Jim’s Review

The second episode of Into the Badlands came out a bit smoother. With a lot of the world-building out of the way in the debut, this week we got a little better impression of the characters themselves. Sunny’s disillusionment was amped up. Quinn got some news that put a definite twist on his story arc also, even if they did push his character dangerously close to the level of cartoonishly evil.

One of the intriguing elements of the show so far is that there isn’t yet a clear side to pull for. None of the Barons are obviously on the side of right, and I think keeping that as the status quo is a good way to let the characters make their mark on an individual level, rather than being swept up in a large-scale conflict.

We got a little more about MK’s pendent, and the symbol on it. There’s clearly something to that, but they’re not giving much away yet. The combat scenes continue to impress, but Sunny’s showdown with the Widow’s hired goons may have been a little too large for its own good. If the show gets into the habit of needing to outdo itself every week, that could become a drain.

We got another character questioning their loyalty this week, and with a character who hasn’t had much screen time yet, that falls a bit flat. In the sort of world they’ve created, people doing good for the sake of doing good is not an easy sell.

It’s only two episodes in, and the show is showing a few cracks in the proverbial paint, but it’s still genuinely entertaining, and unlike anything else I’m seeing on TV these days. If you haven’t checked this show out yet, you may be missing something.