Landman Episode 7 recap: Tommy reaches breaking point with Ainsley

In the previous Landman installment, Tommy brought justice down on Cooper’s attackers, and in Episode 7, ‘All Roads Lead To A Hole,’ Cooper finds a road to recovery through Ariana. (Warning: major spoilers ahead!)

What’s more, in Landman Episode 6, Angela finalized her divorce from Victor, meaning her life with Tommy could start properly. Our landman also received worrying threats from the cartel, making his and Monty’s jobs just that much harder.

In Episode 7 of Taylor Sheridan‘s oil drama, Angela and Ainsley settle into their new day-to-day life in Midland, and they find entertainment from an unlikely source. Meanwhile, Tommy goes about installing new drills while being on guard.

Here’s our full recap of everything that goes down in Landman Episode 7.

Monty gets an offer in Landman Episode 7

At the start of Episode 7, Tommy arrives at the hospital to pick up a still-worn out Cooper, but Ariana already beat him to it. He wants his son to come home, but Cooper responds, “What’s home for me?” Tommy then gives Ariana a warning, telling her that Cooper may still be a target, but she’s undeterred. She brings him home to her house, determined to look after him.

Meanwhile, Angela and Ainsley are the gym. Ainsley tries to convince her to get a job, but Angela has no interest in doing anything other than having a rich husband who can look after her.

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At the Patch Cafe, Tommy is having lunch with Dale and Boss. Boss is still stressed over having to work near the patch, but Tommy is convinced that for now, the cartel are only making threats, not acting on them.

He then gets a call from Monty, who lets him know about a new “drill-to-earn” deal he’s been offered, which essentially means interest is earned once they drill to a required depth. (The deal comes about from a friend of Monty’s, who wants to borrow money from him rather than the bank.)

Tommy warns him that the suggested land is overrun with smugglers, but Monty assures him he’ll have everything he needs to pull this off. After the two come to a (somewhat) agreement, Monty finalizes the deal with his pal, saying he’ll only agree if he gets 100% of the profit until he recoups his investment.

Angela and Ainsley find a new hobby

On the way home, Angela and Ainsley drive past a retirement home. Struck by a desire to give back, they stop and decide to spend some time with the older residents to keep them company. Upon seeing how bored they are, Angela takes off to buy games, speakers, and party food.

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When she gets back, they have a party the likes of which they haven’t seen in decades. However, a nurse arrives to shut the party down, so Angela and Ainsley head home, but not before scheduling another visit.

Tommy and his crew head to the new site with their gear, along with one security guard. Tommy’s contingency is swapping over the crews until the project is done, making sure the patch is always packed. But, his plan doesn’t even get a chance to work, because the cartel soon shows up.

The gang leader, Jimmy, has sent his henchmen to threaten Tommy and tell him he can’t drill until he’s paid him back for the lost product after the plane crash. But the patch crew backs him up, and the gang leaves. …For now.

Ainsley meets Ryder

On his way home, Tommy gets a call from Angela, asking him to meet her at the bar. When he arrives, she’s taunting some poor pool player by distracting him with lewd poses. (At least it works – she takes his money no problem.)

The two dance, and Tommy warns her not to get too attached to her friends down at the retirement home.

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That night, Ainsley is hanging out at a patch party when she catches the eye of Ryder, another quarterback who’s headed to Tech for college. The two get chatting, and she explains her goals of becoming a philanthropist when she marries an NFL quarterback. (For good measure, she asks if he’s going to be an NFL player, and he responds, “You bet your ass I am.”)

Later that night, Cooper wakes up in Ariana’s house. He goes to wake her on the couch, telling her that they can share the bed. When they do, she embraces him, telling him she hasn’t had a hug since Elvio’s funeral.

At their house, Angela is getting frustrated with Tommy’s snoring. She wakes him up, also worried that Ainsley’s still out so late. She can track her phone, seeing that she’s in the middle of the desert. Since she won’t let it go, Tommy takes her phone and heads out to find Ainsley.

Tommy breaks up the patch party

Back at the party, Ainsley and Ryder are getting comfortable in the back of his car. However, before things go too far, Tommy shows up and punches him in the throat. And just like that, Ainsley’s Friday night is over. Unfortunately, while all this is going down, one of Jimmy’s gang members watches from a distance.

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On the drive home, Tommy screams at Ainsley when she tries to overshare for the hundredth time, finally snapping after seven episodes’ worth of inappropriate dialog. When they get home, he tells her she’s grounded.

The next morning, Cooper and Ariana wake up next to each other and kiss. The doorbell goes before it can go any further, and Ariana opens it to find Nate and Rebecca on the other side, following up from their bereavement meeting the other day.

Nate tries to assure her they’re not attempting to pull a trick on her, but Rebecca comes in with the emotional manipulation: if she doesn’t sign the agreement, the other families won’t get their money either. When Cooper comes into the room to look at the contract, Rebecca looks happy, telling him, “We’ve been looking for you.”

Landman Episode 7 is available to stream on Paramount+ now.

For more, check out our guides to Yellowstone Season 6, find out what a landman actually is, and keep an eye on the full Landman release schedule.