Into the Badlands finale recap: Hand of Five Poisons

From the very beginning of the first season finale of Into The Badlands, it’s clear that Sunny has a plan. He delivers the head of someone he’s hoping looks like M.K. to the River King in exchange for passage out of the Badlands. What isn’t clear, though, is whether such a shoddy plan will actually work.

The River King, for now, accepts Sunny’s payment and tells him that anchors will be up at midnight whether he’s on the boat or not. That doesn’t leave him with much time to inform Veil of the plan and get M.K. (maybe) on board, too, but it’s the best option he has.

When Sunny goes to tell Veil about the plan, though, she throws a wrench right into it. She straight up asks him if he killed her parents. When he says it was Quinn, like he told her before, she asks if it was his sword and if he could have stopped Quinn. Sunny’s lack of an answer is answer enough. Still, he tells her that he’ll be back to get her. She says that if she’s still there when he gets back, then she’s decided to stay with him.

Meanwhile, if M.K. is part of Sunny’s plan, as well, he may have some obstacles to overcome. Remember last week when I said M.K. was a “Dark One” and it looked like some religious folks might be after him? Well, in this episode the “Brothers” learn about M.K. and his location and go looking for him. What they want from him, though, is still unclear.

Back at the fort, Jade is recovering from her sickness, and Lydia is by her side. It looks like the two are really bonding until Quinn storms into the room and says that Jade was poisoned and that it was Lydia who did the deed. She staunchly denies it, but considering Quinn found poison in her room and the “rumors” that have plagued her ever since Quinn’s previous wife died, she doesn’t have much of a case. Still, considering the slight smile Jade gives her on the way out, it would seem she’s being framed.

Quinn has more than just his poisoned soon-to-be wife and now-exiled ex-wife to worry about, though. Not only does Ryder not have the Azra pendant that Quinn is looking for, but he also has a traitor within his ranks. His assumption is that it must be Sunny, no matter how loyal he’s been over the years, so he has him captured and chained in his dungeon and orders Veil to be brought to him.

Veil is nowhere to be found, though, because the Widow has had her kidnapped. Just like Quinn, the Widow needs Veil for a medical emergency after last week’s run-in with Sunny’s sword. After treating her wound, she sets out three different bottles She says that once she’s home safe, she’ll tell Matilda which bottle is the medicine and which ones are poison. After all this kidnapping, Veil is getting good at watching her back.

NEXT: No one man should have all that power

The episode’s strangest and least interesting subplot involves Lydia being exiled from the fort. Once she’s banished, she seeks refuge at her father’s religious camp. She agrees to give up all material things and to hand herself over to the religion, cementing her status in the group through a cleansing/baptism ritual. Who knows what it all means, but it takes up a surprising amount of time in the episode despite seeming rather insignificant to everything else.

At the fort, Quinn has a proposal for M.K. He’ll let Sunny live and he’ll bring Matilda to the fort in exchange for Sunny’s loyalty as a superpowered Clipper. M.K. doesn’t have to think for long; he agrees, if only to keep his friends alive. Happy with the commitment, Quinn plans to take M.K. to the Doll House to pay for his first sexual experience.

When Ryder hears about Quinn taking M.K. to the Doll House, he informs the Jacoby clan and sets in motion the plan to assassinate him and take control of the fort for himself. He also wants to leave the Widow out of it, as he doesn’t trust her; plus, as far as he knows, she’s on her deathbed.

Just as things are looking dire for Sunny, Waldo finds him shackled up and frees him. It turns out that he’s the traitor after all, that he’s the one who wants to take down Quinn and start all over again. He sets Sunny free and tells him about what’s going down at the Doll House but warns him to stay away and instead get on the River King’s boat as soon as possible.

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As M.K. and Quinn approach the Doll House, both sense what’s coming. Quinn isn’t surprised to see Jacoby come out of the shadows, but he’s certainly surprised to see Ryder there. With his back against the wall, Quinn cuts M.K. and activates his powers.

While M.K. is taking care of the other Barons, Sunny sneaks up on a hiding Quinn. The Baron seems to know what’s coming, that he doesn’t stand a chance to escape. Thus, Sunny drives a sword into his gut, presumably killing him, and then leaves to go find M.K.

He gets to him just as he’s about to kill Ryder. He grabs M.K. and tells him to fight the rage, but it doesn’t work. Then, the Brothers show up, and oh boy, do they know how to do battle with the Dark One. They surround him and land punches as needed, some sort of glow and light coming from their fists. The result: They knock M.K. out with ease.

Still, Sunny isn’t going to let M.K. be taken that easily. He puts up his best fight against the three Brothers, even getting the upper hand for a bit, but he’s just no match for them. They combine their strength and seem to transform just like M.K. does, except they’re in total control of their powers. They take Sunny down, snap his sword, and take off with M.K. stored in the trunk of their car.

Thus, the first season comes to a close. M.K. is locked in a trunk against his will; Matilda is contemplating, at the behest of Veil, whether or not to give her mother the medicine or the poison; Veil assumes Sunny is captured or dead; and Sunny is on the River King’s boat as a prisoner. If the show is destined for a second season, it seems as though everyone is split up, moving away from the forts and perhaps further into the Badlands.