Landman episode 4 offers an explanation for Tommy’s strange living situation and his roommates. Billy Bob Thornton leads Landman’s cast as Tommy Norris, a crisis management executive for an oil company whose family and work lives begin to intertwine. The first batch of episodes has shown him dealing with two separate but costly issues, one involving a plane explosion and another involving a workplace accident that claimed the lives of three men. All the while, Tommy’s daughter and ex-wife have re-entered his life, and his son begins to get involved in the oil industry.
The return of Tommy’s family complicates matters in his home life, as he has something of an abnormal living situation. Tommy has two roommates. Nathan (Colm Feore) is a lawyer for the oil company, while Dale (James Jordan) is an oil patch worker, creating an interesting combination of personalities, especially when mixed with Angela (Ali Larter) and Tommy’s seventeen-year-old daughter Ainsley (Michelle Randolph). Though dramatized, Landman’s story is rooted in realism, and there’s a basis for Tommy’s two roommates.
The Oil Bust Explains Why Tommy Shares A House With Co-Workers
Tommy Isn’t Too Well Off Financially
With the way Tommy Norris waltzes around, speaking to whoever he wants as he pleases, one might gather that he’s quite wealthy. However, Landman reveals that he’s actually $500,000 in debt, unlike company owner Monty Miller (Jon Hamm), who’s found himself well-off. In a conversation with Angela and Rebecca (Kayla Wallace) in episode 4, the nature of Tommy’s financial issues is revealed, and it also explains why he and Angela divorced in the first place. The series takes place after an enormous oil bust.
The reason he shares a house with two roommates is because it’s the best situation that he and the company can afford.
Oil constantly fluctuates in value, and that’s primarily due to the boom and bust cycle of the industry. The effects of an oil bust can be immense for everyone involved in the industry, and the area surrounding a place like the Permian Basin, which is depicted in Landman. The bust hit Tommy hard, causing his marriage to fail, and he still hasn’t recovered financially. The reason he shares a house with two roommates is because it’s the best situation that he and the company can afford.
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The Real Reason Landman Has Tommy Share A House
The Mix Of Personalities Creates Interesting Drama
Realistically, having Tommy share a house is a plot device in Landman to stir up some amusing situations. Mixing someone like Dale with characters like Ainsley and Angela is bound to cause a commotion, and creator Taylor Sheridan doesn’t shy away from going for laughs with these dynamics. The reaction to some of Ainsley’s Landman scenes has been divisive, particularly those surrounding Nathan gawking over her, given that she’s meant to be 17. Regardless of what the viewer thinks of these scenes, they’re the reason why Sheridan put so many characters under one roof.