Sixty-three minutes is a long episode. And when it’s packed full of story, I love the idea of more time with characters we love. I was surprised at how quickly the hour flew by, but confused by how many stories were overlooked despite being centered.
Landman Season 2 Episode 4 began with an accident that was more crucial than the time allotted. When you’re otherwise dealing with death rituals, it might be wise to pull back on the other stories until they have time to blossom.
And between Cami visiting Monty’s grave as the stone was being erected, and Tommy and co. heading to the Texas Panhandle for his mother’s funeral, there was a lot of ritual.
Ariana and Cooper — Back Together Again
At the beginning of the hour, I wondered to myself, ‘Do we need to follow Ariana’s story if she’s no longer with Cooper?’ And I thought yes. Seeing how the industry affects the lives in towns where it reigns is important.
What I don’t want to see is another relationship battleground, and now I’m worried there’s more to come.
Cooper thought he was being respectful by staying outside of Ariana’s house, but it was actually a passive-aggressive way to insert himself into Ariana’s life when she clearly said she needed space.
He knew Ariana would want to go with him. He must have known that she cared for him and that their breakup wasn’t about him — it was about her.
Now, they’re back together, but she still needs to deal with everything she’s gone through, from having a baby to losing her husband to finding another man to love.
It’s deeply personal to her, and the decisions she makes now will impact every part of her life going forward.
The whole “it’s not her I’m missing” stuff and “you told me to leave, and I left” stuff is typical relationship bullshit that you do when you’re not mature enough to have one in the first place.
Ariana, though, is mature enough. Sadly, she’s wise beyond her years, but she has to be. She’s a mother. And apparently, she’s lost four people she’s loved, which speaks volumes.
I loved how TL greeted her, even if I wasn’t as enthusiastic about how he greeted Cooper, a grandson he doesn’t know.
It’s cute to rub your knuckles on the forehead of a kid you’ve helped raise, not so much when you have no idea who he is beyond sharing your blood.
He doesn’t know whether Cooper deserves Ariana or not. But that, too, speaks volumes about the atmosphere in which Tommy was raised and why he tried not to be the same man with his own children, often to extremes.
At least the funeral gave Ariana some perspective about Cooper and his family and how much it differs from her own. But they solved nothing. They addressed nothing.
Merely saying “I love my house and my family is important to me” won’t change how Cooper and Ariana are as a couple.
She can’t hold the whole thing together on her own, but I’m worried that’s what’s coming.
The Funeral
The funeral procession usually happens after the wake and on the way to the church, but it felt like it began before the group even made it to the Suburban.
Angela’s determination to “have fun” in every phase of her life can really grate. Was this her first funeral?
Tommy may be miserable a lot of the time, but he just lost his mother. And if you think losing her when you barely knew her or after an acrimonious relationship is better than losing someone you loved deeply, you’re not thinking clearly.
Death rips away second chances. When someone is still alive, you can hold onto hope for a different outcome. What you had is what it will always be, and it’s harder to make peace with that than you think.
The memory Tommy shared about his mother was absolutely tragic. If ever there was a man who deserved love and peace, it’s this man.
That monstrous woman should have moved heaven and earth for her son, and TL should have done the same. Instead, Tommy got neither, and now he’s left with a man who owes him just as much as his mom but whom he can’t manage to hate.
As for TL, he held onto a memory of a woman he loved long after she deserted him. And he’s right. Why she became who she did doesn’t really matter anymore. But it did once. And it’s painful to imagine someone who was once such a bright light could take such a devastating turn to the dark side.
What demons could a 17-year-old girl possibly have that could wreak such havoc?
But what really hit me was how on the nose TL’s experience with hope was, and how it smashes the way I’ve always held onto it, thinking that things will change.
I truly believe things can change, but I don’t think just standing around and waiting for it is the answer, either.
Tommy made the right choice for himself. He packed his duffel bag, left his family behind, and never looked back. Well, not until death pulled him back.
Now he’s left grappling with physical death and the death of hope. What a pisser.
But Tommy does get his second chance. It just comes in a different form.
He’s been given the opportunity to change his relationship with his father, and he’s decided to take it. Well, Angela pushed him into taking it, anyway.
At first, I thought maybe Angela told Tommy she was pregnant. But this isn’t a comedy, so I think she was actually insisting that TL move in with them.
