Into the Badlands season 3, episode 8: Leopard Catches Cloud

Last night, Into the Badlands had its midseason finale and it did not disappoint. There was action, love, fulfilled prophecy, but then there were the cliffhangers.

On a show that’s main selling point is the action, you start to wonder if at some point the writers will run out of ideas for interesting fights. The writing and stunt choreography team proved yet again that we have not reached that point yet. In the latest episode of Into the Badlands we saw showdowns that have been building since the start of the season. MK vs Sunny and The Widow vs. Baron Chau. We were also treated to an epic slow-motion scene where Moon takes on what felt like 50 of Chau’s clippers on his own.

For all of the action we witnessed there were soft moments as well. Gaius and The Widow shared a moment as did Lydia and Moon. Sunny and MK finally addressed their grievances, and Pilgrim told Sunny more about where they came from. This episode literally had everything so let’s dive in.

The Master returns

After being absent the entire season, the episode starts with The Master meditating. She suddenly jumps awake and ominously says “it has begun.”

More from AMC

• Why is Fear the Walking Dead no longer streaming on Max?
• Interview with the Vampire season 2 release updates, strike delay, and more
• How many episodes is Carol on The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon?
• Orphan Black: Echoes release updates, trailer, cast and what else to know
• Dark Winds season 3 release updates, cast, and more to know

MK vs. Sunny

At the place where Pilgrim has his people digging, MK is talking to Nix about how to control her gift when Bajie and Sunny arrive. Sunny is actually happy to see MK and wants to introduce him to Henry, unaware that MK wants to kill him.

When MK tells him to give the baby to Bajie it becomes clear he has bad intentions. He charges Sunny and Sunny clearly doesn’t want to fight him but tries to keep him at bay. When MK goes dark Sunny is still holding his own but also not going as hard as he can. He ties MK up and tries to reason with him but leaves himself vulnerable. MK hits him with a powerful blow that knocks him unconscious, then stands over Sunny pounding him in the face. He’s going to kill him but Pilgrim steps in and turns off his gift.

Pilgrim greets a barely conscious Sunny and refers to him as Sunso (not sure on spelling), telling him that it has been a long time.

Watch your favorite shows on fuboTV: Watch over 67 live sports and entertainment channels with a 7-day FREE trial!

The Museum and Azra

After being treated by Cressida Sunny immediately says that he’s more worried about Henry than himself. Pilgrim calls him Sunso again and they are confused why he doesn’t know his name.

Pilgrim tells Sunny that he remembers when they were not much older than Henry. He temporarily heals Henry with his hands and explains to Sunny that they were the chosen sons of Azra. They were meant to bring peace and order to a broken world, until the Black Lotus came. Pilgrim tells Sunny that he and Sunny’s sister were the only reason that he lived.

When Henry becomes sick again, Pilgrim tells Sunny that they have to heal him together. He tells Sunny that they are meant to be Gods and that they can do way more than heal Henry.

The Widow’s plan

She is ready to end the war and learns through Gaius that there are tunnels that they can take to get to his sister without going through her troops. To lure the troops closest to her house away, they decide to have Moon and his men attack from the front lines.

During this talk Gaius says that he would do anything for Minerva (including kill his sister) and they finally kiss.

The Meridian Chamber

Back at Pilgrim’s dig, his mind find the entrance to a chamber. We learn that this place was the birthplace of Azra and when they enter the chamber it appears to be some sort of control room. Pilgrim uses his Azra compass to try to start the machines but it doesn’t fully start. They are missing the catalyst.

Moon and Lydia

Moon is preparing for battle when Lydia comes into his room and tells him she’ll be joining him. He doesn’t want her there but she says she’s preparing for The Widow to potentially die. If she is to take over as baron, her people will need to have seen her on the battlefield. Moon understands but tells her that she has to be prepared to die if she steps out there. She acknowledges this truth before they kiss passionately and the scene ends.

