Marco Polo - General Discussion

[s-k-s]

 

Yeah, speaking as an Asian American guy, having the obligatory white guy focal point who saves the day (and is apparently the only one around who understands siege warfare, instead of the Iraqi siege engineers that were used by the real Kublai Khan) was annoying.  It would've been more tolerable if the actor was halfway decent, but he was just godawful.  It didn't help that he spent so much time acting against Benedict Wong.

 

So much of this show was really good.  It has to be one of the least white TV productions ever attempted, and the showrunners also managed to give us multiple interesting and complex female characters - but its still hard to get over the white guy saves the day ending (while also showing up the dumb arrogant Asian son by being nobler and better in battle, for which the Asian son then gets to make a nice grovelling apology.  ARGH.). 

 

What's incredibly irritating is that apparently the source of the trebuchet story is from the Marco Polo books, written by a westerner who claimed to have been imprisoned with Marco Polo and recounting the stories he was told.  Scholars have since established (supposedly, at least according to Wikipedia) that this particular battle was over before Macro Polo even came to Kublai's court.  And now his lies are being picked up and once again spread to another generation.  Really true how the victor creates the "history" of what happened.

 

 

 

 

 

[thuganomics85]

So, the Blue Princess isn't the actual Princess?  That explains a lot of things.  Marco is totally onto it though.  But it sounds like Khan and Chabi are eyeing her as a potential new wife for Jingim, so that should be fun.

 

Oh, Mei Lein.  I knew it was only a matter of time before she was exposed (not in that way!  That happened way back in the pilot!)  Interesting that it looked like the target was actually Chabi instead of Khan.  Nice fight scene at least, but that really wasn't the brightest approach.  She was clearly desperate.  At least she's still alive, but I can't see her lasting much longer.

 

Sidao finally got his ass booted, but I have a feeling that snake is far from done.

 

Still wonder where they are going with Marco/Byamba's investigation, or are they just going to pin the entire thing on Mei Lein.

 

Khutulun is a welcome return.

[greyhorse]

I'm impressed that everyone here seems to know everybody's names.  I'm still having a tough time with that, and it's already episode 6 for me.  I may have to turn on subtitles to see if I can learn some.

 

Not sure how Mei Lin thought she was going to succeed with that kind of attack and that distance to cover.  She would have been better off launching an arrow from far away.

[thuganomics85]

So, not only is Mei Lin spared execution, it's all thanks to Empress Chabi of all people.  She really is all about the long-term planning. She ain't going to let the fact she tried to kill her sway the fact that she can be a useful bargaining chip and is better as a prisoner for now.  Not to mention that she was really just a tool, and it was all Sidao's plan.  Damn, I respect Chabi's even temper.  And Mei Lin's ability to keep scrapping by.  Yeah, she sold a lot of people out, but it looks like she's getting her daughter back, so good for her on that front.

 

The fight scene between Hundred Eyes, Sidao, and the other Chancellor was epic.  Of course, not only does Sidao slip by, he kills his replacement, so it looks like he's going to be Chancellor again (I guess he's going to blame it on Hundred Eyes.)  That fucking cockroach.  Amazing!

 

Blue Princess is being paraded in front of Jingim now.  Which makes things more dangerous for her.

 

Byamba and Khutulan wrestle and he "wins", only because she lets him.  I'm guessing that's a change from history, since apparently, she was never defeated in real life.  Couldn't understand why she did that and was to gain from that "loss."

 

I still wonder why this is called Marco Polo, since he really is getting overshadowed by everyone else.  It really should be the Kublai Khan and Chabi Show.

[Eriu]

I'm impressed that everyone here seems to know everybody's names. I'm still having a tough time with that, and it's already episode 6 for me.

IMDB is a great help with that. Pictures and name spellings.

[Eriu]

Couldn't understand why she did that and was to gain from that "loss."

