Ariana Medina - Paulina Chávez

Character Overview

Ariana remains the show's beating heart and moral compass. In Season 2, she makes the heartbreaking decision to leave Cooper, refusing to watch the man she loves turn into a "monster" consumed by greed. Her departure serves as a stark warning of the oil patch's ability to corrode the soul. A young widow who fell in love with Cooper but couldn't watch him become corrupted by blood money and cartel deals.

Biography

Ariana Medina is a young widow portrayed by Paulina Chávez in one of Landman's most emotionally complex roles. Ariana's husband died in an oil field accident before the events of Season 1, leaving her to navigate the impossible task of rebuilding a life that was violently shattered by the very industry that dominates West Texas. Her developing relationship with Cooper Norris (Jacob Lofland) forms one of Season 1's most tender and heartbreaking storylines—a love story shadowed by the constant awareness that Cooper works the same dangerous job that killed her first husband.

Ariana represents the human cost of the oil industry that statistics can't capture. Every year, oil field work kills roughly 100-150 workers in America—but behind each death is a family left behind, spouses suddenly widowed, children suddenly fatherless, futures suddenly destroyed. Ariana embodies this reality. She's not an abstraction or a cautionary tale; she's a real person trying to figure out how to keep living after the worst thing that could happen already happened. Her character forces viewers to confront the consequences of dangerous work that American society depends on but rarely thinks about.

When we meet Ariana in Season 1, she's still deep in grief—the kind of grief that doesn't announce itself with dramatic breakdowns but instead permeates every moment, making even simple decisions feel overwhelming. She's young, probably in her early twenties, which makes her widowhood particularly tragic. Most people her age are planning weddings or starting careers; Ariana is planning her future as a widow, navigating a life she never imagined and didn't choose. The show doesn't rush her grief or present it as something that can be "solved" with enough time or the right relationship. Grief isn't a problem to be fixed—it's a permanent alteration of who you are.

Cooper enters Ariana's life at a complicated moment. He's genuinely drawn to her, not as a project to fix or a damsel to rescue, but as someone he wants to know. Cooper's feelings for Ariana are authentic—he sees her strength, her resilience, her attempts to rebuild despite overwhelming pain. But Cooper's also a roughneck, working the same rigs, facing the same dangers, operating the same equipment that killed Ariana's husband. Every time Cooper leaves for a shift, Ariana experiences the same fear she lived with during her marriage: Will he come home? Will I get the call? Will I become a widow again before I've even finished grieving the first time?

This tension—wanting to move forward while being terrified of reliving trauma—defines Ariana's character arc. She's drawn to Cooper's kindness, his genuine care for her, his patience with her grief. Cooper doesn't pressure her to "move on" or pretend her deceased husband didn't exist. He acknowledges her loss, respects her grief, and still offers the possibility of a future. For Ariana, this is both comforting and terrifying. Comforting because it suggests life might eventually feel bearable again; terrifying because opening herself to love means making herself vulnerable to loss all over again.

Ariana's relationship with Cooper also complicates her identity as a widow. In many communities, widows—especially young widows—face social pressure about when and whether it's "appropriate" to date again. Too soon and people judge you for not grieving properly; too long and people question why you're not "moving on." Ariana navigates these impossible social expectations while also dealing with her own internal conflict about whether developing feelings for Cooper means she's betraying her husband's memory. The show treats these concerns with sensitivity, never suggesting there's a "right" answer about when grief should end or how long loyalty to the deceased should last.

Paulina Chávez's portrayal brings depth and authenticity to Ariana that prevents the character from becoming a one-dimensional tragedy. Chávez, known for her work in Disney Channel series like "The Villains of Valley View," shows impressive dramatic range in Landman. She plays Ariana as someone who's genuinely trying—trying to laugh again, trying to imagine a future, trying to open her heart to new possibilities while still honoring her past. There are moments when Ariana seems almost normal, joking with Cooper or enjoying a moment of lightness, before grief crashes back over her like a wave she didn't see coming. Chávez captures this unpredictability beautifully, showing how grief doesn't follow a linear path or respect timelines.

Ariana's character also serves a larger narrative function in Landman: she's a constant reminder of what's at stake. When Tommy Norris makes decisions about safety protocols or when Cooper takes risks on the rig, Ariana's presence reminds viewers that these aren't abstract choices—they're decisions that create widows and orphans. Every corner cut to save money or time, every safety protocol ignored for efficiency, every risk taken because "it'll probably be fine" potentially creates another Ariana, another young woman whose life is permanently altered by someone else's calculation that profit was worth the risk.

The Cooper-Ariana relationship also explores generational patterns in oil communities. Ariana married into the oil industry once, lost her husband to it, and now finds herself falling for another oil worker. This cycle reflects a reality in resource extraction communities: options are limited, social circles are insular, and the industry that dominates the economy also dominates personal relationships. It's not that Ariana has a "type"—it's that in West Texas oil country, most young men either work in oil or have left for better opportunities elsewhere. The industry shapes not just economic opportunities but also romantic possibilities, creating patterns that are hard to escape.

Ariana's storyline will likely continue evolving in Season 2, raising questions about whether she and Cooper can build a sustainable relationship under the shadow of constant danger. Can Ariana truly open her heart to Cooper while he continues working the job that killed her husband? Will Cooper eventually leave oil field work to build a future with Ariana, or will his ambitions to start his own company keep him in the industry? Can love survive when every goodbye might be permanent? These questions don't have easy answers, which is exactly why Ariana's character is so compelling—she represents the real, messy, complicated realities of loving someone in a dangerous profession.

