Landman Finally Gave Billy Bob Thornton What Yellowstone Robbed Kevin Costner of for 5 Seasons
Landman gave Tommy Norris (Billy Bob Thornton) something that John Dutton (Kevin Costner) never had in all five seasons of the original Yellowstone series. Landman Season 2 is off to a massive start, becoming the streamer’s most-watched premiere of all time. According to Paramount+, Landman Season 2’s premiere amassed roughly 9.2 million viewers in its first two days.
Yellowstone and Landman were both co-created by Taylor Sheridan, with Thornton’s series emerging as the rumored replacement for the Costner-led saga. That said, there’s quite a bit of overlap between the series’ characters and storylines. For instance, the constant family drama that Thornton and Costner’s leading characters navigate is an essential aspect of each series.
Disastrous Family Dinners Define John Dutton’s Family in Yellowstone
In Yellowstone, John’s demanding life wouldn’t be complete without his chaotic Dutton family dinners. At the end of long days battling for the ranch or simply working on it, John just wanted to end things on a positive note, gathering his family around the table. However, John never has a meal that ends peacefully in his formal dining room.
John was a less-than-ideal father in Yellowstone, and by the time his kids, Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Kayce (Luke Grimes), were adults, they had endured a lot of trauma, and it all came out at the dinner table. John’s daughter, in particular, had a way of derailing a delicious meal, with Beth utilizing mealtimes to clear the air.
Landman Seasons 1 And 2 Repeat Yellowstone’s Family Dinner Trope
Wherever audiences stand with the series, whether “hate-watching” or genuinely enjoying it, Landman thrives on the attention it attracts with its West Texas oil drama, complete with Tommy’s ex-wife, Angela (Ali Larter), teenage daughter, Ainsley (Michelle Randolph), and young adult son, Cooper (Jacob Lofland). However, in Landman Season 2, the emotional turmoil subsides, if only for a moment.
While it takes a few episodes in Landman Season 1 for Tommy’s family to come back together, the Norris family picks up the Yellowstone’s family dinner trope as soon as Tommy Norris’ ex-wife, Angela, moves back into his home. Like Beth once did, Angela often finds something to pick a fight about and can ruin a meal in a hurry.
Despite Angela being the one who cooks the beautiful and exotic meals she serves to her family, as well as Tommy’s roommates, Dale (James Jordan) and Nate (Colm Feore), she is the one who throws them against the wall if something doesn’t go her way. That said, Tommy adds fuel to the fire, often dismissing or mocking his ex-wife.
Landman Shattered Its Toxic Family Dinner Trope In Season 2, Episode 5
Tommy and his family finally have dinner that doesn’t end in disaster in Landman Season 2, Episode 5, turning around one of the show’s biggest tropes. After Tommy’s father, T.L. (Sam Elliott), moves in with the family and Angela prepares to host him a “pirate dinner,” which is the episode’s namesake, Tommy implies that dinner will be an ordeal.
However, when Tommy gets home at the end of another long day, the mood at the Norris home is undeniably different. Everyone is dressed in pirate costumes, and no one feels the need to say or do anything hurtful. It’s as if Elliott’s character has provided an essential balance to the series, finally giving Angela someone to appreciate her.
With its most recent installment, Landman officially gives Tommy Norris something that John Dutton never achieved in all five seasons of Yellowstone. Despite John trying to be a good father to his kids later in their lives, he never mended things enough for his family to sit down for a meal and enjoy each other.