Landman: All 10 Episodes, Ranked Worst To Best

9 minutes read

WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for Landman season 1.

While all ten episodes of Landman season 1 are quite strong, some are much better than others. Landman is the seventh TV show from modern Western auteur Taylor Sheridan and has already become one of his most celebrated series. Although the famed creator of Yellowstone hasn’t announced official plans for Landman season 2 at the time of writing, production is expected to start up again in early 2025. With it, Billy Bob Thornton will return to lead the ensemble cast of Landman as the impenetrable Tommy Norris.

Landman excels at creating an engaging story world that often feels like watching a familiar sitcom despite its dramatic tone and format. It eloquently balances lighthearted and serious scenes and keeps the viewer guessing while also firmly establishing its characters’ identities and motivations. From its fascinating series premiere to its epic season 1 finale, Landman proves that it has found a winning formula rooted in the cultural sensibilities of West Texas backed by the formidable might of America’s oil industry. While all episodes are solid entries, there’s definitely a hierarchy in their quality.

10

Landman Episode 3

“Hell Has a Front Yard”

Landman episode 3, “Hell Has a Front Yard,” features the in-person introduction of Angela Norris, Tommy’s spontaneous ex-wife who eventually finds her way back into the fold later in the season. It also offers a more casual look at the typically relentless Rebecca Falcone who freezes when she comes face to face with a rattlesnake. Rebecca is arguably at her most likable in episode 3 but her reliability nearly feels out of character compared to the rest of the season.

As Angela arrives to stir the pot in Midland, Cooper faces heat from his M-Tex coworkers following the tragic death of Ariana’s husband. Cooper arrives at Ariana’s house to pay his respects and meets her for the first time. He clearly is not welcome there but stays with a defiant sense of purpose. This gets messy when he consoles the grieving Ariana within minutes of meeting her. Considering how divisive the Cooper and Ariana relationship became over the course of the season, episode 3 caused many Cooper fans to question whether he was overstepping basic boundaries.

9

Landman Episode 7

“All Roads Lead to a Hole”

Landman episode 7 “All Roads Lead to a Hole” features some of the greatest scenes of Monty at work, which likely gave many Hamm fans flashbacks of his Mad Men glory days. Angela and Ainsley’s “fun at the nursing home” side quest is a random but well-intentioned development that finally gives their characters something to do other than get drunk by the pool, take workout classes, and nearly give Nathan a heart attack.

Episode 7 also features the introduction of Ainsley’s love interest Ryder, a solid update from the slimy Dakota Loving in earlier episodes. The episode offers some lighthearted breathers after the tense episode 6 and doesn’t develop much in terms of cartel and oil business action. Cooper gets out of the hospital and stays at Ariana’s, although he really should have gone home to Tommy’s house and be with his family. This would arguably have been a better direction for his character and would have filled in some of the gaps in his family dynamic.

8

Landman Episode 9

“WolfCamp”

The highlight of Landman episode 9 “WolfCamp” is an unexpected but somewhat profound cameo from Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. It is one of the smartest story ideas of the entire first season because it adds a fantastic sense of realism to Monty and Tommy’s characters, who are fictional in Landman but represent actual oil company CEOs and landmen. That being said, Angela and Ainsley’s nursing home field trip to the strip club is fun albeit a bit uninspired and tasteless.

For a penultimate season 1 episode, it hits a lull outside of Monty’s health scare and Cooper starting his own business.

Angela’s second big dinner catastrophe of the season, this time with paella on the menu, takes place in Landman episode 9. The scene is chaotic and tamely tense compared to the cartel scenes to come and is ultimately harmless but repetitive. Angela gets mad and Tommy has to chase her and find the magical words to make it all better, which is exactly what happened in the other dinner scene. For a penultimate season 1 episode, it hits a lull outside of Monty’s health scare and Cooper starting his own business.

7

Landman Episode 2

“Dreamers and Losers”

Landman episode 2 “Dreamers and Losers” features gorgeous shots of the destructive aftermath of the series opener, which adds compelling visual and conceptual elements to the series. The funny bathroom scene between Dale and Ainsley is classic slapstick humor even though Ainsley’s nude scenes stirred up controversy. It feels like Landman episode 2 was really aiming for unforgettable moments, the wildest of them being Tommy cutting off the tip of his own pinky in the emergency room.

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Despite its flaws, Landman episode 2 is one of the downright funniest episodes in season 1. The scenes with Dale, Nathan, and Tommy cracking jokes in the kitchen feels straight out of a sitcom. It also introduces Rebecca Falcone, one of the fiercest no-nonsense characters in Landman, and paints a great portrait of Tommy as a father to both Ainsley and Cooper.

6

Landman Episode 4

“The Sting of Second Chances”

Landman episode 4 “The Sting of Second Chances” reveals the tenacity of Rebecca as she drops the hammer on a group of attorneys and hijacks the show. This leads to a brief glimpse of a potential romance between her and Tommy, which is a short development that ends up going nowhere. In fact, Angela talks about getting back together with Tommy shortly after, so perhaps Rebecca was the little push she needed to divorce her husband and run back to Tommy.

Episode 4 features another person on Cooper’s team getting brutally hurt. While neither of the accidents was Cooper’s fault, it is quite odd – as Tommy points out – that within two weeks on the job, three of Cooper’s coworkers have died and another gets his arm crushed. Regardless, Cooper does well under pressure but has sparked a fire of animosity between him and his new teammates, especially once he starts taking Ariana’s calls. Episode 4 also offers an awkward dinner at The Patch between Angela, Ainsley, Rebecca, and Tommy that reveals more about Tommy and Angela’s marriage history and financial woes.

