Marco Polo Episodes 1 Thru 2 Recaps: Does Marco Polo Shout His Own Name When Hes In The Pool (Season Premiere)

"Marco Polo" is a NetFlix production which of course means all 10 episodes were released simultaneously. How will "Marco Polo" stack up against it's predecessors "House of Cards" and "Orange Is The New Black"? Those are some big shoes to fill.

The show tells the story of Marco Polo and his time in Kublai Khan's court during the 1200s. Kublai is Genghis Khan's grandson and he rules (or tries to rule) over a vast empire. His headquarters is in current day Shanghai China. The first episode opens with a group of travelers encountering a burned out town. All of the villagers have been skewered on stakes. Life sure what rough for a peasant back then.

Marco and his father are taken to see Kublai. The Khan says they have failed in their mission (which was to bring back priests and oil). Khan doesnt know that his solders killed the priests and Niccolo doesnt mention it. Instead he says "our priests could not bear the rigors of the journey". Marco impresses Khan with his wit and knowledge. His father agrees to let Marco stay as the emperor's "guest" so Niccolo can continue to work the Silk Road. Great idea Dad! Thanks so much!

Flashback to Venice. Niccolo has been away for many years. He meets his son for the first time. Marco wants to go back with him but Daddy refuses. Marco stows away on the ship. They walk through the desert, they walk through the snow, they across the steppes. Along on the journey is Niccolo's brother Mafffeo, the aforementioned priests, translators, camels, donkeys, etc.

Marco (who is referred to as a "Latin") is held prisoner for some time. He is then taught kung fu by Hundred Eyes (a blind monk). Marco will also be schooled in archery, horsery (is that a word?), falconry, calligraphy, etc. Marco is to travel with a tax collector (who later meets a bad ending because he was cheating the Khan).

We meet Mei Lin (who was the concubine of Emperor Song) and her brother chancellor Jia Sidao. They are in the city of Xiangyiang and are a holdout against Khan. We also meet the Blue Princess of the Bayaut Mongolian tribe-- Kokachin.

Kublai is sort of a Renaissance man. He is interested in other cultures (which is why he asked for the priests and why he let Marco stay). He allows everyone in his kingdom to practice whatever religion they want. His court is multicultural. As you can guess, this doesnt always sit well with those around him.

Jingim (the Khan's son) is sent to conquer Wuchang but their troops are not joined by Khan's brother Ariq's army. They had to retreat and some men were killed. Jingim says Ariq is ready for battle but Marco disagrees (saying they do not have enough food). Kublai goes to visit Ariq (who wants the job of Khan). At the end of episode 2, their armies line up on two hills facing each other. How much of that was real and how much was CGI cause that was a lot of people. Anyway Kublai and Ariq meet in the valley below. The war will be settled just between the two men. They remind me of two bears fighting (not that I'm that agile either). Kublai gets the upper hand and chops off Ariq's head. Case closed. Ariq's men will now join the Khan in attacking the cities to the south (ie Xiangyinag).

Grade: 3 1/2 Monsters (out of 5). With only two episodes in, I cant say that I'm loving "Marco Polo" yet but hopefully it will grown on me. Negatives: Marco Polo is kinda boring (sorry Lorenzo Richelmy). It's also a bit hard to follow who is doing what to who (but we could say that about "Game of Thrones" too). Positives: The scenery and set pieces are beautiful. The kung fu fight scenes are fun (extra points for Hundred Eyes vs the cobra).This show was originally created for Starz so there's lots of skin. Extra extra bonus points for Mei Lin's naked sword fight. My favorite characters thus far are Hundred Eyes, Mei Lin and Kublai Khan.

Photo Credits:
http://neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=946396

http://observer.com/2014/12/creators-and-cast-of-marco-polo-discuss-their-world-spanning-90-million-production/