Cooper arouses the rage of a dangerous antagonist while helping the newly widowed Ariana.
Here are some random thoughts prompted by “Where is Home” — Episode 5, Season 1 of Landman. (The recap for Episode 4 is available here.) Warning: There are scads of spoilers here, so you should wait until you watch before you read.
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- Looks like Oscar Wilde was right: No good deed goes unpunished. The newly widowed Ariana asked Cooper to drop by her house and help her sort through the paperwork that needs tending to after her husband’s death in the oil rig explosion. He answered the call, in large part to appease his survivor’s guilt, and stuck around afterwards to mow Ariana’s lawn. Big mistake: Manuel, who previously warned Cooper not to go near his cousin Ariana again, drove up to the house, and pulled out a gun.
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- Fortunately, Ariana managed to save Cooper’s bacon by more or less humiliating Manuel into dropping the gun. But she may have gone a tad too far when, after Manuel warned his cousin that Cooper was only being nice so he could have sex with her, Ariana planted a big wet sloppy one right on Cooper’s lips, then said: “If he keeps playing his cards right, he might just get the chance.” This probably wasn’t what Cooper wanted her to say. And it definitely wasn’t what Manuel wanted to hear.
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- In the heat of the moment, Cooper manned up and warned Manuel that the next time he pointed a gun at him “will be the last.” Not a smooth move.
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- Does Taylor Sheridan have it guaranteed in his contract with Paramount+ that he can slip into every other episode of Landman a scene where a major character trash-talks alternative energy? In Episode 3, Tommy lectured Rebecca about the impracticality of making the transition from fossil fuel to green power, and added that even with the wide use of solar panels, wind turbines and other forms of alternative energy, companies like M-TEX will remain in business because oil is used to manufacture so many products. In this episode, Monty Miller virtually repeated Tommy’s diatribe, claiming M-TEX won’t have to worry about going out of business for a long time. It should be noted, however, that another member of the board cautioned that the boom times won’t last forever: “The party’s not ending tomorrow. But it is ending.”
- Meanwhile, back at the oil field, Tommy was visited by members of the same Mexican drug cartel who held him prisoner at the start of Episode 1. They tried to strong-arm him into repaying them for the “merchandise” they lost when an M-TEX tanker truck plowed into the plane (“borrowed” from M-TEX) that had landed (on an M-TEX road) to unload drugs. Once again, Tommy demonstrated the enormous size of his brass cajones by threatening that law enforcement agencies and the U.S. military would step in if the cartel made good on its threats. (He was exaggerating, of course, but not by much.) The cartel guys backed off — temporarily — but Tommy decided it would be prudent to confer with Monty in Fort Worth before making another move.
- Rebecca and Nate conferred to decide just how much M-TEX should pay the survivors of the oil well explosion — or, to be more precise, how much they could get away with paying them — as compensation for the loss of their loved ones. Rebecca emphasized that they needed to make a settlement before the survivors hired their own lawyers to handle negotiations. Which leads us to wonder: If Cooper continues to advise Ariana, might he inform her — inadvertently or otherwise — that the same company employing his father, Tommy, likely won’t act in her best interest?
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- Using a credit card belonging to her estranged (and soon to be ex) husband, Angela paid big bucks to refurnish the house she assumes she will share with Tommy now that they’re reconciled. Nathan and Dale, who currently share the residence, agreed that they should start looking for new lodgings. (Nathan: “This is an unsustainable way for us to cohabitate.” Dale: “It’s got a shelf life, that’s for sure.”) To celebrate, Angela cooked a lavish meal for an extended-family dinner. Unfortunately, Cooper and his sister Ainsley could barely hold any kind of conversation, much less a civil one. And Angela got upset as she noticed that the exotic cuisine on her menu was not going over well with some of her guests. It was up to Tommy to salve her hurt feelings, and he rose to the occasion. Still, as far as their reconciliation is concerned, he admitted: “I don’t think we have an ice cube’s chance in hell to make this work.” On the other hand, he didn’t demand that she get his old furniture back.
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Billy Bob Thornton as Tommy Norris.
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- We’re still waiting for Demi Moore to say or do anything of consequence in her role as Cami Miller, Monty’s wife. Time’s wasting: We’re already at the midpoint of the ten-episode season.
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- Can’t say this came as a big surprise: When Cooper returned to his place, he found Manuel and his crew waiting for him. The good news: Manuel didn’t point a gun at him. The bad news: His unwelcome visitors beat the holy hell out of Cooper. All things considered, Cooper might have preferred being shot.
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- And another one bit the dust: At the oil field, a worker made the mistake of standing atop the huge pile of pipes on the back of a truck, and was crushed beneath the weight when the pipes rolled off. With his dying breath, the guy asked Tommy what he should tell his wife as he struggled to reach her on his cellphone. Tommy, shocked and nearly speechless, could only say: “Tell her you love her.” Alas, the call could not be completed.
