Into The Badlands
Episode 2.3 “Red Sun, Silver Moon”
Directed by Toa Fraser
Written by Michael Taylor
Starring Daniel Wu, Orla Brady, Sarah Bolger, Aramis Knight, Emily Beecham, Oliver Stark, Madeleine Mantock, Ally Ioannides, Nick Frost, Marton Csokas, Chipo Chung
AMC
Air date: Sunday, April 2nd, 2017, 10pm

Warning: Spoilers for Into the Badlands below:

Last week on Into the Badlands, Sunny (Daniel Wu) and his not-by-choice sidekick Bajie (Nick Frost), escaped from the mining colony but encountered a problem in a gigantic wall that separates them from the Badlands. Meanwhile, Sunny’s child is alive and well as Veil (Madeleine Mantock) is protected by the very much alive and thriving Baron Quinn (Marton Csokas), who is busy rebuilding an army of new clippers. Over the first two episodes, the dominant force has been the ladies as both The Widow (Emily Beecham) and Lydia (Orla Brady) asserted battlefield dominance in gory fashion. The Widow is keen to take over the entire Badlands once and for all, and sets her sights on Lydia’s son Ryder (Oliver Stark), who seems unimpressed with his mother’s attempts to help. While many fight for power and control, M.K. (Aramis Knight) struggles to keep his inner demons at bay at a monastery, being tutored there by The Master (Chipo Chung).

Spoilers below for this week’s Into the Badlands:

Before you can even admire the gorgeous Irish scenery, Sunny and Bajie find themselves in an amazing fight sequence against mercenaries out bring them back to the mines. Alongside the bridgekeeper, Moon (Sherman Augustus), Sunny, and Bajie have a viciously choreographed scene that bursts onto screen. The green landscape, the blue outfits of the mercenaries, and the bright red gore, this show is a visual and visceral experience. The camerawork, production team, and cinematography deserve as much credit as the choreographers. For a show about futuristic warriors engaging in violent sword fights, Into the Badlands is maybe the most beautiful show on TV.

Ryder calls a conclave, a meeting of the barons which means he gets to host the gathering. The Widow thinks this is a trap and Waldo (Stephen Lang) implores her to be cautious, as she needs to gain the support of fellow barons before anything goes down. Tilda (Ally Ioannides), her daughter, wants to accompany her but the Widow chooses Waldo for his age and experience. Stephen Lang is fantastic here. After being threatened by Tilda, he laughs it off saying, “If things go south, I’ll be dead too.”

Quinn bonds with baby Henry, while Veil examines an x-ray of his head. The cancer is growing but she disguises the x-ray, keeping Quinn in the dark. Marton Csokas is hypnotic. Quinn was my favorite character in season 1, and I’m so happy he is back in the second season. His accent and gravelly tone make him wreak of pure evil, with just a hint of seductive leading man. Witness the scene with young runaway Gabriel (John Bell). Just a great scene, with Csokas taking it in a totally different direction than you’d expect.

At the monastery, M.K.awakes in the middle of the night and finds the abbots doing bizarre experiments on other trainees. He is convinced that the Master is a fraud and he plots an escape. Back at Moon’s home, Sunny and Moon trade stories and philosophical views on killing. They are probably the two best clippers in Badlands history, and things get tense quickly. When Sunny and Bajie are set to leave, Moon does not make it easy. He views Sunny as that one perfect adversary, a worthy “1000th tattoo”. Their fight leaves Moon incapacitated but Sunny will not kill him. Back in the Badlands it’s time for the conclave and my god, not to beat the dead horse but this show is gorgeous! Everything is so meticulously designed. The orange leaves, white car, even Emily Beecham’s makeup shines on camera, her blood red lips under the red of her hair. I cannot praise the makers of this show enough. It’s like getting a weekly trip to an art museum for carnage and kung fu.

Next week, we see the full conclave as the barons converge in all their colorful badass glory. The question is, will Quinn surprise them all with an appearance? And will Sunny and Bajie make it back to the Badlands? This show just breezes by, it’s brutal, bloody and beautiful. Tune in next Sunday night at 10:00 PM on AMC to see the next thrilling episode of Into the Badlands.

Image Gallery

Video

Into the Badlands: ‘Sunny vs Moon’ Talked About Scene Ep. 203

Moon and Sunny, two of the baddest clippers in the Badlands, face off against each other.

Follow me on Twitter.