Before they leave, The Widow gives Lydia a crossbow her husband gave her. They have an exchange about what’s to come that ends with The Widow watching Lydia suspiciously. She seems to know that Lydia is plotting on her throne.

Bajie and Cressida

Bajie makes it known that he doesn’t trust Cressida, comparing her to Ankara. He surprises Cressida by being able to read the language of Azra. She explains to him that the chamber is where the gift was first unlocked. When Bajie says that going back there is a horrible idea, she says that it destroyed the old world because they couldn’t control it. She tells him that Pilgrim is going to do that. Bajie is worried that this will just give them an army of dark ones that they’ll be able to control.

Sunny’s choice

The fight behind them, Sunny goes to see MK who finally asks him about killing his mom. Sunny says that he might have because he was a mindless killer back then but that MK doesn’t have to become that. MK tries to leave but Sunny firsts ask him if he can trust Pilgrim. Mk simply says that he can and that everything Pilgrim promises comes true, good and bad.

Bajie tries to tell Sunny that they need to leave because opening that chamber will allow Pilgrim to give or take the gift from whomever they please. Sunny is willing to do this because he wants to save his son. Bajie then finds a bomb but is confronted by Sunny before he can sneak off with it. When Pilgrim arrives he has his men chain Bajie up in the chamber to “bear witness.”

The battle

On the battlefield, it becomes clear to Moon that he’s going to have to enter the fight so he tells Lydia her men are the last line of defense. He charges in, giving us the scene below where he takes out 18 men and women.

An arrow to the shoulder is what knocked him off the horse. After being surrounded, he uses the shooting knives in his hand to take out three of Chau’s clippers and clear a path for him to flee. There are a ton of clippers on his tail however.

Lydia’s men want to rush in to help but Lydia tells them to hold their positions. Moon continues to fight but then he’s caught across the back and drops his sword while falling to his knees. As Chau’s clipper closes in for the death-blow, Moon accepts his fate and closes his eyes. Just then, an arrow goes through the back of the man’s head and we see Lydia on a horse. She scoops Moon up and they ride out as her men and women force Chau’s to retreat.

Lydia helps Moon back to a tent but when they get there she collapses. At some point she was wounded and she begs Moon not to let her die because they have so much left to do.

The Widow’s assault

At Baron Chau’s place Gaius, Minerva and Tilda make their entrance. Tilda fights the first group of guards they run into on her own, Gaius ends up fighting one on one with his sister’s regent, while Minerva faces Baron Chau. Gaius kills his sister’s regent but Baron Chau makes it into a hall where she has shooters surrounding she and The Widow.

She tells The Widow that her brother slept with a different cog every summer and that she’s not special before ordering her men to shoot. She lifts her sword to block what she can and all of the arrows suddenly freeze in place. Then the arrows reverse and go back into the men, with two going into Baron Chau.

The Master then walks in and tells the Widow that it’s time to put aside her war because something more dangerous coming. She tells her she needs her to prepare before placing her hands on her forehead and knocking her out.

At the Meridian Chamber

Sunny and Pilgrim both place their Azra compasses into the machines at the same time. Things start to light up inside the chamber. Sunny then walks over to a large, vertical, slab and touches it, causing it to glow. Pilgrim comes over and says that Sunny awakened it but it is meant for him and he absorbs the energy from the stone. He takes Henry from Sunny and seems to absorb the gift from him as well.

Cressida say aloud that the prophecy has been fulfilled. Sunny thanks Pilgrim for healing his son but then Pilgrim opens his eyes, revealing that he has gone dark and says: “no brother, thank you”.

Next: Sherman Augustus interview: Part 2

Questions

So many things happened in this episode and we won’t be getting answers to the below questions any time soon.

• Did The Master restore The Widow’s gift?
• What will become of Lydia and Moon?
• Was Pilgrim a bad guy all along?
• Is The Master Sunny’s sister?

There was so much given to us this episode that we’re going to have plenty to discuss while we wait for the show to return.

Into the Badlands will go on a break after this episode with eight left in the season.