Into the Badlands Season 2 Episode 9 Review: Nightingale Sings No More
Ron Gilmer
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As the old saying goes, Karma's a bitch. For The Widow, her chickens came home to roost, and karma came crashing down around her like a ton of bricks.
On Into the Badlands Season 2 Episode 9, we got confirmation on what was telegraphed for awhile: The Widow and Flea are one in the same.
I give major kudos to the casting people: the girl they chose to play Flea was a perfect look a like. She was totally adorable!
She also seemed to have powers almost equal to The Master. Scary stuff.
Bajie used some of his best abbot fu to get her in line, but he was clearly impressed with the young girl's powers.
We also discovered the mysterious book has been in her family for decades.
Bajie: Where did you get this book? You can trust me.
Flea: My father. He gave it to me before he disappeared.
Bajie: Can you read it?
Flea: Father only taught me one word: Azra.
Bajie: Azra. Well, that's a good start. This book. This stays between us, OK? I'm Bajie. What's your name?
Flea: Minerva.
Bajie: Well Minerva, it seems that dear mother Fate has brought us together for a reason.
This brings a tantalizing twist: is her Dad still alive? My guess is yes. Is he someone we know? Maybe.
Could her dad be Waldo? Stranger things have happened, right? That could explain his allegiance to her.
I want a Waldo back story. I need to know how he ended up in the wheelchair, and is he Flea's poppa? We want to know!
The whole Azra deal got more credence as well. M.K. showing the old magazine cover to Tilda seemed to win her over.
This begs the following question: are the people with "the gift" from Azra? It's definitely possible.
We know this is some sort of post apocalyptic Earth. Was there some type of holocaust. nuclear or otherwise, that decimated the planet?
And did this cause some sort of mutation in certain people, causing "the gift?"
It reminded me of one of the old Planet of the Apes movies back in the day, where a group of radiation scarred mutants had an entire religion based on worshipping an actual nuclear bomb.
The total lack of higher tech weapons used by the population could help explain this. If the world was wasted by such weapons, then it wouldn't be a surprise if those things were banned.
That's why the suicide bomb scene with Gabriel was so shocking. I believe this was the first time in the show's run we ever saw anything more advanced than a sword or a crossbow.
Quinn is definitely going off the deep end. Using WMD on The Widow is taking the crazy up to a whole new level.
Not with a whimper, but a bang.
Quinn [to Gabriel]
I have to give props to Director Paco Cebezas for the suicide bombing scene: it was beautifully executed in super slo mo.
Definitely feature film quality. The level of expertise in the effects and fight scenes here cannot be undersold.
The amazing looks they pull off on a tight schedule, with a TV budget, is exemplary!
Other than the actual explosion, the truth bombs dropped on The Widow's head were the story here.
Her karmic debt just got a lot higher, with Gabriel's message to Sunny before he went boom:
Gabriel: Veil wants to let you know that her son Henry recognizes Quinn as his true father.
Sunny: That's not possible.
Gabriel: The Widow is not your ally. If you march with her on Quinn, with her forces beside you, you march to death.
The Widow: He's lying. Quinn's afraid. He's just trying to turn you against me.
Gabriel: Says the woman who traded Veil to Quinn.
Sunny: Is that true?
The Widow made her intentions clear, just grazing Sunny with a throwing star. So much for that alliance.
Now Sunny is on his own again. He can't count on Bajie or M.K. to help him take down Quinn. The Widow saw to that.
M.K.: I know where the book is: it's in the conservatory. The Widow is planning to use it to get her powers back.
Bajie: Ah, same old Flea.
M.K.: Wait-The Widow is Flea?
Bajie: Yeah.
M.K.: You trained The Widow?
Bajie: Yeah. Listen, that book in her possession, no one is safe.
The reunion between Bajie and The Widow was actually kind of sweet, until it wasn't.
M.K. wants no part of his gift, but The Widow wants her gift back big time.
I can't help but think M.K. is key to her strategy: The Master was intimidated by M.K.'s powers, much like Bajie was by Flea.
M.K.: Haven't you been listening to Sunny? My gift, it's gone.
The Widow: What if I told you there are ways to reactivate your power?
Bajie told The Widow back in the day he would help her decipher the book, but can he? He's such a con artist, who knows if he really can do it?
Bajie is getting more mysterious by the minute. Does he want his gift back? Maybe.
Does he just want to find his way to Azra? Or does he want both? We have one episode to find out.
Bajie: We're not leaving without the book, Minerva.
The Widow: Come and get it.
My guess is The Widow will end up at Quinn's bunker with M.K. and Bajie next week. Is Quinn really crazy enough to blow up the joint to keep Sunny from taking Veil and Henry from him?
Sunny will need all the help he can get. Bajie may broker a deal: if she helps Sunny free Veil and Henry, then he would help her with the Azra book.
The other major plot twist pitted Tilda against The Widow.
Tilda's discontent has been brewing for awhile, but the M.K. situation put her over the edge.
Even though she told him about her new boo Odessa, I think she's still holding a candle for M.K..
Otherwise, why would she endanger her life?
Tilda: Where's M.K.? He wasn't in his room, so what have you done with him?
The Widow: He's safe.
Tilda: Don't lie to me.
The Widow: Do you really think I'd hurt him? I'm trying to protect him. What kind of person do you think I am?
Tilda: I don't know anymore. Power's changed you. Now you're willing to sacrifice innocent lives for your own interest.
The Widow: I'd choose your next words very carefully.
Tilda: You're no better than any other Baron. Swindling people with declarations of good will, only to stab them in the back.
The Widow: What did I do to earn such contempt? I gave you the world.
Tilda: Bullshit! You've got everyone fooled, Minerva. Everyone but me. Maybe Veil was right: I should have poisoned you when I had the chance.
The Widow was totally blindsided by this: her tearful reaction was heartbreaking.
We've seen this before. Quinn had to deal with his thankless charge Ryder, and we all know how that turned out.
The difference? Quinn is batsh*t crazy. The Widow is far from it.
The Widow really didn't want to hurt Tilda: that was obvious, but Tilda wouldn't let up. What followed was a brutal ballet of violence, with neither side giving in.
Dropping a chandelier on Tilda's head was nice touch, but even that didn't put out her fire.
Don't start what you can't finish. Kill Me!
Tilda[to The Widow]
A nice roundhouse kick to the coconut knocked poor Tilda out cold, but who knows what will happen between them now? Is their bond totally broken?
Tilda could be a formidable enemy, or she may try to escape with M.K. to find Azra.
There are so many possibilities in play for the finale, it makes your head spin.
Will Sunny rescue Veil and Henry? My gut says yes.
Will Quinn die? My guess is that snake will find a way to slither out of danger again. Lydia, on the other hand, is the most likely finale death IMO.
Will West Avalon get blown up real good? I think so. Who doesn't love a good explosion, right?
Will The Widow, M.K., or Bajie get their gift back? If I had to wager, I'd say The Widow is most likely, followed by M.K. and Bajie.
I have a feeling next season might focus on the journey to find Azra, but will our gang be together for the trip?
I hope so: I like the chemistry they have.
That's my take: give me yours. Fire away with all your theories in the comments section.
And if you want to binge watch before the finale, then watch Into the Badlands online, right here on TV Fanatic!