5

Landman Episode 8

“Clumsy, This Life”

Landman episode 8 “Clumsy, This Life” finally gives Ainsley an actual story with the addition of Ryder, who compliments her well. Episode 8 has some of the richest and naturally gripping legal drama scenes of the entire season. In what is arguably Cooper’s shining moment, he goes head-to-head with Rebecca and Nathan, the latter of whom demonstrates an unrealized grit in the episode, and lands Ariana a million-dollar payout. This sends Monty’s rage and heart rate into orbit and may have been the final straw in his heart finally giving out in the season 1 finale.

Episode 8 has some of the richest and naturally gripping legal drama scenes of the entire season.

Later, Ariana gives Tommy her two cents after she feels disrespected by him after inviting him for dinner, which acts as Tommy’s stamp of approval for their controversial relationship. The interesting inclusion of the National Guard adds a unique element to the rising action. They use plots of Monty’s untapped oil land for target practice, which immediately backfires when they mistakenly take out cartel members during a drug handoff in the middle of the desert.

4

Landman Episode 5

“Where Is Home”

Landman episode 5 “Where Is Home” features an awesome Monty scene in a meeting with oil executives and politicians as he reminds them all about the realities of the business they’re in. As Angela rapidly jumps back into Tommy’s life, she inspires one of the funniest scenes in the series when Nathan looks on in dismay at a cargo truck of furniture backing into Tommy’s driveway.

Even After 10 Episodes, Landman Never Figured Out A Way To Make Its Controversial Scenes Work

The entire first season of Taylor Sheridan’s Landman is out, and the oil industry drama never really made its more divisive material work.

The gripping cartel confrontation in Landman season 5 establishes that these scenes will always be the most viscerally intense in the series, drawing comparisons to acclaimed shows like Narcos and Breaking Bad. Angela digs her heels in with her first family dinner, this time bolognese, which offers one of the rare scenes of Ainsley and Cooper together. Other unforgettable moments, such as Cooper getting attacked and an M-Tex employee getting crushed by pipes, make episode 5 one of the best of Landman season 1.

3

Landman Episode 1

“Landman”

The Landman premiere set the stage early for what viewers could expect on a weekly basis: The natural charisma and expertise of Tommy Norris, the dangers and harsh realities of the oil business from the ground up, and a fantastic and inimitable modern Western tone. The big action set piece with the oil tanker driving into a private jet leaves a firm impression. Tommy is instantly likable and someone who earns viewers’ respect and admiration without ever asking for it. The cartel interrogation in the cold opening scene also adds immediate tension. Ultimately, the Landman pilot succeeds in captivating interest, setting up characters, and establishing a setting that’s easy to come back to.

2

Landman Episode 6

“Beware the Second Beating”

Landman episode 6 “Beware the Second Beating” has one of the darkest yet satisfying scenes in the series as Tommy calls up a posse to get revenge on Manuel and those who nearly killed Cooper. Following a great opening montage led by the folk-country song “If Today Doesn’t Do Me In” by Ian Noe, viewers get to see Monty and Tommy talk face-to-face for the first time at Monty’s unbelievable Fort Worth mansion. The series could be built on their dynamic alone, as Hamm and Thornton prove to be an exceptional onscreen duo.

Episode 6 also features an intense race to the hospital from Fort Worth to Midland once Tommy discovers what happened to Cooper. Tommy gives his son a wake-up call by saying, “This is the type of beating you get when the first one didn’t take.” On the brighter side, episode 6 sees Angela getting back her precious Bentley from Victor and offers Dale’s funniest line as he snacks on junk food, “They sell it in a hospital, how bad can it be?” Tommy’s revenge sequence at the end of episode 6 might just be the best of the series thus far.

1

Landman Episode 10

“The Crumbs of Hope”

Landman season 1 saved the best for last with its near-movie-length finale “The Crumbs of Hope.” At 80 minutes long, the Landman season 1 ending leaves everything on the table while setting up an intriguing premise for the eventual season 2. The finale starts with a great and much-needed use of Demi Moore’s Cami Miller as Monty appears to be on his way out. The Landman cartel scenes are elevated to new heights as Tommy is tortured but never breaks before a shocking twist ending.

Monty’s apparent death is the most tragic development for the prospect of Landman season 2. While his character was morally questionable, the absence of Jon Hamm will leave a very notable hole in the series which will be difficult to fill. Apart from the main story, Ainsley and Ryder’s budding relationship shows promise while Cooper and Ariana fall deeper into love, hinting that their unpopular romance is here to stay.

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Landman’s season 1 finale offered a climactic finish for several narratives while also setting up story elements for season 2 and beyond.

After an impressive start, Rebecca’s main purpose has devolved into making tone-deaf statements about the environment, which Tommy can’t believe considering she willingly works for M-Tex. Angela continues to have an impact by adding levity and has shown how much she loves Tommy underneath all her spontaneity and theatrics. Expect her to carry a similar tune in Landman season 2. As for Tommy, who has mostly wielded information and cold hard facts as his weapon of choice in season 1, he could have a hard time getting past that gruesome kidnapping. Tommy may call upon some of that monumental oil strength he refers to in season 1 and place a bullseye on the cartel in Landman season 2.