Everything Wrong With Landman Season 2

"Landman" had a stellar first season, but for some devotees, Season 2 proved to be less than fantastic. Whether it's the way the show treats Tommy Norris' (Billy Bob Thornton, star of the underrated crime drama "Goliath") righteous rants, or how Angela (Ali Larter) and Ainsley (Michelle Randolph) dominate the drama with their antics, or even about the way the series writes about life in the oil field, lots of viewers came away from the experience bitterly disappointed.

Sure, there were some highlights — Tommy's fight with newly-made executive Cami (Demi Moore) over who ought to be leading M-Tex Oil; the entrance of his crusty father, T.L. (Sam Elliott), who's trying to heal and get on with life after the passing of Tommy's mother. But the bad sometimes outweighs the good, no matter how hard a show's producers and actors try.

Though Season 3 of "Landman" has already been guaranteed by the show's excellent streaming numbers, there are plenty of reasons for audiences to consider clicking away from the show to avoid further disappointment. Here's a list of everything that's wrong with Season 2 of "Landman."

"Landman" has never been shy about the fact that it's on the side of the oil companies whose activities it fictionalizes. Tommy has gone on the kind of anti-solar energy rants that would make the nearest Greenpeace activist turn bright red with fury, and it's been less-than-kind about wind turbines and other forms of non-petroleum-based resources as well.

Season 2 feels a little less subtle to viewers than it was in Season 1 about its opinion on the topic. Tommy's sermons feel more strident, and the show's belief in bubbling crude stays irritatingly omnipresent, with alternative energy sources being bashed left and right. One doesn't expect a show about the oil industry to suddenly stop caring about derricks and gushers, but it would be nice to see a little variety thrown in for the sake of the show's storyline.

Tragically, it looks like "Landman" is set to continue echoing "Yellowstone" on the topic of environmentalism — and since that program "treated" viewers to shallow stereotypes like Summer Higgins (Piper Perabo), it probably won't be pretty.

Fans of "Landman" have admittedly gotten a laugh and a half out of Season 2 — though unfortunately all of that humor was unintentional. Who can blame them? It features a moment in which Angela loses her mind because of her period. Sometimes that highly familiar Taylor Sheridan's "Yellowstone" universe feeling doesn't land, and as a result, no one takes the show and its ambitions seriously. "I'm not pretending it's prestige TV or something chasing Emmy's. Angry Billy Bob makes me laugh. Sometimes that's all I want in a show," u/Spamburger_Hamburger said in the "Landman" subreddit.

Plenty of other fans think certain characters are over-the-top absurd, a problem that often comes up in relation to the way the program treats Ainsley and Angela. "The mother and daughter are tiresome one-dimensional cartoon character props that add nothign [sic] to the story," said u/NoSmarter. Still, there are a loyal group of "Landman" watchers who think the program is trying to be funny on purpose. "The wife and daughter finding meaning to life by placating old people was hysterical. The show is great because it's so ironically funny," said a deleted user.

Speaking of Angela and Ainsley — and folks like Ariana (Paulina Chavez) — the female characters in the cast of "Landman" definitely seem to be treated as lesser beings compared to their male counterparts. if Ariana must always brood, then Ainsley and Angela must always be overly-feisty pieces of eye candy, and Rebecca (Kayla Wallace) must always be steely and cool-tempered. Season 2 hasn't done anyone any favors — except for, perhaps, Cami, who's been allowed to show more depth and behave in a stronger fashion as time has gone on.

"I feel like the writers hate women. This season seems to highlight how insufferable they think women are," remarked u/Free_Leg2765. Even those who aren't apt to sympathize with people like Ariana admit that they think the show's treatment of all of its female protagonists is less than stellar. "Im a 41 year old man who normally doesn't give two f**** and I am insulted for women watching this," remarked u/Life_Fuel2637.

Season 1 of the show has been given plenty of plaudits from fans, who found its spare storytelling and smart look at Tommy's foibles interesting. Unfortunately, Season 2 feels less special if only because the narrative balance is completely off. Perhaps it's the odd behavior of the characters, perhaps it's the way it the show put so much narrative weight on M-Tex and Ariana's relationship with Cooper (Jacob Lofland, who appeared in "Mud" with Matthew McConaughey). In any event, Season 2 of "Landman" doesn't end up feeling like a continuation of Season 1 at all.

Audiences noted the lack of cohesiveness as well. "Season 2 feels like a completely different world, a different story from season 1. The character dynamics have changed, the music has changed, the stakes aren't as personal. It feels like it went off the rails," remarked u/WaveFormTX.

"I loved season one. I felt like the show had a plot and just a certain feel to it. This season is just not the same and feels a little bit all over the place in some ways," remarked u/moonlight10240. Agreed u/Ddave229, "Season 1 was a gritty western. It had me hooked instantly and had me looking forward to going home and binging after work. This season has felt like absolute slop. A whole lot of scenes without any substance."

