Landman Season 2 Regressed Ainsley Norris’ Character Development

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Be warned, this discusses major plot points from Season 2, Episode 9 of Landman! The latest episode of Landman continues a frustrating pattern of portraying Ainsley Norris (Michelle Randolph) as less intelligent than she was in Season 1. Throughout Season 2, Ainsley has largely been sidelined, primarily appearing as a follower in her mother, Angela Russo’s (Ali Larter), storylines.

Throughout season 2 of Landman, Ainsley has been looking forward to starting college. She earned a cheerleading scholarship to Texas Christian University, with plans to begin in the fall. However, the events of the season take place in the spring and summer of 2025, leaving Ainsley with an empty schedule.

As a big fan of Landman, I was really disappointed with Ainsley’s arc in season 2. It felt like her character actually lost ground compared to how compelling she was in the first season. There were a few moments that hinted at the old Ainsley, but honestly, the writing made her seem much less sharp and, frankly, a bit clueless. It was a real step back for a character I was starting to root for.

Landman Season 2 Made Ainsley Norris Dumb

Ainsley Norris wasn’t known for being exceptionally intelligent, but she showed a lot more confidence and smarts in the first season of Landman. She was very open about sex, which sometimes embarrassed her father and viewers, but she was particularly driven when it came to her boyfriend, Ryder Slaggert, a football player.

Okay, so in the first episode of Landman season two, Ainsley had this amazing scene where she totally threw off a TCU admissions officer, Greta Stidman – Miriam Silverman was brilliant! But it was also a little weird, because Ainsley started acting like she didn’t know what simple words meant. The show played it for laughs at first, but honestly, it kind of became a troubling pattern. It felt like the beginning of something not quite right with her character.

In the ninth episode of Landman season 2, Ainsley met her new college roommate, Paigyn, played by Bobbi Salvör Menuez. While the character of Paigyn, who is nonbinary, is complex, the episode also revealed Ainsley didn’t know what a ferret was.

Even though Greta doesn’t get along with Ainsley, she was correct to point out that season 2 of Landman made Ainsley act like a very immature person who immediately seeks help from others when facing even small difficulties.

Landman Season 3 Has To Fix Ainsley

I’m so excited to hear Landman is getting a third season! Honestly, I think it’s a perfect opportunity to really develop Ainsley’s character. Sending her to college feels right, but I worry about her getting lost in the typical college scene – I hope they don’t just make her a cheerleader stereotype. What I really want to see is Ainsley regaining some of that sharp, street-smart attitude she had in the first season. She doesn’t necessarily need to become a bookworm, but a little of that original edge would be fantastic.

Throughout most of Landman season 2, Ainsley mainly served as support for Angela, and the show didn’t give her much of a personality of her own. Instead, her constant presence with Angela made Ainsley seem dependent and immature, like a child needing their mother, rather than inspiring her to be as proactive and assertive as Angela, who always encouraged taking charge.

Season 3 of Landman needs to shed light on why Ainsley so strongly dislikes her brother, Cooper (Jacob Lofland). While they both seem to dislike each other, Ainsley was particularly harsh towards Cooper throughout season 2.

Honestly, what I really want to see in season 3 of Landman is for Ainsley to start showing more of what made both her parents so sharp. She needs to inherit some of her mom’s cleverness and her dad’s street smarts – it would make her a much more compelling character, and frankly, it’s what the story needs too.

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2026-01-14 14:58