In Defense of ‘Landman’s’ Blonde Beauties

Taylor Sheridan did it again with “Landman.”

Not only is the Paramount+ original currently the streamer’s top show, it’s also a hit across TV-based platforms in its second season. And, as Sheridan is wont to do, the series offers a perspective rarely seen across the content landscape.

The main character, Billy Bob Thornton’s Tommy, is flawed but noble, an oil and gas fixer who doesn’t spend his days fretting over Climate Change or social justice. The series takes shots at liberal targets like “The View” and Green Energy, sans apology.

Good luck finding those elements in any other show today.

Yet the show’s loudest critics have it out for two key characters – Ali Larter’s Angela and Michelle Randolph’s Ainsley. They’re blonde, unassailably beautiful and addicted to showing as much skin as society allows.

Cue the outrage.

• “Landman” review: Man, does this new Taylor Sheridan drama hate women,” raged Entertainment Weekly when Season One bowed last year.
• Collider complained about the show’s “ingrained sexism.”
• The far-Left NPR torched “Landman’s” female “caricatures.”
• The far-Left Vulture chided the show’s “soft misogyny.”
• Other media outlets magnified random social media posts to prop up the attacks.

See a pattern?

And, yes, at first blush, characters like Angela and Ainsley may seem silly, cartoonish or just plain one-dimensional. That’s why first blushes aren’t worth much.

We’ve had nearly two full seasons to assess the show’s female characters. Let’s start with the three other key female figures beyond Angela and Ainsley:

Rebecca (Kayla Wallace) is a hard-charging lawyer who began as a major thorn in Tommy’s side. Now, she’s part of Team M-Tex, using her brass knuckle tactics against anyone in its way. She’s smart, tough and driven, but this year she’s shown a softer side with an unexpected romantic arc.

She’s the closest thing “Landman” has to a prototypical “girl boss,” and her presence suggests the “misogyny” charges are nonsense.

Demi Moore’s Cami Miller is taking center stage this season following the death of her husband, Monty (Jon Hamm) at the end of season 1. She’s feeling her way around the corridors of oil and gas power, flexing her muscle as needed.

That means she’s partnering with the canniving Gallino (Andy Garcia), giving Tommy even more to worry about as Season 2 reaches its zenith.

She’s no one’s idea of a wallflower or caricature.

Neither is Ariana, played by Paulina Chávez. Ariana lost her husband in the opening sequences of “Landman,” only to fall in love with Tommy’s son, Cooper (Jacob Lofland). Their relationship is anything but cookie cutter perfect.

Cooper is madly in love with her, but Ariana must deal with a very young son, the complications from widowhood and a deep attachment to her family roots.

For a show that hates women, here are three fascinating female characters who eschew all stereotypes.

And then there’s Angela and Ainsley.

These blonde beauties beguile and bother everyone they meet. Angela is a force of nature, demanding the world bend to her whims. And with her curves and bravado, that’s often what happens.

She’s still fiercely loyal to her family. In season 2, she insists Tommy take in his crotchety father (Sam Elliott) after learning he’s living in a sad retirement center miles from family. When Cooper asks Angela for engagement ring advice, she plucks hers off her hand and gives it to him, hoping to make it a family heirloom.

Yes, she did so, in part, so Tommy would buy her a new ring to christen their marriage’s revival, but it’s still a loving gesture.

Angela’s signature dinners are over-the-top, no doubt, but they’re meant to bring the family together in a very old fashioned way. She all but forced Tommy to take her back as a partner.

And, of course, the big/bold/brassy Texas beauty caricature is based on reality. The show has little interest in ignoring the so-called “male gaze.” That’s life, and the show hits home because it speaks to unassailable truths.

Ainsley comes closer to proving her critics right. She’s flighty and dumb, a woman who seems committed to beauty and frivolity at all costs. She sneaks her way through her college admissions process and taunts her house mates with her barely-there attire.

She’s also sweet to her Pappy, and in one powerful scene, breaks down when hearing what her father endured in his childhood years.

Write off Ainsley at your own peril.

Even better?

The two team up to give a local nursing home a blast of excitement. Angela and Ainsley repeatedly visit the center with games, booze and other fun activities. The scenes provide comic relief for an unusually stressful series.

They also showcase how their combined zest for life isn’t just contagious. It’s a wonderful way to bring joy to others. And, maybe, a few unnecessary hangovers.

Step back and look at the women of “Landman.” They may not reflect what we see on every other show, but that’s more than enough to defend them and the show’s creative team.