US: Into the Badlands

FutileBreadMachine · 17 Dec 2015 at 14:04

I watch thist just for the action, but it has a lot of problems:

Why is the baron the only one with a Southern accent when he grew up on the same poppy farm as the rest of them?
Why is there no technology from modern times like DVDs/CDs, but they have record players?
Why are the fighters superhuman (fast, can jump high/off walls, Widow got thrown through a wall and survived)?
The main kid is a bad actor.
The baron's son is a bad actor.
Too many unnecessary love triangles (the baron and 2 wives, then the baron and his son and the young wife).
The ninja girl looks like a boy (strong eyebrows)
Somehow the Widow always has perfect hair and makeup, even when they escaped to that dilapidated house. They would all stink and be filthy.
The Widow wears heels all the time, even when fighting.
Sunny has a long fight with her, then when it's time to kill her, he just walks toward her really slowly, then inexplicably just lets her escape.
The world-building is poor. Who makes all their stuff? Where are the factories? All I can think of is I think the Widow owned oilfields, the Southern Baron grows poppies (for opium?)

I know it's the kind of show where you are supposed to switch your brain off, but it continues to annoy with its overall poor quality.

FrenchTart · 17 Dec 2015 at 19:50

^ I can't believe you posted half of that immediately before posting that you know it's a show where you're meant to switch your brain off. It's a show all about stylistic wire-fighting with a fairly vaguely defined world and plot. Everything in it is just a vehicle to have attractive women and men in awesome outfits fighting each other in improbable ways.

FutileBreadMachine · 18 Dec 2015 at 14:36

FrenchTart said:
^ I can't believe you posted half of that immediately before posting that you know it's a show where you're meant to switch your brain off. It's a show all about stylistic wire-fighting with a fairly vaguely defined world and plot. Everything in it is just a vehicle to have attractive women and men in awesome outfits fighting each other in improbable ways.

I just think it's possible to have an action oriented series without having these problems. I enjoyed Banshee and Spartacus which are both action series which were written well enough for me to overlook most of the contrivances.

FrenchTart · 18 Dec 2015 at 17:40

It's definitely possible to have what you're saying, yeah...but I don't think this was ever aiming to be anything like those series.

R3X · 18 Dec 2015 at 20:43

Yup awesome wire-fu show, it could have I guess shown a bit of respect with less of it or more realistic at least but if it got the same impact dunno.

I like the show so far, and glad its short and sweet.

NexusK · 21 Dec 2015 at 14:24

Well that episode certainly opened up the possibilities for season 2. Throw in some Widow scenes and i'd have happily watched 45mins of that fight with the monks.

ThePainBarrier · 21 Dec 2015 at 20:10

Enjoyed that, certainly left you wanting more.
Hopefully a few more episodes next season (if there is one).

Anyone know what the back story is as to why the World is like it is - no technology except old cars and motorbikes? I'm sure they never actually covered the reason in the show!

Mynight · 21 Dec 2015 at 23:27

The wars were so long ago nobody even remembers. Darkness and fear ruled until the time of the barons, seven men and women who forged order out of chaos. People flocked to them for protection. That protection became servitude. They banished guns and trained armies of lethal fighters they called Clippers. This world is built on blood. Nobody is innocent here. Welcome to the Badlands.

Mk from episode 1 intro iirc.

Good episode. I thought the monks would have been Sent to kill the dark one not that they're also dark ones :eek:

.

Rroff · 21 Dec 2015 at 23:35

R3X said:
Yup awesome wire-fu show, it could have I guess shown a bit of respect with less of it or more realistic at least but if it got the same impact dunno.

I like the show so far, and glad its short and sweet.

Yeah I don't think it would have the same impact.

I like it because you know it isn't realistic but it "could" be realistic kind of sits in a fun zone where things are a bit over the top but not over done.

TNA · 22 Dec 2015 at 07:24

Yeah, I love the wire-fu. I enjoyed the season finale.

I really hope it gets a longer season next year.

FrenchTart · 23 Dec 2015 at 14:01

Bit of an odd finale I thought. Almost like they didn't expect to get a second season and then suddenly had to shoe-horn in a few things.

I also think they're going to struggle without the main baron character around any more. He was definitely the strongest actor/character out of the lot.

Breeze · 23 Dec 2015 at 14:20

FrenchTart said:
Bit of an odd finale I thought. Almost like they didn't expect to get a second season and then suddenly had to shoe-horn in a few things.

I also think they're going to struggle without the main baron character around any more. He was definitely the strongest actor/character out of the lot.

Agree with that. I didn't particularly like the finale.

The Baron standing there waiting to be stabbed. Come on it's not as if he wasn't a pretty good fighter himself.

FrenchTart · 24 Dec 2015 at 19:37

Yeah - that was a bit of a :rolleyes:

moment, even given his illness and treatment.

Stovepipes · 24 Dec 2015 at 20:03

I'll have to give this another go but I thought the pilot was a bit crap.

FutileBreadMachine · 25 Dec 2015 at 21:03

Sunny's behaviour at the end made no sense. Those guys came to arrest him, and instead of fighting them while he has a chance, he lets them chain him up, and then he threatens to "clip" the baron. He knew the baron would have him killed, and he even threatened his girlfriend as they took him away, so he wouldn't even fight to save her?! He could have just killed the baron right there and taken over, I doubt any of those guys would want to throw away their lives after the baron was killed (knowing Sunny as well as they do).

MissChief · 28 Dec 2015 at 02:21

I can only assume that the kid was

one of the 'chosen ones' or something, much like the Monks, although I'm disappointed Sunny didn't realise the Monks were like MK but in control, or that he might have actually been one of them with the right training, which is why he made a great Clipper. Looking forward to season two, just with some more episodes.

Also, with the poisoning scene, didn't the blonde feed the baron some of the soup before keeling over?

Rroff · 28 Dec 2015 at 02:25

Stovepipes said:
I'll have to give this another go but I thought the pilot was a bit crap.

If you didn't like the pilot it probably isn't for you - the rest of the series is of about the same quality.

ShakenNstirred · 29 Dec 2015 at 14:19

Hopefully this will mean it gets a 2nd season
http://comicbook.com/2015/12/28/into-the-badlands-averages-5-3-million-viewers-in-first-season/

NexusK · 9 Mar 2016 at 09:14

They've confirmed it's getting a second season now, 10 episodes this time.

ShakenNstirred · 9 Mar 2016 at 18:57

yeah, sadly not until 2017