Landman – Season 1 Episode 9 Recap & Review

WolfCamp

Episode 9 of Landman starts with the Colonel freaking out about the people his team blew up while on helicopter drills. The colonel wants to report the incident, but Tommy thinks the best course of action is one that does not include the authorities. Tommy calls the cartel leader, offering him the opportunity to clean his mess.

The cartel agrees, but asks Tommy to meet up. Tommy realises that the cartel is watching him since the leader happens to know his exact location when they talk on the phone and about his family.

Tommy swings by the hospital to check on Monty, who has had heart bypass surgery. Jerry, the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, is also visiting Monty, and he gives them a lecture about prioritising family. After Jerry leaves, Monty does not seem to take the old man’s words seriously and shrugs them off, saying that he is not in the hospital because of work but because of his weak heart. 

Regardless, Monty plans to step back and offer Tommy a promotion to Vice President of operations. However, Tommy has to work alongside Rebecca since Monty makes her vice president of exploration. Tommy protests because he does not want to work with Rebecca, but Monty stands by his decision and orders Tommy to find a way to get along. 

Jerry’s speech gets to Tommy, so after leaving the room, he asks Monty’s wife to take him away from work till he recovers. He then calls Angela and Ainsley to tell them that he loves them. They tell him about the planned trip to the strip club with the old folks. 

Elsewhere, Cooper and Ariana are not on the same page about their relationship. Cooper is all in and thinking about their future while Ariana says she cannot trust her feelings yet. Ariana thinks they should focus on themselves as they take the relationship slow.

However, Cooper is in love with Ariana. He didn’t plan on falling in love with his co-worker’s widow. He has a dream, but he does not want to pursue it just for himself. Cooper says that his body is proof that he will not quit their relationship. Ariana and Cooper start kissing and the doorbell interrupts them again. When they get back to it, the baby starts crying. This time, they choose to ignore the baby’s cries and test if they have chemistry.

Tommy arrives home to find Nate worked up about Monty’s idea to hire Rebecca to be in charge of negotiating leases. They both think that hiring Rebecca is bad for business but why have to put up with it since Rebecca is now Monty’s “new shining toy.”

Angela makes dinner and Tommy interrupts Ainsley and her boyfriend’s “bible study where Ainsley is trying to convince him to be a stripper during the old folk’s outing. During dinner, Angela and Tommy get into an argument about the correct way to eat Paella, but they make up soon after. Tommy opens up to Angela about putting up shows, expecting appreciation, and acting out when the expectations are not met. Tommy says that he loves her and that he wants to come back home to her after a hard day’s work. 

Elsewhere, Ariana wakes up in the middle of the night to find Cooper busy working. Cooper explains his elaborate plan to start his oil company, move to Ft. Worth, buy Ariana the house of her dreams, and have enough money to make all her other dreams come true. Later, Cooper approaches the first landowner and convinces him to lease him his oil well.

At the hospital, Monty’s heart rate spikes up and he struggles to breathe. He frantically presses the call button, but no doctor or nurses rush to his side. The next morning, Angela and Ainsley leave early for the trip with the old folks. In the kitchen, Nate and Dale are riled up since Angela threw their unhealthy morning snacks in the trash and replaced them with healthy fruit bowls.

Tommy steps outside for a smoke and gets a call from Cami. The look on Tommy’s face shows that Cami might not have had the best news because as the episode ends, Tommy seems shaken as he walks through his backyard barefoot, staring at a wolf. Tommy’s neighbour shoots the wolf, cussing it for killing pets and leaves Tommy staring at the dead animal. 

The Episode Review

The episode ends with a cliffhanger, leaving us wondering about what happened to Monty. Is the dead wolf symbolic of Monty’s death? Is the news that Cami shares about Monty? If Monty is dead, what will happen to M-tex? Will Cami finally take an active role in the upcoming episodes?

Meanwhile, the writers did a better job with Angela and Tommy’s relationship. They have embraced the second chance and are willing to talk and listen to each other. It seems like their relationship might work. 

Talking of relationships, Cooper and Ariana decide to accept their feelings. Do you think they are really into each other or is it dependability? Cooper seems to be all in and has begun an elaborate plan to build a future with Ariana. His approach to oil lease and drilling is so futuristic and elaborate. His knowledge about oil drilling and his approach is the opposite of his father’s. Will he be able to stay honest in the oil business? Will their relationship stand the test of time? 

The problem with the cartel is still on the horizon. With Rebecca probably taking over the role of negotiating, will her aggressiveness be a liability, especially when dealing with the cartel? Do you think Monty is dead?