Taylor Sheridan’s ‘Landman’ Could Dwarf Every ‘Yellowstone’ Plot Twist by Adapting a Theory About Ainsley’s Real Father

SUMMARY

• The theory suggests that Victor's agreement to pay child support for Ainsley, despite not being her biological father, might be a hint that he actually is her real father.
• Angela Norris' past statements and Victor's actions seem to support this theory, adding to the mystery surrounding Ainsley's parentage.
• Counterarguments propose that Victor's actions might be motivated by his fondness for Ainsley or a desire to expedite the divorce process.

Even though Landman was greatly anticipated by fans worldwide, it’s only true that not all of the plotlines incorporated in it by the showrunner have been sitting well with viewers. And yet, while fans continue to have quite a few complaints with Taylor Sheridan about it all, the show creator has managed to leave them baffled with plot twists of his own nonetheless.

Landman. | Credits: Paramount Pictures.

This stands especially true when considering the latest turn of events in the series, which have given birth to a new theory about who actually could be Ainsley Norris’ real father. And if this theory turns out to be true, then it could actually be stunning enough to dwarf pretty much every plot twist that Sheridan brought about in his Yellowstone lore.

Landman theory about Ainsley’s real father is a bit too baffling

First off, if you haven’t streamed Landman season 1 episode 6 yet, this would be a good time to turn around to avoid any spoilers. But if you have already streamed it, you know what went down: Angela Norris’ (Ali Larter) second husband, Victor, has agreed to pay child support for Ainsley Norris (Michelle Randolph) as a part of their divorce settlement.

Michelle Randolph as Ainsley. | Credits: Landman / Paramount Pictures.

Needless to say, this is surprising and perplexing because Ainsley is not Victor’s child; she’s the daughter of Tommy Norris (Billy Bob Thornton), whom Victor raised with Angela when she left Tommy to marry him following the tragedy that struck the oil business, right? Right? Well, yes, unless Randolph’s character really is Victor’s child.

Hear this out: Victor will be paying child support for Ainsley for a few more months until she’s 18 when she’s not even his daughter. Why? Truth be told, one of the most probable reasons behind this seems to be that she might as well have been Victor’s real daughter and not Tommy’s. That’s not all, even something Angela said seems to back this up.

Over the past few episodes, Larter’s character didn’t hesitate to emphasize that the reason why she married Victor in the first place was Ainsley. This further seems to prove the plot twist that Michelle Randolph’s sweet teen might as well be the daughter of Angela’s second husband, which is why he is going so far as even spending his money on her for child support.

Counterarguments to this theory about Ainsley’s father

While the theory sounds as plausible as can be, fitting all the puzzle pieces in order, it’s like every other theory out there; with counterarguments of its own. For one, it could be that Victor decided to pay child support simply because he has grown to be quite fond of Ainsley and may have started to see her as his own daughter, having watched her grow up right before his own eyes.

Michelle Randolph as Ainsley. | Credits: Landman / Paramount Pictures.

If this is true, then it could be that Victor loves the young teen as if she were his own child, and simply wants what’s best for her as a good stepdad to her. Thus, since he has the ability to help out and quite literally holds a special place for Ainsley in his heart, he has agreed to pay for her expenses as well, and the ‘Who is Ainsley’s real father?‘ debate ends just there.

If that’s not it, then there’s another counterargument proving the theory that Victor might be Ainsley’s father wrong: Victor simply wants to get done with the divorce as soon as possible. Thus, instead of dragging it out to court and paying lawyers for the same, he has opted for a more feasible and cheaper route: Pay for the kid’s child support for a few months.

Since Ainsley would soon be turning 18, Victor wouldn’t have to pay her bills for too long, and he knows this is a good enough option to provide for Angela which she would accept on the spot. Plus, Rebecca’s plan for the widows was similar as well, as she also wanted to get the deal signed and completed as soon as possible without dragging it out further.

Either way, judging from how things have turned out so far in the saga, both the theory and the counterarguments seem as plausible as ever, so this might as well be taken with a grain of salt. But if this theory does turn out to be true, then this plot twist by Taylor Sheridan actually holds enough weight to dwarf nearly every plot twist by the showrunner in his Yellowstone saga.

To find out what actually happens, you can tune in to Landman on Paramount+. New episodes are released every Sunday, available to stream by 3 AM ET/midnight PT.

Written by Mahin Sultan

Articles Published: 1812