Landman is a U.S. drama series created by Christian Wallace and Taylor Sheridan, inspired by Wallace’s podcast Boomtown. The show stars Billy Bob Thornton as a landman working for a major oil company in Texas. Landman premiered on November 17, 2024, and explores the high-stakes world of the oil industry through a gripping mix of corporate drama, personal conflict, and regional tension.
Landman Season 1 offered a thrilling mix of danger, family drama, corporate conflicts, and cartel threats. The show featured explosive action and emotional turning points. Each moment grabbed our attention and kept it. Key scenes advanced the plot and left us with pressing questions. Here are nine unforgettable scenes from Season 1 that have us eagerly awaiting Season 2.
Disclaimer: This article is based solely on the writer's opinion. Reader discretion is advised.
Here is the list of 9 scenes from Landman Season 1 that have us eagerly waiting for Season 2:
9. Tommy's torture & near-death cliffhanger

Season 1 of Landman is closed by the kidnapping of Tommy by cartel lieutenant Jimenez. He is put into a chair, tied up, a nail is hammered into his leg, gasoline is poured over him, and he is beaten up senselessly.
The scene is repetitive and horrible, and it makes your skin crawl. When Andy Garcia, a cartel boss, appears and murders the torturers and saves Tomme, it appears like everything that remains of him has been preserved. According to his tenuous conspiracy theory, drugs and oil are supposed to coexist.
Though Tommy survives, he’s left in a fragile, near-death state—collapsed at home, drenched in gasoline. Season 2 will likely explore his appointment as the next M-Tex president, an uneasy cease-fire with the cartel, and an escalating power struggle both in the Patch and within his family. The stakes have never been higher.
8. Jerry Jones's cameo and Monty's hospital speech

During Episode 9 of Landman, Monty goes to the hospital due to a major heart incident. Jerry Jones, the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, gets inside his hospital room. He talks to Monty and Tommy with endearing words about family, legacy, and being around the people you cherish. Jones's appearance is grounded and genuine, which adds emotional weight. Following the speech, Monty rewards Tommy with a promotion to VP of operations and offers Rebecca a crucial position at M-Tex. Tommy calls Angela's number and declares his love for her, which he does not usually do.
This scene indicates the severity of the health problem of Monty. It also alters power structures within the corporations at M-Tex, wherein new positions and tensions are established, entering Season 2. The situation changes business and personal careers in a drastic manner.
7. Angela & Ainsley throw a retirement home party

In the 9th episode of Landman, Angela and her daughter Ainsley assume initiative. They have a crazy, liquor-filled party in one of the retirement places in the area. They even hire a strip club matinee and invite the quarterback boyfriend of Ainsley to dance and entertain the old residents.
The scene features middle-aged and older Texans who let go in a theatrical, boisterous, and occasionally emotional late-life spectacular. This side plot allows Angela and Ainsley to connect through big ideas and to display less aggressive sides of living in Midland.
The scene makes their characters more than oil and power. It is a goofy vibe that balances the tension in other places of the show and reminds us that the show is concerned about human connection. Landman's Season 2 will be able to build on its wild schemes and expansion beyond the Patch.
6. Tommy and Dale deliver Western-style revenge

Tommy and engineer Dale can return to the original spirit of Western justice, before Season 1 of Landman, when Cooper is brutally battered by the cartel goons. They create a rough band of vigilantes, and they pursue the assailants and mete out brutal revenge to them. The scene has the feel of a bloody western frontier kind of story brought into contemporary West Texas.
Dale provides ambition and support, and viewers saw that Tommy has a brutal and thought-out approach. The extent of cartel violence and what Tommy will do to save his family is revealed in that revenge arc. The moment also foreshadows more strategic battles and gangland retaliation. Season 2 is brimming with escalation promises that relationships will be pushed to the test when the oil and drug wars clash in the Patch.
5. Cooper rising through fear

In Episode 4 of Landman, Cooper Norris is willing to risk his life and scale up a high rig in the night because a consummate was seriously injured. He becomes scared to death of heights and is almost paralysed, but he works through the fear and does the repair, up so high above the patch. In this scene, he is facing up as a rookie to a person who can take responsibility in the oil field.
The scene leaves us eager for Season 2, as we wonder whether Cooper will continue to grow. Will he take more risks? Can he follow in his father’s footsteps and become a true landman? Landman thrives on these moments of personal transformation, and this scene hints at Cooper stepping into a bigger role in both his family and the oil patch. As he climbs, we climb with him, feeling every ounce of his fear, courage, and determination.
4. Rebecca's courtroom showdown

In episode 4 of Landman, Rebecca Falcone prepares a deposition in an inter-personal conflict over a lease. The opponent lawyer is sexist and denies her. Rebecca does not go weak, but she stands her ground, defends herself, and takes over the room. She is sharp in legal skills and confident. This is a crucial point in Landman since it also identifies Rebecca as the major stakeholder in M-Tex Oil. We observe her desires, smartness, and the way she can affect things.
The scene establishes the details of Season 2, in which Rebecca can be a much more powerful character. Will she take the side of Tommy, or will she choose her way? That confrontation promises lawsuits and games of political brinksmanship. We would like to see her progress and the impact that she will continue to have.
3. Tommy's cartel negotiation

Early in Season 1 of Landman, Tommy meets a cartel representative to discuss drilling rights. He calmly defends M-Tex ownership and offers to build a road in exchange for peace. This smart move earns the cartel’s reluctant approval. It's a mix of Landman's negotiation skills and cowboy bravado.
The scene highlights Tommy’s composure under pressure and his ability to negotiate on the ground. It’s significant because it hints at larger cartel-oil deals in the future. We want to see if this uneasy truce lasts into Season 2. Will the cartel honor the agreement, or will conflict arise again? Tommy’s negotiation sets the stage for a broader plot where oil and drugs converge. It makes us eager to discover how Tommy’s strategic choices will influence future alliances and threats.
2. The truck-plane collision smashing scene

The pilot episode begins with a shocking crash. An out-of-control oil truck crashes into a drug plane on a lonely highway, resulting in a massive explosion. Cocaine scatters, the plane is destroyed, and bodies fall onto the road. This disaster shows how cartel activity dangerously intersects with the oil industry. Tommy finds out the plane was stolen from M-Tex, leading to a significant legal and public relations crisis.
This shocking moment makes us eager for Season 2 because we want answers. Who stole the plane? How deep are the cartel connections? Can Tommy prevent future disasters? That explosive moment establishes the tone for Landman. The stakes are high, the industry rivalry is violent, and different worlds collide. It raises questions and builds tension that need to be resolved in the next season.
1. The oil rig explosion

In the opening of Landman Episode 1, a devastating oil rig explosion rocks everything. Cooper Norris, Tommy’s son, is on the crew when the rig blows up. He watches in despair as his coworkers perish. Initially, Cooper is blamed for the incident, but it soon becomes clear that outdated and faulty machinery was the real culprit.
This scene sparks grief in Tommy and triggers legal and safety investigations at M-Tex Oil. It is crucial because it shows the dangers of the oil patch and puts Tommy on edge. It makes us want Landman Season 2 to see if Cooper can recover and grow, and whether Tommy can manage the increasing pressure from regulators, media, and family. The explosion is brutal and raw, leaving open issues of guilt, growth, and crisis that need resolution.
These scenes raised the stakes, deepened character arcs, and expanded the oil patch world. Each moment revealed new sides of the characters and added layers to the story. The cliffhangers, emotional twists, and gritty realism made viewers want more. Season 1 ended with suspense, and Season 2 now holds endless possibilities.