Into the Badlands Review: Raven’s Feather, Phoenix Blood (Season 3 Episode 10)
The mind mirrors back on reality on Into the Badlands Season 3 Episode 10, “Raven’s Feather, Phoenix Blood.”
Reflection is a large theme on the episode, as Minerva’s time in a dream state reflects back on the very world she intends to tame.
The idea of Minerva being her own worst enemy is something we, as the audience, know all too well. It’s been told to her by Tilda and Waldo in the past, and her cruelty over past seasons has always come back to haunt her.
For the dream state to finally provide that clarity to her, though, is something new and desperately needed. She burns every bridge, including those with Ally Ioannides’ Tilda, Lewis Tan’s Gaius, and Nick Frost’s Bajie, tearing down past friends when she is the enemy all along.
On the nose, definitely, but it’s done in Into the Badlands fashion. The episode wakes Minerva from her own lust for power, and does so in order to release her from that quest, as the Master intended.
Everyone in the show is on their final path now, to be on Pilgrim’s side or on the side of the Badlands. This episode is a smart way to tell Minerva which side she is on.
For a dream state episode to come with only a few episodes left, it may come as a little disappointing for some to tread into a fantasy type realm for character progression when the real world story is so pressing. But Emily Beecham is great in the episode, and spending an episode with her character is more than worthwhile.
It also provides the ultimate fan dream-come-true: the Widow versus the Widow. The fight is remarkable, beautifully directed by Wayne Yip, whose previous episode, Into the Badlands Season 3 Episode 9, “Chamber of the Scorpion,” is just as gorgeously shot.
There’s a particular shot, of the Raven version of Minerva gliding from the balcony, and the dream state Minerva jumping down after her, which is astoundingly perfect in its use of slow motion, following both down the handrail.
For the rest of the characters, Nix’s doubt is a return to the apprentice doubting the master, a trait mirrored throughout the series. The show always earns the doubt, and so it never feels like well-trodden ground and here, Nix holds extreme reason to be doubtful of Pilgrim after Castor’s murder.
Sunny’s Home Alone-style dart and paint can moment is fun yet short-lived. But it does continue one of my favorite trends of the show, happening nearly every episode: a ridiculous death, this time from a mannequin arm.
One of the more disappointing aspects is turning M.K. into Pilgrim’s henchman. His rage-driven search for Sunny does not leave him a lot to do in the episode outside of being suspicious of Nix and being angry while searching, and so he is not well-utilized currently.
Regardless, Into the Badlands Season 3 Episode 10, “Raven’s Feather, Phoenix Blood,” continues its raising of the stakes with massive strides in character progression for Minerva and a showcase episode for Emily Beecham. It’s her episode, and it’s all the better for it.
What did you think of this episode of Into the Badlands? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Into the Badlands airs Mondays at 10/9c on AMC.
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Kevin Lever
Kevin Lever has been following television closely for most of his life, but in starting to cover it, he has grown a further appreciation. He strives to give the blockbusters their due, and give the lesser known shows a spotlight to find more fans.