Into The Badlands finds its footing by losing the fights

Conflict creates drama, but relationships create emotional stakes. Into The Badlands finally earns some of those stakes in “Snake Creeps Down,” its best episode yet. Plot lines, bolstered by strong characterization, solidify and surprise while the fight scenes, no longer needed to fill time, take a backseat. It makes the show more sustainable and interesting. The fights, while viscerally exciting, are now used more appropriately, accentuating the interpersonal struggle between characters. There’s an argument for a bit more superfluous violence, but I like the balance found in the last two episodes.
Sunny’s morals continue to be tested as he is now in debt to three people, Quinn the Baron, Veil his pregnant girlfriend, and M.K., his rebellious colt with mystical powers. That list does not include himself and Sunny’s own ego is what’s missing most in his characterization. After five episodes, Into The Badlands does not reveal exactly what Sunny himself wants. What’s most important to him? Who is most important to him?
While his multiple loyalties are interesting, it often cheapens his decisions since it is unclear if protecting Veil or training Sunny go against his inner core or not. To pull from a far better piece of media, what makes Vader’s turn at the end of Jedi so powerful is that it is obviously a turn, a change of heart. Sunny’s heart is a mystery, a black box, which only plays for so long. That opaqueness has run its course. Because it seems that his devotion lies in Veil (a dream about a powered-up M.K. shoving him off the parapet helps cement that). If that’s the case, then why would Sunny not just grab Veil and sell out Quinn to The Widow? He knows the Butterflies could protect him (not to mention that he seems very capable of protecting himself) and he seems to have less and less reason to care about The Baron. His loyalty to Quinn has never made much sense to me. Perhaps a defection is what’s coming now that Quinn forbids Sunny from seeing Veil and plants a seed of doubt that it was Sunny’s blade who killed Veil’s parents. But Quinn seems too smart to believe this would tear them apart as opposed to just pushing them together.
“Snake Creeps Down” does a great job of sowing doubt throughout, adding a layer of tension over the whole affair. The Widow claims that every time M.K. uses his powers, he’s draining his life force, and that without training, he’ll die. Is this true or just a lie to keep Tilda honest? Who knows, but it ups the stakes every time M.K. decides to hulk out. Meanwhile, Ryder lies to M.K. about giving away the pendant and goes to his grandfather to get the full scoop. The preacher, again possibly lying, tells Ryder that Azra is a fairy tale. Another potential lie festers and takes root.