Landman Episode 4 recap: Oil busts, crushed hands, and painful pasts

In Landman Episode 4 ‘The Sting of Second Chances’, Tommy has to revisit some painful family truths and Angela has to come to terms with her unhappiness.

Last time we saw Tommy and co. in Landman Episode 3, he was in deep trouble for downplaying the plane theft incident. Monty was being pushed from all sides to put the blame on his landman. Tommy’s trouble-making ex-wife Angela had also rolled into town, drinking and partying up a storm.

The new episode of Landman sees Tommy finally face his deposition. Will Rebecca step up and be on his side, or will he go down in a ball of flames like the plane in question?

Here’s a full Landman Episode 4 recap, with major spoilers ahead!

Tommy’s deposition goes ahead in Landman Episode 4

In Episode 4, we start as Taylor Sheridan means to go on: with more focus on Ainsley and Angela’s sexuality being an inconvenience to the men around them. While Nate stresses about the ladies working out semi-naked in the living room, Tommy’s on his way to the deposition for the plane theft.

He’s being sued for not informing the authorities about the plane being stolen, which then led to the deaths of several people after a truck crashed into it while it was parked on the road for a drug drop.

Paramount

However, M-TEX’s lawyer, Rebecca, proves to be worth every penny. She quickly takes down the prosecution council during the meeting, accusing them of sexist remarks and wasting everyone’s time when A) Tommy reported the theft to the FAA and B) the crash was on a private road the truck shouldn’t have been using.

After ripping apart the other counsel, she demands they surrender the case, which they reluctantly agree to. Tommy absolutely loves her approach and invites her to have a drink.

Tommy and Rebecca form a bond

At the bar shortly after, Tommy and Rebecca continue their feud when they get into a debate over a local sex worker’s moral compass. But Rebecca slowly starts to understand him when he explains what it means to go through an “oil bust” in a town like this – everyone loses everything.

Meanwhile, a bored Ainsley and Angela attempt to get into the country club but are turned away for a “private event” (unlikely). So, they drive around and head to the same bar where Tommy and Rebecca are currently drinking.

While Tommy is explaining Monty Miller’s backstory to Rebecca (how he made his fortune after being raised in a trailer park), Angela spots them across the bar. Her intent is clear: it’s time to make trouble.

Angela gets jealous

Angela and Ainsley wander over, and it doesn’t take long for Angela to insult Rebecca (telling her that her name “sounds like a Marvel character”) and then invite her over to join them for dinner.

Meanwhile, at the oil well, Cooper and his new crew are working through the night to get the well set up for the morning. However, chaos strikes when Antonio gets his hand crushed on the mechanics. Cooper and Manuel race up to help him, but he passes out before they can get him down.

Cooper then hoists Antonio all the way down the well, and he’s promptly rushed off to the hospital by Dale. The boys need to get the well finished by morning, so Cooper is sent up to feed the line in the pine in Antonio’s place – a task he’s not yet attempted.

Back at the bar, Angela is regaling Ainsley and Rebecca with a story about how Tommy once surprised her with tickets to a George Strait concert. It’s a sweet memory, but the moment becomes sour when Angela tears up and tells them that shortly after, the markets crashed and the oil bust came, meaning they lost everything they had. “And I do mean everything,” she tells them.

Tommy, suddenly uncomfortable, makes an excuse to leave the table. While Angela cries, Ainsley tells Rebecca that Tommy doesn’t like to talk about the bust. Rebecca offers to drive the ladies home.

Ainsley makes Tommy a promise

On the way back, Rebecca interrogates Angela as to why she’s jealous of Tommy when they’re no longer married. Defensive, Angela reminds Rebecca that she could sleep with her boyfriend “and there’s nothing you could do about it.” She also tells her that Tommy needs calamity in order to feel like a man and that Rebecca isn’t his type.

When Tommy gets home, Nate is still up late, working on settlements for Luis’ family to counter a lawsuit before it happens. He then finds Ainsley on the couch, who’s mad at Angela. “She’s a quitter. The market crashes and she leaves you,” she points out. But Tommy empathizes with Angela and defends her. Even so, Ainsley promises Tommy that she’d never leave him, no matter what the market does.

Speaking of Angela, he then goes into his bedroom to find her weeping in bed. She regrets ending their marriage, but Tommy reminds her that they had a terrible relationship. That may be the truth, but Angela still tells him that she’s going to leave her current husband. After some convincing and pleading on her part, Tommy agrees to get back together with her.

A new day, a new start

The next morning, Ainsley wanders into the kitchen and frightens Nate in her half-dressed state. Tommy tells her to put some clothes on, to which she replies that the only clothes she brought were ones to seduce her boyfriend. (Why does Sheridan keep writing stuff like this?)

When Angela comes down and Ainsley works out that the two are back together, she’s elated. The three have a “f**ked up family hug” before Tommy heads out to the well.

Paramount

Thankfully, it’s up and working just fine, with Boss telling Tommy just how much Cooper stepped up to get it finished. Tommy tells Monty over the phone that it’s now working brilliantly, before going over to his son and telling him he needs to come home and see his mother. Cooper isn’t nearly as happy as Ainsley about the news of his parents getting back together.

As Tommy leaves, Cooper gets a call from Ariana, Elvio’s widow. Upset, she asks him to come and see her. Knowing it would get him in deep trouble with her cousins, he says yes anyway.

Landman Episode 4 is now available to stream on Paramount+.

For more, find out what a landman actually is. You can also check out Taylor Sheridan’s other TV shows, and see what’s going on with 6666 and The Madison.