Sumith Prasad
In the first season finale of Paramount+’s drama series ‘Landman,’ Tommy Norris’ conflicts with the drug dealer Jimenez paves the way for a showdown that threatens his life. The latter abducts the former in broad daylight and reveals his wish to kill the landman after extensively making him suffer. Jimenez even terrorizes Tommy, who gets shaken after he is covered in oil. However, the intricate affair takes a turn when a group of men eliminates the drug dealer and his gang one by one. The men are then revealed to be led by Gallino, who frees Tommy with utmost respect toward the landman! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Gallino is an International Drug Cartel Leader Who Wants to Cooperate With Oil Tycoons
Gallino is the leader of the international drug cartel represented in Midland by Jimenez. He turns against his own men and rescues Tommy Norris from a tragic fate to show how he is not at all like his employee. Jimenez targets the landman because the latter has never been afraid of the drug dealer, hurting his ego. The crisis executive’s fearless stand and threats have immensely affected the antagonist, who sees the predicament as a personal matter rather than a business one. That’s why he blows up several oil wells without even bothering to worry about the authorities tracking him and eliminating a territory he used to traffic drugs. His foolishness ultimately costs him his own life.
Gallino is the exact opposite of Jimenez. While the latter has taken every conflict to his heart, his boss is different. Even when Tommy belittles him by boasting about the influential board members of oil companies like M-Tex Oil, he listens to the landman with exceptional or even unusual tolerance. This tolerance defines Gallino. He is a businessman within the realm of drug trafficking who knows to keep his ego away from his business. By tolerating Tommy’s claims and threats, he looks forward to forming a partnership with the landman. This potential partnership will further explain who Gallino is and what his true intentions are.
Still, from the brief conversation Gallino has with Tommy, his priorities are clear. First of all, he wants the operation of his drug trafficking assignments to be smoother. He acknowledges that the land he uses to trade drugs is no longer his private property, which is something Jimenez forgets. This acknowledgment clarifies that he does not want to fight any battles with oil tycoons, especially when he envisions a period in the future when both businessmen and drug cartel leaders cooperate and coexist within the same territory without bothering the other party.
Beyond this wish, Gallino seems to be interested in leasing oil wells by partnering up with Tommy and M-Tex Oil. This can be the reason why he proposes meeting the landman again after saving him. The drug cartel leader must have realized that he needs to be one among the oil tycoons to take advantage or cooperate with them.
Academy Award-Nominee Andy García Plays Gallino
Andy García, who was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Vincent Corleone in ‘The Godfather Part III,’ plays Gallino. With his appearance in the first season finale of ‘Landman,’ he became a part of the famed “Taylor Sheridan universe.” The actor is also known for his performances in Steven Soderbergh’s ‘Ocean’s’ trilogy, the renowned comedy ‘Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again,’ and HBO’s ‘For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story.’ His other notable credits are Brian De Palma’s ‘The Untouchables’ and Ramón Menéndez’s ‘Stand and Deliver.’
García most recently played Roman in ‘Long Gone Heroes,’ Dr. Neel in Netflix’s ‘Pain Hustlers,’ and Marsh in ‘The Expendables 4.’ Since the partnership between his ‘Landman’ character, Gallino, and Tommy Norris has yet to be formed and explored, we can expect the actor to be a part of the show’s second season. Seemingly, in addition to the drama series’ sophomore installment, García has several projects in the pipeline, including Bobby Moresco’s biographical series ‘Maserati: The Brothers’ and Shawn Simmons’s comedy film ‘Eenie Meanie.’
Read More: Is Landman a True Story? Is Tommy Norris Based on a Real Landman?
