SPOILER ALERT: The following contains spoilers for Landman Season 2, Episode 2.

The second Landman Season 2 episode is almost as uneven as the first. Season 2, Episode 2, “Sins of the Father” is also written by series co-creator Taylor Sheridan, and it feels like Sheridan is still trying to establish the vision he has for the Paramount+ drama’s second season. Because when this episode is great, it’s really great—but when it doesn’t work, it really doesn’t work.

“Sins of the Father” doesn’t get into the fraught relationship between Tommy Norris and his dad nearly as much as the title suggests it would. There is one great scene with Tommy, his father and Tommy’s son Cooper Norris all together, yet it doesn’t go on nearly long enough. The fact that Cooper accompanies Tommy does allow for a separate scene in which Tommy opens up to Cooper about being a parent, but fathers and sons isn’t the prevailing theme here. It’s a relatively small part of a slightly scattered episode.

The oil company storyline takes a turn when Cami Miller is sued by M-TEX’s insurance company, who claim they paid out a settlement to her husband with certain unmet expectations. This is Landman‘s biggest strength, as Sheridan very clearly opens the door to a story about Monty Miller not being who he appeared to be—which will in turn have huge emotional repercussions not only for Cami, but for Tommy as Monty’s best friend and most trusted business associate. This story also means Sheridan can get back to Rebecca Falcone, Season 1’s most surprising character. Actor Kayla Wallace makes her first appearance in this episode and picks up right where she left off, as Rebecca delivers another scathing monologue. It’s been so interesting to see Rebecca’s transition from possible enemy to Tommy, to becoming one of his best and fiercest allies. And Demi Moore’s final scene, with Cami going through her husband’s office, communicates a lot without any dialogue. This plotline is Season 2’s foundation.

What’s less successful are the character developments. After being unable to reach Cooper for several hours, Ariana comes to the quick realization that she doesn’t want to live with that uncertainty again, and dumps him. Her point of view is certainly valid but the speed of the breakup is less than ideal. If this was the latest of several incidents that had made Ariana increasingly anxious, it would make a lot more sense. Or Ariana could simply ask for space and have Cooper move out of her home temporarily. But to jump to a full breakup after one bad night (as far as viewers know) feels like rushing to get to the most dramatic part. Landman was great with the slow burn of Cooper and Ariana getting to be a couple; it could’ve let the struggles in their relationship breathe more, too.

More worryingly, Angela and Ainsley continue to be purely used for comic relief. A moment in which Angela calls Tommy while he’s on his way to handle his mother’s funeral arrangements could have been a chance to see Angela support her husband; fans know she does love and care about him. But she’s only serious for a few moments before she’s back to sexual banter. Later on, both Angela and Ainsley wind up detained by the sheriff after they assault two government inspectors who arrive at the nursing home in the middle of their “aerobics” class. No one is necessarily in the right during that sequence of events, but it is frustrating to see Tommy’s only concern being getting them off the hook. In Season 1, he would have at least admonished them for taking it too far before trying to fix the situation. So far, Rebecca and Cami are the only two female characters with any momentum.

“Sins of the Father” does lay the groundwork to reintroduce Andy Garcia’s character Gallino, as Tommy learns about Cooper’s business dealings with Sonrisa and shows him who he’s actually connected to. Like Rebecca’s return, this isn’t a shock; both actors are in the opening credits. But now Landman viewers have a clear idea of why Gallino has a bigger part to play, and it’s a pretty good one. It’s more than reasonable that Cooper jumped into a business arrangement without doing his due diligence, and putting him in this predicament means he will continue to grow up as a character.

One of the best scenes in Landman Season 2, Episode 2 is when Tommy gives Cooper relationship advice, telling him that he needs to listen to Ariana, and that how Ariana chooses to put her life back together after her husband’s death is solely her choice. Part of what makes the whole Taylor Sheridan universe so great are these bits where he can be so incisive about the human experience. When Taylor Sheridan really digs into what makes his characters tick, he’s fantastic. “Sins of the Father” is trying to get to more of those moments. Sheridan has the broad strokes of what he wants to do, but it doesn’t feel like he’s gotten down to the next level yet.

Landman streams Sundays on Paramount+. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Paramount+.

Article content is (c)2020-2025 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.