Billy Bob Thornton Warned ‘Landman’ Fans About Season 2 Months Ago — And It Turns Out He Was RIGHT All Along!
Just the way Tommy predicts tough times because Cami is obsessed with making decisions (good or bad…. mostly bad), Thornton advised fans to brace themselves for something different. He didn’t exactly say that the season would be terrible (can’t mess with that Paramount check), but he used several clever sentences to say, “Lower your expectations… Sheridan’s channeling his inner Cami!” As someone who has starred in many hit shows, including Fargo and Goliath, he can easily tell where a show is going, and he did so with Landman.
Thornton Knew Fans Would Yawn a Lot in Season 2
Before the start of Season 2, Billy Bob Thornton and series co-creator Christian Wallace had a chat with Entertainment Weekly, during which they opened up on their experiences so far. They also advised fans on what to expect this time around. Regarding that, Thornton was more frank, revealing that the new chapter wouldn’t be as explosive as the previous one.
“Now that the audience knows all the characters, Taylor was able to really dive into the relationships more. Last season, we had to explain what this business was all about and who the people are. This season, he was able to really focus in the first few episodes on the family dynamic and the business dynamic. But this one really ramps up as it goes on, and there’s more and more intensity.”
Indeed, Sheridan has dived into the relationships more. Rebecca is now playing as much as she is working, and has gotten herself a seemingly good man. Angela has reduced her video calling habits and is now appearing in person more, making nice dinners and breaking plates afterward. Cooper is determined to be a good partner and will do everything to be seen as worthy by Ariana, even if it means wildcatting without doing proper research. Then there’s Ainsley, who is determined to be the greatest cheerleader of all time…. and the greatest Mama’s Girl, too.
It sure feels like we are getting access to these characters a lot more. No one feels elusive. Everyone has enough screen time. However, all this has come at a cost. Landman is no longer Landman. It’s Family Man. Those who were hoping to learn more about thermodynamics, permeability, fracking, and all other cool things that are related to the oil industry have been left in the dusty fields.
‘Landman’ Has Become a Soap Opera
Season 1 thrived by focusing on the dangerous and technical side of oil drilling as well as the culture embraced by those who work in the industry. The corporate arcs are cool, too, but there have only been flashes of them in Season 2. Cami was advertised as a bolder and wiser version of Monty… the person who would take M-Tex to the next level, but she has only appeared occasionally to piss Tommy off. Tommy hasn’t done anything of note either… professionally speaking. As Thornton mentioned, “there’s more and more intensity” in the last few episodes, but not exactly the right kind. The penultimate episode was wildly controversial, because Ainsley’s feud with a non-binary roommate… a feud that didn’t do anything for either character. Things would have been more interesting if such a feud emerged from a corporate angle. Imagine Rebecca or Nathan learning to get along with a non-binary exec. Now that’s interesting. Hopefully, Season 3 will be better. Have you been impressed by the latest season?
