“Landman” Season 2, Episode 2 Ending Explained: Did Cooper Norris Make a Bad Business Deal?

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Landman!

Tommy Norris can’t catch a break in Landman.

In season 2, episode 2, the hits come at Tommy (Billy Bob Thornton) from every possible direction. While he’s trying to plan his mother’s funeral, his family and coworkers keep yanking him into one mess after another.

Cooper Norris (Jacob Lofland) strikes literal oil gold, only to realize he’s way out of his depth. He calls in his dad for backup, but Tommy immediately gets a bad feeling about the company Cooper’s doing business with.

Over in Fort Worth, Texas, Tommy’s boss, Cami Miller (Demi Moore), gets slapped with a massive lawsuit after her husband, Monty Miller’s (Jon Hamm), death, forcing Tommy to switch into crisis-manager mode with help from his M-Tex legal crew, Nate (Colm Feore) and Rebecca Falcone (Kayla Wallace).

And just when he finally carves out a quiet moment to pick out his mother’s casket, the universe laughs again. Sheriff Walt Joeberg (Mark Collie) calls to inform him that his ex-wife, Angela Norris (Ali Larter), and his daughter, Ainsley Norris (Michelle Randolph), have been arrested.

In April 2025, Thornton made a fitting statement about his character to Deadline, saying, “I’m kind of an executive and a landman, and a family man, in the midst of this tornado. It makes for some pretty interesting stuff.”

So, what exactly went down in Landman season 2, episode 2? Here’s a full breakdown of the chaos — and the “tornado” — Tommy finds himself caught in the middle of.

Why did Ariana break up with Cooper Norris?

Cooper is determined to follow in his father Tommy’s footsteps and become a “landman,” and after six of his wells hit major oil in West Texas, he’s shocked beyond words. But his excitement is met with a surprising reaction from his girlfriend, Ariana.

In season 1, Ariana lost her husband — and the father of her infant son — in an oil rig explosion. She and Cooper eventually formed an unexpected connection, but the grief she’s been carrying hasn’t gone anywhere.

So when Cooper suggests that his sudden wealth could help them “move off and start a new life with no worries,” she immediately recoils.

“I don’t think we should do this anymore,” she tells him after he comes home drenched in oil and unreachable for hours. “I thought I lost you, too, for four hours with panic burning through like acid. I guess that means I do love you.”

Ariana doubles down, adding, “I don’t want to shop for a new house. I like this one, my husband died for it. I have friends here, I don’t want to trade them for new ones. I’m so glad your dream came true, but being rich isn’t my dream. It’s yours.”

By the next day, she tells Cooper he needs to find somewhere else to live.

Who financed Cooper Norris’ oil drilling project? 

After successfully drilling six wells, Cooper loops his dad in for advice on what to do next. That’s when he reveals he partnered with an Odessa-based company called Sonrisa to finance each well — a project that cost roughly $48 million.

“They finance spec wells 50-50 til recoup, then 18% after that,” Cooper tells Tommy, before admitting he never had a lawyer review the contract.

Tommy is instantly wary of any company willing to bankroll a venture of that size without asking his son for collateral. Wanting answers, he asks M-Tex’s in-house attorney, Nate, to dig into Sonrisa.

Before long, he discovers the truth: the fund manager and founder behind the LLC is none other than cartel boss Galino (Andy Garcia).

“That’s your new partner, and it’s a real f—— problem, son,” Tommy tells Cooper in the final minute of season 2, episode 2.

What is Tommy Norris’ relationship with Gallino? 

At the end of Landman season 1, Galino, a powerful cartel boss, saves Tommy from being tortured and killed by a rival faction, but the rescue isn’t an act of kindness — it’s a calculated move.

Galino wants to pivot his cartel’s power into the oil business, and he sees Tommy and M-Tex as valuable partners rather than enemies. After freeing him, Galino proposes that they “coexist,” essentially opening the door to a business relationship.

Tommy understands the danger in aligning with a cartel boss, but he also recognizes Galino’s intelligence and the influence he wields. Their dynamic becomes a strategic dance: Galino is offering opportunity and protection, while Tommy is trying to manage the risks of working with someone he can never fully trust.

Why is Cami Miller being sued?

While out on a run in Fort Worth, Cami is blindsided with legal papers notifying her of a lawsuit between M-Tex and their insurance provider, Blanton.

Unbeknownst to her, a gas well off the coast of Louisiana had blown out, and before Monty’s death, M-Tex received a $420 million settlement from Blanton. The policy required that the payout be used to drill another offshore well, but the entire sum was given upfront rather than reimbursed as expenses were incurred. M-Tex’s lawyers — and Tommy — suspect Monty redirected those funds into other drilling projects.

Blanton, pushing to take the matter to trial, calls a meeting. There, Rebecca manages to steer them away from litigation by agreeing that M-Tex will move forward with drilling a new ocean well.

Why did Angela Norris and Ainsley Miller get arrested?

As Tommy juggles his mother’s funeral planning, Cooper’s questionable business deal and M-Tex’s mounting legal troubles, Angela and Ainsley are busy volunteering at a local nursing home — something they do several times a week.

But during their visit, two inspectors from Texas Health and Human Services arrive unannounced. When they catch Angela and Ainsley serving the residents alcohol, things quickly go sideways.

Angela gets defensive, and when one of the inspectors tries to physically force her into a chair, she pushes back — hard enough that the police are called.

Sheriff Walt Joeberg FaceTimes Tommy to show him his ex-wife and daughter handcuffed outside the nursing home. Tommy immediately tells him to release them, insisting Angela acted in self-defense and threatening legal action if they’re not let go. Walt complies.