Reviewer Rating: 4.5/5.0
4.5
Eighty minutes? Randleman Season 1 Episode 10 is the long-running finale, and boy, does it deliver.
There are big changes coming to the show’s near future that give us a better idea of what season 2 will have in store.
Most shockingly, despite the show’s popularity and success on streaming, Paramount+ has yet to renew it. While “Fragments of Hope” could serve as a series finale, the likelihood of that happening is extremely slim.
By the way, as of this writing, there aren’t any photos from the finale, but if they arrive on Sunday, I’ll swap them out so you don’t feel like you’re reading old news.
Speaking of news, Paul Harvey’s The Hour Start made me smile. Many of you don’t know who he is, but he is one of the greatest speakers of our time. He compassionately weaves topical elements into the story, engaging all sides of the conversation.
He sees the world like no other, and hearing his voice start the episode may have introduced him to a new generation. That’s great.
Monty is alive – now
While he’s not dead, it’s a relative miracle that he’s still alive, so Monty’s attorney briefs Tommy and Cami on his posthumous wishes.
If Tommy dies, he will be named president to facilitate the sale of the company, with proceeds divided between a foundation managed by Cami and a trust of which Tommy serves as executor.
Regardless of whether Monty succeeded, he was incapacitated and unable to manage the company.
A transfer worth $167 million is pending, and Monty is waiting for a heart. Monty wouldn’t survive without a heart transplant, and even if he did, he would still have a long road to recovery.
With this in mind, Tommy accepted the role of President of M-Tex and Executor of the family estate and family trust. He wanted a board of lawyers and Cami, and people from Goldman Sachs.
The future of M-Tex
The subcontracting agreement that Monty struck was very beneficial to M-Tex.
Tommy revealed that the worst-case scenario is another epidemic or OPEC flooding the market, causing oil prices to fall below 60.
Best case scenario is $1.4 billion in 48 months, or selling the paper for $800 million in 6 months before finding the next one. But it’s worthless until they drill it.
Tommy has seen how things have changed dramatically and his advice to Cami is to sell now. Generations of people will never have to work.
But what happens next, Cami wanted to know. Her thinking is generational, showing that she’s closer to Monty than we thought.
It wasn’t the money that Monty wanted, it was what they did with the money so that Monty would be remembered. Tommy discovers that what Monty wants is the same thing that killed him. Does Cami want it to kill her too?
I smile thinking about how the Dutton family in Yellowstone would have accommodated Monty’s transplant needs. They may be so arrogant as to find out who is a match and make sure his heart is available whether he is sick or not.
The oil companies might get away with a lot under government surveillance, but they don’t have a train station.
When Tommy claims he’s not a gambler, Cami reminds him that every puff he takes shows that’s not true. She wants to close down the farm and take one last roll of the dice. She might roll it once, but every decision Tommy makes rolls it.
girl, girl, girl
If there’s one song that describes Angela, Ansely, and their antics, it’s Motley Crue’s striptease anthem.
If Tommy was worried about Ryder’s intentions towards Ainsley, I think Ryder just proved his worth as a worthy suitor for Tommy’s little girl.
He gave everything he had for Ainsley, but he couldn’t help but wonder if life with her would always be so crazy. Tommy knew the answer.
I do hate that she “pays” for Ryder’s services with her body, though. The worst thing about Ainsley and Angela is that they trade sex for love. We know how Ainsley learned to do this, but what about Angela?
I don’t think we’ll ever learn this backstory, but if you’re holding out hope for a Landman future without the woman Tommy loves, tuck this pipe dream in your back pocket now.
When Tommy’s life passes before his eyes on the bookends of “Randleman”‘s season 1 premiere, all he sees is Angela. I don’t think it’s a stretch to think that the women in his life nourished his soul and kept him alive.
Rebecca, Rebecca, Rebecca
When Tommy called Rebecca to give her orders, she was clueless. She may think she’s the next best thing, but now it’s Tommy who has been promoted to president and holds the power, not her.
I loved that Tommy put her in her place after she complained that he was the buffer and not her. She has a lot to learn, and after what happened at the end of the episode, she should thank her lucky stars that she’s just negotiating.
As they talk, Tommy says conceal and carry is legal in Texas, which is why everyone waves to each other as they drive by.
Mutually Assured Destruction keeps people at peace. This has served the cartel business well.
