Includes MASSIVE SPOILERS for Landman season 1!
The events ofLandman’sseason 1finale should have drastic effects on the future of M-Tex, including a risky fracking plan. M-Tex is a fictional private oil company invented for the Paramount+ series, which was created by Taylor Sheridan and Christian Wallace and is based on the latter’s podcast,Boomtown. With that in mind,Landman’sseason 1 endingmay have taken its creative liberties with matters like the Cartel and other family drama, but there’s plenty of real-world basis in the oil industry matters discussed on the show.
Jon Hamm played oil magnate and M-Tex CEO Monty Miller inLandman’scast, though the character’s health slowly declined, leading to his passing away in the finale. With Monty gone, two people are essentially in charge of M-Tex: Tommy Norris (Billy Bob Thornton) and Cami Miller (Demi Moore). Cami was Monty’s wife and ultimately has the final say in what happens to his wealth, butTommy is the one who will be managing the company on her behalf going forward. This creates an interesting, dramatic dynamic heading into season 2, where the future of M-Tex is entirely unstable.
What A “Farm-Out” Is
M-Tex Is Getting A Lease To Access New Oil
Landman’sseason 1 finale explains that Monty Morris' plan for M-Tex was to arrange a “farm-out” lease arrangement with a value of $200 million. Essentially, what a farm-out agreement means is thatM-Tex will be allowed access to drill for oil on behalf of a landowner, granting them the service of their equipment usage for a significant share of the profit. The risk in oil, however, especially when making such an enormous deal, is that the industry is volatile and runs into the risk of massive busts.
With $200 million, Cami and her family could live comfortably for generations, but her belief is that they likely wouldn’t have enough to establish a foundation worthy of Monty’s memory or his goals.
A major component of Cami’s role in the finale was determining what to do in the wake ofMonty’s death. She understood that Monty’s life was in the pursuit of a lasting legacy, with him wanting to contribute a sizable amount of his wealth to a foundation or create one of his own, giving back to the world. With $200 million, Cami and her family could live comfortably for generations, but her belief is that they likely wouldn’t have enough to establish a foundation worthy of Monty’s memory or his goals. The farm-out is what he wanted, so it’s what they’re doing.
Tommy’s Plan For M-Tex’s Oil & New Deal Explained
Tommy Hopes To Turn Cami’s $200 Million Into $1.4 Billion
To simplify the plan: Tommy is going to roll the dice on the $200 million, with hopes of turning it into a whopping $1.4 billion, an amount that will make the world remember Monty. For Cami, it’s not about obtaining the money but about what they can do with the money, turning it back into something good. The downside is that they could end up bankrupt, and Cami and her family could end up totally broke. Tommy advises her against taking this bet, but she believes she has to do so in order to respect her husband’s wishes.
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Tommy suggests that they may be able to sell the farm-out lease to another company at some point, months or years down the line, for an increased amount rather than going all in, which he believed is what Monty would do. This would be them pulling ahead and cashing their chips, possibly tripling the money. However, Taylor Sheridan makes a point withLandmanto demonstrate how challenging it is to turn away from the pursuit of wealth, as someone who’s winning money will always want to win more until they lose it all in the process.
From there, Tommy tells Rebecca that he needs her to negotiate a farm-out lease, asMonty had made her the vice president of explorationand intended to use her killer instinct as a lawyer as a weapon. Tommy declares that their plan is to “recoup on strikes 120%” and allow revenue sharing, with the intent of getting ahead of the banks. He’s trying to establish a stable environment so there aren’t any issues with his workforce while they gamble on this high-end deal.
Why Rebecca Is Against Fracking & Why It’s So Controversial
Rebecca Believes Fracking Causes Earthquakes
Fracking is a method of gathering oil through the use of pressurized liquid, essentially cracking the hard rock below the surface, allowing room for oil to flow more freely. The method began in 1947 and has become rather controversial, withRebecca Falcone stating clearly that she’s vehemently against this tactic despite its opportunities for increased profits. This is an odd perspective as she’s agreed to work for an oil company, but Taylor Sheridan likely put it in his show to examine the pros and cons of what fracking is capable of.
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Rebecca suggests that fracking causes earthquakes in Oklahoma, which is used as an example as the state has the most induced earthquakes in the US (viaUSGS). According to the source, fracking causes 2% of the state’s earthquakes. The largest fracking-induced earthquake was a magnitude 4 in Texas in 2018. So, while Rebecca isn’t entirely right in the reasoning behind her perspective, there are still environmental concerns caused by fracking, such as local water contamination and pollution (viaEnvironment America).
What Happens To M-Tex Oil & Tommy If It Doesn’t Work?
M-Tex Can Go Bankrupt
Despite Tommy saying that men die and oil companies live forever, oil companies can undoubtedly go out of business, and there is an enormous measure of risk if they go bankrupt from oil prices dropping or a pandemic-like event.As for Tommy, it’s not really his money that’s being dealt here, though his job is on the line. It hasn’t been mentioned in several episodes, but Tommy is still massively in debt from the previous oil bust, and he would struggle to maintain his family life if he lost his job, especially given that he lives in a company-owned house.
Still, Tommy is a resourceful man, and he’d likely find some way to recover if M-Tex failed. What’s mostly at stake in terms of the show is Monty’s legacy and the livelihood of Cami and her family now that he’s gone. Their employees would all lose their jobs, but problems with the oil industry would cause this to happen regardless. Especially now thatLandmanhas moved away from its patch crew characters, the focus of Taylor Sheridan’s show is mostly on the high-end players at M-Tex.
Sources:USGS,Environment America
Landman
Set in West Texas, this series explores the world of oil rigs and the fortunes they create. It portrays a modern upstairs/downstairs narrative of roughnecks and billionaires, highlighting the profound impact on the climate, economy, and geopolitics in these boomtowns.
