Landman Season-Finale Recap: Diminished Capacity

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Let’s be fair, after last week’s disappointing episode, the season finale, “Tragedy and Flies,” is a decent way to wrap things up. It does feel a bit long, mostly because the show spent several weeks on storylines that didn’t quite pay off. We won’t find out if Charlie succeeds with the offshore rig and saves M-Tex until the next season. However, it wasn’t a terrible ending overall.

Let’s talk about Ainsley’s story. I was really frustrated with it last week, and I still agree with my previous comments – the way Paigyn’s character was portrayed felt like a harmful stereotype, almost like a caricature based on conservative media. However, this new episode presents them differently, and thankfully, it begins to fix the issues with Ainsley’s stalled development. Moving back to the dorms is a good step towards allowing her to mature.

Ainsley unexpectedly bumped into her future roommate at cheerleading practice, which turned out to be much more challenging than she expected. Fortunately, Paigyn helped her with a workout plan to strengthen her ankles. Ainsley repaid the favor by standing up for Paigyn against a group of rude teenagers who were harassing the cheerleaders with offensive comments and questions. It felt good to see Ainsley call them out and tell them off.

Paigyn and Ainsley have a good conversation, and it’s surprising to learn Paigyn isn’t against all music and is even willing to bathe their ferret! It’s a welcome change to see Paigyn become more approachable and to see Ainsley treat them well. While it would have been nice to see Ainsley’s pronouns used correctly (or Angela corrected for misgendering them), it’s a positive sign from Taylor Sheridan. The writing still isn’t amazing, and I’m worried the next season might focus too much on the novelty of a non-binary roommate. Still, this interaction is meaningful—it could be the first time some Landman viewers see a character who is genderqueer portrayed with some sensitivity on television. It’s a small but hopeful step for Sheridan, and it will be interesting to see how viewers react.

The finale mainly focuses on a very difficult day for Tommy. He’s keeping his recent job loss a secret from Angela, determined to fix things on his own – something he tries to do throughout the episode. Adding to his worries, he learns his son is being questioned by the police in Odessa about a murder.

Ariana was hesitant to report the attack she experienced, but Cooper persuaded her to press charges, hoping to prevent Johnny from harming anyone else. However, neither of them knew the police also had video showing Cooper seriously escalating a fight – hitting someone 17 times, going far beyond what would be considered self-defense and becoming an assault himself.

This episode deserves credit for its strong critique of the police, beginning with the unsettling scene of Ariana being photographed while visibly injured. When Detectives Hayes and Miller question Cooper, it quickly becomes apparent they’re concerned with more than just charges against Johnny. Ariana learns from Barney that Johnny has died, potentially leading to a lengthy prison sentence for Cooper. In a smart move, she then reaches out to Rebecca for assistance.

Rebecca remains loyal to Ariana, largely because of her connection to Tommy, and immediately calls him with updates. She quickly confronts the sheriff and the detectives at the police station, launching into a furious tirade. It’s a familiar tactic for Rebecca – aggressive legal maneuvering to get what she wants. She argues, predictably, that a jury would clearly favor Ariana after viewing the assault footage. She also uncovers information about Detective Miller’s past, revealing he shot a man armed with a wrench eleven times. Unlike Cooper, who lacked de-escalation training, Miller should have known better. Rebecca threatens to sue Miller’s victim’s family, hinting she’ll file a wrongful death lawsuit repeatedly, and even proposes a class action lawsuit covering all officer-involved shootings in the county.

Everyone readily agrees to leave Cooper alone and cut off all contact, largely because Rebecca has a reputation for causing problems. Tommy’s heated confrontation with the chief and county attorney reinforces this decision, as they all want to avoid any media attention. We also find out, through a conversation with a bewildered Walt, that the police were pursuing Cooper because of his connection to Johnny and the drug pipeline. As usual, the situation boils down to money, connections, and corruption – but Tommy and Rebecca are determined to change that!

