Into the Badlands 207 Black Heart, White Mountain
Black Heart, White Mountain packs a lot of action, surprises and solid character development into its 41-minute timeframe. Sunny’s heart stopping victory throws him into an idyllic dream world, Bajie and M.K. talk about growing up Abbot and Jade feels the heat as the Widow’s war cry throws the Badlands into even more turmoil.
The ticking clock is set in motion early in the episode when Bajie reveals to M.K. that Sunny’s comatose condition is courtesy of one of the Abbot’s deadliest techniques – the hand of the five poisons. Drifting in and out of a dreamscape Sunny meets his son, Henry and gets to spend some quality father time until strange things begin to happen. Things go all Steven King as Sunny’s inner demons haunt him and a mysterious girl, named Artemis continually spies him from afar.
Sunny’s plight brings M.K. and Bajie together in a bid to find a way to heal him. Their master plan leads them back to the Abbots, specifically the Master, who may or may not have the antidote to save Sunny. The M.K./Bajie road trip elicits some bonding time between the two former members of the Abbot monastery and even delves into Bajie’s backstory.
Jade, the newest Baroness on the block quickly discovers that being in power isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. With the Widow declaring war, Jade’s precarious perch on top begins to crumble and her fall from grace is like a slap in the face. Before she’s able to flee the grounds, Jade comes face to face with the Widow and displays some surprising pluckiness trying to defend herself. Jade shows even further strength when she comes face to face with her ex-husband, Quinn. Their tete-a-tete reveals the layers of their complicated relationship and even though they are now on opposite sides it’s evident that they truly understand what makes each other tick.
They say you can’t go home again, and perhaps there’s some merit to the saying. Bajie and M.K.’s attempted heist goes sideways quickly when the Master smacks them through some doors and onto a dining room table. With dinner interrupted, secrets are revealed, grievances aired and some blood spilled before M.K. and Bajie test their skills against the Abbots and the Master.
Black Heart, White Mountain reunites the dynamic duo and now with Bajie in tow introduces a terrific trio. It’ll be fun to see how M.K., Bajie and Sunny interact as they make their way back to the Badlands. It will also be interesting to watch the unholy alliance formed by the Widow and Quinn. There’s no honor among thieves and it’ll no doubt be a matter of time before one of them tries to pull a knife out of their back.
