The newest episode of Landman delivered an unexpected jolt to viewers as the Billy Bob Thornton Landman incident unfolded early in the episode, drawing both shock and tension to the Paramount+ series. The dramatic moment took place on Sunday, December 28, when Thornton’s character, Tommy, accidentally exposed himself in a hotel room, sending both the hotel worker and audiences into disbelief.
The sequence opened with Tommy waking up in a hotel suite while a hotel worker was delivering breakfast. In a deliberately awkward turn, he rolled over after a moment of comic flatulence, exposing his naked body in front of the hotel employee. As the worker recoiled and began to scream, Angela (played by Ali Larter) hurriedly emerged from the bathroom, adding to the confusion as the room turned chaotic.
The incident took an even more uncomfortable turn as the hotel worker pleaded with Tommy not to assault her. Angela, trying to defuse the distress, attempted reassurance with,
Don’t be scared, darling. That wasn’t about you. He eats [prescription medication used to treat erectile dysfunction] Cialis like M&Ms and runs into door jams all morning with that thing. I’m so sorry about that.
— Angela, character.
Turbulence Follows Tommy and Angela
The aftermath of the event saw Angela visibly frustrated with Tommy for what had happened in front of the staff member. She pointedly told Tommy her disappointment with the situation and, in a direct aside, remarked,
I was trying to surprise you with breakfast in bed. … That is not the best angle of your ball sack, I might add. You really have to love a man to look at him from there. Poor thing. If she wasn’t a lesbian when she walked in here, she’s a f***ing lesbian now.
— Angela, character.
Feeling the need to regroup after the embarrassment, Angela stated,
I’m getting dressed. My husband flashes the waitstaff and that kind of kills the mood.
— Angela, character.
Tommy questioned his own role in the mishap, citing that his ex-wife had convinced him to take an extra pill the previous night. He then joked about the awkwardness of his situation with,
Now, what do I do with this f***ing thing?
— Tommy, character. He escalated the humor, albeit still tense, explaining his predicament by adding,
I might f*** the whole breakfast. The waffles, the fruit, the goddamn bagel and the omelette. The omelette is the first thing that’s getting f****. You better order another one because that one is f*****.
— Tommy, character.
This clash between Tommy and Angela simmered throughout the weekend, with the couple remaining distant. The episode later depicted Tommy returning home, where Angela was preparing food for taco night at the Norris house. Tommy’s only offering turned out to be an omelette, a nod to their earlier conflict, but reassurance came as the couple seemed to find a temporary truce by the episode’s end.
Further Tensions and Relationships at M-Tex Oil
Beyond the headline incident, the episode explored more of the ensemble’s challenges. Tommy and Angela’s son, Cooper (Jacob Lofland), took a major step by proposing to Ariana (Paulina Chavez), introducing a tender subplot in contrast to the earlier chaos. Concurrently, Rebecca (Kayla Wallace) found herself grappling with the implications of her secret romance with Charlie (Guy Burnet) possibly becoming public knowledge. Tommy expressed little concern about Rebecca’s love life, focusing instead on bigger issues at play.
Looking ahead, Kayla Wallace gave insight into the evolution of her character Rebecca, stating,
People will get to see some more cracks in her personality,
— Kayla Wallace, actor. She shared that personal and professional challenges await in Rebecca’s storyline, adding,
And she’s definitely going to face some challenges in the workplace too.
— Kayla Wallace, actor.
Rebecca’s advancing rank at M-Tex Oil stands to reshape her journey. Wallace explained,
This is such a big change for her. She’s always going to question her life and she’s always going to question everything and reassess.
— Kayla Wallace, actor.
Despite these looming struggles, optimism remains around Rebecca’s adaptive nature, as Wallace elaborated,
We also see her kind of growing into this family. M-Tex is in trouble and she’s there in an instant,
— Kayla Wallace, actor. She continued,
You see this juxtaposition where it is not really a natural thing for her to be a team member. She’s kind of a lone wolf and one for her own but she’s holding onto the family a little bit.
— Kayla Wallace, actor.
The upcoming season promises greater depth to Rebecca, showing her as a more relatable, flawed figure. Wallace described,
Season 1, there was basically no smiling from her. Now we’re starting to see her human. She’s not a perfectly put together person,
— Kayla Wallace, actor. She expressed further,
She has these little flaws, which I’m so happy that I got to explore. People will get to see even more of that — more of the humanity in her.
— Kayla Wallace, actor.
What’s Ahead for Landman and Its Characters
The Billy Bob Thornton Landman incident succeeded not only in stunning audiences but in deepening the rift and tension among the key characters, most notably between Tommy and Angela. With mounting workplace dilemmas at M-Tex Oil and evolving family relationships, Landman continues to push its characters into emotionally charged and sometimes uncomfortable territory. Viewers can expect these complex interpersonal struggles to intensify as new episodes premiere each Sunday on Paramount+.
