Following the phenomenal success of AMC’sThe Walking Dead,Into the Badlandsbrought audiences into another post-apocalyptic world, with a different set of rules.Into the Badlandsis set 500 years into the future, in which seven barons control the Badlands.AMC cancelingInto The Badlandsafter season 3 was not a surprise,as enthusiasm seemed to drop, but, it was disappointing, as a huge plot development in theInto the Badlandsseason 3 finalecould have changed everything.
“As soon as you find one [gun], then that means there are a lot more, and then you get into ‘well, what happened to all the weapons?”
ThroughoutInto The Badlands, characters use a variety of different swords, butterfly-shaped throwing stars (The Widow’s iconic weapons), and Nathaniel’s dart-firing, blade-carrying prosthetic hand, but,guns are never seen until the end ofInto The Badlands. In the very last scene, Pilgrim follower Eli discovers “the Evil” that the Master spoke of: a revolver buried under the rubble of the Meridian Chamber. Eli fires it, and this moment would have set up a completely different worldifInto The Badlandsseason 4 had been made. Guns would change the way the characters fought, and also place gun owners against the law.
Guns Were Banned Centuries Ago In Into The Badlands
The Martial Arts Fight Scenes Set Into The Badlands Apart As A Series
TheInto The Badlandspilot episode explains that guns have been outlawed, which means that a character in possession of a gun (and the technology to make more, or at least, bullets) is likely to either be pitted against the Barons or forced to ally with them, as guns almost certainly mean power. It is never made clear until, potentially, the last scene, if characters even know how to make or shoot a gun, but the seriesimplied thatgun knowledge had been lost over time, allowingInto The Badlandsto develop its greatest strength.
Into The Badlands’ Final Battle Is The Best Martial Arts Fight Ever On TV
Into the Badlands saves the best for last with its series finale, which features the most beautifully choreographed martial arts sequence ever on TV.
Martial arts and the apocalypse is a genre fusion that has rarely been explored, especially without guns, andInto The Badlandshas been immensely creative with its fight scenes,often including classic martial arts shots, like filming from above and close-up focus on the fighters' facial expressions. Thoughthe series does have a superpower element in the form of The Gift, some ofthe best fight scenes inInto The Badlandshave relied on weapons handling and making use of scenery, like the River King fight, which takes place on a boat and uses fishhooks and barrels.
Who Was Responsible For Outlawing Guns?
Showrunner Al Gough Addressed An Into The Badlands Gun Storyline
Showrunners confirmed thatwars caused the apocalypse inInto The Badlands,so the original seven Barons created a Foundation Treaty, containing rules for them all to follow. The first 15 minutes of the series state that guns were outlawed, but althoughInto The Badlandsdoes not explain who is responsible for this gun ban, the first Barons are good candidates. This treaty could have outlawed guns and mandated melting down the remaining ones, or repurposing them into other explosives. The episode Nightingale Sings No More shows that the world ofInto The Badlandscontains bombs, so this is possible.
Into The Badlandswas nominated for a Saturn Award in 2018, for Best Action-Thriller Television Series.
Showrunner Al Gough toldThe Wrapthat he felt that introducing guns back toInto The Badlandswould end the show, but addressed the idea of a gun-focused plot, saying “As soon as you find one [gun], then that means there are a lot more, and then you get into ‘well, what happened to all the weapons?” When Eli found the revolver,Into The Badlandsmight have been preparing to tell audiences where the weapons are, but, as the series was canceled after season 3 aired, that question might never be answered.
Into the Badlands
Cast
Into the Badlands follows Sunny (Daniel Wu) and M.K. (Aramis Knight), who traverse a post-apocalyptic world set 500 years in the future. Premiering in 2015, Into the Badlands was created by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar and aired on AMC until 2019 when its third season came to a close.
