Into The Badlands
Marton Csokas as Quinn and Daniel Wu as Sunny - Into the Badlands _ Season 1, Episode 4 - Photo Credit: Patti Perret/AMC

‘Into The Badlands’ 104 Review – Two Tigers Subdue Dragons

By: Robert Prentice
amc AMC Into the Badlands

Here we are nearly finished with the first season and all hell is about to break loose in the badlands. Into The Badlands, Two Tigers Subdue Dragons brings us to a parlay with another baron, Jacobee. So far that means we have met 3 barons covering opiate, oil and mining. This episode brought us more great fight sequences which we have come to expect from Quinn and Sunny but it was nice to see MK and Tilda go at it and show of some of their fighting skills. Both young actors, Aramis Knight and Alexia Loannides, prove that their intense fight training for the show paid off.

The overall plot is moving along rather well, including the world building of the badlands but Azra story line seems to have stalled out a bit. My guess is the short 6 episode season order prevented them from digging too deep into it, while keeping plenty of material for what is, in our opinion, a guaranteed renewal of the series coming soon. Tonights episode is the real test for the show with The Walking Dead on break to see how many viewers the show can hold on its own.

Marton Csokas as Quinn and Oliver Stark as Ryder - Into the Badlands _ Season 1, Two Tigers Subdue Dragons - Photo Credit: Hilary Bronwyn Gayle/AMC

Marton Csokas as Quinn and Oliver Stark as Ryder – Into the Badlands _ Season 1, Episode 4 – Photo Credit: Hilary Bronwyn Gayle/AMC

With all the incredible performances, its really hard for us to find a reason not to renew the series. This episode was especially great for Oliver Starks character Ryder to grow and flesh out as a character and stand out more among the main characters. In fact it was a great episode for Tilda, and Zephyr as well. While having all these side plots may seem confusing it makes Into The Badlands fun as you never know who is coming for you next.

With only 2 episodes left there are still a lot of unanswered questions in the first season including what Lydia knew of the pendant and Azra. She clearly had seen it before and like the Widow has knowledge of its origins. We still do not know why or how they both know of it. Some have speculated that MK may be Lydia’s son, but we don’t know enough about her past to really go that far.

Verdict: 4.5/5

Recap

We are now past the half way point in the first season of Into The Badlands. Into The Badlands Two Tigers Subdue Dragons brings everything to the boiling point as the Widow tries to start a war between Quinn and Jackaby, the only some-what close alley that Quinn has. She does this by framing Quinn for attacking one of Jacobee’s gold transports.

MK continues to train with Sunny and there are moves that MK knows that Sunny hasn’t taught him. One thing hasn’t changed though, MK is as cocky as ever about his abilities. Tilda doesn’t seem to have the confidence in her mother that she use to when she calls out that nobody is coming to aid them. The Widow talks to her about what Tilda went through at the hands of the Widows husband and warned Tilda not to disrespect her again.

Sunny walks in on MK training late at night alone and watches as MK nearly cuts himself just to see how he would react. However, MK doesn’t go through with it. Jade and Lydia have an awkward conversation about the life as a wife of a baron. Lydia threatens Jade not to sleep with the baron and his son at the same time. Whether the two of them can be friends seems unlikely at the moment.

Veil tells the baron that she doesn’t think she can help the baron live. Her father knew more then she did. The baron continues to claim nomads killed her father. She suggests using a poison to cure the tumor but she cannot guarantee it would work. Sunny takes MK to a remote location in order to test his reaction to being cut and try to help him control it.

After Sunny cuts him, it takes only a single blow for MK to launch Sunny backwards into a brick wall and knock him out. MK collapses shortly afterwards and doesn’t remember a thing. Sunny recommends that he focus on something safe, something pure in order to control the power. When he asks Sunny to name something pure, he doesn’t have an answer for him.

The head of one of Quinns clippers is sent by Jacobee. The Widow is making moves to stir up the war. Quinn wants to send out Ryder out to setup a parlay with Jacobee to discuss what the Widow is up to. Ryder seems less than eager to ride out and do this, fearing his father is just sending him to is death. However, he agrees to do it. MK goes back to see Veil again about the book though she still can’t make sense of it.

Sunny walks in and is pissed about MK taking the book again and for lying to him about knowing the way out of the badlands. He finds out Veil has been helping MK for weeks now, and she wants to know the truth of what is going on. She reveals to Sunny that he has a tumor. They plot to try and kill the baron with the poison she spoke about, but Sunny isn’t ready to do that for fear of bringing the other barons to their door.

Ryder meets with Jacobee regent to setup the Parlay and it is clear he has his own agenda to strike a deal and go against his father. Sunny meets with Waldo to ask about a way out of the badlands. Waldo figures out why Sunny would even bother with such a suicide mission, he is in love. Waldo gives him a token that will allow him an audience with the River King. In the badlands nobody makes it up river without his help.

Jade rejects Ryder for the sake of them both, knowing what would happen if Quinn ever found out. Now Ryder is fed up with all of them after being rejected by Jade, his mother and his father. Jade goes to a friend and asks about the barons second wife and her death. Turns out Lydia likely had a hand in killing her with a poison made from the flower of the monkshood.

Into The Badlands

Daniel Wu as Sunny – Into the Badlands _ Season 1, Episode 4 – Photo Credit: James Minchin III/AMC

MK is sulking in the pits, especially when Sunny arrives to tell them a parlay is happening and he doesn’t pick MK to go with hem on the scouting trip. Sunny is clearly still pissed off at MK for lying to him. They arrive at a graveyard where the parlay is to happen. Sunny nearly kills MK when he finds him sneaking about after telling him to stay.

Jacobee and Quinn meet up and discuss the recent events with The Widow. Jacobee and the other barons are not happy with him occupying the oil fields. He isn’t sure that their interests are aligned any more. MK while keeping scout, sees Tilda and warns the parlay of an incoming attack. A fight breaks out between both sides as each thinks the other started the attack. MK makes a run after Tilda and catches up with her. After she cuts him, his dark self comes out and begins to attack.

Tilda is no match for MK in this state, and he nearly kills her. However, he stops when she calls out his name. He focuses on her words and eventually is able to control his power and collapses. Sunny walks up them and Tilda runs. Meanwhile Jacobee and Quinn kill each others clippers and are about to go at each other when Sunny arrives and proves to them that The Widow is responsible for the attack.

Jacobee says the only way to get the other barons to back down is to deal with The Widow, since he antagonized her in the first place. Back at the fort, Quinn and the clippers find the guards dead and the COGS gone. The Widow killed all the clippers and paid off the COGS to leave with her under the promise of a better life.

Ryder was blindfolded and finds that he was betrayed by Jacobee’s regent and was face to face with The Widow. She has an offer to make. Both are looking to get rid of Quinn and Jacobee and the Widow offers to get rid of both so Ryder and Zephyr can become barons. Ryder wants to know what she gets out of this, and she reveals she wants MK. If she gets him, she will make them barons.

Sunny meets with the river king and learns the price he must pay in order to get safe passage up the river. It turns out someone killed a large shipment of COGS on him recently and he wants the boys head. If he gets it, he will take Sunny and anyone else he wants out of the badlands. It turns out the boy he is looking for is MK.

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