Sumith Prasad
The first and second episodes of Paramount+’s drama series ‘Landman,’ titled ‘Landman’ and ‘Dreamers and Losers,’ respectively, introduce the ever-resilient Tommy Norris, the crisis executive of M-Tex Oil. He puts his life on the line and confronts death in various ways to make money for Monty Miller, a titan in the Lone Star State’s oil industry. Tommy has to deal with the distinct challenges and crises that arise in the company’s oil fields while also being a father of two children, who are nothing but a handful in their own ways. The episodes open a window into the intricate life of the “landman” and the predicaments he has to manage day after day! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Tommy Norris Solves Problems One After the Other
‘Landman’ begins with Tommy Norris’ efforts to convince a drug dealer that the latter has to lease his land to M-Tex Oil since the company possesses the mineral rights to extract oil from the same. Even though the owner of the property doesn’t want to lease his land out, he changes his mind when the “landman” threatens to open an office of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) nearby using his company’s influence. Tommy eventually closes the deal and adds another piece of land to M-Tex’s oil fields. His life gets even busier when an oil truck that belongs to a company called TTP crashes into an aircraft of his firm, killing several individuals.
Although the weekend is on the horizon, Tommy has no time to rest. He has to settle the predicament involving the crash with the representatives of TTP. They are unhappy with the deal, but Tommy cannot care less. His focus is on getting the best deal for Monty Miller, his boss. Miller is an influential businessman who lives in Fort Worth with his wife, Cami. He has given his landman all the freedom to manage the affairs in Odessa. The latter has delivered satisfactory results to justify the trust in him, even though he has to sacrifice his personal life for it.
Tommy’s commitment to his job caused his separation from Angela. Still, his ex-wife can’t get enough of him, as she calls him repeatedly and captivates him with her flirty words and outfits. They share two children together: Cooper and Ainsley Norris. The latter even shows up in Odessa with her boyfriend, Dakota Loving, to spend time with her daddy. The two lovebirds have been having sex everywhere possible, which is something Tommy is forced to learn. However, their relationship ends when Ainsley promises her father that she won’t have sex under his roof. Instead, she wants to hold and sleep with Dakota, who flees from her the moment he realizes that sex is off the table for a night.
Cooper Norris Learns Lessons the Hard Way
Tommy’s son, Cooper Norris, starts working for M-Tex Oil as a rookie roughneck. His father asks Luis, an experienced employee of the company, to look after his son and teach the young man a thing or two about being a good worker. Armando and Elvio are also part of the new employee’s crew. They test his resilience by making him climb a rig and eat tacos with severely hot peppers. Cooper somehow passes the tests and forms a bond with the trio. Armando even sets out to teach the young man Spanish since he will work mostly with Hispanics.
Cooper learns from Armando why people work in the oil patches. The reason is simple: no other job pays more than a hundred grand to ex-convicts a year. The paychecks are such a relief to the people in the region, which explains why young men like Elvio joined the company without even going to prison. Cooper’s youngest colleague has a family before turning twenty-five, thanks to the job at the patch. The next day, he joins Armando, Luis, and Elvio to repair a faulty rig that leaks gas. The men send him to the truck to pick up a tool, which saves his life when an explosion kills them in an instant. The blowout throws the surviving young man away, but he manages to call for help.
‘Dreamers and Losers’ begins with the aftermath of the blowout. Tommy learns about the same when he deals with the chaos Ainsley’s stay at the company house causes. He reaches the place in no time and becomes stunned to know that the survivor is none other than his son. The landman then rushes to the rig and closes a valve to prevent another catastrophe despite an injury he sustains while doing so. The father and son are taken to the same hospital, where the former asks the doctor to do the minimum to treat his broken finger rather than the time-consuming maximum.
The Landman Becomes the Informer of Deaths
After receiving the emergency treatment, Tommy rushes to Armando, Luis, and Elvio’s families to inform them about their loved ones’ deaths. He talks to Monty about giving them money for their immediate needs. When the landman assures the businessman it is the “right thing” to do, the latter approves of the expenditure. The families have grouped together with concern. When Tommy shows up with a gloomy face, they realize they have been visited by death. However, they don’t expect three of their loved ones to disappear from them. They cry their hearts out in front of the landman, who has no choice but to listen to them.
According to Tommy’s instructions, Monty contacts Shepherd-Hastings and asks for Clay Chandler, a lawyer who has previously worked with the former. The landman expects Clay, but he has to welcome Rebecca Falcone instead. The young attorney visits the site of the blowout and talks to Tommy about the safety violations she can observe at the place. She is surprised that the crisis executive hasn’t even been overseeing the adequate measures to receive a positive report from OSHA. The landman gets infuriated with the unfamiliar woman he has to deal with. He calls Monty and asks why he has sent an intolerable nobody to Odessa to deal with the blowout.
Monty replies that he did ask for Clay and that he will reach out to the law firm to understand why Rebecca was sent instead. The businessman can understand why the landman is not in a good state after the deaths of three workers, but as the boss, he doesn’t want his employee to shout at him once again. Tommy then meets Cooper, who wants to continue working at the patch. Three deaths haven’t been enough to dissuade him from learning about life in the oil fields, which is the first step to owning a company in the future for him. Tommy doesn’t want his dreamer kid to suffer but eventually agrees to find a new crew for him.
Read More: Is Landman a True Story? Is Tommy Norris Based on a Real Landman?
