WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for Landman season 1.
Actress Michelle Randolph’s recent comments are spot-on about her character Ainsley’s story inLandmanseason 1.Landmanis the seventh scripted original series created by Sheridan, whose breakout seriesYellowstonehas sparked a wealth ofWestern-themed projects on Paramount+from the acclaimed writer and director. Billy Bob Thornton leads thecast ofLandmanalongside Randolph, Jon Hamm, Demi Moore, Ali Larter, Jacob Lofland, and Kayla Wallace.Landmanseason 2is expected to start filming in early 2025.
In a recent interview withDeadline, Randolph commented on the reception of herLandmancharacter, Ainsley Norris. “When you start a show, it’s so hard, because you don’t know your full character. Knowing who she is in episode 10 was really hard when episode one was just coming out… We meet Ainsley and Angela at their most extreme, then we get to see them evolve.“Randolph believes Ainsley still has a lot of room to grow inLandman. “You don’t want to meet the fully evolved version of a character. If you don’t get to see the growth, then it’s not fun to watch. So I am thankful that we got to meet Ainsley at point A and hopefully by the time the show’s done, however many seasons, we’ll meet her at Z.”
She showed signs of personal growth that could be continued in season 2
As Randolph says herself, Ainsley is still pretty “extreme” even by theLandmanseason 1 finale. Compared to her one-dimensionality at the beginning of the series, Ainsley has grown in a positive and more mature direction by episode 10, particularly when it comes to her place in the town and how she views being there. After initially being the more spoiled city-girl type,Ainsley seems to have benefitted from being out in rural Texas under the watchful yet exhausted eye of her father, Tommy. Still, even Tommy eventually gives up on trying to wrangle her once things get intense at theend ofLandmanseason 1.
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Some of the main characters in Landman season 1 make the new Taylor Sheridan series exceptional and highly entertaining, while others are frustrating.
It’s unfair to blame Ainsley for being a bit flat and limited as a college-aged rich girl. It is a relief, however, to see her begin to think outside of her own experience and interests, such as the “volunteer work” at a nearby nursing home with her mom, Angela. Her character demonstrates that supporting roles don’t necessarily have to take part in the protagonist’s central conflicts.She and Angela work well in juxtaposition to Tommy’s high-stakes and often dangerous dealingsin the oil industry. It also makes sense that Tommy and Angela would have a daughter like Ainsley, who in many ways is an Angela “mini-me”. That being said, a few real-world challenges wouldn’t break her in season 2.
Where Landman Season 2 Could Take Ainsley
Ainsley & Ryder could be off to Texas Tech
Landmanseason 1 ends with Ainsley making things serious with her new boyfriend Ryder, who says he’s going to play football at Texas Tech.Ainsley reveals that she is planning to attend Texas Tech as well, setting up a fairytale romance storystraight out of a country song. Since Ryder was introduced in the latter half ofLandmanseason 1, he and Ainsley will likely be a package deal in season 2, especially if they both ship off to Texas Tech. Since Angela and Ainsley were mostly inseparable in season 1, Angela could also find herself frequenting the Texas Tech campus throughout season 2.
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Landman’s season 1 finale offered a climactic finish for several narratives while also setting up story elements for season 2 and beyond.
What’s most clear is that Ainsley can’t stay at her dad’s house in Midland forever, nor would she want to. She loves her father but gives him a fair share of headaches and gray hairs, so some space may be beneficial for the two of them. There is, of course,the possibility that Ainsley won’t go to Texas Tech and she and Ryder won’t work out as a result. After seeing how Tommy was nearly killed in theLandmanseason 1 finale, she may want to stick around for a while and perhaps defer her enrollment for a semester, which would theoretically cover the season 2 timeline. She and Ryder seem like a good fit but like many young relationships, problems can surely arise.
Landman Season 2 Still Needs To Avoid One Ainsley Problem
Landmanseason 2 will probably do well to limit or even avoid the controversial and divisive scenes of Ainsley constantly in a bikini or workout attire. The camera angles, and several of the supporting characters such as Nathan, often exploit her body, which is uncomfortable given her age in the series (Randolph is 27 in reality).Moments like these are pretty random and unnecessary, serving no real purpose other than objectifying Ainsleyas eye candy.Landman’sbest scenes are written with great knowledge and craftsmanship, so these Ainsley scenes don’t really fit in with that caliber of storytelling, even if they do exemplify Tommy’s stresses at home.
Landman
Cast
Set in West Texas, this series explores the world of oil rigs and the fortunes they create. It portrays a modern upstairs/downstairs narrative of roughnecks and billionaires, highlighting the profound impact on the climate, economy, and geopolitics in these boomtowns.
