The Norris family might be back together in Landman, but one major rift exists between siblings Cooper and Ainsley, and fans think they know why.
From the beginning of Taylor Sheridan‘s Texas-based drama, it was clear that the brother and sister pair didn’t have much of a relationship. (Connect this with Beth and Jamie’s troubled past in Yellowstone, and there seems to be a trend.)
The two barely share scenes together, save for one awkward family dinner that resulted in the two picking and prodding at each other. What’s more, the two Norris kids couldn’t be more different.
Cooper lives for the rough and dirty life on the patch, while Ainsley prefers a much more glamorous lifestyle. The two even disagree over Angela and Tommy’s reunion, with Cooper despising the idea of his parents getting back together. It’s a huge discrepancy, but a closer look into the Norris family’s past reveals why they’re such different people.
Cooper and Ainsley had very different childhoods in Landman
Earlier in the show, it was revealed that Angela and Tommy’s marriage fell apart after their lifestyle was completely altered following an oil bust. After they lost everything they had, Angela left and remarried the incredibly wealthy Victor.
Ainsley also went with her, living the life of luxury. While it’s not confirmed, it appears as though Cooper opted to stay with Tommy instead, wanting to become an oil man and working towards getting a job on the patch.
Fans seem to think this is the key to why both children have turned into such different people, and is likely the reason they don’t get along at all.
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As one user on Reddit noted, “Ainsley is Angela’s mini, so she made sure she stayed that way. Didn’t care as much about the boy.”
“Cooper dresses like the other workers around him,” another said. “We don’t meet him as a high schooler. We don’t know what he dressed like then. But he’s not so stupid as to show up looking like money among a bunch of gritty oil workers.”
“Cooper said he remembers when they lost everything and Angie and Tommy divorced. Angie seems to have rebounded quickly after the divorce, married money and took Ainsley with her. Ainsley grew up with that rich step-father who is paying child support on her,” said a third.
“Tommy and Angela divorced when both children were young. Ainsley chose to live with her mother and Cooper chose to live with his father and follow in his footsteps. Angela married an insanely rich guy while Tommy was still recovering from the oil bust,” one pointed out.
With Cooper working towards going out on his own, perhaps there’s room for the siblings to shed their past lives and reconnect in the future.
Landman Episode 10 drops on Sunday, January 12 on Paramount+. Until then, check out our Episode 9 recap, and see what’s to come with the full Landman release schedule.
