Without Billy Bob Thornton there is no Landman. Only he translates Taylor Sheridan‘s conservative cynicism as winning wisdom, ready to face anyone head-on – and silence them: from the drug dealer with a gun to his head to the United States Army. No one surprises or surpasses Tommy’s quick thinking.

Although childish and predictable, the actor’s charm makes up for it and it becomes fun to watch him jump from scene to scene, always winning the argument. If it were in real life, I don’t know if it would be as good.

The conclusion of the 1st season of the Paramount Plus series, with a super cast that includes Demi Moore, Jon Hamm, and even Andy Garcia (another who exudes cynicism with a class like few others) brought twists, closing some cycles and creating possible dramas. And if Garcia is here to stay as the drug lord Galino, it will be great.

Tommy’s story is that in the past he was potentially as prosperous as Monty, but he lost everything in a bad bet and became his friend’s employee. He is the best because he has worked on both sides of the table based on his own experience and, as he is a man of few emotions, he makes practical decisions. Nothing could be more important than that in the last 24 hours of the character’s life in the season: in what ended up being Monty’s last decision in life, Tommy became the Vice President of the company and now he is the one in charge of everything.

In terms of story, Power comes with many challenges (in addition to the forced partnership with Galino), including having a more active Cami (Moore) in the plot. She was missed. There are many complex things in Landman, from the exploitative machismo of women (always scantily clad, interested in money, and ready for quick sex) to the irritating passion between Tommy’s son and one of the widows on the team who died on the job while he survived. Cooper (Jacob Lofland) is now the new “landman”, but one who will be on his own father’s path.

In this way, Landman is the traditional soap opera that works. The performances are great, the only problem is the pacing with the right-wing preacher monologues to contextualize that nothing has changed, that for centuries the fight for oil has controlled everything on the planet, and that greed is the greatest danger to humanity. Or something like that, in general, they are older men who are owners of the truth and who talk, talk, and talk without being interrupted. Unless Billy Bob is on the scene, then he always has the last word.

That said, it is interesting to see the turn of the story and the dramatic possibilities that will have even more strength in the next season. They haven’t run out of energy yet!

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