The Shannara Chronicles
Season 1 Episode 1: “Chosen: Part 1″
Directed by Jonathan Leibesman
Written by Terry Brooks (novel), Alfred Gough, and Miles Millar
Starring Poppy Drayton, Austin Butler, Ivana Baquero, Manu Bennett, John Rhys-Davies, Aaron Jakubenko, Emilia Burns, Mattias Inwood, Daniel MacPherson, Ella Rouhier, Marcus Vanco, and Brooke Williams
MTV
Air Date: Tuesday, January 5, 2016, 10pm

There has been a fair amount of buzz surrounding MTV’s The Shannara Chronicles, particularly since the show’s panel and trailer release at New York Comic-Con this past October. The premiere is finally here and I have a spoiler-lite look at Part 1 of the first episode, Chosen, for you here.

Starting with the very first scene, we are shown the grand scale of a magical, post-human world. Helicopters, towers, and buildings are in ruins, but have been in this state for quite some time, with layers of moss and green vines covering them.

Into The Badlands
Episode 1.6 “Hand of Five Poisons”
Directed by Guy Ferland
Written by Michael R. Perry, Alfred Gough, Miles Millar
Starring Gabe Begneaud, Nazeema Bartek, Daniel Wu, Ruby Lou Smith, Aramis Knight, Ally Ioannides, Stephen Lang, Emily Beecham, Morgan Benoit, Marton Csokas, Sarah Bolger, Madeleine Mantock, Oliver Stark
AMC
Air date: Sunday, December 20, 2015, 10pm

The trap is set. Ryder has aligned with Jacobee, and The Widow to kill Quinn and take over The Fort. Quinn doesn’t trust anyone though. He sees through Sunny who is hiding things from him. There’s a traitor in The Fort who snuck The Widow in. And Jade, his new wife-to-be was poisoned. Sunny meanwhile has to deal with a pregnant girlfriend, who Quinn told him not to see anymore, defending The Fort from invaders and MK’s mysterious dark power. Sunny has a way out, but that requires Mk’s head delivered as payment. It has come to this, the season finale of AMC’s Into the Badlands.

Spoilers below!!!

Into The Badlands
Episode 1.5 “Snake Creeps Down”
Directed by Guy Ferland
Written by Michael Jones-Morales, Alfred Gough, Justin Doble
Starring Gabe Begneaud, Nazeema Bartek, Daniel Wu, Ruby Lou Smith, Aramis Knight, Ally Ioannides, Stephen Lang, Emily Beecham, Morgan Benoit, Marton Csokas, Sarah Bolger, Madeleine Mantock, Oliver Stark
AMC
Air date: Sunday, December 13, 2015, 10pm

Sunny has a way out of the Badlands… unfortunately it comes at a steep price. The River King wants the head of the boy who killed his crew; the head of M.K. (Aramis Knight). He is in high demand as he is also wanted by The Widow (Emmy Beecham). She wants whatever power possesses M.K. to help her alliance fight against Baron Quinn (Martin Csokas); an alliance that now includes Quinn’s son Ryder (Oliver Stark). Quinn is trying to stave off threats from all sides. There is The Widow and other barons who want him gone for trying to provoke war, and more pressing is the brain tumor eating away at his abilities and sanity. Time is running out for Sunny (Daniel Wu). The war on Into The Badlands between the barons is becoming unavoidable, and he has a pregnant girlfriend in a time and place where pregnancies are not congratulatory events.

Spoilers below.

Into The Badlands
Episode 1.4 “Two Tigers Subdue Dragons”
Directed by David Dobkin
Written by Michael Jones-Morales, Alfred Gough, Miles Millar
Starring Gabe Begneaud, Nazeema Bartek, Daniel Wu, Ruby Lou Smith, Aramis Knight, Ally Ioannides, Stephen Lang, Emily Beecham, Morgan Benoit, Marton Csokas, Sarah Bolger, Madeleine Mantock, Oliver Stark
AMC
Air date: Sunday, December 6, 2015, 10pm

War is brewing between the barons of Into the Badlands. Quinn (Martin Csokas) is looking for allies against The Widow (Emmy Beecham). Sunny (Daniel Wu) is stuck in the middle. He is the loyal head clipper for Quinn; but he yearns for freedom, and wants to escape with his pregnant girlfriend Veil (Madeleine Mantock). His interest has been piqued by a strange newcomer, M.K. (Aramis Knight) who shares a similar past as him, leading back to Asra (the land beyond the Badlands). So far through three episodes, Into the Badlands has been an assault on the senses in all the best ways. The show is colorful, sharp, and beautiful to behold… even when you’re watching bloody kung-fu action and violence.

Spoilers below.

Into The Badlands
Episode 1.3 “White Stork Spreads Wings”
Directed by David Dobkin
Written by Justine Juel Gillmer, Alfred Gough, Miles Millar
Starring Gabe Begneaud, Nazeema Bartek, Daniel Wu, Ruby Lou Smith, Aramis Knight, Ally Ioannides, Stephen Lang, Emily Beecham, Morgan Benoit, Marton Csokas, Sarah Bolger, Madeleine Mantock, Oliver Stark
AMC
Air date: Sunday, November 29, 2015, 10pm

On Into The Badlands, Sunny (Daniel Wu) is a man in conflict. He is a clipper, a modern-day samurai/knight for the Baron, Quinn (Marton Csokas). Sunny has an unknown past: a medallion links him to Asra, a land beyond the Badlands. After years of violent service to Quinn, Sunny now has to protect his pregnant girlfriend Veil (Madeleine Mantock) and look after his new protege, the mysterious M.K. (Aramis Knight), who gets a little crazy (and possessed) when attacked. Quinn meanwhile has his own issues to deal with as the most powerful Baron. He is slowly dying of brain tumors, and he was happy to kill to protect that secret. He is also dealing with a possible alliance of the other Barons led by The Widow (Emily Beecham).

So far in the first two episodes of this new AMC series, the formula has been epic fight… character fueled plot… epic fight scene. Let’s see if we continue the trend in week 3 with Episode 1.3 “White Stork Spreads Wings.”