Abhiroop Das
Created by Taylor Sheridan, the second season of ‘Landman‘ returns with Tommy Norris wealthier and more powerful than ever, but not without twice the emotional baggage. The previous season ends with Monty Miller, a titan in the oil industry and owner of M-Tex, meeting his end. Shortly prior, Tommy is promoted to the position of company president and takes over the reins in sync with Cami. However, with the cartel eager to make its presence felt, he has to tread more carefully than ever, or risk losing everything he has worked for. The first episode of the sophomore season, titled ‘Death and Sunset,’ is aptly centered around new beginnings, both for the patriarch and his two children, Cooper and Ainsley, who are slowly stepping out of their parents’ shadows and leaving a unique footprint in the process. However, a blast from the past awaits Tommy, promising to make his life more complicated than ever. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Cami Makes Her Presence Felt as M-Tex’s New Owner
Season 2 premiere of ‘Landman’ begins with Tommy Norris taking in the Texan skyline ahead of yet another big day in the oil industry. As the new president of M-Tex, he is starting to feel the pressure, especially with the Cartel now coming out of the shadows to demand a stake in the oil industry. Elsewhere, his son, Cooper, wakes up to one of the most important days of his life, but keeps the exact details a secret from Ariana before heading out. Cami Miller, who has recently been crowned the sole owner of M-Tex following her husband’s death, Monty, organizes a luncheon for business partners and friends alike, where she plans to formalize the succession process. However, the environment in the event turns out to be more tense and paranoid than she expected, as no one believes that the hole left behind by Monty can be easily replaced.
Murmurs about the business partners’ doubts reach Tommy’s ears, and before long, he is confronted by Danny, who points to a “change in control” clause in their contract and demands a structural overhaul of the business. However, Tommy is quick to counter with the fact that Monty promoted him to president before his death, making it an organic progression for the company. Although Danny tries to push the argument further by questioning Cami’s credibility, Tommy threatens to shut the company down till things are settled. The possibility of millions, if not billions, going down the drain is enough to silence Danny. From there, Tonny makes a deal with Bob to sell the company’s gas-field territories in East Texas. When the subject of Cami’s upcoming speech comes up again, Tommy reveals that he has no idea himself, and in fact agrees with the general opinion that the company should sell her share of the company.
In the meantime, Cami stands alone in the washroom, hands trembling as she goes over the speech she has prepared for the luncheon. When two girls walk in and pass comments about her age and appearance, Cami strikes back, only to be told that the world she has just stepped into is like the Serengeti. This description sticks with Cami and incidentally gives her the push needed to scrap the speech and speak from her heart. As she walks into a room full of top rung investors and bankers, all seemingly ready to gouge out a piece of M-Tex, Cami takes the stage to boldly declare herself a hunter in sync with the oil industry’s temperament. Taking things up a notch, she describes herself as a meaner version of Monty, stating that any challenges thrown at her credibility will be met with her complete wrath. This speech is all it takes to change the room’s sway, and Bob is among the first to give her a standing ovation.
Cooper and Ainsley Make Strides in Their Lives
Elsewhere, Cooper checks in on the new oil well he recently scouted, and an entire team is assembled to set up the rig. While the initial outpour leaves a pile of sludge and mud in its wake, Cooper doesn’t give up and urges his men to push further. At over 5000 feet, the pressure valve starts to wildly tilt to its highest values, signaling that Cooper’s hunch was correct. A closer reading confirms that the oil rig yields approximately 6,200 units, which roughly translates to 500 barrels a day; well beyond anyone’s estimate. Excited, Cooper dashes back home to pick up Ariana and bring her to the rig, where he is hardly able to contain his joy. At this rate, Cooper projects that the rig will turn over a profit in 2 months or less, following which they can expect to rake in about ten million dollars a year. Ariana is stunned by the number, and the idea of living the dream slowly begins to seep into her psyche, as it already has for her partner.
Angela and Ainsley go on an adventure of their own, one that leads them to the prestigious Texas Christian University, where she has been shortlisted for admission. On the way to her interview with the admissions counselor, Angela coaches her daughter on college trivia, such as how the school’s iconic mascot, the horned toad, is actually a type of lizard. Due to her skills as a cheerleader, Ainsley is given a priority walk-on status, but that doesn’t mean that her interview with the counselor goes any smoothly. When asked about her decision to switch from Tech to TCU, she points to the former college’s policy of not allowing cheerleaders to date athletes. She explains her stance by claiming that romantic relationships between conventionally attractive cheerleaders and athletic sportspeople can result in healthier, more attractive offspring. While the counselor is shocked at the level of elitism on display, she is unable to turn the application down.
Tommy’s Past Opens up With a Potential Reveal of His Parentage
On his way back to meet with his family, Tommy sits down with Cami in her car to discuss the future of the company and how it might be in better hands than ever. In light of his promotion, Angela decides to go all out with a private jet, taking them to their destination. From there, the scene shifts to Prairie View Assisted Living, an old-age facility, where an elderly man watches the sun set. Although he is called inside for supper by his caretakers, the man, identified as T.L., refuses. At this point, one of the nurses gets him to calm down and rest, as they have sad news. A woman named Dorothy, who was seemingly close to T.L., has passed away, and the moment he hears the news, he slumps back into his wheelchair and demands euthanasia. Back at Tommy’s residence, Cooper joins the dinner table with the hope of telling his father about his plan to become a complete landman, but the conversation is cut short by Angela’s description of the day’s dish, which involves rare and expensive white truffles.
Although Tommy is now wealthier than ever, he is easily upset by the sudden increase in the family’s spending. In particular, we learn that Angela and Tommy are in talks for buying a new house, and although Angela is fond of that prospect, Tommy has his own hesitations. In a bad-faith move, he inappropriately claims that her menstrual cycle often affects her decision-making ability, and that creates a massive rift in the family dynamics. As plates are hurled and shattered all over the room, Ainsley and Cooper rush out for their safety, and Tommy narrowly diffuses the situation by replacing his earlier comments with attempts at flirtation. The trick works, and the couple nearly gets intimate, until a phone call changes the tone yet again. Tommy reveals that his mother is dead, which implies that the woman mentioned earlier, named Dorothy, was his mother. This also raises questions about where exactly T.L. fits into the equation, and the most likely answer is that he is Tommy’s father.
Read More: Is Landman a True Story? Is Tommy Norris Based on a Real Landman?
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