I guess she decided it was time to settle down. He's a good looking guy and one of the Khan's most trusted warriors. There are certainly worse choices.

[greyhorse]

I don't understand why Hundred Eyes (is that his name?  I just know him as Blind Monk.  As I said in the last episode thread, I'm terrible with these guys names and can't even keep some of the women straight. ) let Sidao presumably live.  We saw the fight, then it cuts to him and Marco leaving with Mei Lin's daughter.  Marco asks if it is finished, and he says no.  Huh?  Weren't they sent there to kill him?

[thuganomics85]

It looked like other soldiers came in right at the end, and Hundred Eyes/Blind Monk began fighting them.  I assumed Sidao scampered off, and Hundred Eyes couldn't find him, once he was done.  Might need to see it again though.

 

 

I guess she decided it was time to settle down. He's a good looking guy and one of the Khan's most trusted warriors. There are certainly worse choices.

That makes sense.  So, she does plan on marrying him?  I know it was brought up, but I was still a bit unsure.

[SeanC]

Mei's attempt really didn't make sense to me.  If she's desperate enough to attempt the kill in a way that completely disregards her own safety, she shouldn't have any problem getting close to the Empress and killing her with her bare hands.

[SeanC]

I'll miss the Chancellor if they make another season of this.

[thuganomics85]

I see that this show is also going to have take the Game of Thrones approach to it's action scenes as well: budget won't allow for big spectacles all the time, so it's mainly just brief flashes, and then someone explaining what the hell just happened.  I guess whatever works.  Although, nothing will be Thrones' skipping a battle by just knocking Tyrion out, and then Tywin explaining to him what he missed.

 

So.... right now, it's Sidao: 1, Kublai: 0.  That weakness Marco found in the wall was actually a trap, and they slaughter Khan's army, and forced him to retreat.  That's not good.  Especially for Marco, since Jingim is using his to trash him.  At least Byamba openly defended him, so he's at least got one person on his side.

 

Man, Mei Lin is just going to be the character that always gets abused on.  Her daughter is safe, but treasury guy is going to use her to make Mei Lin do their bidding now.  She can't win, can she?

 

Oh, look: Marco finally hooks up with Not Blue Princess.  And, it was as boring and lifeless as I expected.  Byamba/Khutulun on the other hand... darn that freaking Jingum being a royal cockblocker.

 

Hey, Khutulun's father finally returned.  I was wondering what was up with him, because Rick Yune is the only actor I know from other works, besides Chin Han and Joan Chen.

 

Liked Khan and Sidao finally meeting: Benedict Wong and Chin Han played off each other well, and it was fun seeing the differences between the characters.

[thuganomics85]

So, how in the hell did Sidao explain away killing the Song Empress like that?  Did he just claim it was an accident or something?  Either way, he's now got even more power, and is already teaching the Boy Emperor the art of ruling by fear and execution.  Such a wonder father figure!

 

Marco is accused as a traitor and almost gets executed, but this Yusef guy takes the fall for him.  Although, I'm wondering if he was the one behind the first assassination attempt after-all.  I wish they spent more time on that character, but the scenes were well done.

 

The loss has clearly hit Kublai hard.

 

Blue Princess is pretty much Chabi's prisoner now.  Can't even bring herself to commit suicide.

 

Mei Lin at least gets to see her daughter from a distance, only to be informed this will be the last time.  Again, life just sucks for Mei Lin. 

[thuganomics85]

Aw, Sidao.  I'm going to miss that slimy little bastard.  Chin Han was a blast in that role.  At least they didn't have him die by Marco's hand (would have been complete bullshit), but thanks to Hundred Eyes being the ultimate blind badass.

 

Of course, it looks like Kubali has plenty left to deal with.  I'm guessing that spat he had with Kaidu/Rick Yune is going to cause problems; especially since Byamba decided to join the gang.  Although, I suspect his main reason for that is for Khutulun, which, very understandable.  And, of course, the final scene where it shows that Ahmed clearly wants the throne for himself.  And Mei Lin totally seems down with that!  That should be an interesting pair.

