Andy Garcia’s incredible Landman cameo leaves one big question for Season 2

There’s a lot to unpack from the Landman Season 1 finale, but one of the biggest surprises was Andy Garcia showing up to save the day – so, what does this mean for Season 2? (Warning: spoilers ahead!)

Landman’s big finale was the toughest episode for Tommy Norris yet. Forget losing his boss and watching one of his wells explode – the landman was also subjected to some intense torture at the hands of Jimenez and his men.

Thankfully, someone bigger and badder than Jimenez turned up to help Tommy out: Andy Garcia. Arriving at the eleventh hour, Garcia’s character throws everything into chaos and kickstarts a new relationship that may make or break Tommy in Season 2.

So, who does Andy Garcia play in the finale, and why could he be important down the line?

Who does Andy Garcia play in Landman?

Andy Garcia plays Gallino, the boss of the cartel, who first appears in Landman Episode 10 while saving Tommy from Jimenez.

Throughout Landman Season 1, Tommy is tormented by Jimenez and his drug cartel crew after the two sides initially strike a lease deal in Episode 1.

Things turn sour when a van crashes into Jimenez’s plane on the road M-Tex Oil built for them. Not only did Jimenez loose millions in product, but Tommy becomes plagued by legal issues.

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Jimenez then makes a number of threats over the 10 episodes. In the finale, things escalate when he straight-up kidnaps Tommy and tortures him in the backroom of a bar. From hammering a nail into his leg to dousing him in gasoline, he doesn’t go easy on the landman.

Tommy is seconds away from being burned alive, but he’s suddenly saved when gunfire erupts in the other room. When the bag is removed from his head, he sees Gallino (Garcia), the leader of the cartel, who killed his own men to help Tommy.

As he explains it, Jimenez didn’t understand the value of the relationship between the cartel and M-Tex Oil. Gallino knows they have to work together with mutual respect in order to both use the territory. So, he helps Tommy out by offering him a cigarette and getting him out of the building (via an impressive vending machine hidden door).

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All signs point to Gallino becoming a major character and a potential villain in Landman Season 2. Not only does Sheridan need to replace some major star power (Jon Hamm will be missing from further seasons following his character’s death), but Tommy also needs a new antagonist to go up against.

But it may not be that simple. Gallino clearly has some respect for Tommy and what he does. He even wants to be “friends”, despite Tommy’s reluctance. He even hints that he may want to get involved in the oil industry in some way. Because of this, he could be a powerful ally.

Paramount

There’s still a catch, however. Gallino might be more polite and have more charisma than Jimenez, but don’t forget, this man just murdered half his crew. And based on the text he gets from the Chief of Police, his influence may reach higher than we think.

There’s no doubt he’s a dangerous man. The question is: how much of a danger could he be for Tommy?

Well, that all depends. If Tommy plays ball and works alongside Gallino, then they may very well become a formidable partnership. But this is Tommy we’re talking about, so things may not necessarily go that way.

Even star Billy Bob Thornton hinted towards troubling times ahead, telling Variety: “Tommy’s dealing with someone now who is really smart. The other guys were hired to work for him, but now Tommy’s talking to the man himself.

“There are advantages and disadvantages to that. Since he is so smart, who knows what Tommy is going to get tricked into?”

He added, “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Tommy figures if he semi-befriends this guy, maybe they can actually work this out, because it is going to happen one way or another.”

Landman Season 1 is available to stream on Paramount+ now.

For more, check out our guides to Sheridan’s future shows, including 6666, The Madison, and 1944. You can also find out why Landman revealed Taylor Sheridan’s weirdest writing habit. Or, find out what other new shows are out this month.