In addition to wrapping up his most notable project in Yellowstone, series creator Taylor Sheridan has a new show that’s got everyone talking. Landman, the gritty drama set in the oil fields of West Texas starring Billy Bob Thornton, Jon Hamm, and Ali Larter is his latest creation, and the show has produced record numbers for Paramount+. Two of the show’s integral characters, Cooper (Jacob Lofland) and Ariana (Paulina Chávez) have been growing closer over the last few episodes. After a rocky ending in Episode 8, fans are curious where the two stand now, and going forward. Chávez was asked about Ariana’s relationship with Cooper during a recent interview with ScreenRant, and she spoke not only about her thoughts on their bond but also about her camaraderie on set with Lofland:
“Yeah, definitely, when we received all the scripts, all of us had a conversation with Taylor about how our characters develop in our arcs and our storylines. Taylor Sheridan wanted to tell Cooper and Ariana’s story correctly and authentically, and I do believe that it is a beautiful flourishing, whatever it is. Relationship, friendship, I think any good relationship starts with a foundation of friendship, and that’s what Ariana and Cooper have. On set, Jacob and I were very, very cautious in wanting to tell the story right. So, we were always having those discussions like, “Okay, is this coming across the way we want it to come across?” So, it was very interesting.
We were always keeping it lighthearted in between takes, but we were just like, ‘Oh my god, are we doing our job?’ I think our first few days on set of doing our scenes, we didn’t really hear any feedback, and it was like, ‘Okay, so I guess we’re doing a good job.’ And then, some producers were like, ‘We saw some of the scenes, they’re great.’ We’re just like, ‘Okay, we’re doing it.’ But yeah, it was an interesting journey, but we wanted to tell the story right, so we were all very cautious about it, but also letting the characters explore what they needed to explore when the cameras were on.
I think she’s open to exploring what it can be. You’ve seen the scene, she’s never experienced anything like it. Taylor made a reference of she thought that Elvio was the love of her life. And when you are with that person, you do, you do believe that that is the love of your life. And then, someone else comes around — albeit from unfortunate circumstances — showing you, ‘Oh, maybe that wasn’t the love of my life. What we had was beautiful, but it has nothing compared to to what this is, and it’s very interesting.’ So, I don’t think she knows what it is, but she is curious, because nobody’s ever treated her the way that Cooper has treated her. There’s also the sense of, ‘Oh my goodness, Elvio’s family is going to judge me. So many people are going to judge me. But is that something that should stop me from exploring this authentic human connection?'”
There’s a passing reference in Landman Episode 8 about Ariana still being with Elvio (Alejandro Akara) only three weeks ago, and although it seems like much more time has passed since the accident that almost cost Cooper his life, Chávez is certainly right that it might be a bit too soon to be rushing into anything. Her side of the family is also an important aspect to note; Manuel was so loyal to Elvio that he nearly killed Cooper by doing what he thought was protecting Ariana, even though the act of aggression was born more out of his insecurities and ultimately ended up causing her more trouble. Cooper’s relationship with Ariana is and will remain incredibly complicated, but as Tommy (Thorton) says near the end of the most recent episode, he did indeed out-kick his coverage on this one.
How Many More Episodes of ‘Landman’ Are Left?
At the time of writing, there are eight episodes of Landman currently streaming on Paramount+, with two more episodes remaining. The penultimate episode, which has been titled “WolfCamp” and will be released on Sunday, January 5, will follow Monty (Hamm) recovering from his health scare while putting Tommy in a tough position as Cooper comes up with a plan. The season finale “The Crumbs of Hope” will air on Sunday, January 12, and will follow Tommy and Cami (Demi Moore) discussing Monty’s health scare while the cartel makes a move. Tommy and Monty came up with a solution to have the military train in areas around the oil fields to keep the cartel away, but it seems there might be some hiccups coming down the road for this fix.
The first eight episodes of Landman are now streaming. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates and coverage of the hit series, and watch Landman on Paramount+.
WATCH ON PARAMOUNT+