 

Jingim finally shows Marco respect!  All it took was Marco helping him out in the battlefield.  Still, baby steps!

 

They clearly blew their battle budget for this episode alone.  Not bad, but nothing could top the Sidao vs. Hundred Eyes fight.

 

Overall, I'm glad I gave the series a go, but I still feel it wasn't the Marco Polo show.  I do think it was a case of having a more recognizable name, and plastering the young actor's face all over the promos.  Because, in the end, it really felt like Kubali Khan was the center.  Almost everything surrounded him.  Of course, it helped that Benedict Wong did an amazing job.

[CorgiNarnia]

I guess Ahmed doesn't have guests over too often, or the mural is in a bedroom in the back of his house? You'd think he wouldn't put such a provocative statement right on a wall.

[Mars477]

I guess she decided it was time to settle down. He's a good looking guy and one of the Khan's most trusted warriors. There are certainly worse choices.

Historically, eventually her remaining unmarried causes political damage to her father's reputation (her political enemies started rumors that she was involved in an incestuous affair and that's why she wouldn't marry) and she does marry somebody.  She doesn't force the guy to wrestle her, though, and she dies undefeated.

 

Before that, a particularly promising suitor came to seek her hand in marriage. He wagered 1,000 horses against her, and her family encouraged her to throw the match and settle down with the guy.  Although she initially agreed to do so, in the heat of the match her competitiveness took ahold of her, and not only did she kick the guy's ass she basically humiliated him and sent him away with tail between legs.  She just couldn't bring herself to throw the match.

 

The thing is, Kaidu Khan (whose armies she leads) and Kublai Khan become enemies after the events of this season (the formation of the Yuan Dynasty).  She actually fights many campaigns against the Yuan Dynasty.  So it's unclear what will happen to her relationship with Byamba, considering his loyalties, unless the show abandons that aspect of history.

Edited December 22, 2014 by Mars477

[Boundary]

When one of the concubines was saying she'd love just one royal lay per year, Mei presumably gets promoted and immediately gets to Khan's bed?

Anyway, I like Marco so far, they could've made him into a pompous, arrogant womaniser but so far he's staying on the right side for me. Women obviously find him hot but he hasn't let that get to his head, yet.

[ABay]

The female nudity with no male nudity has driven me away. I made it to episode three, but that's it. I've had it.

[greyhorse]

 I also wondered how the goofy teenage Jia Sidao transformed into this master warrior/ manipulator as an adult. It would have been nice to see a little more of his back story since it seemed to be a pretty huge leap to me.

Agreed.  It seemed like overnight the insecure son all of a sudden becomes this great leader and master fighter.  Huh?  When and how did that happen?

 

Everyone here is saying that Marco saved the day.  Even Kublai thinks that.  But really, it was Hundred Eyes that saved the day, as he was the one that ultimately took down Sidao.  Maybe in the sense that he was the one that came up with the catapult scene that ultimately led to them breaching the wall.

 

I'll miss Sidao as he was Kublai's equal.  Looks like Ahmed will now assume that role.  And it looks like we'll be treated to some Mei Lin and Ahmed bedroom scenes as she'll try to use her talents to put her in a place of power.  

 

What became of Joan Chen in the last episode, or did I miss that?

 

Hoping this show gets another season.  Although with a huge expensive budget, they're going to need some great numbers in order to get the green light, I imagine.

[benteen]

Definitely an improvement over the pilot (which I enjoyed) and the battle between the brothers was terrific.  Naked kung fu might have been ridiculous but it was definitely well-shot.

[Arynm]

Wait, so Ahmed is the traitor? Is that what the daughter said? He is the treasurer. I loved this ep, but I was confused. I would never last at court. Too much intrigue for me.

