Con SuiteThe Reactor

Recap: Into the Badlands – Tiger Pushes Mountain

By Miclpea

Quote of the week: “No one gets out alive” 
SPOILER ALERT-Do not read if you have not seen season two-episode one of Into the Badlands.

Six months has passed since the events in season one. Sunny is in a labor camp where he is mining for relics. MK is in training in a secluded monastery. Ryder has control of three territories including a refinery. And The Widow, well, she makes quite an entrance later in the show.

Daniel Wu as Sunny, Stephen Walters as Engineer

The episode opens with Sunny in shackles at a mining labor camp. Sunny tries to escape but he is captured and knocked unconscious. When he awakens, he sees Veil. This dream sequence ends when he is awakened by another prisoner, Baije, who is played by Nick Frost. Bajie is the consummate con man, who is always trying to work an angle. But, he is smart. He recognizes the marks on Sunny’s back as Clipper’s marks. Sunny convinces Baije to secure a map of the camp which he hopes to use to escape. Baije secures the map but wants to go with Sunny, who refuses to take him.

Meanwhile, MK has been in training at the monastery. He has been asking to meet the Master of the monastery for months but he has been denied. One night, after being awakened by a strange noise, he goes in search of the Master. MK is exploring the Master’s sanctuary when he is discovered by a woman. MK realizes after an incredible display of power that the woman is the Master.

Aramis Knight as M.K 

The Master has been waiting to talk to MK since he first arrived. The Master tells MK he can leave if he can get past an origami bird without releasing his power. The bird cuts MK and his power is unleashed. The Master stops MK’s powerful blow with just her hand. Then, through a series of powered touches on different parts of MK’s body, she disarms his power. Once MK has recovered, the Master sends him to bed. After MK leaves, The Master pulls her sleeve back to reveal a fractured bone protruding out of her skin. She heals her injury with the same illuminated powered touch.

Ryder has been busy consolidating his control of his territories with Jade. However, the production at the refinery has been declining due to the Cogs abandoning it. They have been joining The Widow. Ryder is inspecting the plant when The Widow attacks. In an extraordinary fight sequence, The Widow massacres Ryder’s clippers and gives Jade a message to deliver to Ryder. The refinery belongs to The Widow.

Emily Beecham as The Widow

The Widow has been providing sanctuary to the runaways, the dolls, and the former refinery workers. She is hoping to build what would be a socialist society instead of a feudal one. Some of the former Clippers disagree with this point of view. The Widow allows them to leave peacefully.

In the meantime, Bajie has managed to ingratiate himself with the camp overseer by revealing Sunny’s secret that he is a former Clipper. Sunny is taken away to be used as a fighter in their camp fights. The Master has decided to personally teach MK. Tilda meets the deserting Clippers on the road. Apparently, they had brutalized the dolls at the refinery. Tilda gives the Clippers a taste of Badlands justice. And we finally see Veil with a baby. But, in a bizarre turn of events, Quinn hands her the baby!

Into the Badlands returns in great style. The fight sequences are brilliant. New characters have been introduced who only add to the rich tapestry already woven from the first season. Sunny’s journey will be physical as he tries to return to the Badlands and Veil. MK’s journey will be physical and spiritual as he struggles to harness his power. The Widow’s journey is probably the hardest since she is attempting to change an entire society. We can only hope they succeed.

Click here to join the Into the Badlands conversation on the FoCC forum. 

Miclpea

I love going to conventions around the US and Canada. I'm an ardent fan of all things science fiction and especially The Expanse. I'm a senior writer for Friends of CC and I have co-written a science-fiction script called Punctuated Equilibrium.