Landman Season 2 Regressed Ainsley Norris' Character Development

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Warning: SPOILERS For Landman Season 2, Episode 9 - "Plans, Tears & Sirens"Landman season 2's penultimate episode continues its disturbing trend of making Ainsley Norris (Michelle Randolph) dumb, even compared to Landman season 1. Ainsley became a peripheral character in Landman season 2, mostly tagging along on the adventures of her mother, Angela Russo (Ali Larter).

Ainsley has been waiting to go to college throughout Landman season 2. Angela and Tommy Norris' (Billy Bob Thornton) blonde bombshell daughter was admitted to Texas Christian University on a cheerleading scholarship in the fall. However, Landman season 2 takes place in the spring and summer of 2025, leaving Ainsley with nothing to do.

With no storylines of her own in Landman season 2, Taylor Sheridan seems to have regressed Ainsley's character development. While there were fleeting sparks of the way Ainsley was written in season 1, Sheridan made the youngest Norris child dumb in Landman season 2.

Landman Season 2 Made Ainsley Norris Dumb

Ainsley Norris wouldn't be mistaken for a member of MENSA, but she was more assertive and clever in Landman season 1. Ainsley's frankness about sex made her father (and audience members) blush, but she was more ambitious, at least regarding her football player boyfriend, Ryder (Mitchell Slaggert).

Ryder was written out of Landman season 2 with the explanation that he went to a college too far for Ainsley to visit.

Ainsley featured in arguably the most entertaining scene in Landman season 2's premiere when she flabbergasted TCU admissions officer Greta Stidman (Miriam Silverman). Yet there were also red flags because, suddenly, Ainsley didn't know the meanings of common words. Landman played Ainsley's ignorance for comedy, but it was the start of an unfortunate trend.

In Landman season 2, episode 9, Ainsley met her new TCU roommate, Paigyn (Bobbi Salvör Menuez). Taylor Sheridan's portrayal of the nonbinary Paigyn is a different can of worms entirely, but Ainsley also didn't know what a ferret is.

Greta may not like Ainsley, but she was also right that Landman season 2 turned Ainsley into "an 11-year-old" who runs to her momma at the slightest problem.

Landman Season 3 Has To Fix Ainsley

Landman season 3 is greenlit, and it's a chance to fix the problems with Ainsley. Finally going to college could help make Ainsley more worldly, although being surrounded by cheerleaders would likely impede her intellectual progress. Yet Landman season 3 would do well to infuse Ainsley with the savvy attitude she had in season 1, if not book smarts.

Being paired with Angela for most of Landman season 2 regressed Ainsley into a child who clings to her momma.

Ainsley spent nearly all of Landman season 2 as Angela's sidekick, but failed to develop Ainsley's character. Rather, being paired with Angela for most of Landman season 2 regressed Ainsley into a child who clings to her momma instead of looking for independence and emulating Angela's drive to "grab life by the scrotum."

Landman season 3 should also explain Ainsley's hatred for her older brother, Cooper (Jacob Lofland). Even though their disdain is mutual, Ainsley was relentlessly vicious towards Cooper in Landman season 2.

Most important, however, is for Landman season 3 to infuse Ainsley with more of her mother's cunning and her father's worldly smarts, for her sake and the audience's.