[benteen]

Yep, Marco shouldn't have lied.

 

You know, it's not helping the actor playing Marco that Benedict Wong's Khan is about a thousand times more interesting than him.

Edited December 31, 2014 by benteen

[Shanna]

Mei's attempt really didn't make sense to me. If she's desperate enough to attempt the kill in a way that completely disregards her own safety, she shouldn't have any problem getting close to the Empress and killing her with her bare hands.

I agree. If she was just going to go crazy like that she should have done it in the harem right?

Man this show is getting good!

[wanderingstar]

I thought Kublai and Chabi were great characters, and I, too, was glad that Hundred Eyes made it to the end.

 

 

Chabi was a favorite of mine and so was Hundred Eyes. Kublai was great, though I agree with whoever said it was disappointing to get less of him in the latter episodes.

 

I watched the first few episodes with a friend who absolutely couldn't stand Prince Jingim, but I got where he was coming from. He was irritated at his father favoring Marco, who he (naturally) viewed as an interloper. Also, Remy Hii is pretty, so that may have helped too.

 

As for Marco, I totally agree that he was the least interesting character. They really didn't need him to tell the overall story. That said, I didn't mind him or his portrayer. 

 

Finally, I'm going to miss Sidao. I thought he was a great antagonist for Kublai.

Edited January 2, 2015 by Gillian Rosh

[Avaleigh]

Well, I for one was definitely not ready to lose the Chancellor so soon. I love a show with a great bad guy and to me he had the perfect mixture of being horrifying and fascinating. 

 

Going with the Game of Thrones comparison that is attached to this show (although they really are very, very different) losing the Chancellor felt like how I imagine it would feel to lose Littlefinger, Tywin Lannister, Roose Bolton, and the Mountain in a single episode of GoT. 

 

I'll check out the new season but I don't think I'll be that interested unless some new character is introduced to fill the void left by the villainous Chancellor. Ahmed definitely isn't enough for me. 

[nodorothyparker]

Much better than the pilot, but I find that's often the case.  Pilots often have so much world building and exposition to do that it's often difficult to truly get the story rolling until the second episode.

 

The naked kung fu was equal parts silly and just balls to the wall fearless for both the character and the actress.  The show's gorgeous to look at it and camera work here was no exception.  The panning out on the landscape and the two armies before the brothers' fight was also beautiful.  I enjoyed the show faking us out by setting the bar low with the khan having trouble even getting off his horse before delivering a pretty satisfying and well done fight sequence.  It was obvious that he was disappointed in his brother and didn't really want to have to do that but accepted that it had to happen to move his vision forward.

 

I'm liking the women a lot, especially the empress, even if I'm still having trouble with names.  And Marco Polo the character is shaping up to be the least interesting thing about Marco Polo the story.

[nodorothyparker]

This show is starting to feel like Little Finger's Brothel - Far East Chapter.  All the gratuitous nudity was making it hard to follow how Mei Lin still ended up in a position to service the kahn after the empress dismissed her.

 

It seemed pretty obvious where the story with the female fighter (still having trouble with names) was going, but it was entertaining when Marco realized what he'd just stepped in.  I love that he's still routinely getting his ass kicked by pretty much everybody instead of immediately morphing into the Last Samurai and I definitely want to see and know more of her now.  Still don't care about the Blue Princess because they're not really giving us much to go on there.

 

Marco's still not half as interesting as the khan, who gave him a pretty brutal object lesson on the cost of lying to him.  I do find the developing Marco-Khan relationship fun to watch and Jinjin or whatever his name is can go whine into a corner now.  The Song chancellor just keeps getting more unsettling and impressive.

Edited January 5, 2015 by nodorothyparker

[nodorothyparker]

I can't make heads or tails out of the Blue Princess and the snake thing and don't really care enough to try at this point.  All I've really got is that she wants to escape the khan's court and somehow that involves burying jewelry under a tree to later be sold.

