AMC’s most overlooked original gets another chance on the streaming giant platform to display its beauty of Clippers, Cogs, Colts, and Barons in a world without guns but dark ones. The handful of Baron’s control territory and resources, such as oil or opium. Their warriors are referred to as Clippers, Colts, in-training, and chief of staff, a Regent (the elite). The story centers around MK, a Colt, and a dark one searching for his mother. When he is cut it triggers his supernatural gift of martial arts excellence as his eyes go black and he passes out after his wrath from the energy exhausted. A Colt with average skills suddenly is ranked #1 in the Badlands and could tip the balance of power if the right Baron attains his services.
MK is tutored by Sunny, an ironic name given he has the most tattoos, kills, of any solider in the badlands under Quinn, who controls the opium trade and retains the largest Clipper force. Finding MK in a chest coveted by nomads and after the sunglasses hit the motorcycle, he lets the unknown to know what it’s like to face the Regent! The martial arts and techniques in this show are second to none! They really worked hard on 32, 40-minute episodes to give such a quality product that I haven’t seen elsewhere on TV.
The female lead character, the Widow, a strawberry redhead who as the story goes murdered her husband and took over as Baroness demands to be heard. She is insistent on spreading freedom and speaking up for women with her butterfly assassins raging war on Quin’s armadillo red flag opium trade. While searching for the dark one to algin with her ideals in war, against Quin, Chow, and Pilgrim, Sunny’s long-lost brother whose intent on giving the gift through science to the chosen to create Heaven in the Badlands, she pursues her enemies with vigor.
MK continuing to search for his mother and the lost city of Azara, characterized by the medallion he carries, is his only lifeline of a life lost. But the Colt constantly finds himself being traded and captured by Quinn, the Widow, and the Master, a woman who trains all dark ones or needles them into a sustained coma if they can’t control their gift.
The dystopian landscape of the Badlands yields a dream to those who have hope of rising Azara again for a chance at a better life. One that doesn’t involve tattoos in the kill or be killed feudalism. The action is nonstop and the dialogue doesn’t disappoint. Characters have rich back stories that are colorful and even the soundtrack is descent.
Into the Badlands is a masterpiece to those who insist on elements of steel through swords of war, honor, and loyalty in a forgotten world. The pieces are moved around the Chess board and counter attacks launched with tremendous collateral damage all for the power of territory and treasure. But those that have the power are bound by a higher calling to right the wrongs of the past and present for a future of peace. To discover who they are and where they come from through treachery, violence, and oppression they forge on burying personal pain to stop the army of dark ones together.
The first episode will lock you in as your eyes dawn beautiful opium fields as Sunny leaves the fort on his motorcycle to do Quinn’s bidding in a red leather jacket and Samuri sword sheathed but not for long. Smoke on the horizon is seen through his looking glass and determines the location of the soon to be fallen. The trunk opens and Into the Badlands we go, where it’s always Sunny.
