Landman- Season 1 Episode 5 Recap & Review

 Where Is Home

Episode 5 of Landman starts with Dale and Tommy checking other oil wells after the bust in the previous episode. Dale suggests working over all the oils in the field, saying they have been running for over 35 years. Tommy gets a call from Angela, who is a little angry that Tommy left early in the morning and was not picking up her calls.

After establishing that Tommy has left for work, Angela suddenly informs him about the family dinner later that night and that Cooper will join them. Tommy calls Monty to ask for authorisation to rework the wells. He gives them the go-ahead but wants the work done well after well and reports provided on the production before starting the next well. With that, Boss, Dale, and Tommy finish the inspection and enjoy a comedic banter about wives, marriage, and divorce. They then each get into their M-Tex oil trucks and drive off.

Meanwhile, Cooper arrives at Ariana’s house. She is overwhelmed with paperwork on bills and finances. Cooper helps her through the paperwork and gives her advice on what she needs to do to get the finances in order. Cooper then offers to mow the loan as Ariana tends to the baby.

Monty’s chopper lands elsewhere and is directed into what seems like a meeting of the oil overloads. The conversation starts with a back-and-forth between two members arguing about the politics of clean energy and the public perception of the oil and gas companies.

Monty cuts in, throwing his arrogant tantrum, showing how he does not care about clean energy since the world is already convinced the oil diggers are evil for providing them with products that they cannot survive without. He ends his rant by saying that such meetings should not be about figuring out clean energy solutions but how to ensure they keep profiting from oil.

One of the members leans over and gives Monty a reality check, saying that even though his children and grandchildren might enjoy the wealth, he creates through oil and gas, his great-grandchildren might not, and he needs to start caring.

Back at Ariana’s house, Cooper helps mow the lawn and clear the backyard. He takes a break from work, and Ariana offers him a drink as they chat about breastfeeding, age, and feeling old. Cooper offers to mow the front lawn even after Ariana says she does not need it mowed. Cooper insists, saying doing chores is the only way he can think of to help her. Manuel suddenly pulls up with a gun and threatens Cooper, thinking that he only wants to sleep with Ariana.

Ariana steps in and stands up for Cooper, reminding Manuel that none of his so-called friends have come by her house once since his burial. They do not care whether she loses the house, fails to pay the bills, or her baby starves, but are quick to draw the line when another man wants her. Manuel insists that Cooper only wants to play husband.

Ariana stomps over and plants a deep kiss on Cooper’s lips, and says Cooper might just get a chance if he plays his cards right. The baby starts crying, and Ariana heads back to the house after telling Manuel to leave, or she will call the police. Manuel leaves but not before threatening Cooper, saying they will meet the next day at work.

Rebecca pulls up to the house where Tommy and the gang live for a meeting with Nate since the house also functions as his office. They begin going over the settlement plan for the family of the three men who died after the well-blowout. Nate mentions something about a 401k contribution the family is entitled to, and Rebecca thinks Nate should not notify the family about that contribution. She feels that they cannot afford a lawyer to look into it, and she intends to force them to settle, even if it means threatening the bereaved.

Meanwhile, Angela has taken it upon herself to decorate the whole house and has bought a bunch of new stuff using her ex-husband’s credit card. The deliverymen arrive and start moving things around, and Rebecca has to cut the meeting short. Outside by the pool, a neighbour invites Ainsley to a patch party.

Back at the oil patch, Tommy gets into a confrontation with the cartel. Jimmy pulls up with his boys, wanting compensation for the loss they incurred after the plane accident and drugs blowing up. Tommy is not one to back down, and he reminds Jimmy that he stole their plane, landed it on their road, and intended to smuggle drugs.

Jimmy threatens Tommy, saying that his boss is unhappy and he will start to understand his business when Wells starts blowing up, and his boys get killed. After Jimmy leaves, Boss tells Tommy that the workers will not set foot in the patches until Tommy figures out the whole cartel issue. Dale secretly records the entire conversation, and Tommy calls Monty to request a meeting to discuss the issue.

 Tommy and Dale make it home to find Nate and Ainsley already at the dinner table, ready for family dinner. They first notice the extreme home makeover done using Victor’s card. Cooper arrives soon after, and everyone sits down for supper.

However, as they talk about their day, the vision of a perfect family meal crumbles soon after, and Tommy must follow Angela into the kitchen to calm her down. Later, Cooper gets a call from Ariana and he manages to put her at ease. However, he arrives at his room to find Manuel and his cousins waiting for him, and they beat him to a pulp. The following day, they pretend they know nothing about Cooper when he doesn’t get to the truck for work, and Boss leaves for the patch without Cooper.

Tommy wakes up early at the house since he has to meet with Monty, and Angela decides to tag along. She has to sit down with Victor and give Tommy a chance to back out if he does not want to try again. Tommy is sincere and says he does not think they can make it work, but he also has no power to say no to Angela. They set out on their drive, but a call forces Tommy to detour. Tommy makes a pit spot to handle an issue about messed up delivery of pipes.

The crew headstands on top of the unharnessed steel pipes on the delivery truck, complaining that it will take the team days to sort out the mess and that it wastes their time. In anger, he stomps on the pipes, and the pile collapses. He rolls down with the pipes, and the steel crushes him beneath. The crewman is stuck between a pile of pipes with only his head sticking out. He asks Tommy for his phone so he can call his wife. He needs clarification on what to say, and Tommy advises that he tells the wife that he loves her.

Tommy rushes to the truck and takes Angela’s phone, asking her to stay in the car and not come out. Tommy called 911, but it was too late. The crew member stops breathing. At the end of the episode, Tommy looks back and spots Angela, who has left the truck and witnessed the incident.

The Episode Review

At first, Cooper’s involvement with Ariana seems like an unnecessary twist to the plot. Still, the mention of the 401k in this episode brings some relevance since, unlike what Rebecca thinks, he seems to understand that the money belongs to Ariana entirely. As such, there might be a fierce, head-on confrontation between Cooper and Rebecca in the upcoming episodes.

The end of the episode is heartbreaking. It is the first time Angela sees Tommy at work, and she witnesses the worst. Will this change her perception of Tommy’s work? How will it affect their relationship in the upcoming episodes? The ending gives a cliffhanger feeling, leaving the audience worried about Cooper and Angela.

The story is getting deeper with every episode, with more questions that the upcoming episodes will hopefully answer soon. Has anyone figured out the relevance of Monty’s wife to the storyline?