 

Daddy and Uncle Polo continue to be just the worst, but the show hasn't really developed the relationships between them and Marco enough for it truly resonate.  I did like that Khan was clever enough to almost immediately piece together that Marco couldn't have been involved with their thievery.  At this point he has more of a relationship with Marco and cares about him more than his own deadbeat dad does.  And seriously, Uncle Polo?  Ragging on the kid for trying to assimilate after you unceremoniously dumped him there with nary a thought?  It makes some sort of sense to make Marco responsible for determining their punishment.

 

Poor Jinjim, thinking he'd finally earned a victory lap for the truce talks the chancellor wasn't even a party to.  Between neither of his parents seeming to think he's much of a man and his jealousy of the "round eyed pet" he just can't get ahead.  In other news, the chancellor continues to be scarily ruthless in his wrath.  The foot binding thing was terrible.

[lion10]

I loved this episode and really hope this show comes back for a second season!  The blend of intrigue, romance, action, and kung-fu is pretty intriguing.  I loved the final fight between Hundred Eyes and Jai Sidao, especially when Hundred Eyes copied Sidao's mantis style.  I'm really confused about how Ahmad has such a blatantly treasonous mural on his wall where anyone can see it.  How's he going to explain that away?  It looks like Marco and Byamba are going to have a parting of the ways in Season 2 which is too bad because I like their broship.  

I feel like this series was only named "Marco Polo" to draw an audience. Having the main character be a white male that saves the day in the end seems almost offensive when it doesn't feel at all like this is his story, or even a story about him. As another poster stated, Marco was the least interesting character. Honestly, his character was not needed, and the show would be better without him, but would very many people watch a show about Mongolian and Chinese history without the perspective of a white dude? Probably not. 

 

Despite this flaw, I enjoyed the show. Also, Prince Jinghim is attractive. 

 

I mean, Marco Polo WAS an actual person that was alive during this time period and saw and wrote down a lot of interesting things about Kublai's court.  It's history, not a purely fictional story where they inserted a white guy to be the leader.  And it's not like Marco is magically good at all things Mongolian.  He gets beaten by Jai Sidao and Khutulun, and people seem to mock his foreign nature when it's noted.  He's had to earn other people's respect.

[lion10]

We'll probably get back to the "who ordered the assassination" plot in Season 2.  I really liked the delivery of the line "and the West is not weak".

[betha]

I also found the footbinding horrifying, however, it was widespread during the Song dynasty. It wouldn't have been uncommon; the chancellor would have been right that her mother would have generally started it earlier, and I kind of wonder if the nanny/friend's horror was kind of misplaced or meant to represent the audience POV.

Also confused about the snake. And, the Blue Princess is just playing the lover, right? Or did she lie to the bodyguard about him and actually wants to escape with him?

[benteen]

Yeah, I've been enjoying this show.  Particularly this one and the last one.

[benteen]

Enjoyed the trip to find the Old Man.  Really good episode.

[nodorothyparker]

Prerequisite opium-fueled orgy hallucination scene?  Check.  Sigh.  It was FF material in an otherwise really solid episode.

 

I don't know if it's just familiarity five episodes in or the fact that the character was given more to do this episode than stand around looking uncertain while being our Western eyes into this world, but Marco's actor is growing on me.  He's still got the least flashy role here, but I'm starting to think the character's weary hesitance and lack of surety is just the way it's being played and that it sort of works being the ultimate stranger in a strange land and in his own family.  Or at least that's what I'm going with other than just being annoyed by the continual big-eyed expressions.   His bravado in the scenes with the traders and the old man was nice.

