Into the Badlands 308 – Leopard Catches Cloud
Reunions are the order of the night on the season finale of Into the Badlands. Leopard Catches Cloud brings Season 3 to a close and delivers more mystery even as some questions are answered. It doesn’t take long for sparks to fly courtesy of a pulse-pounding clash between M.K. and Sunny. The long awaited reunion is a brutal and bloody affair that almost takes a grim turn if not for Pilgrim’s intervention. The real head scratcher isn’t the beat down that M.K. laid on his former friend but the revelation that Pilgrim and Sunny share a history as well.
It turns out that Pilgrim and Sunny are two of Azra’s sacred sons and the interference of the Black Lotus many years in the past thrust them from their chosen paths. Pilgrim spins tales of his debt to Sunny, of Sunny’s older sister and he also drops some hints on Sunny’s destiny that may also lead to the path for Henry’s cure. The only wrinkle is that Sunny has no recollection of what Pilgrim is talking and these new revelations also leave Bajie a tad suspicious.
The Widow/Gaius relationship takes a step forward when the pair discuss attacking Baron Chau. The Widow probes Gaius to determine his loyalty to her and mentions that they can team up with Tilda to strike out against their common enemy. The hints that have been sprinkled over the last few episodes come to fruition with the Widow and Gaius finally expressing long repressed feelings for each other.
Pulled heartstrings aren’t reserved for the Widow and Gaius alone however as Lydia and Moon reach back into the past a little. On the eve of their battle with Baron Chau, Lydia councils Moon on the dangers of not having a contingency plan. It seems that Lydia hasn’t lost all of her survival skills after spending so much time at Quinn’s side. Ever the chess player, Lydia is several moves ahead of everyone and is prepared for every eventuality.
Secrets surrounding the fall of the old world, a machine that can bestow the gift or take it away and an all out battle between the Widow and Baron Chau’s forces all come to a head in the final third of Leopard Catches Cloud. It’s strange to see Bajie as the voice of reason, given his shady past but his recriminations are in stark contrast to everyone who sees Pilgrim as the answer to what plagues the new world. Moon also gets some great screen time in an epic sequence on the battlefield.
Leopard Catches Cloud is and epic finale with one final reunion, a cliffhanger and a couple of twists that beg to be answered next season. This season of Into the Badlands, while entertaining has really been a setup for what’s to come and if the finale is any indication Season 4 could be the series’ best yet.
