The Crumbs of Hope – As the finale of Landman begins, there is an archival video discussing oil and its impact. Tommy Norris (Billy Bob Thornton) catches up with Cami Miller (Demi Moore) and Alan (Jim Meskimen) at the hospital. Alan believes there are certain things they should discuss in case their prayers aren’t answered. If Monty (Jon Hamm) dies, Tommy will be made president and facilitate the sale of the company. The proceeds would be split between a foundation which Cami will run and a trust which Tommy will serve as executor. Alan reminds Tommy there’s a $167 million dollar farm-out waiting to be executed. Cami says Monty needs a heart transplant. They’re trying to get him stable enough to receive one. Monty is incapacitated and will stay that will for the foreseeable future. Tommy agrees to accept the role of president of M-TEX Oil and the family estate and executor of the family trust.
He wants a board with both of them on it. When asked about the farm-out, Tommy says the leaseholder overleveraged and can’t raise the capital. They’ll recoup their expenses before an 80/20 split that settles at 65/35. They continue talking about the deal which is worthless until they drill. Tommy tells Cami they can sell this now and her kids’ kids will never have to work. Cami claims Monty only wanted to be remembered for what they did with the money. She wonders if she has enough money to make the world remember Monty. Tommy doesn’t know what to tell her. The doctor interrupts to tell Cami that Monty suffered a ruptured aortic aneurysm. They were required to do open surgery. A transplant is the best option at this point. If they can find a donor in the near future, the chances are good. Colonel Ivey (Ben Browder) returns to the field and finds it’s been cleaned. He calls Tommy to tell him as much. Tommy asks for two minutes.
Tommy calls him back and explains the guys would look dumb confessing to a crime when there’s no evidence or a victim. Tommy recommends telling the others to get amnesia real fast. Then, he approaches Cami and tries to talk to her about the situation. Tommy says Monty is the luckiest man he’s ever known in his life because he wins when everyone else loses. She asks him to make one more bet for her and close the farm-out. Angela (Ali Larter) and Ainsley (Michelle Randolph) take the nursing home residents to Rick’s Cabaret. Ainsley goes backstage to try to get Ryder (Mitchell Slaggert) to dance for Ethel. After he dances, the patients are returned. Margaret (Deidra Shanell) tries to help Ethel (Louanne Stephens) and the others off the bus. Richie (Micah Sudduth) says this is the most immoral and irresponsible thing he’s ever witnessed in his life. Ainsley invites Ryder over so she can pay him. Tommy calls Rebecca Falcone (Kayla Wallace) to say they need to meet.
They argue. Tommy tells Rebecca she needs to renegotiate a $170 million farm-out lease and she needs a basic understanding of what she’s dealing with. Rebecca learns that Tommy is the president now. They arrange to meet in three hours. Tommy calls Nathan (Colm Feore) to tell him about Monty. He explains the trust wants to continue with the farm-out in Wolfcamp. Nathan worries they’re going to bankrupt his children. Tommy wants him to work with Rebecca even though Nathan isn’t keen on the idea. They agree to meet later. Angela and Ainsley call Tommy to tell them about their day. Tommy tells them that Monty may not make it. Ariana (Paulina Chavez) decides to get rid of old clothes belonging to her deceased husband. She finds a box full of pictures. Cooper (Jacob Lofland) is busy trying to seal deals. Ed Swensen believes the land is played out. He also points out that most of the leases are expired. Cooper tells him about the other owners who have already committed and offers him 25%.
He says Ed will sign the lease to him and he’ll sell it to them. The oil company will pay him. He’s going to speak to his neighbor next. Ed (Robert Lewis Stephenson) signs the paperwork. Tommy meets Rebecca, Nathan, and Dale (James Jordan). Tommy gives Rebecca a rundown of their deal. He wants to make sure each strike pays for itself and the other. She needs to make a deal that pays for the whole thing on the first home run. Dale tries to tell her about fracking. Rebecca tells Tommy she doesn’t think anyone should be doing this. She doesn’t want to advocate for something she thinks is wrong. As Tommy leaves, he’s stopped by two vehicles. Jimenez (Alex Meraz) reminds Tommy he was supposed to call him. They jerk Tommy out of the car because there’s something Jimenez wants him to see. They take Tommy elsewhere and put him on the ground. Jimenez tells Tommy he looked it up and they make more money than the oil companies.
