WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for Landman season 1.

Actress Michelle Randolph's recent comments are spot-on about her character Ainsley's story in season 1. , 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." . "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."

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, , Tommy. Still, even Tommy eventually gives up on trying to wrangle her once things get intense at the end of Landman season 1.

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. 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.

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. 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.

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,. 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 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). as eye candy. 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.

: Deadline