And while Tommy’s reaction was a bit extreme, he also knows that if he didn’t want this second chance, he wouldn’t have reconnected with his dad in the first place.
You don’t invite Sam Elliott to work with Billy Bob Thornton on a regular basis and leave the guy chasing sunsets behind a makeshift retirement home.
Now, the real story of the Norris family can begin.
Rebecca Got Her Groove On
What’s an episode of Landman without tempering the gravitas with comedy? Thankfully, we got perfectly timed helpings of the sweet stuff, so we weren’t mired in sadness.
Finally, we got a chance to see Rebecca doing something other than pursing her lips. Kayla Wallace just did for frightening plane rides what Meg Ryan did for fake orgasms in When Harry Met Sally! I know it will change the way I experience takeoffs and landings.
Miss “I’ve got it all together” was so far off the mark in that regard that it seemed like she was the one “Chasing Rainbows.”
Kayla Wallace is capable of so much more than what Rebecca has done so far, so this is a step in the right direction.
And I can’t remember where I’ve seen the mulleted fellow before (that’s an A+++ mullet), but I really like him, and I hope he’s incorporated further into the story as Rebecca’s grows.
Cami’s Emotional Decision Making
Cami may miss Monty, but he also coddled her, and she’s making decisions now that she can’t undo later. She may think she can, but she doesn’t have the big picture.
We discussed how that can affect things after Landman Season 2 Episode 3.
Maybe Monty saw something in her that he didn’t want unleashed. I’m not saying she’s unintelligent or incapable, but she’s letting her emotions drive her decision-making rather than being forward-thinking.
Gallino, Morell, or whoever he is, is a snake, and he even said so. And I appreciate that he refused to negotiate with someone who doesn’t share his understanding of business, especially its less-than-savory sides.
But he did say yes to her proposal, so why say no to negotiating in the first place? He effectively took away Tommy’s ability to negotiate by forging a deal with Cami before Tommy knew it was coming.
It puts Tommy in a really shitty position with both Gallino — to whom he is already indebted for his life and on behalf of Cooper — and with Cami. She should have trusted him.
Either she trusts him to handle the business, or she wants to do it herself. She shouldn’t be yanking him around, handing him the reins, and then demanding which direction he takes.
It’s a recipe for disaster.
She’s also putting the house on the market, which, given her financial state, is a good idea, but it’s also a knee-jerk reaction to something she’s hoping to fix with her partnership with Gallino. Ultimately, she needs to realize that relying on others isn’t a sin.
Isn’t that why she’s in this mess Monty left her in the first place?
So, What’s with the Accident?
Landman Season 2 Episode 4 opened with an accident that affected one of the MTex employees. Was that Boss’s nephew? We don’t spend nearly enough time with the crew to remember the details.
But clearly, they didn’t go to that length for a story without purpose, right? The kid is blind, at least temporarily, and possibly forever.
Rebecca will have to clean up the mess, whatever mess there is to clean. The thing is, the accident was given prime real estate on an overly long episode, so it has to mean more than what’s on the surface.
But what? Couldn’t that have been saved for the next episode so that whatever weight it delivers is given its due? Or was it to prime the well for Landman Season 2 Episode 5?
Surely, Tommy will have his hands full with Cami’s decision and Cooper’s mess with Gallino, who is going to be a huge thorn in Tommy’s side, and we will still have little time for the repercussions of the accident.
A Moment of Appreciation
Tommy’s desire to smoke was overpowered by a desire to suck on freon from the back of an air conditioner, and I love him for placing that image in my head.
And dear God, let’s give praise to the waitress who sees Angela’s vanity for what it is.
Waitress: You realize that’s just lettuce and chicken.
Angela: I do.
Waitress: Cancer?
Angela: Vanity.
Waitress: I’ll pray for you.
I had to listen to that segment twice to fully appreciate it, so I needed to capture it here for posterity. Those incidental quips make Landman so much fun. They’re also very true to real life.
Even in our darkest moments, hilarity comes through, rearing its gorgeous head.
So why end the review on a sour note when we can relish such beauty?
But now, it’s your turn.
What did you think about the funeral?
Did you have any of the same thoughts I did while watching?
If so, say hello, and if not, let me know what was running through your head.
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