Landman: When the Business Matters More Than the People

 

Something about Landman feels strangely unsettling.

At first, I thought I was simply watching a show about the oil business: oil fields, workers, explosions, money, criminals, family problems, and a lot of very complicated people, but it is more than that. 

It is about a world where danger has become normal.

An accident happens. People die. Someone gets injured. There is an explosion. And then... the business has to continue. Because the business always has to continue.

The Show Must Go On

The first episode does a surprisingly good job of introducing us to the world of Landman without feeling like a lecture about the oil industry.

We learn how things work by watching people do their jobs. We see the dangers, the relationships between the workers, the money involved, and the strange mixture of confidence and resignation that seems to define the whole environment.

Then the explosion happens.

And from that moment on, I couldn't watch anyone working without expecting something terrible to happen. And very often, something does happen.

That is one of the cleverest things about the show. It makes the audience understand the danger psychologically. We don't just know that the job is dangerous. We start anticipating the danger.

But what is perhaps more disturbing is how quickly everyone goes back to work. People can't simply stop. The wells don't stop. The money doesn't stop. The business doesn't stop.

Even death becomes something to deal with before everyone gets back to business.

The Oil Field Is Its Own World

The further the show goes, the more the oil business starts to feel like its own little universe, with its own rules.

Violence is everywhere, and people are remarkably willing to handle problems themselves. Even the police seem to understand that this isn't quite a normal environment.

There is something almost surreal about the way criminal organizations, oil companies, workers, and law enforcement exist alongside each other.

At times, the oil business even starts to resemble the drug world.

Not because the two things are literally the same, but because the show keeps presenting a world built around money, power, loyalty, intimidation and people who can become expendable when they get in the way.

Tommy Norris: The Man Who Can Handle Almost Anything

Tommy (Billy Bob Thornton) is my favorite character in the show. And one of the funniest things about him is that he seems more comfortable dealing with criminals than with his own family.

He can negotiate with dangerous men. He can handle explosions, workers, and enormous problems at the oil fields. He can walk into situations where I would probably turn around and pretend I had the wrong address.

But then his daughter or ex-wife appears, and suddenly he looks like he has absolutely no idea what to do.

And honestly, I understand him.

Tommy has an enormous amount on his shoulders. His job alone would probably be enough to give me a nervous breakdown, but then he also has his son, his daughter, his ex-wife, Rebecca, Monty (Jon Hamm), and all the other disasters constantly arriving at his door.

The interesting thing about Tommy is that he seems to have developed exactly the psychological tools necessary to survive his professional life.

He compartmentalizes, reacts quickly, and doesn't give himself time to panic. He solves the problem in front of him and moves on to the next one.

But family doesn't work that way. You can't solve your daughter. You can't negotiate with a crazy ex-wife. And you can't control what other people feel.

That makes Tommy much more interesting than simply being the tough guy who knows the oil business. He is a man who has become incredibly good at surviving one kind of chaos while being completely overwhelmed by another.

Cooper Doesn't Quite Belong Here Yet

Cooper (Jacob Lofland) initially seemed like a bit of a fool to me. Then I realized he actually knows exactly what he wants.

He is deliberately choosing this life, despite knowing how difficult and dangerous it is. Cooper is brave and kind, but he isn't as accustomed to violence as many of the people around him. He hasn't developed the same emotional armor yet.

That makes his journey particularly interesting.

Rebecca, the City Girl

Rebecca (Kayla Wallace) provides some of the show's funniest moments because she feels like an outsider dropped into a world she doesn't completely understand.

The snake scene alone had me laughing.

Tommy looking at her like and saying, "What I don't understand is why aren't you moving," while she seems completely incapable of processing the situation is exactly the kind of humor that works for this show.

She is intelligent and capable, but she isn't necessarily prepared for the reality of Tommy's world.

As the episodes went by, I was starting to like her, until... her conversation with Cooper. Suddenly, she seems hateful.

It is interesting because Rebecca could have been the character who brings a different perspective into Tommy's world. Instead, she sometimes becomes part of the same power structures she initially seems to be observing from the outside.

I'm also curious how her relationship with Tommy will develop now that Monty is gone.

Everyone Has Their Own Way of Surviving

One thing I appreciated about Landman is that its characters don't all survive in the same way.

Tommy survives through competence and emotional toughness.

Cooper is trying to survive without completely losing his kindness.

Rebecca relies on intelligence and authority.

And Tommy's wife... well, she's chaotic. But she also has a surprisingly good heart.

I especially liked how she treats the older people in the home. She cares about them, entertains them, and seems determined to give them her best.

Angela (Ali Larter) can be difficult to deal with, but she isn't cruel.

The show doesn't make its characters particularly easy to categorize. People can be selfish and caring, reckless and brave, aggressive and vulnerable at the same time.

Just like real people.

Beautiful, Dangerous and Unforgiving

The landscapes in Landman are also a huge part of what makes the show work.

There is something beautiful about the enormous Texas landscape, but it never feels safe.

And maybe that is why the dead coyote stayed with me. There is something symbolic about seeing a creature that is built to survive being dead in this environment.

Because survival is really what Landman is about.

The workers survive dangerous jobs.

Tommy survives impossible responsibilities.

Cooper is trying to survive without losing himself.

The criminals survive through violence.

And the business survives almost regardless of what happens to the people inside it.

The Business Always Wins

Landman shows more than the oil industry; it shows people gradually accepting things that shouldn't feel normal.

An explosion is shocking. Until another one happens.

Violence is horrifying. Until everyone starts expecting it.

Death is tragic. Until another meeting needs to happen.

The show must go on.

Except in Landman, it isn't really the show that must go on.

It's the business.

And people have to find their own way of surviving inside it.