 

The ongoing father-son struggle resonated better in this episode too, maybe because it wasn't just about Marco's struggle.  We finally got to know Byamba better and saw that while the khan may be a better and more present father than Daddy Polo, both his legitimate and illegitimate sons are still fighting to find their places in his shadow.  Jingim's dithering and difficulty in living up to his father actually worked out for him for once in the face in Ahmed's relentless pushing of him to pin the assassination attempt on the Song and go to war.  He also seemed to have nice small moment of understanding Marco's predicament there in the cells when he really looked at Daddy Polo.  And I'm sure terrible Daddy and Uncle Polo will only focus on Marco carrying out their punishment and not how hard he worked to keep them from being killed outright.

 

The Song chancellor continues to be scary, killing his own men and blaming it on the khan, while Hundred Eyes continues to just be awesome on every level.

Edited January 5, 2015 by nodorothyparker

[betha]

I've never figured out what was going on there either. It certainly wasn't jealously, she obviously enjoys picking out concubines for her husband. Some kind of wierd sixth sense that indicated to her that Mei was trouble? I'm not sure why Mei getting rid of the other cobncubine secured her place either. This obviously wasn't a "you just missed out" and more of a "I really don't like you" from the Empress. Interestingly though, she didn't seem to put out when she found out that Mei made it in anyway though. The whole thing felt that it could have used a bit more explanation.

 

Here's what I assumed: Empress saw that Mei Lin was highly skilled and intelligent, and she worried that this woman might be an actual threat regarding Khan's affections. She enjoys choosing concubines; she chooses the ones that are young, dumb, and harmless. Obviously Mei Lin had a lot riding on this job. They didn't show it completely, but my assumption is that Mei Lin beat up the girl, took her clothes, and snuck in and blended. Once she got in with the Khan and it was obvious Khan liked her, it was too late for the Empress to do anything about it.

[nodorothyparker]

Naked prancing harem aside, the women are proving to be some of the best things about this show.  Mei Lin's assassination attempt at the end felt desperately ridiculous, but it was still beautiful to watch.  The empress continues to offer up more layers and proves to be a crack shot herself.  The Not!Blue Princess is finally starting to come into focus even if she still isn't very interesting except as an object for Marco to moon over.  And I still just want more Khutulun.  The actress brings such energy to every scene she's in and sparks off absolutely every scene partner.

 

Uncle Polo continues to be an ungrateful ass. It's also fairly evident the chancellor isn't going to go quietly.  It made me wonder about the walled city's empress and council?? if they even really understand who they're dealing with if they honestly think he will.

 

Marco and Byamba's investigation was at times hard to follow.  Ahmed seems such an obvious culprit at this point that it almost has to be a misdirect, but maybe it's not.  I can't figure out why Marco would be suspected at all or whether that was the khan faking Yusef out and why they'd continue having him investigate if they truly didn't trust him.  At least Jinjim is consistent, whining to absolutely everyone about being left out of the loop.

Edited January 5, 2015 by nodorothyparker

[Avaleigh]

I also found the footbinding horrifying, however, it was widespread during the Song dynasty. It wouldn't have been uncommon; the chancellor would have been right that her mother would have generally started it earlier, and I kind of wonder if the nanny/friend's horror was kind of misplaced or meant to represent the audience POV. Also confused about the snake. And, the Blue Princess is just playing the lover, right? Or did she lie to the bodyguard about him and actually wants to escape with him?

 

 

Footbinding may not have been uncommon but it would have been uncommon to force the issue after the girl's feet had already reached a certain size. It would have been a painful process anyway but the Chancellor made her go through it in the worst possible way. It was too late and that's what the nanny's friend was reacting to not the practice of footbinding in general. Mei Lin obviously didn't want that for her daughter but the Chancellor wanted to force the issue because he's cruel and seems to enjoy hurting his sister.

 

It also made me wonder who he planned on having her wed to since I think somewhere in his head he also saw it as making her a more desirable bride. 

[wanderingstar]

Byamba/Khutulun on the other hand... darn that freaking Jingum being a royal cockblocker.

 

 

Those 2 are hot together. If there's a second season, I hope we get lots more of them.

