Into the Badlands Season 2 Episode 6 Review: Leopard Stalks in Snow
Ron Gilmer
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Not one, not two, but THREE huge plot twists this week! Let's get to it.
On Into the Badlands Season 2 Episode 6, the trifecta of awesomeness included a tragic death, a secret revealed, and a massive betrayal.
For me, the reveal of Bajie as a former Abbot was mind blowing.
True, there were clues sprinkled in throughout the season: he is a kick ass fighter, and clearly has a strong moral code deep down, but I NEVER in a million years thought he was Abbot material.
I strongly suspected something was up when the Abbots searched the opium den on the evidence of their "gift" detection thingy. M.K. was nowhere to be found, and yet the device pinged, showing someone with "the gift" was there.
Bajie hid under the water and, viola, the reading vanished.
His refusal to help Sunny find the Abbots also made my Spidey sense tingle, but it was still a shock to have his secret revealed.
Sunny: You were one of them?
Bajie: In another life.
I love how they are giving Bajie more depth. Now I want some back story: I want to see him as an Abbot, dammit!
The addition of his character was a masterful move, giving some much needed comic relief amid the blood and gore.
That's another positive for me: the violence quotient has been ramped up in a major way. The fights have always been highly stylized and immaculately choreographed: that's a given.
The difference is the ultra-violent payoff. Sunny's decapitation of the Abbot Cyan at the end of the battle was both thrilling and terrifying at the same time. That's hard to pull off.
The good old "Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique" from Kill Bill (as well as countless other kung fu classics) was in full effect here too, giving us a nice cliffhanger.
I assume, since Cyan was already dying, his blows to Sunny's chest might not have been powerful enough to kill.
That, or maybe Bajie will know how to fix it since he was one of the brothers and all.
We know Sunny's not going to die, so it will be interesting to see how they get out of this one.
The entire staging of showcase fight might be the best one ever. The snow on the floor, the Christmas lights and songs: brilliant.
And the lights going out when Ava and the Abbots went dark was truly inspired.
I don't know if there is an Emmy award for second unit work like this, but if there is then it's a no-brainer: these guys deserve it.
The fight unit achieves miraculous results weekly, and the dedication of the actors to make the fights so amazing must require an unbelievable amount of training and dedication. Kudos to all involved!
The Abbots are coming after us. We need to move.
Ava [to M.K.]
Ava's death was sad, but it seemed like a forced plot device to get something, ANYTHING emotional out of M.K.
His confession about killing his mother was supposed to pull at the heart strings, but the actor's performance is SO wooden it fell flat.
He is by far the weakest character, and if we are to believe he no longer has "the gift," then why is he even on the show anymore?
I would have rather seen Ava live and M.K. die, frankly.
The truth hurts, folks.
Hello, Lydia.
Quinn
Lydia survived the booby trap, as expected, and her encounter with estranged hubby Quinn was beyond creepy (seriously, who doesn't have a creepy encounter with this dude?).
Quinn may be batshit crazy, but he also has some sort of sixth sense about how to manipulate people.
Deep down I think he really wants to die, but no one has the stones to do it. Lydia's weakness is Quinn, and I think he knew he'd win her over before she could kill him.
Lydia: Now look at you, lord of nothing.
Quinn: And yet you came back to me.
Lydia: Only to put a dagger through your heart.
Quinn: Then do it. Ryder hesitated when I gave him the chance. This is why I loved you first. You were never afraid to take what you want.
Theirs is the definition of a dysfunctional relationship.
Does this mean she's back with Quinn for good? Maybe, but I wouldn't bet the farm on it.
Meanwhile, The Widow is holding her nose in relation to forming an alliance with Quinn. He's clearly only a means to an end.
The scene between the two was a delicious dance, with each character playfully probing each other for weakness.
Quinn, being no fool, figured out pretty quickly The Widow had Veil and Henry and demanded them back before a deal could be consummated.
Quinn: Now, what you want?
The Widow: The same as you do. The other barons dead. But I can't do it alone, and neither can you. But together...the other barons would never suspect an alliance.
Quinn: And when it's just the two of us left standing?
The Widow: The I expect you will try to kill me before I kill you. Do we have a deal?
The Widow has another agenda, however, wanting Veil to translate the mysterious book she got back from M.K..
When Veil couldn't deliver, The Widow made up some lame excuse about Veil trying to turn Tilda against her.
Make no mistake: if Veil was of any use to The Widow, she wouldn't have betrayed her.
The betrayal of Veil was hard to watch. This poor girl has been put through the ringer.
Just when she thought she and her baby were safe and sound, another powerful baron screws her over big time.
It's time for you and Henry to come home.
Quinn [to Veil]
Sunny can't get back to the badlands soon enough for me. He needs to set things right.
The biggest question is, of course, how will Sunny recover from his near-fatal malady.
Will Lydia join the alliance with The Widow and Quinn? She would make them much more formidable.
What's next for Veil and baby Henry? Nothing good.
Is there a Bajie/Abbot back story coming? I certainly hope so.
And when can we FINALLY get rid of M.K.? That kid is getting on my last nerve!
That's my rant: give me your take in the comments section.
And, of course, you can watch Into the Badlands online and relive all the amazing action scenes right here on TV Fanatic!
