Sonny's attempt to rescue his family has failed. He's been shipped out of the Badlands and sold as a slave, while they've disappeared. Also vanished is his friend MK, who was dragged off by strange, super-powered monks and is now undergoing training in their secret temple. Sonny must find his way home in the company of the cheerfully amoral Bajie (Nick Frost, basically playing himself but with mad martial arts skills), all the while hoping that the escalating war between the Barons of the Badlands won't kill everyone he cares about before he gets there.
The post-apocalyptic wuxia western antics of Into the Badlands continue in season 2, and despite how much I should love a show that blends those genres, I remain pretty ambivalent about the actual execution here. The show desperately lacks a charismatic lead, for one thing. The most engaging person on screen is easily Nick Frost, and as much as I enjoy seeing him cast as a ninja badass, he's not one of the ostensible leads. Unfortunately, neither Sonny or MK is an interesting enough character for their capable, but not exceptional, actors to make them compelling, and the other good guys generally don't get enough screen time to really make a mark.
I also feel like the show also lacks a strong villain. I mean, it has a whole lot of bad guys, many of whom will temporarily join forces with one or another of the heroes, but none of them are particularly memorable or interesting. I shouldn't want to see your villains defeated because I'm bored of them.
For some people, the wuxia action and cool visual style of this show will more than make up for its limitations. But I'm not one of those people.
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