Landman Episode 9 has many storylines to juggle, such as Monty's declining health, Tommy and Angela's still trying to make their marriage work, and Cooper and Ariana's fresh start.
The penultimate episode of Taylor Sheridan's Paramount+ series, "Wolfcamp," shakes things off before the Season 1 finale as Tommy grapples with the fate of his longtime boss, Monty, after suffering from a heart attack.
Landman Episode 9 premiered on Paramount+ on January 5.
Landman Episode 9 Cast: Every Notable Guest Star Who Appears
Demi Moore - Cami Miller
Demi Moore makes a prominent appearance as Cami Miller, Monty's wife who is worried about her husband's declining health after the heart attack. She has a heart-to-heart with Tommy, and she asks her to talk some sense into Monty before he dies.
Moore, who recently won a Golden Globe award for her performance in The Substance, is best known for her roles in Feud, Brave New World, and Empire.
Ben Bowder - Colonel Ivey
After making his debut as part of the cast of Landman Episode 8, Ben Bowder is back as Colonel Ivey.
He informs Tommy about the fact that his team accidentally killed a member of the drug cartel during their training session in the previous episode.
Browder is best known for his roles as John Crichton in 88 episodes of Farscape, Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell in Stargate SG-1, and Nate Smith in Walker.
Alex Meraz - Jimenez
Alex Meraz returns as Jimenez, the drug cartel leader who reminds Tommy to stay out of each other's way. He also threatens Tommy that he has ears and eyes everywhere so he better be careful.
Meraz has credits in 2016's Suicide Squad, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, and The Walking Dead.
Mitchell Slaggert - Ryder
Mitchell Slaggert is back as Ryder, Ainsley's new love interest and Midland's prized quarterback.
Slaggert's notable credits include The Sex Lives of College Girls, Gossip Girl, A Carpenter Christmas Romance, and Diablo Guardian.
Matt Peters - Mel
Matt Peters guest stars as Mel, the strip club owner whom Angela and Ainsley talked to about giving the residents of the retirement home a taste of the nightlife in Midland.
Peters has credits in Orange is the New Black, Weeds, and Animal Kingdom.
Jerry Jones - Jerry
One of the exciting cameos in Landman Episode 9 is the appearance of Dallas Cowboy owner himself, Jerry Jones.
Jerry appears in the early moments of the episode to give a pep talk about the dying Monty Miller about the importance of spending time with family above anything else.
Jones also appeared in minor roles in The League, Cubed, and Entourage.
Tim DeZarn - Perry Hardin
Tim DeZarn plays Perry Hardin, Cooper's soon-to-be business partner whom he offers to buy his expired oil lease to kickstart his efforts into creating his own oil company.
DeZarn previously appeared in The Cabin in the Woods, Fight Club, and Project Dorothy.
Bobby Coston - Salesman
Bobby Coston appears as a salesman who interrupts Cooper and Ariana's intimate moment.
Coston can be seen in Vindication, Track Girls, and Us.
Reese Ravencraft - Neighbor
Reese Ravencraft plays Tommy's neighbor who killed the coyote in their backyard.
Ravencraft also starred in Vindication and Don't Get Eaten.
Here are the other main actors who appeared in Landman Episode 9:
- Billy Bob Thornton - Tommy Norris
- Jon Hamm - Monty Miller
- Ali Larter - Angela
- Michelle Randolph - Ainsley
- James Jordan - Dale
- Colm Feore - Nate
- Jacob Lofland - Cooper
- Paulina Chavez - Ariana
Landman Episode 9 Plot Recap & Ending Explained
Monty’s Health Is Declining
Landman Episode 9 begins with Colonel Ivey of the National Guard calling Tommy to inform him about the unexpected death of a civilian after the bombing incident that transpired in Episode 8.
Tommy tells Ivey to calm down, pointing out that he can clean up their mess. He then speaks with Jimenez, the drug cartel leader, to sort everything out because it turns out that the civilian is a member of his drug ring.
While he agrees to clean everything up, Jimenez warns Tommy to watch his back because he has eyes and ears everywhere and he seems to be aware of Monty's health situation.
Speaking of Monty, M-Tex's owner is in a dire state in the hospital, and Tommy arrives to check on his boss.
After offering his comfort and advice to Monty's wife, Cami, Tommy sees Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones giving a pep talk to Monty, telling him about the importance of balancing work and family and spending as much time as he has with his wife and kids before it is too late.
