamm's Monty Williams Character (& His Relationship To Tommy) Explained
Monty Williams Is A Big City Oil Tycoon & Tommy's Boss
Tommy spends the entirety of the first two episodes saying whatever he wants to whoever he wants, including a police officer that he angers right in front of the sheriff. But there's only one person who puts him in his place, and that's Monty Williams. One of the final scenes in Landman episode 2 sees Tommy angrily call Monty on the phone about the situation after Rebecca has arrived in Odessa in place of the attorney Tommy was expecting and hoping for, putting him in a bind.
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Tommy and Monty seem like they're on relatively good , but this scene reveals that there's a clear hierarchy in their relationship. Later, when Tommy and Cooper discuss Cooper's future career path, Cooper states that Tommy could have been like Monty if he didn't "give up." Tommy disputes that by saying Monty is in his position because he has a trust fund, implying that Jon Hamm's character was born under wealthier circumstances than he. Oppositely, Tommy is $500,000 in debt.
Tommy's Ex-Wife & Family Situation Explained
Tommy & Angela Are Divorced
Tommy's ex-wife Angela has appeared as a character in both episodes of Landman, though she's only appeared on his cellphone in FaceTime calls. They divorced years prior, and Tommy suggests that they were never really meant for each other. Angela is apparently now married to an unattractive man who's quite wealthy, so it's possible her divorce from Tommy was over his debt. Alternatively, Tommy could've been the one who sought out the divorce, which would explain her constantly coming on to him.
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Ainsley and Cooper are both Tommy's children, though it's unclear if they're full siblings or if Cooper was his son from another woman. Cooper doesn't really look much like Ainsley, and they don't seem to have a close relationship or desire to see each other despite being close in age. While that could just be typical teen/young adult behavior, it also could imply that they haven't been raised together. Cooper is a bit older, so he might have been born from a previous marriage.
What The Rig Explosion Means For Landman Season 1
Things Are Only Going To Get Worse For Tommy
Given that it's a Taylor Sheridan show that follows many of the same beats as Yellowstone, Tulsa King, and more, a lot can be assumed about where Landman is heading. The arrival of Rebecca implies that things are about to get really tough for Tommy, as multiple legal forces are about to come down on him for the two situations he's involved in. As it was previously mentioned, the equipment at the oil rig wasn't up to date, and that may be the standard practice, it's not going to fly.
Rebecca seems to think the incident is Tommy's fault, and whether or not that's true is largely the moral debate at hand in the series.
Monty Williams seems like a character who's powerful enough to withstand legal threats and public controversies, but he's not the main character in Landman. Rebecca seems to think the incident is Tommy's fault, and whether or not that's true is largely the moral debate at hand in the series. Monty isn't going to be the one to take the fall for this situation, but Tommy could be, so he's going to be backed into a corner over the next eight episodes.
Set in West Texas, this series explores the world of oil rigs and the fortunes they create. It portrays a modern upstairs/downstairs narrative of roughnecks and billionaires, highlighting the profound impact on the climate, economy, and geopolitics in these boomtowns.
- Cast
- Billy Bob Thornton, Ali Larter, Jacob Lofland, Kayla Wallace, Mark Collie, Colm Feore, Robyn Lively, Drake Rodger, Brook Sill, K.C. Clyde, Rosemary Dominguez, Mustafa Speaks, J.R. Villarreal, Octavio Rodriguez, Michael Pena, Emilio Rivera, Alex Meraz, Alejandro Akara
- Writers
- Taylor Sheridan, Christian Wallace
- Seasons
- 1
- Creator(s)
- Taylor Sheridan, Christian Wallace
