Jacob Lofland as Cooper Norris in Landman episode 2, season 2Emerson Miller / Paramount+
By
Greg MacArthur
Published 19 minutes ago
Greg is a Lead TV Writer & Critic at Screen Rant who also covers Movies and Music. He's published over 2400 articles at SR and dozens of reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. He previously worked in Development at ABC Television & Lawrence Bender Productions.
Greg majored in Film Production at Chapman University's Dodge College. Greg also has years of broadcast TV production experience at major networks such as NBC, TNT, and ESPN. He currently resides in the Greater Boston area.
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WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for Landman season 2, episode 2.
Landman season 2, episode 2, "Sins of the Father," places Cooper Norris in the hot seat as he struggles to hang onto his booming new oil enterprise and his budding romance with Ariana. Right when things start to look bright for Cooper, he gets dealt a devastating hand by Ariana after betting all his chips on her to open up the episode.
After Cami sent a formidable message to the rest of the oil industry in the Landman season 2 premiere, she is immediately burdened with cleaning up Monty's mess, which comes in the form of a court order from an insurance company. M-Tex was issued a $420 million settlement to build another gas well off the coast of Louisiana after one blew out – but neither Rebecca nor Nathan can account for the funds.
Ainsley and Angela continue to add levity that contrasts with the tense corporate drama throughout the episode, although even these two end up in handcuffs before its end. Since most of these characters haven't changed one bit, it places a magnifying glass on Cami and Tommy's father, TL, since there's still so much to explore with their characters.
Cooper, however, is arguably the most improved character through two episodes, making strides towards maturity – albeit through a multimillion-dollar shot in the dark – yet he still finds a way to shoot himself in the foot. Hopefully, there will be more scenes between Cooper and TL, as it seems that the "sins of the father" have trickled down from the top in the Norris family.
The big reveal at the end of Landman season 2, episode 2 – that Sonrisa, the company that loaned Cooper $40 million to drill blindly, is owned and operated by Esteban Glavez, aka the cartel boss Gallino – is a fantastic development that ties back to Landman's season 1 finale. After a strong but familiar start last week, Landman season 2 is officially up and running.
Landman Season 2 Dives Into The Norris Men's Fractured History
Emerson Miller / Paramount+
It's no surprise that Sam Elliott's TL elevates the series in many ways. Every new scene – even with each line of dialogue – slowly peels back the layers of the quietly fierce tension between the three generations of Norris men. Things said, and left unsaid, carry weight in every frame and provide valuable clues into what could have fractured this broken father-son dynamic between TL and Tommy.
I found Cooper's lack of involvement in the main narrative of season 1 somewhat frustrating, but his lone-wolf mentality and ambition to build himself from the ground up make much more sense after TL's introduction. TL is set in his ways, much like Tommy, who at least has an awareness and a doomed hope to improve for his family. We can already begin to see how Tommy's parenting directly refutes that of TL's – like never laying a hand on his son – and also how Tommy can't escape his own upbringing when it comes to guiding Cooper.
The way Tommy remembers Dorothy, his recently passed mother, is clearly much different than how TL chooses to hold her in his mind. Even though she seems to be their main point of contention, they're now left facing each other in her absence, which should make for some of the greatest new developments in Landman season 2. While this is very much a show about business and enterprise, it's even more so a portrait of family.
Landman's Greatest Highs & Lows Continue To Spring From Its Portrayal Of Gender Roles
Emerson Miller / Paramount+
Landman season 2, episode 2 proves that this series can be an exceptional vehicle for exploring vulnerable parts of masculinity, particularly between father and son relationships. The scenes between Cooper and Tommy, which there were hardly any of in season 1, and these new scenes with TL are creating great insight and possibility for the show thus far.
That said, there's still a bit of a narrow lens on how the women characters are portrayed in this show, which is disappointing. They're either impulsive or irrational, like Angela has been since the premiere, and Ariana starts to become this episode, charming yet ditzy like Ainsley, or hard-pressed and over-the-top like Rebecca. Tommy holds a more traditional perspective about women and marriage, which regrettably sparked Angela's latest dinner party meltdown in the season 2 premiere after Tommy brought up her "cycle."
These portrayals and instances, while they can be entertaining, often devalue the female characters into one-dimensional caricatures. Ariana's reasons for being afraid of Cooper's apparent new fortune are valid, and I do enjoy seeing Cooper evolve outside their dynamic. However, it does feel like the strength and resolve that drove Ariana throughout season 1 took a step back this episode – potentially just as a means for Cooper and Tommy to bond, somewhat at the expense of Ariana's character arc.
On the other hand, Cami still holds the line for the women characters in this series and may just be the only one who doesn't fit into any traditional structure. Landman season 2 would greatly benefit if she continues to drive a hard bargain. Overall, it's been a fun start to Landman season 2 as the series evolves from gripping entertainment to something more artistic, maybe even profound.
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9.5/10
8/10
Landman
10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed TV-MA Drama Release Date November 17, 2024 Writers Taylor Sheridan, Christian WallaceCast
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Billy Bob Thornton
Tommy Norris
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Ali Larter
Angela Norris
- Sam Elliott's TL opens up Tommy's backstory & upbringing
- Cooper continues to evolve into a strong lead character
- Gallino's return is an exciting and promising development
- Ariana kicking Cooper out felt a bit forced and misplaced
- Cami took a backseat after making a strong impression in the premiere
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Landman
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