Tommy’s work situation comes to a close in an unusual way. His meeting with oil executive Bob Knowles doesn’t go as planned; Bob can’t legally make a deal with Tommy regarding Cooper’s wells because M-Tex did the original drilling. Instead, Bob offers Tommy a comfortable job at his company, but Tommy is aiming for something much larger. He approaches Danny Morrell with a proposal to partner up, as Danny has always desired. Tommy repeats his belief that Danny will lose the money he’s invested in Cami and her oil rig, explaining, “Ultimately, those with the resources will always come out on top, because they can absorb the losses,” and drawing a parallel to real-world disasters like the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Danny agreed to fund Cooper’s wells and promised an $18 million payment for the next three, making the check payable to “CTT Oil Exploration and Cattle.” Tommy quickly came up with that company name – he added “cattle” just to be sure no one else was already using it. Shortly after, Tommy gathered everyone involved to announce the exciting news: they now owned their own oil company!

Okay, so here’s the deal with this new oil venture. It’s run by this team – Cooper Tommy Thomas (seriously, try saying that name out loud, it’s great!), and they’re going to be drilling on Cooper’s land. The best part? They’re sharing 25% of the profits with the workers, which is awesome! Cooper’s the president, Tommy’s his right-hand man as Senior VP, and they’ve got Nate handling the finances, Rebecca as COO and legal counsel, Ariana keeping the office running, and Dale leading the exploration. They even have a guy, T.L., controlling the drilling remotely with a joystick – how cool is that? Then there’s Boss, who’s in charge of the whole crew, and apparently, Cheyenne might be floating around somewhere too. It’s shaping up to be quite the operation!

The show hasn’t ignored the fact that Danny is a killer, and his threat to harm someone Tommy cares about suggests that will continue to be a source of conflict next season. However, it’s difficult to predict what will happen on Landman – wasn’t the accidental partnership between Cooper and a gangster supposed to be the central conflict this season? As for Cami, her future is uncertain. Will she and M-Tex challenge CTT next season, or will they be out of the picture entirely? It’s hard to say how things will play out until we know what’s happening with Charlie in the Gulf. Regardless, Cami deserved more screen time in the finale. She was the standout character of the season, thanks to Demi Moore’s strong performance and the character’s compelling mix of drive and self-deception.

It’s strange to see Tommy so enthusiastic about this new business deal, considering he strongly disliked the idea just a short time ago. Keeping so much from Angela at this point in the season feels wrong, especially since the show has been focusing on his personal growth – like their conversation about cherishing every moment together. He’s still keeping secrets from people who deserve to know the truth. However, his reflective thoughts at the end of the episode might hint at future difficulties, whether involving the cartel or his personal life.

This TV season felt strange. It started with a thoughtful tone, but around the middle, it became frustrating because the promising storylines didn’t really go anywhere. While the ending sets up the next part of the story adequately, it’s hard to ignore how long it took to get here, and whether that next chapter will be satisfying. The final line, “Today we win,” feels hollow, as viewers might not feel the same way.

Boomtown

The episode features several unnecessary and suggestive shots of Cheyenne, with Tommy asking her to dress appropriately. The storyline includes Cheyenne staying overnight due to car trouble, and a moment where T.L. comforts her, which the narrator finds unsettling and questions whether it’s simply catering to the desires of older, lonely viewers.

Right after Tommy jokingly challenged God to send him something difficult, he saw a terrible car accident. It felt strangely like a dark, ironic twist of fate, almost like something out of a Coen brothers film. He sarcastically muttered, “That was a bit much, God.”

Cami offers Nate a temporary position as president of M-Tex, but he remains committed and instead resigns from his current role.

• “Hey, Cooper, I need you to Gen-Z me up a group text.” I laughed out loud at this.

That wolf symbolizing death feels very much like something out of Yellowstone. You almost expect to see Kayce Dutton show up—though, of course, he has his own show now.

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2026-01-18 21:56