Sumith Prasad
The first season finale of Paramount+’s drama series ‘Landman,’ titled ‘The Crumbs of Hope,’ revolves around the consequences of unfavorable developments in the treatment of Monty Miller. Since he cannot run M-Tex Oil in his current state, the responsibility ends up in the hands of Tommy Norris with the support of Cami Miller, his boss’s wife. He makes significant decisions concerning the future of not only the oil company but also the Miller family by choosing to move forward with a farm-out. While the landman immerses himself in his new responsibilities, he is forced to deal with the threat of the drug dealer Jimenez, who is not ready for a peaceful discussion with the former! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Landman Episode 10 Recap
‘The Crumbs of Hope’ begins with Tommy Norris learning that Monty Miller has named him as the president of M-Tex Oil to run the company when the latter is in an incapable state or dead. The landman is asked to operate the firm until the same is sold for the sake of Cami and their two daughters. Tommy is also named as the executor of Monty’s trust after his passing to help the businessman’s wife deal with financial matters. While the protagonist comprehends his new role, a doctor informs Cami that her husband suffered from a ruptured aortic aneurysm and is in need of a heart transplant.
Until Monty receives a new heart, he will remain under observation with medical equipment attached to keep him alive. Tommy’s first order of business as the new head of the oil company is the farm-out approved by his boss, which is worth more than $160 million. The project is extremely risky and can potentially bankrupt the Millers. The landman explains to Cami the worst and best-case scenarios, the latter being making over a billion after moving ahead with the project. After much deliberation, she decides to greenlight the farm-out and play one last poker game. After she makes her decision, Tommy reaches out to Rebecca Falcone to renegotiate the farm-out deal.
Even though Tommy does not like Rebecca at all, he does not want to fire her after she has won the approval of his boss, Monty. The landman also recognizes her negotiating skills, which is something Nathan lacks as a lawyer with ethics. The protagonist calls his long-time colleague and explains why he has chosen her for the time being. As per Tommy’s instruction, Dale and Nathan teach Rebecca what a farm-out is so that she can strike a better deal with minimal financial risks. The landman does not want to spend over $160 million on nine oil wells and get nothing back, which will significantly affect the Miller family’s financial state.
Landman Ending: Who is Gallino? Why Does He Save Tommy?
After Tommy gives instructions to Rebecca, he is pursued by Jimenez and his gang, who abduct the landman to teach him a lesson. The drug dealer blasts multiple oil wells to show his authority over his adversary without knowing that there is a built-in alarm system on the patch that will keep the authorities at the crime scene for a long while, affecting the drug cartel significantly. After realizing that he messed up, Jimenez ties Tommy up and severely hurts him. However, before the drug dealer can kill the landman, a mysterious figure shows up with a group of men and kills the former and his gang without sparing one.
The person is revealed to be Gallino, Jimenez’s boss and a prominent leader of an international drug cartel. He saves Tommy because he realizes that killing the landman will attract unnecessary attention to the oil patches, which is a significant territory for his drug operations. If Jimenez had killed the crisis executive, it would have sent a damaging message to other oil companies. They may take preventive measures to avoid a similar setback by relying on authorities, which will hurt Gallino’s drug trade. Since some of these companies have former presidents on the board, they can easily invite the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to camp on the patches, which is not going to help the cartel.
Jimenez tries to kill Tommy because he sees the conflict they have as a personal matter. On the other hand, Gallino approaches the same as an outright business affair. As a businessman, he dismisses his ego and looks at the numbers alone. It may not have taken him a long time to realize that cooperating with oil companies, rather than threatening or antagonizing them, is the best decision he can make to protect his interests. That is why Gallino holds out an olive branch to Tommy. What he means by saving the landman is that he wants them to share a sense of unusual goodwill for their own betterment. Since the oil companies have nothing to gain from the explosions of wells, Tommy has a reason to accept the cartel leader’s proposal of peace and cooperation.
Interestingly, Gallino’s presence in Tommy’s life may not be limited to the cooperation they discuss. The cartel leader tells the landman that they should sit down for a discussion regarding oil wells, which sheds light on the former’s possible interest in being an oil tycoon. If he does that, especially with the support of an industry giant like M-Tex Oil, he can ensure that the aforementioned cooperation will prevail throughout the Permian Basin. Gallino may have realized that being one of the oil tycoons promises him a seat at the table that can be used to propose matters that protect his interests as a cartel leader.
Is Monty Miller Dead?