Danny "Gallino" Morrell (Andy Garcia) was moved front and center during Season 2 of "Landman." Though he was introduced during Season 1 — in which Tommy takes quite a beating from his men in response to Monty's (Jon Hamm) dirty dealings with his cartel — in Season 2 he tries to integrate himself with Tommy's social set and tries to charm Cami. He eventually pressures Tommy into entering into a partnership with him. But the way the show used Gallino during Season 2 didn't always work. He looms over Season 3, and that might spell trouble for a show that already has narrative balance issues.

"He seems pretty out of place with the rest of the show's vibes. Not that I don't like Andy Garcia," remarked u/wedditasap. But some "Landman" devotees liked what Gallino brings to the table; the problem is that there's not enough of him. "The cartel and Andy Garcia should played a bigger role like he take control of loans but uses mtex to move product and cash from the cartel and he implicates demi Moore, fbi involvement, take full control ... starts war with other drug cartel and mtex employees get caught up in the violence with tankers and pumps being destroyed," remarked u/FunKangaroo2943, with rambling accuracy.

Speaking of the cartel, a lot of Season 2 feels as if it's dedicated to establishing them as a major threat so Season 3 can resolve the problem. That means Season 2 treads a lot of water with Ainsley and Angela at the old folks' home, T.L. fantasizing about his home health aide, and Ariana and Cooper's romantic pas de deux, which has resulted in the two of them constantly locking horns and then making amends.

All of these things make no sense to "Landman" fans, who signed on to learn more about Tommy and watch more the M-Tex related plots that were heavily favored during Season 1. It's hard not to notice the lack of careful balance between Tommy's professional and personal lives, and for many it's getting irritating because it feels like the show cares more about the future than the present. 

And the wait for something — anything — interesting to happen has felt endless for them, too. "The season is almost over.. absolutely nothing of value has happened," remarked u/johnnyhentsch. Why does the drama seem to be all build-up and no fulfillment? Because of all of that time spent foreshadowing Season 3.

"It's like this season is "building" up for next season. Watch the season end with a cliffhanger or somewhat interesting ending for next season," remarked u/DieselFloss. They later added, "There's only what 3 episodes left. If anything is going happen it's definitely carrying into next season. Nothings of true importance is tying up this season."

Another problem with the second season of "Landman" is that the pacing is awful. Usually it is far too slow, which has neutered the show's sense of urgency and failed to make every event in the character's lives feel important. Hours and minutes seem to drag on when one watches the program — the ultimate insult to anyone who likes their action fast and furious.

That connects into previous complaints that the drama's overstuffed with plot points, making it absolutely irritating to get through when you're hoping that the slam-bang feeling of Season 1 will return. It's a sense of momentum that's only extant in Season 2 when it's out in the field, coating its characters in blood and sweat.

Devotees of the series have noticed how awkward the rhythms of "Landman" feel as well. "It's really moving at a snails pace. To the point now where I feel more annoyed at most of the characters rather than amused or entertained," said u/SonicChairToss. Added u/thatsthatdude2u, "The show is dragging, wasting too much screen time on uninteresting subplots."

Then there's the romance between Cooper and Ariana, which began with the young man comforting the feisty working-class girl in the wake of the loss of her husband. Over Season 2, the romance is serious enough that they become engaged. Their push-pull, fire-and-ice connection feels like a strange plot outlier in spite of the series' attempt at integrating them with the rest of the story. Ariana's insistence upon living her own life and keeping her own home and job has vexed audiences, and her willingness to throw Cooper out on his ear when she's piqued just makes her look icy and stubborn instead of cautious and thoughtful.

Fans are definitely hot and cold on Ariana and Cooper's connection as well. "I literally hate Cooper and Arianna so much it's like visceral ughhhhhhhh," said u/Sudden_Account_1600.

It's also never a good sign when people feel like they can easily avoid whole storylines, and some fans say they're doing that when it comes to this romance. "What's made the season better for me is I've skipped every single Ariana and Cooper scene and feel like I've not missed anything because their romance plot has no bearing on anything else in the show," said u/Pleasant-Escape9834.

The most irritating part of "Landman," however, is how closely the show resembles a soap opera. From the romances to the ripe dialogue, to the lush locales and the over-the-top plot twists; plenty of people who hate the second season of "Landman" think it resembles love in the afternoon more than an Emmy-baiting nighttime drama. The first season didn't delve as deeply into this sort of writing, and that makes it stick out like a sore thumb compared to Season 1.

Many balked at Season 2 because of that tonal mismatch. "Season 2 has been a snooze ... it's becoming a soap opera my grandma would watch in the 90's ...", said u/Purple-Data-3965.  "It feels like a daytime soap opera with almost nothing to do with oil." u/MTMax5-56_45-70 said. 

To be fair to "Landman," there are worse things it could do than resemble shows like "Dallas" and "Knots Landing," which are still loved by fans of suds and catfights. Perhaps someday it will have a storied legacy like those programs — but if Season 3 follows in the footsteps of Season 2, don't bet on it.