Into The Badlands “Curse Of The Red Rain”

You know, I know the show was cut off before it could finish its story.  I’ve known that since the beginning.  But here, with only two episodes left after this one, for the first time I realized I want to know more about something.

See, the thing about Into the Badlands is it is the ultimate in “turn your brain off and don’t think about it” popcorn entertainment.  Does anything that happens here make sense?  Sort of.  But most everything here is in the service of setting up cool martial arts fights and not much else.  Normally, I’d see Gaius getting his head handed to him in any fight.  He’d do well, but others would do better.

In this episode, not only does he hold his own and take down some of the Gifted in a huge fight, but he does better than known killing machine Moon whose distinctive sword is chopped in half by some black-eyed jackass.  So, Gaius was doing better than Moon.  That seems…unlikely.

But who cares because that fight was cool.  It’s like wondering why the various armies never seem to run out of Clippers to slaughter.

Likewise, we see Lydia got some scenes, a promise from the Widow to take over when the conquest was done since Lydia demonstrated more strength to do right, and then a second promise from Lydia to Moon that they would be together running everything.  Sure, that’s TV tropes work to say Lydia is doomed, and indeed, she dies before the episode ends after Cressida…

OK, here’s the thing.  Yes, we got to see the Widow set up Pilgrim in an attack and hurt his forces.  We got to see Sunny learn Bajie is right about people and Kannin, despite being Sunny’s sister, isn’t really that helpful since she wants out of the Badlands and Sunny wants to bring Henry back first.

But then there’s Cressida.  Captured by the Widow, we’ve seen the witch do some weird stuff involving hooks and visions, but here she conjures blood rain.  Not a huge thing, certainly, as it seemed more scary than anything else.  And even if she says Lydia isn’t a killer (didn’t Lydia’s killing some bandits end up being the thing her father exiled her for the second time?), something happened then, something new.

Cressida’s eyes…turned red.

Red?

Not black, but red?

That’s something that can happen?

Is that a different set of powers?

Are there other eye colors out there?

Is that why she can see the future?

Tell me more as my interest is piqued!

Oh, wait, only two episodes left?

Sheesh.  Thanks a heap, AMC.