Sumith Prasad
The sixth episode of Paramount+’s drama series ‘Landman’ revolves around the aftermath of the confrontation between Cooper Norris and Manuel, the friend of the former’s deceased colleague, Elvio. Tommy Norris learns about what happened to his son while he is in a meeting with his boss, Monty Miller, to discuss a threat the landman received from the local drug cartel leader, Jimenez. The unfortunate turn of events convinces the protagonist that his son cannot survive at the patch. Meanwhile, Rebecca Falcone joins Nathan to settle with the families of the three deceased roughnecks on behalf of M-Tex Oil, only for the meeting not to end as she expected! SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Husband and Wife’s Fort Worth Visit
‘Beware the Second Beating’ begins with Tommy and Angela Norris arriving in Fort Worth for their respective meetings. They are welcomed by Cami Miller, who invites Angela to her house. However, the latter has another plan: to retrieve her Bentley from her husband, Victor Ramsey’s garage. While she rushes to her rich partner’s house to break up with him, the landman explains the situation with Jimenez to Monty Miller. He reveals that the businessman should intervene with political pressure on the cartel to eliminate the threat of the drug lord. Monty is not too excited about the predicament but promises to make calls to deal with the situation so that Tommy and his crew can move forward with building wells on Jimenez’s property.
While Tommy discusses company affairs with Monty, Sheriff Walt Joeberg tries to reach him to explain what happened to the former’s son, Cooper. Since he has forgotten to take his phone from his truck, he doesn’t get the calls, only for Nathan to call Monty to reach the landman. After learning about Cooper’s near-death experience, he rushes back to Odessa. Meanwhile, Angela is welcomed by two lawyers at her house rather than Victor. They explain the terms and conditions of the dissolution of her marriage with her wealthy partner. While the attorneys delve into the specifics of the matter, she asks them about her Bentley, which she can use since it is a gift.
In addition to the car, Victor is ready to contribute to Ainsley’s expenses until she turns eighteen, even though he is not her biological father. He even wrote a letter to the teenage girl, possibly about the dissolution of his marriage with the latter’s mother. After stealing a couple of expensive wine bottles, Angela starts her return journey to Odessa in her Bentley. She is distressed about seeing her “replacement” at Victor’s house, which makes her feel worse. For emotional support, she calls Tommy, only to learn that her son, Cooper, is in critical condition in a hospital.
Ariana Explains Her Relationship With Cooper
Ariana joins the wives of Luis Medina and Armando to discuss a settlement with Rebecca and Nathan, who meet them as the representatives of M-Tex Oil. The latter starts the discussion by offering $250,000 each to all three widows to deal with the aftermath of the unbearable tragedy that killed their husbands. The wives of Luis and Armando accept the offer in no time since it is a significant amount for them. However, Ariana is not ready to take it without raising any questions. She asks the lawyers to explain the conditions of the settlement agreement, only for Nathan to reveal that the families cannot sue the oil company after signing the same.
When Ariana hesitates to sign the settlement, Rebecca clarifies that her only other option is hiring a superior lawyer and proving in the court that her husband, Elvio, died due to M-Tex Oil’s fault. She makes it sound like an impossible feat for a widow who struggles to deal with life’s many burdens and responsibilities. The attorney also adds that such a lawsuit will make the company’s representatives prove the tragedy occurred due to the fault of Ariana’s husband, which will add to the complexities involved in the case. The young widow calls Cooper to be clear about the settlement, only for Walt to inform her about the roughneck’s near-death experience.
After learning about Cooper’s state, Ariana rushes to the hospital without making a decision about the settlement. Rebecca wants an answer from her, but she cannot wait for the lawyers. When she reaches the hospital, Ainsley asks her to explain her relationship with Cooper, only for her to reply that it is hard to explain, but the teenager learns enough from the response. The roughneck asks Ariana not to think that she is at fault. He clarifies that the attack was about Manuel rather than Elvio. As she comforts him, Tommy and Angela arrive at the hospital to check in on their son. It does not take long for the landman to realize what needs to be done.
Tommy Norris Teaches Manuel a Lesson
Tommy and Dale Bradley leave for the patch with “tools” to meet Manuel and Antonio, who led the attack against Cooper. The landman and the engineer are joined by Boss, whose real name happens to be Theodore Ramone. Theodore feels responsible for the situation since he is the leader of both Manuel and Cooper. He wants to make things right by forcing Antonio to confess who else was on the trailer when the men beat up the landman’s son. While he handles the second-in-command, Tommy deals with the “commander” by beating him up first. The landman fires Manuel and informs him about Walt’s arrival to arrest him.
Tommy and Walt join hands together to put several charges on Manuel, which violates his parole conditions. In addition to his existing sentence, he faces thirty more years in prison for laying his hands on Cooper. The landman warns him that the former will take the rest of his years if he ever returns to the patch. The message is clear not only to Manuel but also to the entire patch: do not mess with Tommy’s family. After settling the predicament, the landman confronts the grim reality before him: Cooper cannot survive at the patch. However, he does not know how to make his son leave, even though it is likely necessary.
Read More: Is Landman a True Story? Is Tommy Norris Based on a Real Landman?