[Arynm]

I was actually wondering why more women would not have had their feet bound. All the high ranking women would have been. The dancer Mei-Lin would not have been of course.  The daughter was too old, and it was just cruel.

[betha]

this Wikipedia article says the practice may have actually originated among court dancers (though I am sure this led to a different type of dancing). it also says the proper time to start was between 4 and 9, so I don't think she was too old. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foot_binding

 

Except for soaking the feet first, it looks like he did everything stepwise.

 

"First, each foot would be soaked in a warm mixture of herbs and animal blood; this was intended to soften the foot and aid the binding. Then, the toenails were cut back as far as possible to prevent in-growth and subsequent infections, since the toes were to be pressed tightly into the sole of the foot. Cotton bandages, 3 m long and 5 cm wide (10 ft by 2 in), were prepared by soaking them in the blood and herb mixture. To enable the size of the feet to be reduced, the toes on each foot were curled under, then pressed with great force downwards and squeezed into the sole of the foot until the toes broke.

The broken toes were held tightly against the sole of the foot while the foot was then drawn down straight with the leg and the arch forcibly broken. The bandages were repeatedly wound in a figure-eight movement, starting at the inside of the foot at the instep, then carried over the toes, under the foot, and around the heel, the freshly broken toes being pressed tightly into the sole of the foot. At each pass around the foot, the binding cloth was tightened, pulling the ball of the foot and the heel together, causing the broken foot to fold at the arch, and pressing the toes underneath."

 

Obviously we know him to be a cruel man with unknown intentions for his niece; and we can assume that if Mei Lin wanted it done she would have done it herself, so I'm not defending him. But I do think the show is playing on our modern sensibilities about this practice.

[thuganomics85]

Coming back for a second season.  I had a few issues, but I'm glad that we will be getting more Kubali, Chabi, and Mei Lin.  Hopefully they can work out the kinks.

[Chaos Theory]

Coming back for a second season.  I had a few issues, but I'm glad that we will be getting more Kubali, Chabi, and Mei Lin.  Hopefully they can work out the kinks.

 

I am glad.  I actually enjoyed this show.  This is one of the big reasons why I think Netflix has an insanely good model (once they fix their crappy review and rating system).   Regular Channels (Which include HBO and Showtime) are stuck worrying about those prime three hours a night six or seven (if you count Saturday) days a week.  Netflix can release a new show whenever they feel like it.  They don't have to worry about time and space or for that matter content...oh my god nudity at eight o'clock!     

 

Netflix can keep shows like Marco Polo which is an ok show but with a good deal of promise and give it time to grow into something possibly great.  

Edited January 7, 2015 by Chaos Theory

[benteen]

I'm glad too.  I'm seven episodes in and really enjoying this series.

[benteen]

Best episode to date.  I admit to I wonder why this show is called Marco Polo as everyone around him is far more compelling.

 

Sidao is one F'd up individual.  Fascinating but F'd up.  Chin Han gave a knockout performance in this one.

 

Hundred Eye is a badass and the three-way fight was great but I found the quick cutaway to him leaving with Polo to be confusing.  Did Sidao run away or did Hundred Eyes just leave him? 

 

Joan Chen is ferocious as the Empress.

 

Loved the Khan telling Hundred Eyes that he heard him but only listens to what he chooses to listen to.

Edited January 8, 2015 by benteen

[Zahdii]

I'm liking the women a lot, especially the empress, even if I'm still having trouble with names.  And Marco Polo the character is shaping up to be the least interesting thing about Marco Polo the story.

 

I just started watching on Netflix, so I guess I'm late to the party, but I fully endorse everything you said except about the actor who plays Marco Polo.  I think he's doing just fine, considering that so much of his role is about facial expressions instead of dialog.  And I try to remember that sometimes expressions are dictated by a director who thinks that the audience  wouldn't get the jist of things if the actor were more subtle.

