Just like Yellowstone romanticized big ranching with its endless montages of cowboys and horsemanship, Landman is basically a love letter to Big Oil.
In Yellowstone, we got the “wacky” vegan protester who had be scolded about the virtues of red meat and how the billionaire ranchers with heart conditions are protecting the land from other billionaires. The “poor” ranchers who have to deal with pesky things like taxes and water use regulations.
In Landman we get to see another billionaire with a heart condition fret over his giant land holdings and stress out about paying off victims of the weekly explosions and workplace accidents. Three hundred million dollar deals over breakfast, shady deals with the Governor at lunch, yet what sends the Monty character into the emergency room is the prospect of paying off the wife of a workplace oil derrick explosion with $1 million instead of the $250K he sent his $900 an hour attorney to offer.
Once again we get a show full of tantalizing sex, outrageous characters, drinking (6666 Vodka/Whiskey – Taylor Sheriden’s brand is always in the background) and of course explosions.
We also get the B-roll footage of oil derricks pumping away at sunset, so beautifully shot one wants to go on vacation in an oil field and swim in the holding pond lit by the methane flare.
Of course, a Taylor Sheriden drama wouldn’t be complete without the moments where a character can interject some Big Oil talking point or conservative meme. For example, the local bar “The Patch Cafe” (open 25 hours a day serving breakfast or dinner – no lunch because on one has time for lunch. 6666 Booze available) has a special on pitchers Bud Lite. The characters laugh and say “Oh course you do”. All a wink and nod to the conservative backlash against transgender people.
Then there are the monologues against climate change, wind turbines, how flaring off methane can’t be worse than cow burps and how the world need oil to keep pumping.
The constant reference to how long the oil industry has been around. Pumps need maintenance because they haven’t been worked on in 35 years. The oil industry has been in Texas since the 1930s etc. The message seems to be, it has been here so long nothing can change. But before the oil booms in Texas, there was something else and 130 years isn’t that long — things can change and they do.
In a meeting of oil well owners, one voice suggested the end of oil would come at some point but that was laughed off by the billionaire sitting behind the giant conference table. No way in hell these rich oil barons are going to give up their lifestyle paid for the roughnecks living in company trailers, risking their lives every day to keep the money flowing.
The show tries to romanticise the roughnecks as some kind of modern-day cowboys. Like the ranch hands in the show Yellowstone, these modern-day slaves will do anything for their masters. They’ll work all night, administer beatings, scoff off OSHA laws and some even die because it’s dangerous work involving toxic fossil fuels, explosive gas, heavy machinery — the bosses push them to the limits because those country club memberships don’t pay for themselves.
Wind Energy Misinformation
- The “Carbon Debt” Myth: The central piece of misinformation, delivered in a viral monologue by Tommy (Billy Bob Thornton), is that wind turbines never recover the energy required to build and maintain them, making them worse for the environment than fossil fuels.
- The Fact: Studies show that wind turbines generally pay back their carbon footprint within less than one year of operation and, over a 20-year lifespan, produce 20 times more energy than is required for their construction.
- False Claims on Life Span: The show suggests turbines are temporary solutions that fail quickly, ignoring their long-term viability in Texas’ energy grid. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
General Energy & Environmental Misinformation
- Ignoring Methane/Production Issues: The show portrays the oil industry as superior to renewables, bypassing the environmental hazards of oil production, such as leaks, spills, and significant methane emissions.
- Misrepresenting Solar Power: The show includes inaccurate statements about the functionality of solar power, specifically regarding battery capacity and reliability.
- Overstating Dependence: The argument that modern life requires total, ongoing reliance on fossil fuels ignores advancements in alternatives. [1, 2, 3, 4]