Landman's Billy Bob Thornton And Ali Larter On The Finale Scene That Marks A Major Change In Tommy And Angela's Love Story

Warning: This post contains spoilers from the Season 2 finale of "Landman." Proceed accordingly.

Amid the fireworks of the Season 2 finale of "Landman" — Cooper's arrest! Tommy's new company! A multi-car pile-up on the highway! — a quieter, yet equally monumental, development took place: Angela and Tommy backed each other up in a loving and respectful way.

Shocking, we know! Let's quickly recap. First, Angela didn't fly off the handle when she learned about Tommy's MTex firing from Gallino's wife Bella, of all people. And in the phone call that followed, he reassured her that a) he had a plan, and b) he wasn't going to try to solve his problems with alcohol like he'd done in the past. She believed him.

Then, later in the hour, the pair had a conversation in which Tommy acknowledged Angela's desire to live a special and sparkly life, but he did so in a way that was adoring, not mocking. (Quite the change from a similar exchange in Season 1, eh?) They ended the episode standing in the backyard, arms around each other, basking in Tommy's victory of starting a new oil company with Cooper, T.L. and a bunch of Tommy's MTex colleagues. (Read a full episode recap.)

In separate interviews, I spoke with Billy Bob Thornton, who plays Tommy, and Ali Larter, who plays Angela, about what feels like a new understanding between Tommy and his former-and-future wife. Read on to hear what they had to say.

TVLINE | When Angela learned about Tommy's firing from Bella, her anger would've been justified, and I was expecting to see her lay into him. But it surprised me that she didn't. Did it surprise you, as well?
ALI LARTER | Going from [Episode] 9 into [Episode] 10 and reading it, it was really important to me that... you see that when things get very serious with her — like, really serious, past guidance counselor serious, she falls into a little bit of, not just fear, but quiet. And that's something I feel is very truthful to human nature. I didn't want her sobbing or crying. There's space and time for that, when she's putting on a show — [such as] the scene when Ainsley's leaving for school that is just a truly painful thing for this woman who feels so much. But the scenes in the finale, when he says that, it feels like things are very, very real and very serious, and that led to Angela being very, very quiet. That's how I felt it should be.

TVLINE | There's a line when Tommy is talking to Angela on the phone where he's like, "I'm not gonna dive into the bottle this time." In your mind, is he completely changed from how he was, way back? Basically: Tell me how worried I should be about Tommy and his new venture.
BILLY BOB THORNTON | [Laughs] I was just telling someone earlier that I view this show — the [episodes] I watch, because I don't watch everything. I've always been that way. I've done movies that I've never seen. I trust that if it's good, and people love it, I almost feel like it's a jinx for me to watch it, that then, all of a sudden, nobody will like it because I did. [Laughs] I've got so many afflictions, you know.

But like I said, I view ["Landman"] as a fan more than anything else. I look at it, and I wonder about the same things you wonder about, or the same things that fans wonder about. Is Cami gonna become, like, my arch-nemesis? Or are [Gallino] and I gonna become really close? I start making up all these scenarios, just like the fans do. Because [series co-creator] Taylor [Sheridan] doesn't tell us anything. He really doesn't. Most people think I'm just covering up, but I'm really not. He keeps it very close to the vest, and we do not know anything, which I actually kind of like as an actor.

... In terms of how worried you need to be about Tommy, I'm probably as worried as you are! I mean, I don't know. I go through all these scenarios where I'm worried about things like, "Oh, I hope Ali and I actually get married again. I hope we don't split up. I hope I don't, like, meet some other woman in the process. What if I start seeing Rebecca, the attorney? [Laughs] You know, stuff like that. I mean, you've heard these stories about people that were on soap operas. And they go in a grocery store, and there are fans who think they're so real to them, that they would go up to them and say,"How in the world could you leave Melody when she just had a baby?!" And they're angry. And the guy's standing there, or the girl's standing, there saying, "I'm just an actor!" [Laughs] But I kind of get that way about this show, so now, I get the soap fans more.

TVLINE | Angela's conversation with Tommy on the plane feels like the inverse of that scene last season where he was telling her that she can make fancy dinners as much as she likes, but she shouldn't expect anyone else to care. Tell me what you think may be involved in his seeing her in a different light.
LARTER | So, it's interesting that you bring up that scene, because it actually shows a lot of who they are. The way that it was written was that I'm supposed to really be excited that he's telling me that everything's gonna be OK,, and he has this new job. But that's not how Angela feels. And speaking with Stephen Kay, who's our amazing director — and, you know, it was a very hot day. The air conditioning was not working on the plane. We were dripping with sweat.The crew was packed in there. It was a pressure cooker, where everyone's trying to just get the scene. But it wasn't quite there yet, and we needed the time. And we took extra time on that scene because it wasn't feeling right for me to be excited about [Tommy's] story. Because all of a sudden, it brings the fear back of what happened in 2008 during the bust. And if he starts rolling it again, what does that mean for our future? Like, she's the one that rolls it. [Laughs] He doesn't get to do that! He's actually a very stable force in her life, so if he's starting to roll the dice again, what does that look like? And is he gonna go back to the bottle?

I just thought that was a really interesting, honest way to take a scene and show more about their history, and not be so obvious in her being, "Oh, woo! I'm excited for you." It's complicated, and their relationship is complicated.

THORNTON | I think at their core, they've always been on the same page. I think these are people who have loved each other from the moment they met... She wants the high life, and the Champagne, and the caviar. And Tommy's a workaholic, and driven, and intense and edgy and gets irritated easily. But I think the core of their love has always been that. I think just now, they're realizing what they need to do for each other to show it.

I think Tommy starts to feel a little like, "I can't just slam her every time she makes some stuff I don't want to eat." [Laughs] They've come a long way in the way they communicate with each other. I think the actual love has always been there.