Landman Season 2 Officially Ends Its Secret Yellowstone Story

Landman Season 2 was quietly telling one of Yellowstone’s stories, but the trend officially ends in Episode 7, “Forever Is an Instant.” With only three installments left in Landman Season 2, the episode feels like the calm before the storm. Tommy Norris (Billy Bob Thornton) finally reconciles with Angela (Ali Larter), and Cooper (Jacob Lofland) proposes to Ariana (Paulina Chavez).

Landman Season 2 had a massive debut on Paramount+, amassing 9.2 million viewers in its first two days, according to the platform (per Variety). However, the program’s Rotten Tomatoes score reflects a mixed reception between audiences and critics. That said, the series departs from one of its most toxic trends in Episode 7, which could improve its reception.

Landman Season 2 Episode 7 Officially Ends Its Yellowstone Story

Image via Paramount

Landman had taken a page from Yellowstone. One of the most ongoing tropes throughout Yellowstone’s five seasons was that John (Kevin Costner), Beth (Kelly Reilly), Kayce (Luke Grimes), and Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley) couldn’t enjoy a family meal without it ending in turmoil. Landman repeated this in the Norris family tree, with fights between Angela and Tommy ruining most meals.

Therefore, Landman has been emulating Yellowstone’s trope of disastrous family dinners, copying one of its most formative stories. However, the trend has officially ended in Episode 7, now that Tommy and his family have been able to enjoy two meals back-to-back in peace. The show first breaks the trend in Landman Season 2, Episode 5, “The Pirate Dinner.”

After Tommy’s dad, T.L. (Sam Elliott), moves in with the family, Angela throws him a pirate-themed dinner to welcome him to the house. Dinner is even more over-the-top than usual, with Angela, Ainsley (Michelle Randolph), and others wearing pirate costumes, and the entire house decorated like the family is eating on a pirate ship near the ocean. Instead of dinner ending dramatically in Landman Season 2, Episode 5, Tommy’s family has a joyful celebration, with T.L. balancing out family dynamics. The same is true for Episode 7, with the show breaking the trend again. In “Forever Is an Instant,” Tommy resolves his relationship issues before they can ruin taco night, proving that Episode 5 wasn’t an anomaly.

In Episode 6, there was no family dinner. After joining Cami Miller (Demi Moore) and Gallino (Andy Garcia) to negotiate a loan for an offshore drilling project, Tommy meets with his associates and with Angela, Ainsley, and T.L. at the Cattleman’s Club for drinks. The celebratory event has an ominous tone, but the Norris family still has a good time. Still, Tommy and Angela’s breakfast ends poorly. After Tommy accidentally flashed the hotel room service server, Angela was upset, especially after her husband made a series of vulgar threats about what he was going to do to her omelet. However, Norris seemed to turn a corner with his apology at the end of Landman Season 2, Episode 7.

What Tommy And Angela’s Reconciliation Means For Taylor Sheridan’s Oil Drama

Image via Emerson Miller/Paramount+

As he says at the end of “Forever Is an Instant,” Tommy has turned a corner in his life. Norris is determined to enjoy himself more, saying that he is “off the clock” after talking to Nathan (Colm Feore) about writing up Rebecca Falcone (Kayla Wallace). It causes Tommy to reconcile with Angela rather than fight her, resetting the tone. The development has T.L. to thank, with Elliott’s Landman character providing a necessary balance to the Norris family tree. T.L. can call Tommy out for his mistakes and tell him, from experience, that he needs to stop and take time to enjoy his life. Therefore, welcoming his dad back into his life has prompted real growth for Tommy.

The change could positively impact the oil drama moving forward, with Tommy Norris’s character development bringing a more well-rounded version of Norris to the surface, allowing Thornton to bring more range to the role. Tommy’s evolution can also prompt more development in other characters. For instance, viewers are able to see a softer, more relaxed Angela in Episode 7’s conclusion. The oil drama has faced criticism for Landman’s portrayal of women since the show began. Hopefully, viewers will see more growth from Angela now that dynamics are beginning to shift in the Norris household. The change could also positively impact Tommy’s company, with Norris taking more ownership of the role that he plays in different aspects of his life.