Armando Medina
Character Overview
Armando Medina (Michael Peña) is the roughneck who spends Cooper Norris's first day teaching him the job: how to drink his coffee black, how to say "gracias," how to climb the derrick. He is Elvio's older brother and Luis's nephew, and all three die in the blowout that ends the pilot.
Biography
Armando Medina is played by Michael Peña, and he is on screen alive for one day, the day Cooper Norris starts on the Medina workover crew. He is the one who breaks Cooper in. When Cooper orders a latte on the way to the site, the others give him hell, and it is Armando who explains the rule. "If you're gonna work the patch you got to learn how to drink it black, 'cause everything we do is on the fucking go." He starts teaching Cooper Spanish the same day, "gracias" and "cerveza," and tells him why. "I'm not speaking English all fucking day."
Later that day, at supper in the pods, he talks about the crew as a family business, because it is one. Elvio is his "hermanito," his little brother, and Luis is their uncle. "Everybody's whole family works the patch." He has a daughter who calls him to say her mother told her no about something, and he tells Cooper he has no pull with the boss. The talk at supper turns to Elvio, the smart one who "skipped prison and went straight to the patch. Owns his home. Got his truck paid off."
The pilot ends with Cooper being sent to the truck for the 24-inch pipe wrench. "Hurry up!" is Armando's last line in the scene, and then the well blows. In the second episode Tommy counts what it cost. He is going to "drive over to Luis's house and tell his wife she's lost a husband and two nephews," and then go to Armando's house. Tommy says "Medina crew serviced that well." Nathan asks which of them died, and the answer is "They all died."
The show keeps Armando in Cooper's head. In episode 3, at the gathering after the funeral, an older woman calls Cooper in to eat with "Ándale pues." He says he knows what that means, "time to eat," and that Armando taught him.
The Medina Family
Personality
Armando teaches by giving the new hand a rule and a reason, and he laughs at him while he does it. Michael Peña plays him without any speeches. In one day of screen time you get a man with a wife and a daughter, a younger brother on the same crew and an uncle who runs it, which is why the deaths at the end of the pilot land the way they do.
Key Relationships
- Cooper Norris (the worm he trains)
- Elvio Medina (younger brother)
- Luis Medina (uncle and crew boss)
- Ariana Medina (brother's widow)
Character Analysis
Armando Medina represents a crucial element in Taylor Sheridan's exploration of the modern American oil industry. Through Michael Peña's nuanced performance, the character embodies the complexities and contradictions inherent in this high-stakes world.
The character's role as medina crew roughneck provides insight into the various layers of the oil business, from the personal relationships that drive decision-making to the broader economic and environmental implications of the industry.
🎬 Behind the Scenes
- Michael Peña is known for Crash (2004), End of Watch (2012) and, as Luis, the Ant-Man films
- Armando is Elvio's older brother. In S1E1 he calls Elvio "hermanito" and says "he's my little brother"
- Luis Medina is the uncle of both Armando and Elvio. Tommy says as much in S1E2: "a husband and two nephews"
- Armando, Luis and Elvio all die in the blowout that ends S1E1. In S1E2 Nathan is told of the Medina crew, "They all died"
- Tommy's S1E2 speech about the three widows and six orphans is about these three families
- Cooper uses Armando's lessons afterward. In S1E3 he tells the family "Armando taught me that"
Series Information
Armando Medina appears as a guest character throughout the series, playing a vital role in the unfolding drama of the Texas oil industry.