I watched season one of "Into The Badlands" towards then end of 2020. I thought it was a bit silly, but didn't outstay it's welcome at only 6 episodes. I was concerned that an increase to ten episodes for the second season wasn't a wise choice and though I didn't find the series too be bad, it's already reusing plot points to fill it's extended running time.
Cast out of the Badlands, Sunny (Daniel Wu) is sold into slavery, where he meets Bajie (Nick Frost). Though initially antagonistic, the pair become friends when they discover they have a common goal, to re-enter the Badlands. M. K (Aramis Knight) has fallen in with a society of people who have the same power that he does, they begin to experiment with controlling it. The Widow (Emily Beecham) continues to crusade against the other Baron's but makes a controversial alliance.
There are positives, plenty of them. Nick Frost is a fun addition to the cast and his characters friendship with Sunny and MK is fun - though there's always the undercurrent that he has his own agenda and can't fully be trusted. Daniel Wu is still a compelling lead - the fight choreography and wirework is still excellent and the gore and splatter appealing. Marin Csokas returns as Quinn, not as dead as previously thought and still chewing every inch of scenery he can get near.
But the plot gets very circular, very quickly. Alliances are formed and then broken, occasionally in the same episode. Lots of the characters motivations are unclear, certain plot points are abandoned and that general sense of campy nonsense never goes away. It does not bode well for the third and final season that has even more episodes at 16. - But I'm engaged enough with the show that I'm going to watch those too. We'll see how I get on.
Cast out of the Badlands, Sunny (Daniel Wu) is sold into slavery, where he meets Bajie (Nick Frost). Though initially antagonistic, the pair become friends when they discover they have a common goal, to re-enter the Badlands. M. K (Aramis Knight) has fallen in with a society of people who have the same power that he does, they begin to experiment with controlling it. The Widow (Emily Beecham) continues to crusade against the other Baron's but makes a controversial alliance.
There are positives, plenty of them. Nick Frost is a fun addition to the cast and his characters friendship with Sunny and MK is fun - though there's always the undercurrent that he has his own agenda and can't fully be trusted. Daniel Wu is still a compelling lead - the fight choreography and wirework is still excellent and the gore and splatter appealing. Marin Csokas returns as Quinn, not as dead as previously thought and still chewing every inch of scenery he can get near.
But the plot gets very circular, very quickly. Alliances are formed and then broken, occasionally in the same episode. Lots of the characters motivations are unclear, certain plot points are abandoned and that general sense of campy nonsense never goes away. It does not bode well for the third and final season that has even more episodes at 16. - But I'm engaged enough with the show that I'm going to watch those too. We'll see how I get on.