As ‘The Crumbs of Hope’ concludes, Monty Miller is shown laying on a bed with Cami and their two children crying their hearts out. The intense moment that materializes out of nowhere, especially after she keeps her calm throughout her husband’s surgery, may confuse or alarm viewers concerning the fate of the businessman. The monitors that are out of focus in this scene add mystery to what really happens to Monty. However, it appears to us that he is still alive. The emotionally charged moment can be the result of the family getting together after the oil tycoon is shifted to a room after his surgery.
Since Monty is a high-profile client, if he is really dead, doctors and nurses must have already rushed to the room to treat him. Instead, the scene shows members of the hospital staff casually walking in front of the room without even taking a look at what’s happening inside. The scene cannot be the aftermath of the doctors’ visit since they might have removed the pipes attached to Monty so his family could spend some time with him for the last time. Considering these factors, the businessman appears to be alive and hanging in there for one last fight to defeat death.
Do Cooper and Ariana End Up Together?
Cooper and Ariana’s relationship strengthens after they start to share intimacy regularly. They embrace their doubts and uncertainties to cherish their togetherness. However, their happiness is affected when she starts to pack the belongings of her late husband, Elvio. The things that have been part of their married life transports her to the past. She immerses herself in her memories of the roughneck, which affects her ability to move on from him and accept Cooper as his man. This challenge threatens their relationship and plants seeds of more doubts in her.
Irrespective of Ariana’s doubts, Cooper deals with the situation in the best way possible. Rather than asking or expecting her to move on from Elvio, he joins her in mourning him as a companion. He offers her his shoulder to lean on and remember her late husband as much as she wants. As far as he is concerned, there is no need to rush things that concern their relationship, which gives Ariana ample time and space to process her grief. Cooper’s maturity convinces her that she made the right decision to be with him. The fact that he is comfortable with her grief and past makes her trust him even more.
Cooper does not try to uproot Elvio from Ariana, even though he has replaced his dead colleague in her life. Since he accepts her late husband’s presence, she does not need to hide her memories from him. Therefore, Ariana does not have to process her grief alone, which might have created a sense of distance between her and Cooper. Since they are in it together, their relationship is stronger than ever for them to end up together.
Do Ainsley and Ryder End Up Together?
Cooper and Ariana are not the only ones who take their relationship to the next stage. After much deliberation, Ryder decides to transform himself into an erotic dancer to please a few ladies for the sake of his girlfriend, Ainsley. He shows her that he is a keeper by doing something he does not want to do to make his partner happy. She repays his sacrifice or courage by showing him a good time. After cherishing the experience she promises him, they lay together, which immensely moves her emotionally. Ainsley has enjoyed several flings or short-lived casual relationships. However, she never had a “serious” boyfriend who stayed in her life.
Ryder is gradually becoming that person. Since he met Ainsley, he has prioritized her interests over his, showing how much she means to him. He has tolerated Tommy’s outrageous rules and threats without any sort of retaliation that is expected from a young man. Even though he can possibly form a relationship with any girl he wants, he even becomes an erotic dancer to make Ainsley happy, which is a sign that shows her he is in for the long run. This realization makes their relationship real rather than a casual, short-term one. When Ryder chooses to spend the night with her, even though he knows that Tommy will likely beat the hell out of him, it tells her that he is ready to endure anything for her.
Therefore, we may not need to expect Ainsley and Ryder to slow down anytime soon. Their relationship is nothing but strong and resilient, which may keep them together in the foreseeable future.
What is the Significance of the Coyote?
The first season of ‘Landman’ ends with Tommy coming across a coyote that shows up in his front yard. The animal encounters the corpse of another, which was killed in the ninth episode by the landman’s neighbor. After seeing the coyote, Tommy grows concerned and even tells the animal that it should run away because the land they share is not a place where it can thrive or remain alive. He says this likely because he sees himself in the coyote. Like the beast, the landman has roamed around the state and enjoyed his freedom for a long time. However, his independence has always caused him trouble.
Tommy is nearly killed by Jimenez when he tries to handle the predicament freely. Over the years, every adversary or unfavorable situation has taught him that existence is a game with several rules. The landman may have realized that he can only survive or, in other words, remain alive if he plays the game following the same rules. Now that he is the president of M-Tex Oil, his hands are tied more than ever. His freedom is rewarded by limitations and near-death experiences rather than a sense of independence. These realizations also apply to the coyotes.
Even though we believe that animals are free, they can only enjoy freedom if they don’t break the rules set by humans. Once they take their freedom to the front yard of a woman with a gun, they are killed mercilessly. In a way, both Tommy and the coyote are suffering from the same lack of independence. From his experience, he tells the animal to run away before it gets killed, a fate that remains on the horizon for the landman.
