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dkersten:
Into the badlands is post apocalyptic, hundreds of years from now after devastating wars, and they explained that guns were banned by the barons when they came to power. I think it has potential, but face it, it's regular TV, so they can't make it as gritty as it should be. The Japanese martial arts style fights with the wires and all that are fun to watch.. We all know it isn't realistic but that isn't why fans of that genre watch them. Please don't compare it to Buffy though, that's like comparing a post 90's VanDamme flick to Enter the Dragon or even Bloodsport... I think Buffy was choreographed by some white guy with a green belt in karate... As for the setting, well sure it's not far from Firefly, but then how many ways can you make a futuristic-regressed setting? It fits the show. It isn't called "Into the Forest" or "Into the Suburbs", it's "Into the Badlands" and the badlands look just like I would imagine so far.. sort of old west throwback in the city and the estates are old plantation like fortresses.. I like how they still have cars and oil is a big thing, and the doctors have some really rudimentary tech like old x-rays but nothing high tech at all...

Frankly the only thing I have against it so far is the lack of ranged weapons. Even banning guns, I can't see the logic in not having some kind of bows. Why go toe to toe with the most feared hand to hand fighter when you can have a half dozen guys with bows shooting at him from all directions.. I don't care if he were a frickin Jedi, he isn't going to dodge a half dozen arrows all coming from different hidden locations. But I assume that's why they don't have them (aside from the few crossbows in the last episode)... add the bows and arrows and you no longer have a viable premise for the show. Tough to say if it will fall apart, it very well might, but honestly it is better than 95% of the shows on TV this season. Most of the stuff on regular channels is just a rehash of the same crap from the last two decades.. we've got some 75 different CSI type dramas (I think CSI Two Dot, Montana is airing over the Christmas break, followed by CSI Buffalo, Wyoming.. they're running out of even small towns now), a few fireman/doctor/police dramas (Is it Chicago Fire now, Police? EMT? Or maybe it's Chicago Streetsweepers this year... Chicago MeterMaids?), and some really weak comedy that isn't worth flipping to. Yay. The only stuff even halfway original might be on sci-fi but then production quality is down to what a few high school students could do in an afternoon with a camera phone and a makeup kit.

I mostly watch the pay channel shows now, some of the streaming originals, and a few shows on AMC. (Oh and Street Outlaws.. that show rocks) If I had more time for TV, I might watch one of the attempts at DC comic shows, like Gotham, flash, arrow, or Supergirl, but *yawn* wait, what was I saying? Oh yeah, most non-pay channel stuff sucks.

The only thing I have to say about TWD is it sucks to have to wait 2 and a half months for more...

Howard_Casto:
No, they didn't explain that guns were banned, they stated that guns were banned. That's my point... they need to explain because that's impossible. Ok let's say you are a Baron or what have you and you get together with all the other Barons and agree that there will be no more guns. Well the first thing that will happen is any gangs or criminal organizations left in the area will shoot your gang down and take power. So the only way to take down these remaining gangs is with, your guessed it, guns. Now you can give up your guns and hope the other barons do the same, or do what every ruler has done since the dawn of time, keep your superior deterrent on hand just in case. Don't get me wrong, I'm a pacifist, I'm against violence, but it doesn't mean I'm blind to how "normal" people think.

You must not be very familiar with Firefly. The show is an Asian and old west fusion of a setting. I can't think of many other shows that came up with that concept or have used it since, except for this one.

I WILL compare it to Buffy, because like Buffy the use of the martial arts as it pertains to the story really sucks. All these really, really white Barons somehow know kung-fu because .... reasons? All of society revolves around martial arts... again... no reason... because it looks cool? At least Buffy was written well enough to where a lot of that nonsense could be ignored.

There is such a thing as suspension of disbelief. If the entire world doesn't make sense then you are on pretty shaky ground. It's exactly what I was talking about in regards to TWD last week. You can't think of a really cool look or concept and just write around it expecting people to ignore the rather obvious plot holes... stuff has to make sense first and you can create a visual style or concept out of your thoroughly thought out, air-tight story.