Once Jerry departs, Monty tells Tommy that he will be stepping down sooner rather than later. He also promotes him as Vice President of Operations, pointing out that he deserves it because he is doing the work already all these years.
Monty also breaks the news that Rebecca, the fierce litigator who clashed with both Tommy and Cooper in the past episodes and played by Landman actress Kayla Wallace, is now a permanent employee of M-Tex and she is even promoted as Vice President of Exploration.
Tommy, understandably, is pissed, but he couldn't say no since it seems to be one of Monty's dying wishes. He also lets Cami know to make sure that Monty makes good of his promise to step down if he survives his bypass surgery.
More Family Drama in the Norris Household
Meanwhile, Angela and Ainsley head over to a strip club to negotiate arrangements about the next field trip of the residents of the retirement home, Western Skies.
Angela, who introduces herself as the entertainment director of Western Skies, tells the owner that she wants to let the old people enjoy some kind of nightlife, but the twist is it needs to happen at 11:00 a.m. which is right after their morning nap.
Tommy returns home after the hospital visit and he first encounters Nate who is not a fan of Monty's move of hiring Rebecca as Vice President of Exploration, warning him that the litigation lawyer is bad news for their oil lease negotiations.
The pair's conversation gets interrupted by Angela's announcement that dinner is ready, but Tommy is too distracted by the fact that Ainsley and Ryder are upstairs doing "bible study" (aka fooling around in the bed).
The truth is the couple of youngsters are not getting intimate (yet) because Ainsley is still trying to convince Ryder to play a stripper during the oldies' field trip. Tommy interrupts, telling them that dinner is ready.
In the dinner table, another chaos ensues after Tommy reveals that he doesn't want to participate in Angela's over-the-top Spanish-inspired preparations and mechanics for eating Paella.
Angela once again walks out while the rest of the family (including Ryder) eats the Paella. Tommy calms her down and the two make it out, telling his wife that it is okay to do whatever she makes happy as long as he doesn't participate in it (which is a bummer if you ask anyone).
A similar awkward family dinner happened in Landman Episode 5.
Cooper & Ariana's Connection Grows Even Deeper
Meanwhile, Cooper and Ariana have a heart-to-heart talk about the current state of their setup and their future.
Ariana, though, is not thrilled with the idea of their shared future, considering that they only kissed three times and God appears to be not in favor of their relationship after several interruptions whenever they are about to go deeply intimate.
Cooper then reveals that his intentions for her are pure, noting, "I have a dream, but don’t know if I have the courage to chase it just for me."
He tells her that he has fallen in love with her already, and sees no reason to stop, telling her, "I took one look at you and I fell and I'm still falling."
The fact that Cooper risks his life after almost dying in Landman Episode 5 and him staying by his side and quitting his job for her is more than enough proof that he won't quit for Ariana.
Thankfully, Ariana believes her and the pair finally sleep together. It is a long time coming for the unexpected couple.
After successfully sorting things out with Ariana, Cooper makes his first moves to become an oil company CEO by researching the richest oil field in the world: the Wolfcamp Shale.
While it is an impractical place to start a drilling, he maps out a plan to buy smaller pieces of land for leasing first and he would then resell it.
Doing this would allow him to gather up enough small wells in order to potentially find value and eventually make some money of it.
The next morning, Cooper meets with Mr. Hardin, and he makes him an offer to buy his oil lease that expired in 1997. This marks the start of Cooper's venture in the oil-making business, and he seems to be equipped with the knowledge to get things going.
Is Monty Dead?
Back in the Norris household, Tommy receives a tragic call from Cami, and he offers his sympathies to her, saying, "I'm sorry to hear that. What can I do? Is there any way I can help?"
The conversation implies that Monty has died, and what makes it more heartbreaking is the fact that his children was not present during his final moments.
Monty's death is expected to have major ramifications for Tommy's bustling career and his rivalry with Rebecca Wallace. For starters, he wants to protect Monty's legacy by making sure M-Tex is still at the top of its game in the oil industry.
Given that he is recently promoted as Vice President of Operations, Tommy has all the tools needed to cement his position at the higher-ups of M-Tex while also pulling the strings to stave off his enemies, starting with Jimenez and the drug cartel.
The finale of Landman Season 1 is set to premiere on Paramount+ on Sunday, January 12 at midnight PT.
