If there is anything Into the Badlands season one proved, is that the brains behind this post-apocalyptic, martial arts drama knows what they want the show to be and they do it really well. Granted, the acting is, at times, stiff and the plotting can often times feel dull, but ultimately viewers get a consistent dose of what they expect - fun, brutal, and unforgiving kung fu action.
'Tiger Pushes Mountain' kicks off Into the Badlands season 2 with more of what we were treated to last season, though with much bigger stakes and scale.
With all the characters separated, the show no longer feels centred around Sunny and the surrounding Quinn family drama, it feels like more of an ensemble. Sunny is now a slave in a mining prison; MK is learning how to harness his powers in a monastery; Ryder is occupied with the everyday ruling of his new kingdom; and the Widow and her butterflies are traversing the lands taking back what is theirs.
New characters add some important layers to the show. Casting Nick Frost was genius as his character, Bajie, adds some humour to the proceedings, an aspect that was sorely missing in season 1. Stephen Walters as the slave master, 'The Engineer' also adds some humour, albeit hammier type of camp. With only one scene in this first episode, there is still much to be explored with Chipo Chung as The Master and the role she'll play in the show, though if there is one positive to be had so far, it's that she is not your generic, martial arts master - a trap the showrunners could easily have fallen under.
Some of the concerns of last season still exist in this show. Artemis Knight's acting can be very stiff making M.K more of a nuisance than the likeable protagonist he is supposed to be. Also, one could not care less about Ryder and Jade - they just haven't been compelling enough characters.
Balancing things out in the ensemble is the very awesome and sexy Widow who, along with Tilda and her butterflies, make for some very fun anti-heroes as we watch them make their moves to take back what is theirs.
The fight scenes were, as expected, impressive. Sunny's scuffle with his captors to begin the episode showed off some very creative choreography as the chained up clipper used his environment to gain the upper hand. On the other hand, the Widow's offence against the Clippers, was graceful, unapologetic, and gloriously excessive with regards to its violence.
The season 2 premiere was not perfect, but it gave us enough fun and creative martial arts goodness to keep the show engaging enough to tune in for another go around.
7.5/10
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