You are really stabbing yourself in the foot because the DC tv series is some of the best shows on TV paid or otherwise. Mind you the CW shows are decidedly skewed to a young audience... they aren't for me... but I can appreciate what they are doing. Gotham is pretty fantastic. It's a slow burn and a lot of people just don't get the show because they superficially just want to see Batman, but it has a lot going for it. I don't agree with a few of the plots going on as it pertains to some of the characters, especially the Riddler, but it reminds me of those extremely rare instances in the comics where they allow a guest writer to go nuts ignoring canon and it actually turns out amazing, like Frank Millers Dark Knight Returns (the original, not the questionable sequels).

dkersten:
So after hundreds of years of people barely surviving in a post apocalyptic world, is there supposed to be some massive stash of ammunition for guns that never went bad? Ever shot a case of ammo from Vietnam era military surplus? After only a few decades, you start getting a lot of misfires. So a century or two later where would they get their ammo? Why is it so hard to believe guns are no longer readily available, particularly when the people in power are killing anyone in possession of one? I could believe nomads with muskets maybe, and like I said, other missile weapons like bows and crossbows (which they do use), but even in TWD, guns are getting scarce. Look at books (and movies) like The Road... he has a gun but nobody believes he has bullets for it because nobody has bullets anymore... One of the worst parts of TWD is how they managed to scrounge up so much ammo. In Montana I might believe it, lol, I have friends with stashes of well over 100,000 rounds, but where are they finding all this ammo in a world where they can't even find a car that runs or gas to fill the tank?? Especially Rick's very oddball hand cannon... Fast forward another hundred years in TWD and tell me how much ammo they are finding..

I can totally believe a post apocalyptic world without guns, just as I can believe a world without new models of cars, new televisions, new computer processors, or any other kind of advanced technology that can't be reproduced with rudimentary tools or basic farming equipment... Guns are precision tools, and ammo is not as simple as finding some bat ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- and mixing it with sulfer.. smokeless powder, precision casings.. all things that a technology poor population would be lacking.

Buffy's "martial arts" were "Americanized". The fight scenes in this show are in the same style as you would see in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. YES, it is unrealistic, you can't do half the things they do in reality, but it isn't always about being 100% real. If everything had to be possible, TWD wouldn't even be a story. A plague hit, people died, the end. No zombies because a body can't move without fuel and oxygen. Period. So you have to have SOME kind of leeway in the suspension of disbelief. Frankly, I didn't start watching TWD until the end of the second season because I could care less about zombies. Zombies sell books right now but I didn't write zombies into my own books.. I don't like them. But the zombies are the "fun" part that people enjoy - the makeup effects and CGI that people think is cool to see. The real story though is about the people.. the "human condition", and TWD does that well. In Badlands, the martial arts is the "fun" part that isn't realistic but cool to watch anyway. I love a badass character who is practically impossible to stop. Mix the two and I like it already, just like some were drawn to TWD because of zombies. The story and characters are what will decide if it has legs, and so far it isn't horrible. It will take a few more episodes to figure out if it has any longevity. If TWD's story and characters had ended up sucking, the makeup and cgi would have carried it maybe to season 3, but it wouldn't have gone any further. Most fans would stop watching after the novelty of the makeup effects got old.

I tried to watch Flash once.. acting and dialogue and general writing were godawful. Same with Arrow. I thought about Supergirl but the commercials alone scream cheese and if they can't make a preview look good, the actual show must really suck. I heard Gotham might be worthwhile, but I have enough shows on my plate, so if it has legs, I might binge watch it after a few seasons.

DaOld Man:
About the Into the Badlands: I like it, so far so good. You have to take it that guns are not there. They were outlawed, destroyed, or something (Guy at work said obama must have got his way LOL).
Anyway, I can see where it will start to drag, if they focus too much on the baron with the tumor and start to let the action lag.

Now about TWD: Morgan should have let Carol kill the wolf. I mean it wasnt like he would have been doing it.
I can now see that the end of this episode could be a lot like the end of the prison, where everyone gets separated. I hope they dont make a habit of using this scenario on all the (mid) season finales.
Also about the baby Judith, are the writers saving her for something later?

Now on a side note: who caught the commercial for Better Call Saul? I am looking forward to that show coming back.

wp34:
I'm watching Into the Badlands but am an episode behind. I must have missed where they stated guns were banned. It would be nice to know more of the back-story concerning guns and whatever happened to the world to put them in that predicament. It seems to be a bit of lazy writing and I agree with Howard that just banning guns doesn't seem practical. Don't get me wrong not having guns makes the show much more interesting. I'd just like to know more about how this world came to be.

The "no guns" scenario reminds me of the S.M. Stirling series "Dies the Fire." There are actually a number of elements in the show that remind me of that book series.

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