Black Wind Howls

"**Black Wind Howls**" is the sixth episode of the third season of *Into the Badlands*. It aired on June 3, 2018.

## Synopsis

Sunny and Bajie call in a favor from Bajie’s past; The Widow interrogates an important captive who threatens her tentative peace with Pilgrim.

## Plot

Sunny, Bajie and Henry journey to a seaside town named Black Wind. They walk through a seedy market looking for a smuggler friend of Bajie's.

Sunny and Bajie enter a saloon where people are drinking, fighting and gambling. At the center of the action is a game of roulette, in which the loser gets stabbed through the hand. A woman cheats during the game and is confronted by her opponent. Bajie immediately steps in to defend her, which escalates into a full-blown fight against the saloon thugs. Sunny initially refuses to participate, but eventually helps during the fight. The woman is revealed to be Lily, who knows Bajie but isn't happy to see him.

Lily, Sunny and Bajie escape the saloon and fight their way through a bazaar, picking up makeshift weapons as they go from the fish market. When Bajie is cornered, Lily sticks a harpoon through his assailant's chest. Sunny, Bajie and Lily run for the docks.

The three escape onto Lily's tugboat, parked outside. Lily yells at Bajie for the debacle and predicts she won't be welcome back into the town. When Sunny asks how they know each other, Bajie reveals Lily is his ex-wife.

At Lydia's mansion, Tilda recovers after the attack on the refugee camp. Odessa scolds Lydia for abandoning the refugees, but Lydia stresses the importance of working within the system to improve it instead of playing the role of outlaws. "We work together or we die," Lydia says. After Lydia exits, Odessa insists she's done fighting. Tilda won't turn her back on the refugees, leaving Odessa to wonder if it means she'll be abandoned by Tilda.

On her boat, Lily drills Bajie about why he's come to see her. Sunny asks for help finding Pilgrim's fortress and shows her Ankara's drawing. Lily demands cash for her assistance and mentions owing a debt to a very "uncompromising lender." Bajie retrieves the coin purse Lily dropped earlier during the fight - and pays her with her own money. He insists she would have lost it if they didn't save her.

At Pilgrim's fortress, Pilgrim addresses the recently abducted refugees and Totemists as they stand on the excavation site. He gives them the opportunity to leave, but promises a new world if they stay. His acolytes kneel before him and chant "Azra!" in unison. The new recruits take in Pilgrim's words and begin digging. Pilgrim tells Otto that Chau's debt has been paid. Otto mentions Castor's capture and offers his condolences, which comes as a shock to Pilgrim.

Pilgrim finds Cressida and scolds her for sending Castor to fight. Cressida reminds him that their duty is to Azra and thinks Pilgrim's love for Castor has clouded his judgement. Pilgrim warns Cressida that she will suffer if she deceives him again.

Tilda returns to the refugee camp where bloody bodies are strewn everywhere. She assures Vitania that help is coming from Lydia, but Vitania is doubtful. Vitania says they need protection, not empty promises.

As Sunny and Bajie continue sailing into the night, they share a moment and discuss Bajie's married life. Sunny wonders if Lily can be trusted. Bajie remains confident that Lily is a good person despite her rough exterior. Sunny looks over the deck and has a flashback of being a young boy on the same boat. Bajie guesses Ankara uncovered something in Sunny that's allowing him to access memories.

Sunny finds Lily and mentions the River King. He fears getting caught along one of his trade routes. Lily explains that she has an "arrangement" set up with him. When Sunny mentions her marriage to Bajie, Lily opens up about how they met on a pirate barge and started running scams together in hopes of one day buying a boat and escaping the Badlands. Lily tears up as she recalls how Bajie stole all of their savings to pursue Azra on a whim, leaving her only a note. She warns that Sunny is "bound for ruin" while with Bajie.

Tilda arrives at the Sanctuary to offer a truce with the Widow. She agrees to help take down Chau, but makes it clear she's no longer the Widow's Regent or her daughter. The Widow accepts.

Castor wakes up in restraints at the Sanctuary. Acupuncture needles are buried in his pressure points to prevent him from using his power. The Widow tells Castor he's dying. She can't save him, but offers to ease his suffering if he cooperates. She asks how Pilgrim controls the Gift. Castor explains how Pilgrim was chosen by Azra as a young boy and warns of his great power. The Widow teases about Pilgrim losing one of his "precious attack dogs," but Castor mentions Pilgrim's already found another, alluding to M.K. Castor falls unconscious. The Widow plans to use Castor's loyalty as a tool and instructs Nathaniel Moon to have Castor prepared for travel.

Bajie thanks Lily for helping Sunny and Henry, despite their personal history, and tells her he's missed her.

Lily and Bajie drink and reminisce. Bajie spots a vintage zippo that Lily kept from their time together, which she calls a "souvenir of the man who stole my money and my heart." Bajie leans in to kiss her and Lily tells him off for his audacity. She throws the lighter at him and dismisses him.

Sunny tries to sleep and sees himself as a young boy on the boat. Young Sunny beckons him to follow. Sunny follows his younger self and stops when he sees a lotus flower etched onto a wall. Sunny remembers carving it with the Azra compass. In a flashback, a cloaked figure puts a hand over young Sunny's mouth as the Cogs on the boat start to scream.

In the present, the Widow, Tilda and Moon meet with Pilgrim, Cressida, Nix and M.K. The Widow warns Tilda not to "do anything foolish" to save M.K. as he's there by choice. The Widow gives over Castor as a kind gesture and as a reminder that she's not the enemy. Pilgrim thanks her. Cressida "senses" that the Widow once possessed the Gift and asks if she wants it back. The Widow leaves without answering. As they walk away, Moon warns that Castor was their only leverage, but The Widow insists she bought them time to finish Chau and take over her army.

Sunny notices a searchlight outside the boat and grabs an axe. He hears a commotion outside and heads to the deck. He finds a mercenary holding a blade against Bajie's neck. Several armed mercenaries surround them. The River King enters. Sunny accuses the River King of costing him his family and points his axe at him. Lily points a knife at Sunny's back and admits she sold Sunny and Bajie out.

Sunny lowers his axe, but springs into battle against the mercenaries. The River King and Lily run off while Sunny and Bajie take on the gang of mercenaries. Sunny gets sliced during the fight but manages to hold his own and brutally takes down the rest of the refugees. Bajie catches up to Lily and confronts her for her betrayal. Lily insists he would have done the same to her and puts a knife to his throat. Bajie offers a heartfelt apology for his past transgressions. The River King appears again and Sunny line-drives him in the head with a gaff hook handle. He drags the hook across the River King's face but stops once the River King says he can get Sunny to Pilgrim. Sunny tells Lily and Bajie to get some rope.

At the fortress, Nix tends to a dying Castor, who questions Pilgrim's cause. M.K. walks in and Castor grabs a sword, insisting M.K. doesn't belong with them. Castor and M.K. trade blows before Nix breaks up the fight. Castor says the Widow told him what M.K. really is. Pilgrim appears and orders Nix and M.K. out so Castor can rest. Castor watches as they walk out, hand in hand. Castor apologizes to Pilgrim for acting out. Pilgrim embraces Castor in a hug and likens him to a warrior. He thanks him for his service, and then snaps his neck. Castor falls, lifeless, into Pilgrim's arms.

## References

1. ↑ [1]
2. ↑ AMC - Black Wind Howls