Martial arts action returns to television this week. Sure, there’s that one superhero and martial arts mashup on Netflix, but there’s also Into the Badlands, which returns to AMC for its second season this Sunday night, and fans let down by the streaming service’s attempt will find plenty to enjoy.
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Into the Badlands is arguably the most underrated show in AMC’s primetime lineup. Into the Badlands, created by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, takes place in a world that is a mix of Wuxia fantasy, feudalism, and the antebellum South. Originally presenting itself as a world of its own, Into the Badlands slowly hints that it is actually our own post-apocalyptic future.
The Badlands is a region controlled and divided up among a handful of powerful barons. Guns were banished from society following the wars, and so the barons train armies of deadly martial artists called clippers. Each army is led by a regent, who reports directly to the baron.
The barons tell their subjects that nothing exists beyond the borders of the Badlands. This story becomes compromised in the first season, when Sunny (Daniel Wu), the regent of Baron Quinn (Marton Csokas), discovers a young boy called M.K. (Aramis Knight) around the same time he finds out his lover, Veil (Madeleine Mantock) becomes pregnant. Sunny puts into motion a plan for them to escape the Badlands and set out for the fabled city of Azra.
Up Next: Exclusive Into The Badlands Season 2 Clip
Like Game of Thrones before it, Into the Badlands is coy about its more fantastic elements. Throughout most of the first season, the only hint at the supernatural the show provides is the dangerous power within M.K. The season finale opens that door wide, and the first three episode of the second season (provided by AMC) already feels great in scale because of it.
Most of the first season of Into the Badlands took place in the territories of the Badlands controlled by Baron Quinn and his rival, the Widow (Emily Beecham). The second seasons spread much farther. The core protagonists are now scattered across the world of Into the Badlands. Sunny is captured and forced into labor in a mine, chained up next a Bajie (Nick Frost) a resourceful type who is used to life outside of the Badlands. M.K. is now in a monastery for people with powers like his, though whether he is a guest or a prisoner is unclear. Veil has given birth to her and Sunny’s son but finds herself in a different kind of captivity.
The pace has picked up to match. One fair criticism of the first season Into the Badlands was that it moved too slowly, dragging in the middle. Through three episodes of season two, the series seems to move much more confidently and features more of the martial arts action set pieces that were the highlight of the first season.
Into the Badlands features a strong Asian lead and a story set in a world that blends eastern and western influences. It is packed with plenty of martial arts action and enough to surprising moments to keep audiences guessing, including one where Nick Frost is literally weaponized.
Don’t let the competition get your down. Into the Badlands is the show to feed your need for martial arts action. Into the Badlands Season 2 premieres Sunday, March 19 at 10 p.m. ET on AMC. If you need to catch up, the complete first season of Into the Badlands is available to stream on Netflix.
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