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While I got a bit side-tracked by this whole move thing, I still have a few weeks left in the summer. I definitely wanted to report out on the things that have helped me survive the hiatus while I await the premieres of Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, and The Walking Dead. So here starts a brief series of reviews on the Netflix original series, Marco Polo, Season Two, one of the things that I am watching on my summer vacation.
A solid start, if not perfect. But then, it would have been very tough to put together something that exceeded the heroism and epic-ness of the previous season’s finale. Probably smart not to even try. Season 2 opens up in a pretty good place. The city of Xiang Xiang has fallen. Byamba has departed the war party and cavorts with the daughter of a man who now calls into questions Kublai’s rights to the throne. And Marco leads a covert mission in search of the last Chinese Emperor.
The dynamic between Marco and Mei Lin is decidedly different, as one would suspect. It is a bit painful and sorrowful as the two question each other’s motives, how they can ever be sure if things they do are entirely of their own choosing or things they do in efforts to please their Khan. The two both verbally use loyalty as a weapon in an idealogical knife-fight.
The other major plotline here and one that is just as suspenseful, if not more so, is the impending wedding between Prince Jingim and Kokachin. Koka’s heart is still with young Master Polo. But she cannot bear to break the Mongol laws that could likely see her forfeit her life to the Mongol Hoard.
Queen Chabi has a very interesting discussion with Kokachin prior to the wedding, telling her that
The episode proceeds at a pretty mundane pace, with pretty mundane scripting and abov average performances. But the endcap to the first plotline, with Polo and Mei Lin, is a classic as they wind up running up on Michelle Yeoh. As much as I respect Ming na Wen, Michelle Yeoh is pretty much the definitive female action hero of our time. Hands down. The fight scene with her, Mei Lin, and Polo is nothing short of spectacular. It doesn’t disappoint. Maybe even better than the Sifu v Jia Sidao fight of Season 1? But in that one, all of the marbles was at stake. Pretty hard to deny the epic impact of that fight and its outcome.
The set crew of Marco Polo continue on with their remarkable attention to detail and incredibly high production quality. The sheer size and beauty of some of the background vistas and the attention to detail….just incredible.