Solved! Tommy Norris’ $400 Million Problem On ‘Landman’

On Landman, Cami Miller and Tommy Norris have a $400 million problem that seems to require help from a drug cartel kingpin.

Or, Tommy (played by Billy Bob Thornton) just needs to remember a conversation he had one week prior.

• Season 2, Episode 8 of Landman streams on Paramount+ this Sunday (Jan. 4). It’s titled “Handsome Touched Me.”
• A critical plot line involves an insurance company’s lawsuit against M-Tex. They claim (accurately) that a $400 million was spent fraudulently.
• Cartel boss Dan Morrel (a.k.a. Gallino) has offered to loan Cami Miller the money at very favorable terms.

Read More: Landman Season 2, Five Most Likely Deaths

I’ll explain after a video that reveals no Landman spoilers. However, those who still plan to watch 1883 or 1923 may want to hop away at about the 6-minute mark.

Landman: M-Tex Oil’s $400 Million Problem, Explained

Season 2 of Landman is heavy on drama and legal jargon. Lawyers Rebecca Falcone and Nathan talk about complicated issues like they’re paid by the word. I’ve had to rewind and re-watch several scenes to figure out what’s happening.

Here’s the short version: Prior to Season 1’s timeline, a hurricane destroyed an M-Tex well in the Gulf of America. The insurance company settled the claim with the expectation that the payout ($400 million) would be put toward rebuilding the well.

Instead, Monty Miller chose to rebuild several wells in Texas. For most of the second season, his widow (Cami) and company’s landman (Tommy) ran around trying to figure out what happened to the money. Once they realized it was either invested or reallocated in a manner that made it inaccessible, they started to look for creative solutions to fund the well.

Enter Dan Morrell / Gallino (Andy Garcia), who is offering to fund the project with a not-quite-Cheshire cat grin on his face.

Tommy was opposed to taking money he considers to be dirty but Cami (Demi Moore) won’t listen. Then, during Ep. 7, M-Tex lawyers come to a realization.

Monty knew that the well had quit producing before the hurricane destroyed the rig. Re-drilling would be wildcatting (drilling on a hunch, not evidence) so he figured his odds were better against the insurance company’s lawyers. Rebecca and Nate (with help from geologist Charlie) come to the same conclusion.

Landman, S2E8 Preview

Here is the official descriptor for Landman, Season 2, Episode 8:

Tommy hires help for his ailing father. Rebecca and Charlie clash. Cami makes a risky move against Tommy’s advice.

That first sentence is a puzzler. Does TL’s health take a turn for the worse or does he reveal some sort of diagnosis that’s new to the family?

Rebecca and Charlie (played by Guy Burnet) likely clash because she’s still stinging from being humiliated by Nate, who figured out they were sleeping together. Cami’s “risky move” is likely moving forward with the plan to re-drill. Remember, Charlie said that the gains would be massive: measured in TCFs (trillion cubic feet), not MCFs (million).

M-Tex’s Money Problem, Solved

The solution to this problem does not need to go through Dan Morrell. Think back to S2E1, just before Cami’s speech for the bankers and fellow oil company executives.

Related: Here’s Where You’ve Seen Charlie From Landman Before

Tommy is making the rounds to protect critical relationships. He runs into Bob Knowles, played by former Maytag Man Colin Ferguson. Wikipedia says this character was a part of Season 1 as well, but I don’t remember him.

His conversation with Tommy to start Season 2 is what’s important. In 30 seconds time, the men negotiate to transfer a series of wells in east Texas to Bob’s company. Bob offers $300 million, Tommy counters with $600 million.

Eventually they settle on a price: $400 million.

Season 2 has taken place in about 7-10 Landman days but Knowles indicated he’d send the paperwork over promptly. I’m hoping the conclusion of Season 2 of Landman is more emphatic than a facepalm from Tommy as he remembers he made this deal, but the transaction would seemingly solve everything.