With all of the tragic deaths that have occurred in Into the Badlands’ third season, it may be difficult to imagine the series ending on a positive note - but a scene in Monday’s episode indicates that a happy ending is possible.
Only one episode remains in Into the Badlands’ final season. The series finale, titled “Seven Strike as One,” will see Sunny (Daniel Wu), the Widow (Emily Beecham), and the others fight it out with Pilgrim (Babou Ceesay) and Cressida (Lorraine Toussaint) for the fate of the Badlands. In the last battle, Pilgrim devastated the Widow’s forces, causing many to lose hope that Pilgrim can still be stopped. The Widow was close to giving up, but due to the death of Magnus (Francis Magee), they’ll have the Black Lotus by their side for the final confrontation.
In the latest episode, “Requiem for the Fallen,” Sunny and Bajie arrive at the ruins of the Widow’s base and walk through a camp filled with survivors and refugees. Among the people there are Totemists, Butterflies, and Clippers - three groups that don’t usually coexist. Bajie marvels at the diversity and says, “to think that it took a psychopath like Pilgrim to bring the Badlands together.”
Throughout the series, the primary obstacle to having peace in the Badlands is the people that live there. Since the show began, the Badlands have been ruled by seven barons fighting for power and control. However, the political landscape of the Badlands has changed dramatically. Most of the barons were killed in season 2, and Baron Chau was killed by the Widow just a few episodes ago. This made the Widow the last surviving baron. After the battle with Pilgrim, the Widow told Tilda (Ally Ioannides) in Monday’s episode that there are no barons anymore, which shows just how much of an impact Pilgrim has had on the state of the Badlands.
Pilgrim has thrust the Badlands into chaos, but there may be a silver lining. As Bajie points out, Pilgrim has brought everyone together for a common cause. This sense of unity is unprecedented in the Badlands, but it doesn’t have to end with Pilgrim. Working together to survive may be enough to make the people of Badlands put aside their differences permanently.
Once Pilgrim is defeated, rebuilding will be the next step. Since the political hierarchy of the Badlands has been turned upside down, a new system may be put into place, as opposed to restoring the old one. Instead of the Badlands being divided into seven territories, it could exist as one nation. So despite all the death and destruction Pilgrim has brought to the Badlands, the series finale can allow the Badlands to have a better future than the one it had when the series began.
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