"It’s Not Fun To Watch": Michelle Randolph Is Right About Ainsley's Landman Story After Being At Her "Most Extreme"

It’s Not Fun To Watch”: Michelle Randolph Is Right About Ainsley’s Landman Story After Being At Her “Most Extreme


WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for Landman season 1.

Actress Michelle Randolph’s recent comments are spot-on about her character Ainsley’s story in Landman season 1. Landman is the seventh scripted original series created by Sheridan, whose breakout series Yellowstone has sparked a wealth of Western-themed projects on Paramount+ from the acclaimed writer and director. Billy Bob Thornton leads the cast of Landman alongside Randolph, Jon Hamm, Demi Moore, Ali Larter, Jacob Lofland, and Kayla Wallace. Landman season 2 is expected to start filming in early 2025.

In a recent interview with Deadline, Randolph commented on the reception of her Landman character, 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 in Landman. “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.”

Ainsley Had A Good Journey Through Landman Season 1

She showed signs of personal growth that could be continued in season 2

As Randolph says herself, Ainsley is still pretty “extreme” even by the Landman season 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 the end of Landman season 1.

Imagery-from-Landman

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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 dealings in 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

Ainsley (Michelle Randolph) riding in the car with Ryder (Mitchell Slaggert) in Landman season 1, episode 8

Landman season 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 story straight out of a country song. Since Ryder was introduced in the latter half of Landman season 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.

Tommy and Cami from Landman

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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 the Landman season 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

Landman season 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 Ainsley as eye candy. Landman’s best 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.

Source: Deadline

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