Into The Badlands: Another Guilty Pleasure!

Guilty pleasures we all have them, that thing you just can't seem to do without. Into The Badlands which airs on AMC Sunday nights at 10:00PM would be one such guilty pleasure for me. 

When the series first aired on November 15, 2015 we were introduced to a post-apocalyptic future approximately 500 years after the last great war. In this future a feudal society has risen up were the ruling class known as The Barons have outlawed the use of firearms and have trained their armies of Clippers in the art of hand to hand combat. It is then the clippers responsibility to do their barons bidding and secure their interests by any means necessary. 

The first season of the series introduced viewers to Sunny played by actor and director Daniel Wu. Sunny is Regent to the badlands most powerful baron, Quinn played by Marton Csokas. With his proficient skill in multiple forms of combat Sunny is believed to be the deadliest clipper in the badlands.

Clippers are forbidden to have any romantic attachments, this is to ensure their complete loyalty to their baron. Sunny however is romantically involved in a secret relationship with Veil, a local doctor played by Madeleine Mantock. When their relationship leads to Veil becoming pregnant, Sunny begins formulating a plan for his new family to escape beyond the walls of the badlands.

COGS are the slave workforce of the barons and the responsibility of the clippers. Sunny becomes involved with one such COG, M.K played by Aramis Knight. M.K is a seemingly innocent looking teenager, but is anything but innocent as there is a dark power lurking inside him that is unleashed anytime someone draws his blood. 

Beyond M.K's dark gift, Sunny sees M.K has his ticket out of the badlands.  M.K seems to be aware of a land beyond the reach of the barons, a mystical place known as Azra. While Sunny plans to use M.K as his ticket to freedom, another baron known as The Widow plots to use his dark powers to reshape the badlands in her image.  

Played by Emily Beecham, The widow is the newest baron in the badlands and is intent on taking control by deposing her biggest rival - the baron known as Quinn! To accomplish this she will use the single greatest weapon she has in her arsenal, Quinn's son Ryder who has a special hatred for his father.

Played by Oliver Stark, Ryder is in love with Jade who is played by Sarah Bolger, but when Quinn decides to take Jade as his second wife it is the final push Ryder needs to end his fathers reign and take power for himself.

In the badlands no one is innocent and allies can become adversaries with the snap of a neck or the quick stroke of a swords blade. And although it sounds like a weekday afternoon soap opera it is anything but that.  

This series has done an outstanding job of creating a rich and complicated universe where you find yourself identifying with each characters plight, both the good and the bad, just a little. Combine that with some exceptional martial arts and wire work as well as supporting characters who add even more depth to the series and Into The Badlands is just what you need to get the adrenaline running before the beginning of a new work week. 

So don't feel the least bit guilty for taking pleasure in what has become another hit for the folks over at AMC, if your not all ready doing so then I'd recommend binge watching season one and two of Into The Badlands this week before the season two final next Sunday night.

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