Into the Badlands 306 – Black Wind Howls
Black Wind Howls delves into Bajie’s background, introduces and new character and focuses on more than a few fractured relationships amongst many of the players on Into the Badlands. The developments yield some surprises and with the aftermath of Baron Chau’s attack on Lydia’s refugee camp still fresh the situation for many involved becomes even more complicated.
Sunny and Bajie head over to one of Bajie’s old haunts to track down Lily, one of his old friends who might be able to help Henry. Considering Bajie’s checkered past it’s no surprise that Lily operates on the shady side of things. That and she’s not exactly fond of seeing her old “pal” again. Well perhaps pal doesn’t quite explain the true nature of their relationship because Lily is actually Bajie’s ex-wife. Lily reluctantly agrees to take Sunny and Bajie to the temple but only after some fast thinking on Bajie’s part.
Odessa and Tilda hit a speed bump in their relationship when they argue over aligning themselves with Lydia. Odessa doesn’t fully trust Lydia and her management of the refugees despite Tilda’s reassurances. Seems like breaking up isn’t that hard to do particularly when you’re on opposite sides of a philosophical divide.
Rocky relationships are the order of the day in Black Wind Howls. Cressida and Pilgrim get into their own verbal spat when word comes down that Castor is in the Widow’s grasp. Pilgrim is none too pleased to find out that Cressida let Castor go out into battle. Cressida’s relationship with the truth is dubious at best and she justifies her decision in the name of Azra. That does nothing to quell Pilgrim’s anger and he makes it clears that acts of disloyalty won’t be tolerated again.
Tilda and Widow come face to face once again and feelings between them are still raw. However desperate times call for desperate measures and Tilda proposes a truce between the two. With Baron Chau as their common enemy, the Widow agrees to Tilda’s offer even though it is evident that their relationship will never again be what it once was.
Speaking of fractured relationships Sunny gets to revisit one of his own. While on Lily’s boat, he begins seeing himself as a boy and realizes that he’s been on the ship as a youth. He’s also reunited with an interesting character from his past.
Black Wind Howls covers a lot of ground, boasts a couple of entertaining fight scenes, including one that makes comic use of raw seafood and even has a twist at the end. The shifting sands continue and as alliances ebb and flow between the cast of characters the narrative refuses to follow a straight line. Other than Baron Chau there’s no clear cut big bad to root against (or for depending on your disposition) but that along with the great fight choreography is part of what continues to make the show so entertaining.
