Into the Badlands Episode 1.04 Two Tigers Subdue Dragons

Wearing a torn dress covered in blood, Tilda sprints through the woods. She dashes out onto the road in front of a transport, yelling for help. When two Clippers clad in black step out, two Butterfly stars are thrown their way, killing them. The Widow and her Butterflies emerge from the trees. Tilda rummages through the transport and finds gold coins. The Butterflies drag one of Quinn's red clad clippers, bound and beaten, from the woods. "My Baron will have your head for this," he threatens. The Widow stomp-kicks a pickaxe into her hand and hacks his head off. "I doubt it," she says.

At the Fort, Sunny and M.K. train together. Sunny commends M.K. for his improvement in form, but knocks him to the ground and suggests M.K. still needs to "learn to make the unexpected move." Quinn interrupts their practice. Sunny sends M.K. away to practice his forms. Quinn says the other Barons are angry that he has taken The Widow's oil fields. He says he needs Sunny "now more than ever."

While cleaning the Sanctuary, Tilda and the Butterflies find items from the old world. They discover a record player and dance, carefree, to the music. The Widow storms in and breaks the record into pieces, urging them to prepare for the new recruits. When Tilda yells at her that no one is coming, The Widow calmly pulls her aside. "We kill for you. We die for you," Tilda says. "For what? Why did we frame Quinn for the robbery of the transport?" The Widow reminds Tilda "what my husband did" to Tilda and that "we are fighting for a world where girls don't get dragged into dark rooms and have their innocence torn from them. But that world comes at a price."

That night, Sunny observes M.K. practicing, alone, with a wooden dummy. M.K. pulls a knife out, but decides not to cut himself.

At the Fort, Jade and Lydia discuss the wedding. Jade encourages Lydia to view her not as a rival, but as a daughter. "If I were your mother, I would warn you not to sleep with your future husband and his son at the same time," Lydia says. Jade, stunned, sits in silence.

In Quinn's study, Veil shares her plan to use poison, concocted by her father, to cure him. "The decoction he listed in his notes will weaken you, but it may heal the growth first," she explains.

Sunny and M.K. ride out to an empty field. When M.K. asks what they're doing, Sunny says he doesn't want any witnesses. Sunny cuts M.K. with his sword. "The only way I can help you is to face you," Sunny says. M.K.'s dark chi power ignites and he punches Sunny, sending him flying into a brick wall. Both fall unconscious.

When Sunny and M.K. awaken, M.K. berates Sunny for risking his life and asks how he can control his dark side. Sunny recommends focusing on "something pure".

In Quinn's study, Quinn and Ryder stand over the severed head of the Clipper that The Widow decapitated, his forehead etched with the word "Parley." Quinn deduces The Widow is trying to pit him against Jacobee, another Baron and Quinn's closest ally. Quinn orders Ryder to ride out and agree to the parley. When Ryder balks, Quinn reminds him that he wanted more responsibility. Quinn asks if he's upset over Jade. "It must be difficult now to think of her as a new mother," he taunts. When Quinn asserts "a man cannot wait to be given what he wants," Ryder agrees to go, alone.

At Veil's clinic, M.K. asks Veil if she's been able to decipher the book about Azra. "Nothing about this book makes sense," she tells him. Sunny is angry to learn that M.K. stole the book from his room and sends M.K. away. Sunny tells Veil that Quinn is leading the Badlands into war. Veil tells him she can end Quinn's life sooner, but Sunny says that Quinn's death would "bring the other Barons right to our door."

Ryder meets Zypher and Jacobee's Clippers in the woods. They set a date and time for the parley, but before Zypher leaves, Ryder tells her he has another proposal.

Sunny visits Waldo's shack. "You told me that if a man wanted to get out, he needed three things," Sunny says. "Passage up the river, a map through the Wasteland and nothing left to lose." When Waldo realizes Sunny is truly in love with Veil, he offers him a toy soldier to offer to the River King, the only man capable of getting Sunny up the river.

Ryder visits Jade in her room and laments about her not coming to his room for the last few weeks. Ryder says he'll be Baron soon, but Jade doubts he'll challenge Quinn and says she and Ryder are over. Angry, Ryder tells Jade about Quinn's second wife, Beatrice. Alluding to Lydia's hand in her death, he asks, "Do you really believe she died of natural causes?"

Jade enters the Cog shack to talk to Mari, former handmaiden to Beatrice. Mari says before Beatrice died, she saw Lydia beyond the poppy field, where the Monkshood grows. "The flowers, they kill you from the inside out," Mari says.

In the pit, Sunny rounds up the Colts and chooses six to serve as scouts and accompany Quinn to the parley with Jacobee. He leaves M.K. out.

Quinn and his men arrive at the City of the Dead, a graveyard. Sunny spots M.K. hiding behind a gravestone. M.K. reminds Sunny that he told him to "make the unexpected move."

Quinn and Jacobee meet face-to-face, each surrounded by their Clippers, while M.K. keeps watch. Quinn says he didn't attack his transports. Jacobee admonishes Quinn's decision to raid The Widow, but Quinn maintains he did it to avenge Ryder. "She made it personal," he said. Quinn tells Jacobee that he took her oil fields "for our mutual protection." Jacobee says he's not sure if they're interests are aligned anymore.

Through a spyglass, M.K. sees a cloaked figure approaching: It's Tilda. Just as she throws a pickaxe towards Quinn, M.K. yells a warning. Sunny catches the pickaxe in mid-air, while Quinn draws his sword, assuming Jacobee is launching an attack. Quinn's Clippers rush Jacobee's and the two forces engage in combat. Sunny squares off against Zephyr while Quinn fights with Jacobee.

Meanwhile, Tilda makes a run for it, with M.K. chasing after her. When he catches her, he challenges Tilda. "This is your mother's idea of a better world? Starting a war?" he says. She launches attacks, but he holds his own right before Tilda throws a butterfly star at him. The shiruken slices his skin, initiating M.K.'s dark state, M.K. grabs Tilda by the throat.

The battle at the parley continues, while M.K. prepares to deliver a fatal blow to Tilda. When she pleads, he slows, lowers his fist and collapses. Sunny sees the whole the moment from afar. He dodges Tilda's butterfly star before she runs off.

Sunny rushes back to the parley with the butterfly star. Slaughtered Clippers from both sides litter the ground. Sunny rushes in and shows Zypher, Quinn and Jacobee the butterfly star. They realize The Widow set them up. Still, Jacobee blames Quinn for antagonizing her. "If you want the other Barons to back down, deal with her," Jacobee says.

Quinn rides back to the Fort and sees all of his Cogs are gone from the fields. Only Mari remains, and tells Quinn that The Widow "came with a bunch of girls," killed all the Clippers and offered Jacobee's stolen gold to the Cogs, promising them a better life. Quinn orders Sunny to find The Widow so he can gut her and "hang her from the Wall for all the Badlands to see."

Zypher removes a hood from Ryder's head. "Where's Jacobee?" Ryder asks. "You said he agreed to hear my proposal." "You're not here to see Jacobee," says The Widow. He realizes Zypher and The Widow are working together. "You want the Fort. Zypher wants Jacobee's. I'll help you get them," The Widow says. In return, The Widow says she wants M.K. "If I get him, you'll be a Baron," she promises. They shake hands.

Sunny rides to see the River King. He shows the guards Waldo's toy soldier and they step aside. The River King agrees to grant passage out of the Badlands if Sunny brings him the boy who slaughtered a shipment of his Cogs. He hands Sunny a "wanted" poster with M.K.'s face. "Find him, clip him and bring his head to me as payment."