This interview contains spoilers for seasons 1 & 2 ofInto The Badlands.
Definitely the most cinematic episode of the series so far.
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Yeah, when director Paco Cabezas gets on the cinematography gets really interesting.
He definitely has his own visual style.
This season has been gorgeous looking besides that.Into the Badlands visual aesthetic has crystallized so well this year.
All the colors are popping.
The real reason behind that was because we were really limited by our location in New Orleans.
Its all swamp, swamp, and more swamp.
Its just much more visually rich, and its like a movie more than it is a TV show.
And obviously character development, storylines, and all that were also spiced up as well.
We heard everything about what people said about season one and attacked those weaknesses.
Its gotten stronger for that.
This season has truly been a step in the right direction, I feel.
Do you feel this is now better reflected in the characters themselves?
I told them while they were training to think about themselves as the characters.
Youre The Widow, and that sidekick youre throwing is to Quinn right in the stomach.
Do all those things.
Then they tie in the emotional arc of the character with the way they fight.
Its cool looking and all, but theres no emotional connection.
We tried to change that up this season.
It was about two representations.
One represents that [Sunnys] given into destiny.
So were on two different levels and were fighting each other with that mentality.
The emotions are coming through during the fight scenes now more than ever.
I think it shows when Tilda and The Widow fight too.
That frustration between the characters.
Their relationship has been on the rocks all season, right?
And it culminates in that one big fight where basically its The Widow giving Tilda a serious spanking.
But its also that typical teenager challenging their mom kind of thing on a deeper level.
Speaking of which, I thought Tilda had died at the end of that fight.
In fact, I wrote that she bit the dust in myreview of the episode…whoops.
I think a lot of people thought she died.
Actually, that shot of the chandelier landing on her…I think was a reshoot.
I remember when we shot it, it landed near her.
But I think obviously they changed the intention.
I wasnt there for the reshoot, it was done in January.
It was a cool little thing to leave people hanging with.
Could that give us some hope for Veil, too?
I can definitely say that both Veil and Quinn, after the season finale, are now dead.
Theyre not coming back.
I dont think theres a return [planned] for those characters.
If Quinn survived again, I think we would lose some audience members.
Its like, what the fuck?
He died in the first season, he died last season, and now hes back again?
Ill take your word for that.
What do we have in store for Sunny in season three then?
Those two characters literally helped define him.
So Sunny continuing on his journey with a newborn baby is going to be really difficult.
I think Sunnys back to rock bottom again.
Maybe even a worse situation than being out in the mines.
I mean, shed be stuck with Quinn, but shed still be alive.
I think hes going to be dealing with that guilt next season, too.
Lets talk about the City of Azra for a minute.
The way season two left off, it seems like were closer than ever to gettng some answers.
Im kind of in the same boat.
(Laughs) I know about as much about it as you.
is from for sure, but where maybe The Widow and maybe Bajie have come from as well.
Its going to be a very important thing.
They dont remember it.
So their journey is to remember that.. M.K.
has the clearest memory of all of us of [Azra].
But we dont have a clear picture of it.
Its basically tied into their identity, who they are, and where they come from.
Maybe well figure out how old Bajie really is in the process.
That would be nice.
So originally Quinn dying, Veil dying, all that happened in the pilot episode.
I didnt know that.
We drew it out over the course of two seasons, basically.
I think its much better for that.
The two seasons put together make one insanely long movie if you think about it.
I actually feel like this season is the real season and last season was like the extended pilot.
It was the backstory.
I thought so too.
Do you feel likeInto the Badlandshas found its audience this year?
Its really interesting the kind of audience weve drawn to us.
We didnt realize how much effect it would have globally.
But also locally as well.
Its different types of people that get into this show.
I mean we have the most diverse audience and the most diverse cast.
I can totally see that.
Because theres different archetypes throughout the whole show that people gravitate to.
And, hey, we have a wall.
(Laughs)
Exactly.
So thats really interesting.
Also, for me its interesting because twenty years of my life has been in Asia.
And so my whole fanbase is Chinese.
And now you have American fan base that really only knows me from this show.
Its interesting to see that contrast and how that sort of just opened up.
She turns around and she goes, You look a lot like Sunny.
And I go, Cause I am.
And she freaked out.
Its crazy how much she freaked out.
And normally in the past, coming back to the States was me kind of escaping, becoming anonymous.
I mean, I couldnt become anonymous in Asia.
I cant really walk out in the street.
But I come back to the States and I have a lot of freedom here.
Now Im realizing thats totally starting to shrink away.
Which is fine, I love this show and I love the people.
Pretty soon you wont be able to hide anywhere.
Everyone will know who you are…dun dun dun.
Yknow, I would like [Into the Badlands] to get more mainstream.
So Im wondering when that will flip over.
Which is strange to me, especially with havingThe Walking Deadas a lead-in.
I tell people about it.
Lately Ive noticed that its starting to slowly come into their awareness.
They say, Oh yeah!
Youre talking about that kung-fu show, right?
Knowing its a martial arts show, some people get turned away from it.
Hopefully that helps turn a bunch of other people who arent necessarily martial arts fans onto the show.
I dont thinkThe Walking Deadwas a smash hit right away was it?
Im not a huge fan of that show, to be honest.
But I do know they had the built-in comic book audience from the get go.
Its not all about fighting.
Its not about the brutality of it all.
Thats only one aspect of martial arts.
Stephen Harberis the editor and co-writer ofOccult Generation.
