Can Landman Fix Its Biggest Season 1 Mistake After That Wild Nursing Home Plot?

Landman Season 2 is almost here, and I don’t know about you, but I’ve been counting down the days like a kid waiting for Christmas.

Well, I didn’t expect to get hooked, especially after reaching my saturation point with Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone universe. But Landman changed my mind.

The show, anchored by Billy Bob Thornton‘s Tommy Norris, hit all the right notes: grit, humor, and heart.

Still, even in a near-perfect debut, there was one glaring misfire.

I’m talking about the baffling nursing home storyline that sidelined two of the show’s most dynamic characters, Ainsley (Michelle Randolph) and Angela (Ali Larter).

I loved Landman, but that plotline had me yelling at my screen. And not in the good “this show has me stressed” kind of way.

Yes, Landman’s Women Deserved Better

From the very first episode of Landman Season 1, I was invested in Ainsley and Angela’s storylines.

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Ainsley, oh, Ainsley! She’s that whirlwind of rebellion that makes me laugh, sigh, and occasionally yell at the screen.

I kept thinking, how does Tommy even survive having her in his life? And then there’s Angela, Tommy’s ex-wife, sharp, stubborn, impossible to ignore.

Every line she delivered made me lean in, like I was eavesdropping on someone fascinating and slightly dangerous.

When the two of them moved in with Tommy, I was equal parts thrilled and terrified.

Watching Thornton, usually Mr. Cool-and-Collected, trying to navigate both a high-stakes oil empire and this combustible household?

I live for that tension. I found myself laughing, groaning, and yes, occasionally side-eyeing the TV, because it felt like anything could happen next.

That messy, chaotic energy is exactly why I fell for the show. But as the season went on, I have to admit, I got frustrated.

It felt like the writers slowly turned down the volume on my favorite parts of the show.

Instead of giving Ainsley and Angela storylines that actually deepened their connection to Tommy or explored the gritty moral dilemmas Landman thrives on, they were shoved into a disconnected subplot.

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I kept waiting for that spark, that unpredictable chaos, and it never quite returned. Watching that happen as a fan? It stung.

The Nursing Home Detour That Made No Sense

Let’s call it what it was: bizarre. The second half of Landman season 1 decided to drop Ainsley and Angela into a subplot about volunteering at a nursing home.

At first, it had potential, a side story that might humanize them or add emotional depth.

Instead, it spiraled into a farcical series of scenes, including that eyebrow-raising moment when they took a group of elderly residents to a strip club.

Sure, it was funny in a slapstick way, but it did nothing for their arcs. It turned two previously layered characters into comic relief.

Landman works best when its humor comes from real emotion, not absurdity.

Watching Ainsley and Angela needle Tommy or expose the cracks in his carefully controlled world? That’s where the show shines.

But the nursing home plot felt like a detour that led nowhere.

Landman Season 2 Needs To Bring Them Back To The Core

Now that Landman Season 2 is almost here, I’m hoping Taylor Sheridan and the writers steer these women back to their roots.

Ainsley should be pushing boundaries again, testing Tommy’s patience while revealing her own vulnerabilities.

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Angela should be the sharp counterpoint, sometimes his conscience, sometimes his chaos. What makes Landman stand out among Sheridan’s growing empire is its humanity.

It’s not just oil rigs and corporate greed; it’s about fractured families trying to stay afloat in a world that chews people up.

That emotional tension (between duty, love, and self-destruction) is what made me care in the first place.

If Landman can give Ainsley and Angela storylines that match the intensity of Tommy’s world, Season 2 could be something special.

So, can Landman Season 2 fix its biggest Season 1 blunder? I’m betting it can and that Ainsley and Angela will finally get the rich, chaotic arcs they deserve.

What do you think? Were Ainsley and Angela’s storylines as frustrating for you as they were for me? Or did you secretly enjoy the wild nursing home detour?

Drop your thoughts in the comments; let’s talk Landman like the passionate TV addicts we are.

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