Rebecca Falcone - Kayla Wallace

Character Overview

Rebecca Falcone is M-Tex Oil's sharp attorney, portrayed by Kayla Wallace in Taylor Sheridan's Landman. Brought in by Monty Miller to balance Tommy Norris's crisis management with legal expertise, Rebecca represents the moral conscience of the company—constantly wrestling with the ethical contradictions of defending an industry she personally believes is harmful. Her professional clashes with Tommy expose the central tension of modern energy: can you work within a morally compromised system while maintaining your principles?

Biography

Rebecca Falcone is M-Tex Oil's in-house attorney, portrayed by Kayla Wallace in one of Landman's most morally complex roles. Monty Miller brought Rebecca into the company specifically to provide legal expertise and, perhaps more importantly, to serve as a counterweight to Tommy Norris's pragmatic, do-whatever-it-takes approach to crisis management.

Rebecca's role at M-Tex is fascinating because it forces her to navigate an impossible ethical tightrope daily. She's a brilliant attorney who could work anywhere, yet she's chosen to work for an oil company despite having deep reservations about the environmental and social costs of fossil fuel extraction. This contradiction isn't hypocrisy—it's the central tension that defines her character. Rebecca represents the millions of professionals who work in industries they're ambivalent about, rationalizing their participation by trying to minimize harm from within.

Her relationship with Tommy forms one of the show's most compelling dynamics. They're not enemies, but they're not quite allies either. Tommy sees Rebecca as naive—someone who doesn't understand that the world runs on oil whether she likes it or not, and M-Tex is doing the job more responsibly than many competitors would. Rebecca sees Tommy as too willing to compromise, too quick to accept "that's just how it is" as justification for questionable decisions. Their arguments aren't personal attacks; they're genuine philosophical debates about pragmatism versus principles, harm reduction versus harm elimination.

What makes Rebecca's character work is that the show never presents her as simply "right" while Tommy is "wrong," or vice versa. When Rebecca pushes back on a risky drilling operation due to environmental concerns, Tommy points out that shutting it down means roughnecks lose their jobs—people with families to feed, mortgages to pay. When Tommy wants to cut corners to meet a deadline, Rebecca reminds him that the "corner" he's cutting is a safety regulation that exists because people died. The show uses their conflict to explore the genuine complexity of energy policy, where almost every decision involves difficult tradeoffs.

After Monty's death, Rebecca's position becomes more precarious. She loses her main ally and protector in the company's leadership. Tommy gains more authority, and while he respects Rebecca's legal expertise, he's less inclined than Monty was to let ethical concerns slow down operations. Rebecca must navigate this new power dynamic carefully—she needs to maintain her influence and keep M-Tex from crossing lines that could destroy the company, but she can't be so obstructionist that she gets pushed out entirely.

Kayla Wallace brings depth to Rebecca that prevents the character from becoming a one-dimensional "environmental activist" caricature. Wallace plays Rebecca as genuinely conflicted, someone who lies awake at night wondering if she's making a difference or just providing legal cover for an extractive industry. Rebecca is ambitious—she wants career advancement, professional success—but she also has a moral compass that won't let her ignore the consequences of her work. This internal conflict makes her one of Landman's most relatable characters: she's trying to do the right thing in a system that doesn't always reward righteousness.

Personality

Rebecca Savage is, above all, principled—but not rigidly so. She has strong moral convictions about environmental protection, worker safety, and corporate responsibility, yet she's pragmatic enough to understand that pure idealism doesn't survive contact with the real world. This balance is what makes her effective at M-Tex and what drives her constant tension with Tommy.

She's intellectually formidable. Rebecca didn't become M-Tex's lead attorney by being naive or passive. She's a sharp legal mind who can find regulatory loopholes, navigate complex contracts, and anticipate legal threats before they materialize. When she challenges Tommy's plans, it's not because she doesn't understand the business—it's because she understands it too well, including the legal and ethical landmines he's about to step on.

Rebecca is also deeply conflicted, which is her defining trait. She genuinely believes the oil and gas industry should be illegal, or at least heavily restricted. Yet here she is, working for an oil company, defending their operations, facilitating their expansion. The show never lets Rebecca off the hook for this contradiction, and to her credit, neither does she. Rebecca is aware of her complicity. She's made a choice to work within the system rather than outside it, telling herself she can minimize harm this way. Whether that's true or just rationalization is a question she wrestles with constantly.

Her relationship with Tommy reveals her professional toughness. Tommy tries to bulldoze her the way he bulldozes everyone else, and Rebecca won't have it. She stands her ground, demands he listen to her concerns, and forces him to at least acknowledge the ethical implications of his decisions. She's not intimidated by his decades of experience or his direct access to power. In their arguments, Rebecca holds her own, which Tommy grudgingly respects even when he ignores her advice.

Yet Rebecca is also pragmatic when necessary. She knows when to pick her battles. If Tommy wants to do something legally defensible but ethically questionable, Rebecca will voice her objection but ultimately do her job. But if he wants to do something that could expose M-Tex to massive liability or criminal charges, Rebecca puts her foot down hard. She's learned to distinguish between "things I personally disagree with" and "things that will destroy the company."

What makes Rebecca compelling is her self-awareness. She knows she's compromised. She knows working for M-Tex means facilitating activities she believes are harmful. She could quit—she's talented enough to find work anywhere—but she stays, telling herself that someone needs to be the voice of caution, the person who stops M-Tex from doing its absolute worst. Whether that's enough to justify her participation is the moral question at the heart of her character.

Memorable Quotes

Key Relationships

• Tommy Norris (colleague)
• Monty Miller (former boss)
• Cami Miller (ally)
• Nathan (colleague)

Character Analysis

Rebecca Falcone represents a crucial element in Taylor Sheridan's exploration of the modern American oil industry. Through Kayla Wallace's nuanced performance, the character embodies the complexities and contradictions inherent in this high-stakes world.

The character's role as attorney at m-tex oil, legal conscience 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

• Kayla Wallace is known for her work in Hallmark movies and TV series, making Landman her first major dramatic role
• Wallace is 30 years old during Season 1 filming, portraying a young attorney navigating complex corporate politics
• Her character represents the legal and ethical challenges facing the oil industry, particularly regarding environmental regulations
• Rebecca's moral conflicts reflect real debates about energy, environment, and the role of in-house counsel in controversial industries
• The character is based on Taylor Sheridan's interviews with actual oil company attorneys who expressed similar ethical conflicts
• Rebecca appears in 7 out of 10 episodes in Season 1, making her one of the most featured supporting characters
• The Tommy-Rebecca dynamic mirrors real tensions between operations and legal departments in the oil industry
• Kayla Wallace specifically researched environmental law and oil industry regulations to bring authenticity to Rebecca's legal arguments
• Rebecca's character arc explores a central question: can you reform a system from within, or does participation make you complicit?

Season 1 Appearances

Rebecca Falcone appears as a main character throughout the series, playing a vital role in the unfolding drama of the Texas oil industry.

Frequently Asked Questions About Rebecca Savage