Oh, will Monty make it? This is his fifth heart attack and third bypass surgery. And to be honest, when he's lying in the Fort Worth hospital recovery room in episode 9 of the movie, LandmanJon Hamm's M-TEX honcho looks like Death Warmed. But if you're a Texas oil billionaire worried about your health and general mortality after complaining about your heart waking up again, it pays to have Jerry Jones in your group chat. . The longtime owner of the Dallas Cowboys makes a cameo appearance in this episode written by Taylor Sheridan. Jones is probably also in Sheridan's group chat. So he's able to show up at Monty's bedside and give advice through worldly anecdotes about how he got rich by living. His family is nearby and so is his business. “So you'll never find yourself lying here again wishing you had spent a little more time watching the sun rise a little more.”
Tommy Norris is also present for this, and Jones offers some rich man's wisdom and, despite Monty's serious condition, how grateful he is to be reunited with the woman he's loved all his life, despite all the nonsense. I came to appreciate it. Tommy calls Angela, saying, “I love you.” He knows he hasn't said enough. As for Monty, this time there's a ticker saying he's not feeling well, so we know it's something really serious. He promotes Tommy to vice president of operations and gives him a significant raise. Wait, what about the end of episode 8, when Monty's landlord straight up threatened the liability chain lawyer? Well, Tommy better figure out how to continue working with Rebecca Falcone. Because Monty offered her a full-time position as M-TEX's new vice president of oil exploration.
When Cooper talked about the future and the Landman, he expanded his vision of who he would become to include the woman he fell in love with. “I fell in love with you the first time I saw you,” he confesses to Ariana. “And I'm still falling.'' He didn't just plan for the first worker to die, or for the survivor to be beaten and to be touched by the widow of a deceased co-worker. It was. But there's no turning back now. Not for either of them. Their plodding kisses throughout the season are constantly interrupted and replaced by much longer, more definitive kisses, followed by physical chemistry experiments that they both excel at.
go back a long time Landman In episode 2, Cooper proudly declares to Tommy that he will become a landman. He even promised to be Monty. And now, after intercourse, Coop shows Ariana another intention. The only way they can escape the dangers and uncertainties of Patch? The patch itself. He will aim to secure a series of old land leases in the Permian Basin, where oil is valuable but hard to come by. Success in the Wolf Camp Shale Area will require expensive horizontal drilling. You will need tenacity. This requires driving to a dusty old leaseholder's property and convincing a stubborn money-maker to sell the lease to Cooper. “You don't look like a land person,” the man says. “It's a working man's boot.'' The problem is, Cooper has been and always will be both. All he has to get his own oil business off the ground is his work ethic and reputation, and apparently that's all he has. They go inside to sign the papers.
Monty's plight, and this episode's reassuring note for the characters' collective future, doesn't stop Tommy's ongoing troubles with the cartel. The situation could be more volatile than ever after M-TEX arranged for the US Army to conduct marksmanship training within the patch and ended up dropping mortars on some cartel fighters. . Jimmy, the leader of a local cartel, argues with Tommy over the phone. He has made it clear that he has been keeping an eye on Norris' movements. And even though the whole reason they're having this conversation is because of Patch's particular brand of chaos, he still wants retribution for his lost men and products. “We used to just stay out of each other's way,” says Tommy, back when he was still working out of a burlap sack. Cartelman and Landman agree to meet. Whether they close the deal or pull out the guns will be an interesting prospect heading into next season finale.
As she settles into life in Midland and rekindles her relationship with Tommy, Angela insists on partying with the old men again. Her and Ainsley's latest ploy? Rent Rick's Cabaret in Odessa to host a matinee with dancers and booze, and attract senior living expenses for the resulting wild time. (At least for a while. “They can't last more than an hour.”) But the problem is, you'll also need male strippers. Then Ainsley's new quarterback boyfriend, Ryder, appears. The negotiations include some whispered promises, which Ainsley uses to convince resident Beefcake to agree. It looks like he'll start dancing in a jockstrap soon, but won't be doing much else.
The culmination of this swaying subplot of the lives of the elderly, Landman Finale. For now, it's time for another family dinner with Dale, Nate, and Ryder at the table, complete with a large bowl of Angela's homemade paella. No plates. It is eaten in groups using wooden spoons. And while Tommy can't accept Angela's exotic dinner as a performance act, he doesn't let it derail him. Watching Monty struggle to recover from bypass surgery really touched my heart. He tells Angela that he is happy to satisfy her personal needs with a high-concept family meal. But the reality he envisions for their chance to be together again is more mundane. “I just want to eat and drink fake beer, lie next to you at night, and forget about the day.”
In fact, Monty is still fighting. When we last saw him in episode 9, his ECG suddenly reached a red peak and Tommy received a call from Cami Miller, but didn't hear her side of the story. Cooper shared some wisdom from his father with Ariana. When it comes to oil exploration and rolling the dice on the patch, “If you get carried away with the pursuit, you lose everything.” Cooper and Arianna, Tommy and Angela – Landmanpeople are taking decisive action towards their future. In addition to all the other questions about the finale, it's whether Monty, who was always obsessed with the chase, will be in on it.
Johnny Loftus (@glennanges) is an independent writer and editor who lives extensively in Chicagoland. His work has appeared in The Village Voice, All Music Guide, Pitchfork Media, and Nicki Swift.
