(This story contains major spoilers from the season finale of Countryman“The Crumbs of Hope.”)

Dangerous beginnings returned in the finale of Countryman.

Billy Bob Thornton’s oil company fixer Tommy Norris ended the season in a similar fashion – if almost more dangerous – than he began Sunday in the final stretch of the first season of Paramount+’s new hit series about the Texas oil industry Yellowstone Chef Taylor Sheridan and co-creator Christian Wallace.

In “The Crumbs of Hope,” Tommy is promoted when his long-time friend and boss Monty Miller (played by Jon Hamm) is on his deathbed due to heart failure. Tommy takes over Monty’s multi-billion dollar oil company, M-Tex Oil, and quickly finds himself under pressure to continue generating profits for Monty’s legacy: his wife Cami Miller (Demi Moore) and their two daughters.

Tommy agrees to comply with Monty’s wishes and mine some of the oil wells to increase the company’s production and wealth. Amid all this, there is also stress within his own family: his fiery teenage daughter Aynsley (played by Michelle Randolph) and her new, young romance; his nursing but newly reconciled ex-wife Angela (played by Ali Larter); and his wayward son Cooper (played by Jacob Lofland), who is now in love with the widowed wife of an M-Tex patchworker.

But then Tommy is kidnapped again, hooded and taken to an unknown location by Jimenez (Alex Meraz) and the cartel he’s been facing all season. This kidnapping proves even more violent, bloody and painful for Tommy, until a surprise character (played by guest actor Andy Garcia) comes to the rescue – but at a price. The season ends with a battered Tommy realizing his hands are still figuratively tied as he makes a deal with Garcia’s cartel boss Gallino to coexist with the cartel in the Patch.

The Hollywood Reporter I recently met Thornton via Zoom at his home in San Luis Obispo, California, to discuss the ending of Countrymanperforming his own kidnapping stunts and how the final scene raises his hopes for a possible second season.

But as wildfires continue to rage in Los Angeles County, Thornton was interested in more than just talking about his hit show. “I just want to say that my condolences are with all the people in LA who are suffering from these terrible fires,” Thornton said THR. “We lost our house in the Malibu fires in 1993; So, I went through it. And it’s so devastating. That’s why we have to wake up every day and realize that the most important thing is life and limb and family.”

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What did you enjoy most about filming? Countryman after finishing the first season?

Firstly, I enjoyed being with this cast and crew. They really were first class. They gave 100 percent every day and we all came very close. It’s probably one of the funniest casts and crews I’ve ever seen; It was a pleasure to come to work every day. And being able to shoot the scenes that Taylor (Sheridan, co-creator) wrote and tell the story that he wrote because his dialogue really captured what these characters are trying to say. This dialogue really told the story and his words were a joy to say. And Paramount was so behind us and really cheering us on. We had no idea it would become the hit that it has; Suddenly we had a monster on our hands. So it was a wonderful experience working throughout this time and it was very important to all of us to tell this story.

In a way, the finale is the beginning of the series, with Tommy being kidnapped by the cartel again. But this time in a much more violent and bloody attack. How involved were you in those gruesome scenes with the terrible beatings, the gasoline being poured over everything, and the rusty nails being hammered into Tommy’s thigh?

Yes, that was all me. I actually had this stuff thrown on my head twice – that was me under the bag. And it was really interesting because Andy Garcia and I have known each other for many years, but this was the first time we worked together. But it felt very natural and real to see two grizzled veterans compete against each other. I think Andy and I work very well together.

In scenes like this you just have to imagine yourself as if it was actually happening. And that night it felt like that. Plus, I was exhausted. When we shot the outdoor scene, I could barely stand up. So there is no acting there. Between each take I leaned against the wall. (Laughs)

What do you think of the young cartel leader without considering the potential consequences of ending Tommy’s life and taking on such a major oil titan and corporation?

I think they’re often what people called henchmen in the old movies. You want to impress the boss. And now that I’m dealing with Andy’s character, who is the mastermind of this thing, I’m dealing with someone who’s smarter, which can be a good thing and a bad thing. Smarter so you can talk to him intelligently, but at the same time he’s also smarter so you can’t tell what tricks he has up his sleeve.

With the other guys, all they really have is their muscles. They come in there and want to screw you over! I think that the actual attempt to just move on and eradicate myself was probably just a matter of passion after I answered him about it. If I had just sat there and taken it, maybe it wouldn’t have gotten this far. But these are guys who are used to a world of crime in a real violent world. If you feel like spitting in their faces, sometimes you just pull out the gun. So I’m not sure they thought about it that much and they found out later that they were about to screw it up.

Is Tommy a man of faith or does he just see himself as someone who is lucky?

I think Tommy is trying to go through life knowing the pressure he’s under from all sides – the oil business; his family, the death of his boss and the fact that he now has to take the torch. I think Tommy is trying to concentrate on work, almost like he’s on autopilot. Because if he thought about it too much, because Tommy is a passionate guy, he would probably be where Jon Hamm’s character would have ended up. I think he knows he has a job to do and I think Tommy is very motivated and obsessed with succeeding at what he does. I don’t think he wants to be a failure.

So does he want to take over M-Tex Oil after Monty’s (Jon Hamm) death?

He probably doesn’t want to, but he knows he has to. I think he owes his old friend and boss something because that’s what he wanted. And I also think that based on his knowledge of the industry alone, he knows that he is the right person. He doesn’t want to put the suit on, but he knows he has to. And I don’t technically mean the suit (laughs) – I don’t think Tommy will ever change his clothes.

In the scene where Tommy’s wife and daughter want to celebrate their own victory, but you explain that Monty is probably going to die and you have to take over to keep the company going, Tommy has a great line in which he says “Men die, oil companies don’t die.” My job won’t go anywhere.” Given the equally high demands his family places on him, the question arises as to what could get Tommy out of the way first: the oil business (fighting cartels, etc .) or his family?

(Laughs) Well, you know, Tommy loves his family. He loves his son, but he sees himself in his son because Cooper is just as stubborn as Tommy and you don’t want to see your children in danger. Now he just comes to me and says, “By the way, I’m about to put myself in danger.” He doesn’t like that. He loves his son, but for him every day is a nightmare.

His wife Angela, his ex-wife, who now looks like they’re getting back together, they’re completely different people on the surface. But there is a certain chemistry between them that has never gone away. So they love each other, but boy, is it hard to live with each other? I mean, they couldn’t be better at what they want to do on a daily basis, day and night.

And the daughter Aynsley, I have a 20-year-old daughter who is currently in college. And if she came in and said something about it to me! Every time Michelle, who plays my daughter, says something like what she says to me (about her sex life), I think, “Oh my God!” No acting required; You know what I mean?

What have you heard about there being a second season? Also, what is the symbolism of Tommy and the coyote sizing each other up at the very end of the finale?

Well, the first question about season two: We don’t officially know if we’ll have one. Normally shows that are this successful would do it again; So I can only imagine that they would, but I don’t know for sure.

The symbolism of the coyote for me, and I talked to Taylor quite a bit about it, was that originally there was more dialogue in both coyote scenes. We discussed it and said, “You know what, I think these are essentially silent scenes because Tommy is looking at this wild coyote.” I think Tommy is looking at this coyote and at the end he thinks, “Here they come. They come for me.” Or: “Ae, they come for me? Am I the coyote, am I looking myself in the eye? Am I that lone wolf out here just running around these plains trying not to get killed? Or is the coyote the cartel?” I think it’s a very symbolic moment of Tommy trying to figure out who he is here. And I think he’s staring himself and possibly death in the eye.

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The complete season of Countryman is now streaming on Paramount+.