Landman Season 2, Episode 5 began airing on Sunday (Dec. 14), and the new episode showed off a surprisingly sweet side to the oftentimes dark show — that is, when it wasn’t delivering stunning revelations that could place everyone at risk.

What Happens to Tommy Norris on Landman Season 2, Episode 5?

Tommy (Billy Bob Thornton) is dealing with multiple crises, as usual, and he’s finding out that being the President of M-Tex Oil and still serving as his own landman is a taller order then he thought.

In Episode 5 — titled “The Pirate Dinner” — Tommy deals with the aftermath of a crash at one of the pump jacks, the toxic gas exposure of some of his crew members and more.

But the real problem for him is Gallino (Andy Garcia) and his continued encroachment upon those around Tommy, including Cooper (Jacob Lofland) and Cami (Demi Moore).

Tommy has managed to find a solution for Cooper’s contract with Gallino, which he shows him is so unfair and slanted that he will never actually make any money from it.

M-Tex buys out his leases, with Tommy telling him that with his instincts, he can come back to the company and eventually write his own ticket as a landman — one who is probably destined for far greater success than Tommy himself.

But first, he tells him, he has to learn the rules in order to break them.

Of course, that puts Tommy back in direct business with Gallino, and another showdown takes place in the cartel-boss-turned-oil-investor’s office, with Tommy swearing not to partner with him.

Unfortunately for him, Cami has other ideas after her meeting with Gallino — especially when she finds out that M-Tex could be facing bankruptcy due to some of Monty’s (Jon Hamm) not-entirely-legal financial machinations.

When Tommy reluctantly reveals the truth — that they would essentially be laundering dirty money for a drug cartel — she doesn’t bat an eye.

She orders him to draw up the paperwork, making it clear in no uncertain terms that she will do whatever it takes to save her husband’s company, whether he agrees or not.

What Happens With Cooper and Ariana in Landman Season 2, Episode 5?

Cooper begins the episode believing that he has a lot of money coming to him soon, but ends it realizing there is still a lot for him to learn about the practical side of the oil business before he’s ready to make the kind of play he’s trying to make.

Ariana (Paulina Chavez) tells Cooper that she wants to move forward in their relationship, now that she’s made her expectations clear.

“If we’re gonna do this let’s do it, both feet,” she says. “Catholics don’t exactly shack up.”

She says he’ll have to ask for her hand — but first, he has to ask her father, who lives hours away. He makes the journey, only to have her dad tell him it was just a test. She didn’t want her father’s approval; she only wanted to see if he would do as she asked.

“Put a hand to her and I’ll kill you,” he warns Cooper — which, in this case, seems to be about as close to his seal of approval as Cooper’s ever going to get.

Tommy cautions Cooper that he’s moving way too fast in his private life, too, but appears to come to some peace with the situation after seeing Ariana at her new job at The Patch.

What Happens to Angela and Ainsley on Landman Season 2, Episode 5?

Angela (Ali Larter) and Ainsley (Michelle Randolph) are in full party mode, first staging an unexpectedly sweet “birthday party” (it’s not actually her birthday) for Angela at the retirement home where they’ve been volunteering, which she says is the best birthday she’s ever had.

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Landman: Season One – Landman: Season One

They also figure out that there might be a little geriatric hanky-panky going on at the retirement home, one of several unexpected revelations in Episode 5.

What Happens to T.L. in Landman Season 2, Episode 5?

T.L. (Sam Elliott) is settling into life at Tommy and Angela’s house, spending his days by the pool, flirting with Ainsley’s friend Shelby (played by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill’s daughter, Audrey McGraw) and generally finding that Tommy’s life is a happy one, despite his own sometimes bleak view of the world.

That’s reaffirmed at the end of the episode, when Angela throws a massively over-the-top “Pirate Dinner” for T.L. complete with costumes, decorations, lots of seafood and even a real sword.

For once in the history of the show, the dinner does not go horribly wrong, with Tommy seeming to see his own life through his father’s more appreciative eyes and relax into the moment.

The episode ends on a sweet note of celebration that highlights how a happy family can mean something different to everyone — but one can’t help but get the impression that bad things are lurking just around the corner.

