A Toxic Cocktail of Gas and Greed
If the first two episodes of Landman Season 2 were about setting the table, Episode 3, "Almost a Home," is about flipping it over and setting it on fire. The series takes a sharp turn from high-stakes business drama to a visceral survival thriller this week, introducing an invisible killer that is far more terrifying than any cartel hitman.
While Billy Bob Thornton’s Tommy Norris navigates the treacherous social politics of the Cattlemen's Club, a lethal cloud of Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) descends on the oil patch, serving as a grim reminder that in West Texas, the land itself is often the most dangerous antagonist. With Demi Moore delivering a series-best performance and Andy Garcia tightening his grip on the narrative, this recap breaks down how M-Tex Oil went from a powerhouse to a crime scene in a single hour.
The Silent Killer: H2S Terror
The episode opens with a sequence that feels lifted straight from a horror movie. A group of hog hunters, chasing their prey through the brush, stumble upon an old, rusted pump jack. One by one, they drop dead—not from bullets, but from the air they breathe.
Later, when Tommy sends Dale (James Jordan) and his crew to investigate the site for potential acquisition, the scene turns chaotic. Their personal monitors start screaming, alerting them to the presence of Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S).
For those unfamiliar with the industry, Landman captures the terrifying reality of H2S with chilling accuracy. Known as "sour gas," it is a colorless, highly toxic byproduct of drilling. While it smells like rotten eggs at low concentrations, at high levels it deadens the sense of smell and causes immediate respiratory paralysis. The sequence where the crew scrambles to drag their unconscious colleagues to higher ground—fighting an enemy they cannot see—is one of the most tense and well-executed moments of the entire series. It grounds the show's melodrama in the lethal stakes of the profession.
M-Tex's Financial Collapse
While the crew fights for air in the field, Cami Miller (Demi Moore) is suffocating in the boardroom. After spending the night digging through her late husband’s financial records, she uncovers a devastating truth: M-Tex is not just in trouble; it is hollow.
Monty Miller didn't just mismanage the company; he looted it. The $400 million insurance settlement meant for the offshore disaster is gone, funneled into a labyrinth of shell companies and personal debts. M-Tex is effectively insolvent.
This revelation leads to a powerful emotional breakdown for Cami. Moore portrays her not just as a grieving widow, but as a woman realizing her entire life was built on a foundation of sand. The collapse of M-Tex raises the stakes for everyone: Tommy isn't just fighting to keep the lights on; he's fighting to keep them all out of federal prison.
Dinner with the Devil
Desperate people make dangerous friends, and right on cue, Gallino (Andy Garcia) steps out of the shadows. The episode’s centerpiece is an excruciatingly tense dinner at the exclusive Cattlemen's Club, where Tommy and Angela run into the cartel boss and his wife.
The power dynamics at play are fascinating. Gallino, operating under the alias "Dan Morrell," is no longer just a thug; he is a gentleman predator. He buys rounds of drinks, charms the wives, and then corners Cami with an offer she might be too desperate to refuse: an "investment" in M-Tex.
This is the moment the trap snaps shut. With M-Tex broke and legitimate financing impossible to find, Gallino’s drug money looks like a lifeline. But Tommy knows the cost. Accepting cartel cash would turn M-Tex into a massive money-laundering operation, effectively ending their lives as legitimate businesspeople. Garcia plays Gallino with a menacing warmth, making it clear that his offer of friendship is actually a threat of ownership.
The "Angela Problem" Continues
If there is a weak link in the chain of Season 2, it remains the domestic storyline involving Tommy’s ex-wife, Angela (Ali Larter). In this episode, Angela proposes that she and Tommy get remarried—a suggestion that feels less like organic character development and more like a writer’s room attempt to give her something to do.
The "Angela Problem" is becoming impossible to ignore. While the rest of the characters are dealing with lethal gas leaks, billion-dollar fraud, and cartel wars, Angela is stuck in a tonal vacuum, fretting about relationship labels and creating social scenes. Her character often feels disconnected from the gravity of the main plot, serving as a distraction rather than a complication. While Larter is a capable actress, the material reduces her to a chaotic foil for Tommy, lacking the depth afforded to Cami or even the roughnecks.
The Verdict
"Almost a Home" is a pivotal episode that successfully merges the show's disparate threats into a single, overwhelming crisis. The convergence of the H2S accident (physical danger), the financial insolvency (corporate danger), and Gallino’s offer (criminal danger) creates a perfect storm for Tommy Norris.
While the domestic subplots continue to drag, the episode succeeds by reminding us that in the oil patch, death can be loud (an explosion) or it can be silent (gas). And sometimes, the most dangerous thing isn't what comes out of the ground, but who sits down at your dinner table. With M-Tex on its knees and the cartel holding the checkbook, Landman has never been more tense.
