A hit show just proved it is not afraid to hit back at culture war issues.
The latest episode of Taylor Sheridan’s Paramount+ series Landman starring Billy Bob Thornton pokes fun at the use of preferred pronouns and so-called “safe spaces” on college campuses. Needless to say, the now-viral storyline has ruffled feathers on the left, while non-woke viewers are cheering it as a breath of fresh air.
On Wednesday’s show, Megyn was joined by Isabel Brown, host of The Isabel Brown Show, and Hayley Caronia, host of Nightly Scroll, to discuss the buzzy plot point and the truth about woke college students today.
[Editor’s Note: Landman spoilers ahead.]
The Anti-Woke Storyline
In the episode that dropped January 11, the daughter of Thorton’s character got a rude awakening when she arrived at her college dorm. Ainsley, played by Michelle Randolph, showed up at Texas Christian University for cheer camp ahead of her first semester only to be greeted by her non-binary roommate named “Paigyn.”
The androgynous character went by they/them pronouns and asked Ainsley for her pronouns because one should never assume. That led Ainsley to question the origin of the grammatically incorrect identifiers.
“I always wondered: Why they/them? Because there’s just one of you and those are plural pronouns. I just never really understood the hoopla with pronouns. My name’s Ainsley and I just can’t really come up with a reason why you would address me in third person in a conversation that I’m a part of. If you do, I’m probably not there so I wouldn’t really know what pronouns you are using anyways. So, why would it matter?”
But pronouns weren’t the only sticking point for Ainsley and Paigyn. The two also clashed over Paigyn’s pet ferret, Ainsley’s desire to use an air freshener (Paigyn said that would mean inhaling “toxic airborne petrochemicals”), and Paigyn’s desire for Ainsley to not eat, play music, or use triggering words like “penetrate” in their room.
“This is my safe space,” Paigyn said. “And I need my environment crafted to support my mental health.”
Life Imitating Art
Ainsley ultimately requested a room change, which was denied, before moving off campus, but the sub-plot got social media and the chattering class talking. While Megyn said she doesn’t watch Landman, she praised the show for “taking on issues of the day from a non-woke perspective.”
Brown said she knows this issue, in particular, hits home for a lot of college students. “I’m watching this clip go viral and I’m remembering countless stories that I have heard from current college students all over the country. This probably feels like a documentary for them… because I hear this exact same story told over and over and over again,” she shared. “This is the reality of what the college experience has become because of the woke, radical left.”
She is hopeful, however, that mocking from ‘mainstream’ programming like Landman could mark a turning point. “I love that [Ainsley’s] response is just, ‘I don’t have time for all of that hoopla,'” Brown noted. “And I think what you’re watching now is gen Z moving on and saying, ‘Enough, we’re not doing this anymore.'”
Coronia joked that watching the Ainsley-Paigyn interaction made her grateful that her wackiest dorm experience was being paired with a girl who had an imaginary friend. And while she said she has some issues with Ainsley’s provocative wardrobe and behavior in past episodes, she said the character was spot-on this time around.
“I am happy to see that she got into college and she knows her grammar,” Coronia concluded. “You cannot refer to a singular person as plural they/them.”
You can check out Megyn’s full interview with Brown and Caronia by tuning in to episode 1,230 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s The Megyn Kelly Channel (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.