Into the Badlands 311 – The Boar and the Butterfly
With all of the shifting allegiances over the past few seasons, the opening moments of The Boar and the Butterfly is a little tough to take for long time fans of the series. The Sunny/M.K. relationship powered the first season of Into the Badlands and seeing them on opposite sides makes their former friendship seem like it’s in the distance past.
Sunny has bounced from partner to partner since parting ways with M.K. Next in line was Bajie and now he’s found aid in the form of Nix. After souring on Pilgrim’s master plan, Nix is now helping a hobbled Sunny make his way to the witch Ankara. As strange as it seems, Sunny and Nix have a lot in common and are both trying to come to terms with forging their own path on their own terms.
Speaking of paths, the Widow is on a new one herself. Fresh off her mind-altering vision, the Widow questions the Master’s motives and whether her former teacher is out to manipulate her. Betrayal is at the heart of most of the Widow’s relationships and falling prey to another failed alliance is the last thing she’s looking for.
Reunions abound in The Boar and the Butterfly. From Sunny and M.K.’s short lived meeting at the top of the episode to Bajie’s return home, much to the Widow’s chagrin, we’re treated to several of the players coming face to face with people who meant a lot to them in past lives. The reunion that was least expected though belongs to Giaus and his long-lost mother. At some point the Chau family could have used a healthy dose of group counselling to work out some of their issues, but as they say better late than never.
The Black Lotus finally get some play and with Ankara revealing their true purpose this season’s many plot threads appear to be woven into a single piece. As Pilgim gathers his forces for the coming war, those that wield the gift are sure to find themselves as targets for the Black Lotus. The enemy of my enemy is my friend may soon be the over arching theme of what’s left of Into the Badlands.
However, before that can happen we’ve still got to get through a few turf battles, the war between the barons and Pilgrim’s quest to begin Azra 2.0. Part of his plan involves taking the fight to the Master’s front door at the Monastery but that will have to wait until next week.
