WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for Landman season 2, episode 4.
Landman season 2, episode 4, “Dancing Rainbows,” takes some wild detours and unexpected turns but remains on a fast track towards a stellar second season. More than anything, this latest episode proves that this “oil” show is officially a family drama – a dysfunctional one at that, on the level of Succession and, dare I say, Yellowstone – if that wasn’t already clear.
The biggest development and focal point of Landman S2E4 is Dorothy’s funeral, Tommy’s abusive mother, and T.L.’s long-lost love. We finally get a glimpse of just how bad it got for Tommy when he was a kid, and how his youthful instinct to run away was more than justified, building a bitterness and resentment towards Dorothy that will never subside, but strangely, may have shaped him for his high-stress job.
Outside of the family matters, Rebecca finally lets loose for the first time in the series with the help of a charming oil field worker. Additionally, Cami’s series presence continues to take charge as she simultaneously mourns and is furious with Monty for not only leaving her, but also making such a mess that she’s forced to clean up. Unfortunately, her best bet for doing so is by dealing with Gallino, or “Dan Morrell”, who cannot possibly be as clean-cut and reliable as he presents himself to be.
Sam Elliott’s T.L. Takes Landman To New Dramatic Heights
After a fantastic introduction proving without doubt that he is the sardonic father of Tommy Norris, T.L. gets a second lease on life as Tommy tries to patch up their estranged relationship now that Dorothy is gone for good. Well, it was Angela who invited T.L. to live with them and rejoin that family, and Tommy, like his poor old man, always listens to his wife against his best wishes.
We learn so much about the Norris family in this episode, insights that came at exactly the right time following Dorothy’s funeral service, which was notably small and brief. T.L. lost his house in a fire, and Tommy lost Dorothy as a mother after he saved her life by performing CPR, only to be assaulted by her with a kick to the face, sending him packing.
Tommy’s lifelong resentment towards Dorothy is also still present for T.L., since the father didn’t do enough to look out for his son, too blinded and drunk on romanticized dreams of sunshine and rainbows – who Dorothy used to be before succumbing to her addictions.
T.L. honors the beauty he saw in her back then with such devotion, which is naturally touching, but we can see how his stubbornness to keep Dorothy on a pedestal in his mind all these years drove a wedge between him and Tommy. The post-funeral dinner table scene, with Billy Bob Thornton and Sam Elliott side-by-side, sharing wildly different memories of Dorothy, marks a new all-time high for Landman.
Landman Season 2 Continues To Unfold In Captivating Ways
As Rebecca takes a breather from work obligations, Cami dives headfirst into handling M-Tex’s multi-million-dollar rig problem in the Gulf. Gallino interestingly refuses to negotiate with Cami, claiming only predators like him and Tommy should be dealing in the weeds. I suppose this was “Dan’s” way of dissuading Cami from getting her hands dirty, and placing more liability – and leverage – on Tommy.
Underneath all the high drama, Cooper and Ariana also take a swing back in the right direction, working out a new dynamic that doesn’t involve Cooper’s newfound wealth overtaking Ariana’s sense of normality. One can imagine their evolving relationship to be somewhat similar to the unpredictable and likely messy origin story of Tommy and Angela – full of passion, toxicity, and a whole lot of luck.
It’s also a great relief that Ainsley is coming into her own identity formation in the series as well, even if she has been less utilized so far in Landman season 2. More humanized than objectified, especially in that emotional scene she shares with her dad toward the end of the episode, Ainsley will hopefully start to walk more of her own path from this point forward.
After a somewhat safe season opener, Landman has found its stride with Cooper’s – and now T.L.’s – increased involvement, and intriguing new set-ups that showcase unexplored areas of the oil business – like last week’s CO gas – and untapped reserves of the Norris family’s backstory. Overall, this latest Landman episode is setting a new tone – and raising the bar – for season 2 altogether.
- Release Date
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November 17, 2024
- Writers
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Taylor Sheridan, Christian Wallace
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Billy Bob Thornton
Tommy Norris
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- Sam Elliott steals the spotlight as the withered and soulful T.L.
- We finally learn more about Tommy’s relationship with Dorothy and why she was so bad
- It was refreshing and hilarious to see Rebecca let loose for once
- Andy Garcia & Demi Moore continue to add depth & intrigue
