SPOILER ALERT: The following contains spoilers for Landman Season 2, Episode 3.

Landman Season 2, Episode 3 has a great emotional core in the journey that Cami Miller takes, and how well Demi Moore portrays it. And it also offers up some meaty drama in the person of Andy Garcia, who makes a big on-screen return. But “Almost a Home” continues to struggle with pulling all of its plot points together.

Co-creator Taylor Sheridan has written all three episodes so far, so it’s safe to say that he has a vision in mind for Landman Season 2. But that vision hasn’t effectively come across yet. The main storyline in Episode 3 is spelling out what was heavily implied by the end of Episode 2: Monty Miller was a shady businessman, and M-TEX is suffering because of it. It’s a disaster, while the episode feels just as chaotic. And what does all that mean to the people who knew Monty best, particularly his loyal wife Cami?

Moore does incredible work from beginning to end. Sheridan enables her to play Cami’s toughness and vulnerability in the same episode, and gives both equal weight. Cami is emotionally raw in the later half, such as when she gives unsolicited relationship advice. But that doesn’t take away from the earlier scene where she confronts Monty’s attorney. She can be fierce and wounded. And the closing scene, in which Cami finally collapses sobbing, is the best part of the season so far because of Moore’s completely committed performance. The only thing that keeps it from being flawless is Landman‘s continued over-reliance on needle drops, inserting a music track in the moments leading up to that burst of pure emotion.

From this, the overall plot of Season 2 becomes clear: Cami, Tommy Norris and crew must unravel Monty’s financial mess and save M-TEX from complete collapse, and Cami will be tempted to align herself with Gallino, just like Cooper did. The other major part of Landman Season 2, Episode 3 is a proper introduction to Andy Garcia’s character and what he wants. As Tommy (and the audience) suspected, he set his sights on Cooper to get Tommy in his pocket. He doesn’t waste any time on pitching himself to Cami, either. Viewers are likely to get a little lost as characters talk about LLCs and holding companies, but Garcia’s scene-chewing performance tells them what they need to know: he’s a bad guy pulling plenty of financial strings.

But while the plot specifics have been established, Landman Season 2 so far lacks the singular through-line that Season 1 had. Season 1 was a very strong piece about the role of the oil industry, told through various diverse perspectives. Audiences got to follow one theme on multiple levels. Season 2 feels much more scattered, like it really is picking up the pieces and trying to fit them together in the same way that Cami is trying to make sense of her world.

The biggest example of this is still that Angela and Ainsley have become extraneous. They were never closely tied to the main plot, but their scenes in “Almost a Home” can be skipped over with little to lose. Angela’s constant sexual commentary has already gotten old, and what should be a meaningful moment for her and Tommy—as they discuss the status of their relationship—devolves into more of the same. It’s even more jarring because that scene happens immediately before the powerful ending moment with Cami. To go from Angela to Cami shows how sharp the difference is between those two characters. One feels well-rounded and is someone the audience is emotionally invested in, and the other tends to take viewers out of the story.

One can also contrast that with the subplot in Landman Season 2, Episode 3, which gets back to the M-TEX crew on the ground. Dale, Boss and company are exposed to toxic gas when scouting a site and it’s a reminder of what that whole group adds to the show. They haven’t been used enough yet. Mustafa Speaks is a particular standout as Boss has an emotional moment driving away from the danger zone. Boss has always been a solid, unflinching character, and to see him be visibly upset is hugely impactful, even if it’s a relatively short scene. That’s the kind of thing that’s made Landman such a great show. It’s about getting to see this world unto itself, and what it says about the world at large. But Season 2, Episode 3 doesn’t have enough of those moments; it’s connecting the dots, yet it’s not convincing viewers why they should care.

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.