Ariana bids farewell to the past
Before we dive into Tommy’s run-ins with the cartel, let’s take a small detour as Ariana finally begins to grieve her loss.
In doing so, she also realized that her collaboration with Cooper came too soon. She couldn’t handle the loss and the beginning at the same time. She admits she let Cooper fill Envio’s place in her heart, questioning how fair it was to all of them.
Of course, Cooper wanted to help, and not just because she almost slowed down. His heart is pure love, and selflessly knowing Ariana and Envio as a couple is the best gift he can give Ariana.
He turned a scary moment into something special for her. He commemorated Envio and his memory to prove that he was not trying to take Envio’s place.
Their love is very different from other couples we’ve seen on Randleman, and their honesty and openness is refreshing.
This must be where Cooper comes in
Tommy stepped in as president of M-Tex to complete the farm transfer, which was certainly Cooper’s responsibility. The farm is located right in the heart of WolfCreek. With the future moving forward, now is the perfect time to tap into Cooper’s drive.
Frankly, I’m too stupid to understand Cooper’s deal with the smaller properties on WolfCamp, but Cooper is so determined and confident that it’s impossible not to side with him when he makes the move, to The people he was involved with committed millions of dollars to do business with them.
Can father and son find a partner in WolfCamp and realize all their dreams?
I love that after Cooper explains his position to the cattle farmers and how he’s going to make it happen, Tommy does the same for Rebecca, Nate, and Dale – like father, like son.
But will Tommy’s dependence on Rebecca turn Cooper and Rebecca against each other? Will Rebecca run into problems if Tommy and Cooper join forces at Camp Wolfe?
Maybe not. Rebecca wasn’t ready for the job. When she found out they were going to use fracking, she was horrified. She has a hard time advocating for something she thinks is wrong.
Tommy reminds her that their world now runs on oil, and until a real solution can be found, they need a supply of oil or the world will stop functioning. I’m still not sure she can understand that. Sure, she’s smart, but her radical ideas may be too close to the realities of life.
Then again, we’ve just seen how convincing Cooper’s brand of humanity is, so if anyone can convince her, it’s probably him.
Tommy is attacked again by the cartel
Smoking wasn’t Tommy’s only gamble. Why on earth did he insist on visiting the cartel alone?
I just watched The Wire and I was shocked to see that street vendors make more money than we thought, so when the cartel guy (I believe it was Jiminez) told Tommy how much money they made I wasn’t surprised.
But destroying the well won’t win anyone over, and Tommy refused. The U.S. government is at his beck and call, so Jimenez may need to rethink how he operates.
Jiminez just puffed out his chest and assured Tommy that it wasn’t a “message,” but just a warning of a larger message to come.
If this is indeed what oil companies deal with on a daily basis, then we know why they make so much money. Not to mention, Rebecca would be wise to keep her attitude in check if she was in a room with these people.
Tommy pays the price, landing on the spot where Randleman Season 1 premiered. A bag was put over the head and he was treated roughly. However, I can do without violence. Torture is not my thing, and using fire as a weapon especially makes me nervous.
But Landman’s plot has been reset for Season 2, with the introduction of a cartel boss, starring Andy Garcia. He quickly eliminates the little guys who make Tommy’s life hell because he realizes that they really do have to live together.
Tommy believed they had the upper hand. If the bosses want things to go back to the way they were, then they need to stop having sex with Tommy. But the boss says they have the same presidents, senators and other allies that Tommy has in his pocket. Sadly, this is another thing that is exactly what it sounds like.
It makes sense that the boss would want his land to yield oil. As Tommy said, the drug business won’t last forever, and neither will the oil business. They might as well make the most of it while they can. Bringing Andy Garcia along for the ride? Excellent.
Tommy came home with a little more wear and tear and a lot of stress on his shoulders. He is now responsible for the future of the company and the future of his two families. a lot of.
If the coyote who was tragically shot at the end of Randleman Season 1 Episode 9 represented Monty, then the latest representative is Tommy. Tommy knew things were changing, and his advice to Coyote was playing in his own mind – running away might be a better option than staying.
Still, I bet he’ll stick with this business the same way he did cigarettes—as a lifeline and a challenge. With every puff, he would say “Come on, come on.” As the president of M-Tex, my expectations for him have not diminished at all.
This is how the first season ends. Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
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