[ElizaD]

I don't think Marco Polo recovered from a bad start as well as Spartacus, but I'm also glad that it's getting a second chance. The actors are good, the era is fascinating and if season 2 has the watchability of episodes 5-10 I'll be happy enough. I've seen some people point out that getting the whole season at once helped MP and I agree: if I'd had to wait a week I don't know if even my devotion to costume drama would have made me stick around after episodes 1-2, but episode 3 had some nice sparks and after that I decided I might as well watch them all.

[nodorothyparker]

I don't think the actor is terrible by any means, but he often seems to fade into the woodwork behind much more interesting performances, of which there are several going on here.  Some of that may be that the actors themselves are stronger or maybe their characters are just better defined.  I honestly can't tell at this point.  I just feel like we don't know the character very well at all.

 

I think part of the problem may be that he's the title character but he isn't really coming off as the title character.  At all.  He's more like the character of Athelstan on Vikings in that he's the most traditional Westernized character in the story who we're seeing a mostly alien culture through, which means a lot of what he does is watching and reacting and translating for us.  I love Athelstan and consider him one of the more interesting characters on TV right now, but he's never been expected to carry that show.

Edited January 8, 2015 by nodorothyparker

[nodorothyparker]

Fantastic episode, maybe the strongest up to this point.

 

The flashbacks didn't make me like Jia Sidao any more but they did fill in the blanks of how far he and Mei Lin have come and provided some really interesting insight into just how tenaciously he'll fight not to "go back to the rice patties" like the empress so dismissively suggested in the previous episode.  The actor absolutely owned this episode, allowing himself a flickering moment of sadness over the likely loss of Mei Lin before getting into that incredible three-way fight.

 

Hundred Eyes continues to be awesome on all fronts.  I guess with the guards entering the fight, it got too confusing for him and he had to withdraw to fight another day.  I still don't know why Marco was on that trip with him though other than to give the character something to do.  If you're trying to do a stealth reconnaissance/assassination mission, maybe sending the one white Westerner in the region isn't the best way not to draw attention to yourself.

 

I absolutely adore how cool-headed and long range the empress manages to be.

[benteen]

I'm surprised that we didn't get a battle scene, especially considering how much money they spent for the show.

 

Sidao and the Khan's faceoff was awesome.  They're the two best actors on the show, though Joan Chen and the Mei Lin actress are doing a really good job as well.

[Zahdii]

I think I understand where you're coming from.  While young Marco is a cutie, I realize now that I think of the show as more of an ensemble and less as a lead actor and then everyone else.

 

Naked kung fu actress certainly has a good body, but I was impressed at the way she played out the scene.  The character never let on how humiliating it would be to 'entertain' three ruffians sent to her by her brother only perhaps a day after her protector died.  She slid easily into seductress mode and had those men truly thinking they were going to sample the charms of a royal concubine freely giving it up on silken sheets, then she showed her iron side. 

 

I wonder if her brother realized she had martial arts training?  She seemed to know exactly what was up, though.  Anywhere else and a woman who fought off three men who walked uninvited into her bedchamber and demanded sex would be forgiven, even applauded for protecting her virtue with such conviction.  But kung fu concubine fully expected to be arrested, and next thing we see, she's being sent to a man as a sexual spy while her vile brother promises to 'take care of' her daughter. 

 

It'll be interesting to see what comes up next. 

[Shanna]

I personally enjoyed seeing court through an outsiders eyes. That's a common storytelling technique and it works for me. It doesn't hurt that polo was pretty. The only real cheat was the siege engines.

I am terrible with the character names, but All of the characters worked for me except Ahmed was so obviously going to be a bad guy and I'm not sure how interested I am in watching that. But My main disappointment was not getting more of mei and I think that may happen next season, so kind of torn on this point.

Although the chancellor was fantastic, I am not sorry to see him go. Some of the scenes at the Chinese court fell flat for me, I was much more interested in the mongols.