What Happens Next on Landman?

Landman Season 2 continues to air new episodes every Sunday via streaming on Paramount+.

Get a sneak peek at Landman Season 2 in the pictures below.

PICTURES: Get a First Look at ‘Landman’ Season 2

Paramount has released several first-look pictures in advance of Landman Season 2, and it looks like the new season will ratchet up the crazy.

Gallery Credit: Sterling Whitaker

Emerson Miller/Paramount+

Billy Bob Thornton as Tommy Norris and Ali Larter as Angela Norris in Landman Season 2.

Emerson Miller/Paramount+

Jacob Lofland as Cooper Norris and Paulina Chavez as Ariana in Landman Season 2.

Emerson Miller/Paramount+

Jacob Lofland as Cooper Norris in Landman Season 2.

Emerson Miller/Paramount+

Mark Collie as Sheriff Walt in Landman Season 2.

Emerson Miller/Paramount+

Michelle Randolph as Ainsley Norris in Landman Season 2.

Emerson Miller/Paramount+

Andy Garcia as Gallino in Landman Season 2.

Emerson Miller/Paramount+

Mustafa Speaks Boss in Landman Season 2.

Emerson Miller/Paramount+

Sam Elliott as T.L. in Landman Season 2.

Emerson Miller/Paramount+

Colm Feore as Nathan in Landman Season 2.

Emerson Miller/Paramount+

Demi Moore as Cami Miller in Landman Season 2.

Emerson Miller/Paramount+

James Jordan as Dale in Landman Season 2.

Emerson Miller/Paramount+

Ali Larter as Angela Norris and Sam Elliott as T.L. in Landman Season 2.

Emerson Miller/Paramount+

Guy Burnet as Charlie, Kayla Wallace as Rebecca, Demi Moore as Cami and Billy Bob Thornton as Tommy in Landman Season 2.

Emerson Miller/Paramount+

James Jordan as Dale, Sam Elliott as T.L. and Billy Bob Thornton as Tommy in Landman Season 2.

11 ‘Landman’ Facts You Definitely Didn’t Know

This list of Landman facts goes much deeper than what inspired the show, who stars in it and how big the audience is. Here you’ll learn the truth about the most memorable scenes and lines of dialogue, including that line from Ainsley Norris. You know which one we mean.

Season 2 of Landman begins Nov. 16 on Paramount+. Here’s the best Landman trivia we could find as the Dutton Rules podcast team prepares for another great year.

Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes

Emerson Miller, Paramount+

Jerry Jones was unscripted and unrehearsed

During S1, Ep. 9, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones talks to Jon Hamm’s Monty Miller about the importance of family. The three-and-a-half-minute scene is just Jones talking about his life and how hard he worked to get his kids involved in the family business.

It’s really powerful!

Talking to Variety, series co-creator Christian Wallace admits Jones’ scene was unscripted and was “one and done,” meaning he didn’t need to do it a second time.

“It was pretty heavy being in the room listening to that,” Billy Bob Thornton would add. “It made you feel like you weren’t in a scene … It made you feel like you were just sitting there listening to a guy tell his story.”

Lauren ìLoî Smith, Paramount+

Tim McGraw’s daughter plays Ainsley’s neighbor

During Ep. 5 of Landman, Ainsley Norris meets her new next door neighbor, Shelby. That’s Tim McGraw and Faith Hill’s daughter Audrey, and it’s not her only appearance.

During Ep. 7, the two teens attend a party on the patch. It goes comically wrong.

McGraw and Hill could have introduced their daughter to creator Taylor Sheridan. In 2021, they starred in the Yellowstone prequel 1883.

Emerson Miller, Paramount+

Country singer Mark Collie plays the sheriff

Early ’90s country music hitmaker Mark Collie plays Sheriff Walt Joeberg on Landman. He’s friends with Tommy Norris and appears in a number of episodes.

“Even the Man in the Moon Is Cryin’” and “Born to Love You” are his biggest hit songs, but he’s scored a number of acting roles, including Frankie Gray for 12 episodes of the ABC/CMT show Nashville.