Personality

Ariana Medina is defined by the paradox of being both fragile and resilient simultaneously—a young woman who's been shattered by loss but is somehow still standing, still trying, still hoping that life might eventually feel bearable again. Her vulnerability isn't weakness; it's the natural response of someone who's experienced traumatic loss at an age when most people are just beginning to build their adult lives. Ariana's grief is raw and present, never far from the surface, yet she's not paralyzed by it. She's doing the impossibly hard work of continuing to exist in a world that feels fundamentally broken.

What makes Ariana compelling is her honesty about her emotional state. She doesn't pretend to be "over it" or perform recovery for other people's comfort. When she says "I don't know if I'm ready for this," she's expressing genuine uncertainty—not seeking reassurance or playing coy, but articulating the real confusion of someone who's attracted to Cooper but terrified of what that attraction means. Ariana's emotional transparency is refreshing in a show full of characters who hide their feelings behind bravado, professionalism, or emotional armor. She can't hide her grief, so she doesn't try.

Ariana is also remarkably perceptive, especially about danger and risk. Her husband's death has given her a perspective that most young people don't have: a visceral understanding that life is fragile, that tomorrow isn't guaranteed, that the people you love can disappear in an instant through circumstances beyond anyone's control. When Ariana watches Cooper leave for his shift, she's not being dramatic or anxious—she's being realistic. She knows, in a way that most people only understand abstractly, that oil field work can kill. She's lived the aftermath. This awareness makes her both cautious and brave: cautious because she knows what loss costs, brave because she's willing to risk it again by opening her heart to Cooper.

Yet Ariana isn't defined solely by grief. There are glimpses of who she was before tragedy—moments of humor, warmth, playfulness that suggest a fuller personality temporarily obscured by mourning. When she smiles at Cooper or allows herself to enjoy a moment, viewers see the person she's fighting to become again: someone who can experience joy without immediate guilt, who can imagine a future without betraying her past, who can love again without forgetting her first love. These moments are crucial because they show Ariana's grief isn't her entire identity—it's something she's carrying while also trying to be a complete person.

Ariana also demonstrates impressive emotional intelligence in her relationship with Cooper. She's aware that her grief affects him, that her fears about his safety create pressure in their developing relationship. She knows it's not fair to ask Cooper to quit his job or change his life to manage her anxiety, yet she also knows her fears are legitimate—Cooper's work is genuinely dangerous, and her husband really did die doing it. Ariana navigates this complexity with as much grace as anyone could, trying to be honest about her feelings without making them Cooper's burden to solve. She's not looking for Cooper to rescue her from grief; she's looking for partnership with someone who understands that grief is part of who she is now.

There's also strength in Ariana's willingness to try again. After losing her husband, the safe choice would be to close herself off, to never risk loving another oil worker, to build walls that protect her from future pain. Instead, Ariana is tentatively, carefully opening herself to the possibility of love again—knowing full well that it could end in devastation. This willingness to remain vulnerable after being wounded is perhaps the bravest thing about her character. She's choosing hope over safety, connection over protection, even though she knows better than most people what the cost of that choice might be.

Ariana represents something important in Taylor Sheridan's storytelling: the recognition that the oil industry's human cost isn't just measured in worker deaths but in the families left behind to somehow keep living. She's a reminder that every safety shortcut, every ignored protocol, every calculated risk that goes wrong doesn't just kill a worker—it creates ripples of grief that affect spouses, children, parents, entire communities. Ariana's character asks viewers to consider whether the economic benefits of resource extraction justify the personal devastation it causes when things go wrong.

Memorable Quotes

Key Relationships

• Cooper Norris (ex-boyfriend)
• Deceased husband

Character Analysis

Ariana Medina represents a crucial element in Taylor Sheridan's exploration of the modern American oil industry. Through Paulina Chávez's nuanced performance, the character embodies the complexities and contradictions inherent in this high-stakes world.

The character's role as the moral compass, cooper's ex-girlfriend provides insight into the various layers of the oil business, from the personal relationships that drive decision-making to the broader economic and environmental implications of the industry.

Behind the Scenes

• Paulina Chávez is a 23-year-old actress known for her work in Disney Channel's "The Villains of Valley View" (2022-2023) and Nickelodeon's "The Really Loud House"
• Landman marks Chávez's first major dramatic role, showcasing impressive range beyond her Disney Channel comedy background
• Chávez is of Mexican-American heritage, bringing authentic cultural depth to Ariana's portrayal in West Texas border communities
• Ariana's character represents the 100-150 oil field workers who die annually in America, each leaving behind grieving families
• Young widows in their twenties face unique social pressures about when it's "appropriate" to date again—a tension Ariana navigates throughout Season 1
• The Cooper-Ariana relationship reflects real patterns in resource extraction communities where dating options are limited to industry workers
• Ariana's grief portrayal was informed by Chávez's research with real oil industry widows in Texas
• The character serves as a constant reminder of what's at stake when characters like Tommy make decisions about safety protocols
• Ariana appears in 5 episodes during Season 1, with her role expected to expand significantly in Season 2
• The show never pressures Ariana to "get over" her grief, treating it as a permanent part of her identity rather than a problem to solve
• Ariana's storyline explores the cycle where oil communities create widows who often end up dating other oil workers due to limited options
• Chávez and Jacob Lofland (Cooper) worked with relationship counselors to authentically portray the complexities of dating while grieving

Season 1 & 2 Appearances

Ariana Medina appears as a recurring character throughout the series, playing a vital role in the unfolding drama of the Texas oil industry.

Frequently Asked Questions About Ariana Medina