The cartel blows up one of the wells nearby. Tommy warns them they have an alarm with one going to the fire department and one going to headquarters. Once they put it out, the Railroad Commission and OSHA will be crawling all over this place. Tommy claims Jimenez just shut himself down. He doubts he ran this by the boss. Jimenez claims he’s the boss. He tells Tommy that he’s the message. Ariana is still looking through photos. She runs into the bathroom when Cooper returns. He sits down and looks at the photos. Ariana agrees it’s too soon, but she doesn’t tell Cooper to leave. Ariana believes he’s trying to replace Elvio and she’s letting him. They talk about the memories in the photos. Ryder goes to the house and speaks to Dale who rambles for a long time. Ryder is eventually allowed to come inside. Angela tells him Ainsley is upstairs. He goes up and gets his present.
Tommy is being held hostage in the basement of a strip club. Jimenez eventually hits Tommy’s hand or arm with a hammer. Tommy asks how much product he lost and the number he needs. Jimenez tells him he already had his chance. Jimenez hammers a nail into Tommy’s thigh. Angela asks Dale about Tommy. He hasn’t heard from him either. Ainsley asks Ryder if he’s ever done this before. He says he’s done about half of it. Ryder hasn’t slept together before. Ainsley hasn’t either, but she asks Ryder to stay. He agrees. Jimenez continues attacking Tommy until he hears gunshots outside. Jimenez is fatally shot moments later. Gallino (Andy Garcia) speaks to Tommy and has him freed. Gallino says Jimenez didn’t understand that they must coexist. He asks how they get back to where it was so they can coexist. Tommy insists no one can escalate this higher than they can.
He tells him to stay out of their way. Otherwise, the Permian Basin CEOs will build the DEA a city. Tommy says they have unlimited funds and unlimited connections. Gallino believes they have the same senators and the same enemies. He insists the world is a better place if they’re friends. Tommy says they’ll never be friends, but Gallino is convinced otherwise. Gallino gets a call from the police chief telling him the police have arrived. He helps Tommy leave. Gallino tells Tommy they own land where he deals. He wants to talk to him about getting value from the land at some point. Tommy claims there is no future in the product Gallino sells. Gallino is curious about the product he sells. Tommy calls someone to pick him up. Dale thinks he should go to the hospital. Tommy refuses. They talk about Tommy’s mental state. Cami is still with Monty who may pass away. Angela finds Tommy on the couch.
He claims he had a car wreck. Tommy says there will be things he can’t tell her. Ainsley and Ryder come down moments later. Tommy steps outside for a smoke. He walks outside and sees a coyote. He tells it to run because they kill coyotes around here.
Landman Review
The finale of Landman was nearly an hour and a half although it really didn’t do anything more than the other episodes. There really was no purpose for that when Angela and Ainsley’s imbecilic scenes went on for over twenty minutes. The episode started on a serious tone with Monty’s condition before shifting into the stupidity of mother, daughter, and the trip to Rick’s Cabaret.
Nevertheless, even Monty’s likely death fell flat because the character was barely a force throughout the season. The character really did very little besides talking to Tommy on the phone and speaking to people at random. Cooper has turned into a businessman overnight with no backing. That was covered a little bit here before it was dropped and the attention turned to the cartel.
The cartel stuff is nearly just as stupid as the nursing home scenes. Any illegal activities, fires, and such have been glanced over. There really isn’t any law enforcement in lawman because that would be complicated for the writers. The dialogue is bad at times as well with Jimenez saying he looked up the oil companies and “we make more money than you”.
It’s just silly. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter because it appears no one is bothering with Landman anyway. Demi Moore supposedly confirmed a second season in May 2024. If that’s the case, it’s another sign that Paramount is okay with shows that really don’t perform well at all. Regardless, this will likely be the end of the story for me.
Much like the rest of Taylor Sheridan’s shows, there’s always big hype and big scores, but it’s questionable if there are any legitimate viewers when all is said and done. The finale was probably 25% fun for viewers looking for over-the-top blood and gore. That’s something. It scores a 4.5 out of 10. Recaps of Landman can be found here.
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Jay Skelton is a fan of all television shows and movies. He tries his best to keep up with the latest foreign television shows and movies. Jay loves skinny dipping in the dark too.