YouTube.com/EricChurch

The ‘Springsteen’ girl is in this show

You’ll see it in the eyes. In 2012, Eric Church released his signature song, “Springsteen.” The music video opens with a teenage girl describing her perfect guy — it really sets the tone for a wonderfully nostalgic story.

That girl is actor Kelsey Pribilski Ray, and she has gone on to score a number of small roles for TV, film and commercials. During Ep. 10 of Landman, she plays Jasmine, one of the dancers at the strip club that Ainsley and Angela take the senior citizens to.

On Instagram, she had nothing but good things to say about the experience.

Ryan Green, Paramount+

Taylor Sheridan’s wife inspired the senior citizen strip club visit

Ali Larter revealed that Taylor Sheridan’s wife Nicole was the model for Angela’s idea to entertain the senior citizens at the elderly community.

“She does that,” she told The Hollywood Reporter. “She plays games and sets up a bar for them …. Nicole has really opened up this world of the way that we can see senior citizens, how we can treat them and have fun with them, and how little effort it takes to bring so much happiness to someone’s life.”

Larter didn’t say that Nicole Sheridan rents a bus to take the most ambitious of her group to an adult night club, but she didn’t say she didn’t, either.

Paramount+ /Paramount Pictures

Ali Larter was that girl in ‘Varsity Blues’

Ali Larter has a few very memorable roles. In 2009, she fought Beyonce in a movie called Obsessed.

In 1999, she tries to seduce James Van Der Beek’s character in Varsity Blues. Her whipped cream, uh, outfit is one of the more memorable moments from the film.

Emerson Miller, Paramount+

Here’s how Billy Bob Thornton got the role of Tommy Norris

During Ep. 2 of Yellowstone prequel 1883, Billy Bob Thornton appears as Marshall Jim Courtright. It was just one episode, but during filming he found out that Taylor Sheridan was writing the role of Tommy Norris for him.

“He told me what it was about, who the character was, and I pretty much said yes before I ever saw a script,” Thornton told Variety. It took a few years to develop, but eventually the marshal would transform into the landman.

Lauren ìLoî Smith, Paramount+

That really was Billy Bob Thornton in the bag during the S1 finale

During the Landman Season 1 finale, Tommy Norris is kidnapped and tortured by drug cartel henchman Jimenez. They put a sack on his head, drive a nail into his thigh and crack his wrist with a hammer.

It was really Thornton doing all of it. He didn’t use a stuntman.

“In those kinds of scenes, you just have to put yourself in that place, like that’s actually happening,” he tells The Hollywood Reporter. “And that night, it felt that way. Plus, I was exhausted. By the time we did the outside scene, I could barely stand up. So, there’s no acting going on there. I would lean on the wall between every take.”

Emerson Miller, Paramount+

Jacob Lofland was in a famous Matthew McConaughey movie

Jacob Lofland played a teenager named Neckbone in the 2013 movie Mud. Matthew McConaughey plays the title character, and Neckbone is one of two boys who assists him. It was a huge role for the Arkansas native.

Emerson Miller, Paramount+

James Jordan is in EVERY Taylor Sheridan project

Actor James Jordan is Taylor Sheridan’s Waldo. Sometimes you have to squint, but he almost always appears in the writer and director’s projects.

In addition to Landman (he plays Dale Bradley), he’s had central roles in Lioness, 1883, Mayor and Yellowstone, plus the movie Wind River.

Lauren ìLoî Smith, Paramount+

Does Michelle Randolph really talk like that to her father?

Without a doubt, the most memorable piece of dialogue from Season 1 of Landman came from Ainsley Norris, who told her father Tommy about her “rule” for safe sex with her boyfriend.

No need to repeat it here, is there? It’s on Instagram.

Talking to Taste of Country, Michelle Randolph says she’s nothing like Ainsley, which makes moments like this easier. It’s not her talking, it’s the spoiled 17-year-old.

“I’m an over-thinker. I’m very filtered,” she shares. “She brought out a side of my personality that had been tucked deeply away. And I think I’ve taken little pieces of her with me and I’m happy about it.”