Great shows keep people talking, and Landman has achieved that easily. Will it still be in discussion 20 years from now, like The Sopranos or Deadwood? That remains to be seen. A more relevant question would be: Can it be better than Yellowstone? That’s possible. Season 2 of the Taylor Sheridan neo-Western was a bit shaky… but Season 1 was near-perfect, with fans and critics only having one major complaint: Demi Moore’s character, Cami. Cami was introduced in Season 1 as the loving wife of M-Tex CEO Monty (portrayed by Jon Hamm). The character only appeared in a few scenes, leaving fans wondering why Sheridan would hire one of Hollywood’s most talented stars only to underuse her. Thankfully, good news came, with Moore reassuring fans that she would have more room to play in Season 2. Speaking to Cinemablend, the actress revealed that Sheridan had informed her early enough that Cami would only step onto the big stage later in the series. She did, but not in the way everyone expected.
Season 1 Used Demi Moore Sparingly… for a Good Reason
Paramount+
Fans were right to question Demi Moore’s limited input in Season 1. After all, she is a highly decorated actress, with one Emmy nomination and four Golden Globe nominations. However, she was placed on the bench for a reason. From the beginning, Jon Hamm had made it clear that he’d only be around for a single season, an understandable move considering that Monty was only meant to be a supporting character, yet there was a bigger offer for a lead role in Apple TV’s Your Friends and Neighbors. Sherdian thus figured that there’d be no one better to replace Hamm’s character as the head of M-Tex than his own wife, Cami. Moore was okay with the entire plan, so she stuck around, waiting to get more screen time in Season 2. This was hardly surprising, as Taylor Sheridan has a way of getting top actors to trust him and work with him. Just look at the rosters for his other shows.
Season 1 thus ended with Monty dying from complications following a heart attack and triple bypass surgery. Before his death, Cami had been restricted to the traditional role of “loving wife.” She would appear in household scenes to comfort her husband and provide him with everything he needed. Rarely was she involved in the business side of things. All this changed in Season 2, but instead of being a sensation, Cami ended up being one of television’s most annoying characters.
Cami’s Choices Made ‘Landman’ Season 2 Hard To Watch
Paramount
Fans thought Cami would step into M-Tex’s biggest office and be a total darling, just like her husband. Instead, she became worse than Bobby from Horrible Bosses, making one shocking decision after another without a care in the world. Every show needs a good villain, but we didn’t imagine Cami would be the person causing fans to bang tables.
Season 2 started quite well, with Demi Moore even attempting to replicate her iconic washroom mirror scene from The Substance. After being disrespected by a group of young girls who had come to hunt for rich men at an M-Tex luncheon of oil and banking executives, Cami took the microphone and asserted her dominance. In a last-minute improvised speech, she warned everyone that her leadership would be meaner and more ruthless than that of Monty. But even though she had no management experience, no one expected her to be so bad on the job. Among the shocking decisions she made was partnering with Gallino to get herself out of M-Tex’s $400 million quagmire. Despite being warned by Tommy that Gallino was a cartel figure, she signed the papers anyway, vowing to keep her husband’s company alive. Cami would later shock fans even more by gambling on a $420 million offshore natural gas rig with only a 10% success chance and firing Tommy for not sharing her vision. With these movies, Cami seemed like she was just trying to remind everyone she was the boss rather than do the right thing.
Season 2 Ruined Demi Moore’s Recent Career Momentum
Mubi
The Substance gave Demi Moore a much-needed career comeback, and things were meant to flow smoothly from there. The film, about a washed-up TV star who uses a dangerous black market drug to create a younger version of herself, earned her an Oscar nomination, with many feeling she was robbed of a win. With a more prominent role in Season 2 of Landman, Moore should have kept on shining. But she didn’t… and it’s largely Taylor Sheridan’s fault. She represents all the misguided stereotypes about women in leadership.
To keep up the momentum, Moore needed to continue playing great characters. Sadly, Cami isn’t a great character. She represents all the misguided stereotypes about women in leadership. Rather than redeem Cami, Season 2 kept hinting that she couldn’t see the bigger picture like the men. It was repeatedly implied that she was unqualified and stubborn…. Nowhere near as visionary as her late husband. Such is the kind of characterization Hollywood has been working hard to leave behind. In contrast, her character in The Substance is as perfect as they come. She represents a problem that almost every woman faces in Hollywood: rejection due to aging. The movie showed how such poor treatment from the industry can lead to desperation. In her acceptance speech at the Golden Globes, Moore revealed how she had suffered behind-the-scenes bullying, recalling how a producer had destroyed her confidence by labeling her a “popcorn actress.” She finally proved the person (and everyone else with a similar mind) wrong. Sadly, Landman is taking Moore back to where she tried hard to get away from. Will things be better in Season 3?
