There was trouble in Texas in the last episode of Taylor Sheridan’s oil drama, and Landman Episode 5, “Where Is Home”, picks up right where we left off – here’s our full recap.
Thanks to Angela’s unexpected return and Cooper’s involvement with the newly-widowed Ariana, the Coopers found themselves in trying times in Episode 4. And that’s not all – Tommy recently discovered that a patch of oil wells aren’t up to scratch, which is the last thing he needs.
We’re now halfway through Landman, but there’s still plenty more to unfold. Will Angela and Tommy succeed at giving their marriage another shot? Will Monty get a handle on all the dirty dealings in Midland? And will Demi Moore actually get something to do for once?
All these questions and more will hopefully get answers soon, but for now, here’s our Landman Episode 5 recap. (Warning: major spoilers ahead!)
Cooper bonds with Ariana in Landman Episode 5
After the bust oil well made itself known in Episode 4, Tommy calls Monty and asks if they can check all the wells in that field. Most of them are old, and although Monty is hesitant to spend the money and time checking them, he gives Tommy permission to start going through them one by one.
Meanwhile, Cooper is on his way to see Ariana, Elvio’s widow. Despite being warned by Manuel not to go near her, Cooper shows up at her door. She’s overwhelmed with paperwork and bills, so Cooper helps her go through it all and offers to mow her front lawn.
In the city, Monty sits with a group of suits around a lunch table, and he listens to them debate the next source of energy. He shuts them down, telling them it doesn’t actually affect them what happens with the energy once they pump the oil. All he cares about is the price of the it.
They laugh as his abrasiveness, but another colleague cautiously reminds him that “the party is ending” when it comes to oil, and that Monty should find another venture.
Trouble with Ariana’s family
Cooper is mowing the lawn and bonding with Ariana over her new baby, and she teases him about his shyness when discussing her body. They also connect over Elvio’s death, since he was the first person Cooper has known to have died in his life. Ariana shares her grandmother’s advice for dealing with the troubles of life: to stay young in your heart.
But trouble strikes when Cooper is mowing the front lawn. Manuel pulls up in his car and points a gun at him. However, Ariana comes out and tells Manuel it’s none of his business who helps her. When Manuel insists Cooper only wants one thing, Ariana kisses him in front of Manuel and threatens to call the police. Before he leaves, Manuel makes a thinly-veiled threat against Cooper once more.
Rebecca turns up at the Norris household to settle some business with Nate over Luis’ grieving family. She insists they pay them more than he assumes is enough – anything to stop a potential $50 million dollar lawsuit. Their meeting is interrupted when a furniture truck arrives, delivering a house’s worth of new decor ordered by Angela (on her current husband’s credit card, of course).
Outside, Ainsley makes a new friend. Their neighbor calls out to her and asks if she wants to join her at a “patch party” – a gathering at one of the oil wells with music and drinks. Happy to have made a connection, Ainsley accepts.
Tommy gets confronted by the cartel
Tommy, Boss, and Dale start checking out the wells in the remaining field. It’s not going well, and because nobody has replaced Luis’ crew, Tommy wants to shift the patch to Boss instead. However, they’re interrupted when the cartel Tommy leases the land from shows up.
Dale records the whole meeting on his phone, which consists of the gang leader, Jimmy, telling Tommy he owes him money for the lost product in the plane crash (around $30 million to be exact). Tommy fights back, telling them that all the lawsuits and mess he’s in is down to them, and that they’ll never win against a multi-billion dollar corporation.
The cartel leaves after threatening to blow up the wells, and Boss quickly tells Tommy he won’t be stepping foot on that patch until the problem is resolved. Soon after, Tommy calls Monty and tells him he’ll come and see him the next day to explain their new predicament.
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Back at Ariana’s house, she apologizes for kissing Cooper without warning. She even offers him dinner, but he tells her he has to get back home for a new mandated “family dinner”.
Family dinner goes wrong
Speaking of family dinner, Tommy arrives home to see his rented house completely renovated, thanks to Angela’s new delivery. Cooper arrives, and after an awkward greeting with his mother, everyone (Dale and Nate included) sits down around the table.
As they eat, Angela gets emotional over the fact that this is the first time their family has been together in ten years. But it’s not happy for everyone – Ainsley and Cooper bicker, and Tommy looks like he wants to be anywhere else. When nobody’s willing to talk about their day, Angela gets upset and leaves the table, crying.
Tommy follows her into the kitchen, where he offers her a little comfort (in his own way). He tells her she’s more than welcome to make dinner and set up home, but she has to understand that she may not get the response she’s looking for. The two make up, but not before she delivers a punch, literally.
At the dining table, Ainsley is smiling, happy to hear her parents getting along. But Cooper is cynical, telling her that he’s not happy because he’s old enough to remember what it was like when they were first together.
As he drives home, Cooper gets another call from Ariana. She’s frightened to be in the house by herself, but he assures her and helps her calm down. When he arrives back at his trailer at the man camp, he’s suddenly viciously attacked by Manuel and his gang.
Trouble at the well
The next morning, Tommy is up early getting ready to drive to Monty’s. Angela joins him, telling him she needs to go meet her husband Victor face-to-face to tell him she’s leaving him. She also asks him whether he really believes they have a chance, to which he tells her, “We don’t have an ice cube’s chance in hell of making this work.” But, as he adds, he just can’t say no to her.
Meanwhile, Boss is waiting for Cooper, who doesn’t show up for his morning start. Manuel is stressed, and tells Boss to leave him behind. So they drive off, with Boss not knowing that Cooper is currently lying unconscious on his trailer floor.
Tommy and Angela are on their way to Monty, until Tommy gets a call from one of the rigs, where a worker is annoyed that a delivery of pipes arrived wrong. They make a detour to the rig, where Tommy finds the worker ranting about the problem.
In a rage, he jumps on the pile. But tragedy strikes when it collapses, the weight of the pipes falling on top of him and crushing his chest, pinning him underneath. The well becomes a source of chaos, since they can’t take the pipes off otherwise he’ll bleed out.
Tommy hands him his phone so the worker can call his wife, knowing he’s dying. But she doesn’t pick up, and when Tommy attempts to call 911, the man stops breathing before any help can come. As Tommy drops the phone, he looks over and sees that Angela has been watching the gruesome scene.
Landman Episode 5 is available to stream on Paramount+ now.
Before you watch Episode 5, check out our Landman recaps for Episode 1, Episode 2, and Episode 3. Plus, don’t miss a thing with our guide on where to watch the new show.
