Landman Recap: Snakes Are Cannibals

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Okay, finally! The funeral episode gives us the backstory on Tommy’s mom we’ve been waiting weeks for, and it really digs into the fallout from his tough conversation with his dad. Honestly, “Dancing Rainbows” packs a lot of emotional punch from beginning to end. It’s not exactly a non-stop action thriller, but it’s so well done I’m giving it another four stars.

During a pre-funeral visit, the Norris family sees a side of T.L. that hints at his former charm – though it’s likely Sam Elliott’s natural charisma that makes him so appealing. He readily compliments Angela, Ainsley, and particularly Ariana, connecting with her over their shared experience of loss. However, he can’t offer the same kindness to his son, Tommy, who remains unable to express love or grief. Tommy’s behavior towards their mother frustrates T.L., even though he understands why Tommy feels that way.

T.L. appears much more outwardly upset about Dorothy’s death than Tommy, but he also feels somewhat detached, as the woman he knew is long gone and he’s finally processing his grief. He remains private about his emotions and their marriage, and doesn’t speak at the short funeral service. It’s only when Ariana openly expresses her confusion that T.L. and Tommy begin to share their feelings about Dottie.

Tommy’s past is deeply troubled. He last saw his mother when he was fourteen, and after he desperately tried to save her life, she responded with violence and indifference, leading him to leave home. T.L. experienced similar emotional and potentially physical abuse, but felt unable to escape, always hoping his mother would return to her former, happier self. Tommy claims he’s here to celebrate Dottie’s death, not grieve it, but actor Billy Bob Thornton doesn’t convey any sense of satisfaction. Instead, he seems to be mourning the mother he wished he’d had – the vibrant woman T.L. remembers, who once impulsively stopped the car to run through sprinklers after seeing a rainbow.

The episode later explains the tragic reason behind Dottie’s struggles with alcohol and drugs: the loss of her four-month-old daughter to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Devastated, she shut herself off from love, emotionally distancing herself from her husband and son and sometimes even mistreating them. Her husband, T.L., dealt with the grief by working at remote offshore drilling sites and sending money home.

Tommy shares this with Ainsley, and her reaction is surprisingly moving. I’m not a fan of the pattern in Taylor Sheridan’s shows where only women are allowed to express grief openly, while men are expected to remain stoic – in this episode, Angela, Ainsley, and Ariana all cry a lot, even though they didn’t know Dottie. However, Ainsley’s empathy in this scene makes her much more likable than she’s been so far, and her anger over what happened to her father feels justified. It’s always difficult and sad to hear from a parent about the problems they had with their parents.

Angela doesn’t have a large role in this episode, and when the show focuses on her and Ainsley individually, their storylines don’t quite work. They’re much better when they support Tommy’s story. In “Dancing Rainbows,” Angela encourages Tommy to really try to fix things with T.L. She suggests he invite T.L. to move in, which is a big step towards reconciliation. While Tommy initially claims he’s just doing what his wife wants, he genuinely seems to want T.L. to connect with his family. Despite being distant earlier, T.L. also wants to get to know them, and his admission that he might not deserve this second chance is surprisingly touching.

The funeral unexpectedly brings Cooper and Ariana back together, despite their recent split. Ariana agrees to reconnect with him, but makes it clear she’s unwilling to move and leave her family and home. Cooper doesn’t have much to say in response, but he does seem to make Ariana feel a little more sympathetic towards him – not because of his relationship with his family, but because they don’t seem very close. (Notably, Cooper and Ainsley don’t interact at all during this episode.) Staying near family is very important to Ariana, something Cooper doesn’t prioritize.

Cooper and Ariana have agreed to a new arrangement. He’ll regularly check in with her and occasionally treat her – maybe with a nice gift or a vacation – but mostly, he’ll let her continue living her life as she always has. She’ll stay in her current home and keep her job at the Patch, not because she needs the income – thanks to Cooper’s wealth and her own settlement – but seemingly because she wants to. It seems to give her a sense of independence, though honestly, it’s a little unclear. Her recent scenes at the Patch focus on how much money she’ll make working just a couple of shifts a week, making it hard to tell if she actually needs the money. The core idea seems to be that Ariana has never earned her own money before, and she finds that appealing.

This episode gives Rebecca a brief romantic subplot. It’s pretty predictable – from the moment she’s seated next to a handsome British man on the plane, you can guess what’s coming. We quickly learn her need for control shows up as fear of flying, particularly turbulence. She gets very anxious during takeoff, screaming and instinctively grabbing the hand of her seatmate, Charlie. He calms her down and, at her request, keeps her supplied with vodka and watermelon juice, ultimately leading to her becoming quite drunk by the time they land.

The scene then shifts to Charlie’s bedroom the next morning, where Rebecca wakes up. Charlie explains he works in the oil fields, suggesting he’ll reappear later in the story. However, I felt this romantic detour could have been developed more. We don’t learn what they discussed on the flight, or what their connection was like beyond the awkwardness they feel after spending the night together. It’s hard to get a sense of their relationship beyond that one moment.

The main reason Rebecca ran away seems to be connected to another accident at an oil rig, shown at the beginning of the episode. A man in a truck was parked near an M-Tex well, and an M-Tex driver crashed into him, resulting in both of their deaths. It’s unclear why this happened or how it fits into the larger story, but it’s likely to be explored further next week, along with the developing partnership between Cami and Danny Morrell. Their meeting goes relatively smoothly – Danny agrees to fund the repair of a hurricane-damaged offshore well – but he insists on negotiating the deal with Tommy, not Cami. He wants to avoid involving Cami, believing she’s trustworthy and untainted by the shady dealings around them.

But is Cami really okay with this? The episode closes with Danny seeing Tommy as someone he can manipulate, but Cami is also determined to make her mark. She’s incredibly strong-willed, and it’s unlikely she’ll simply let Tommy handle all the difficult tasks. It’s unclear what this will lead to – will we see conflict between Tommy and Cami? A battle for control? Will Cami be overwhelmed, or will she assert her authority? I like how the episode pauses the main storyline to focus on character development, and I’m eager to see how these relationships unfold.

Boomtown

Honestly, I’m relieved to see Cami putting the house up for sale. It feels like the show was getting stuck on Monty’s death – we got a lot of scenes of her grieving, and while visiting his grave was touching, the episode was already pretty focused on sadness. It feels like a good step forward for the story.

Nate and Dale went to the funeral, claiming they were there for support, but mostly to try and lighten the mood on the way. The highlight of the event, however, was T.L.’s blunt reaction to seeing them: “Who are these clowns?”

I previously criticized Angela’s individual storylines, but her interactions with older people surprisingly help in this episode. She’s able to convince Tommy that T.L. is feeling lonely and has regrets.

Following last week’s hydrogen sulfide leak, Jerrell is facing serious and possibly permanent vision loss. It’s understandably upsetting to see him struggle with this news – he’s understandably distraught about being unable to see – but I’m still confused about why we’re working so closely with Boss’s team. We hardly know Jerrell at all.

• “I’m sorry I struck oil and got rich. I won’t let it happen again.”

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2025-12-07 20:56