Marco Polo Recap 'Hunter and the Sable Weaver'

Season 2 Episode 1

Marco Polo and Mei Lin. Image from Marco Polo, streamed via Netflix.

I've loved seeing Michelle Yeoh on screen since I was a kid, so of course I was happy to see her on the second season of Marco Polo. I watched the second season of Marco Polo when it first came out back in 2016, because I was one of the 12 people who liked the first season. Even back then, however, I noticed the muted release. Of course, now we already know that Marco Polo represented a $200 million loss to Netflix. There was also the lawsuit filed by an associate producer of Marco Polo against Harvey Weinstein. I read Ronan Farrow's Catch and Kill, and it referenced an observation about an unnamed actress in Marco Polo. 

So, it is with this weight of information, along with the quarantine I have been under for a month, that I start recapping the second season of Marco Polo. 

'Hunter and the Sable Weaver' started with a flashback of young Kublai and Kaidu with their famous grandfather Genghis Khan, perhaps to underscore the familial bonds of these two rivals, perhaps to show the weight of history Kublai laboured under and succeeded. Kublai Khan achieved what not even the great Genghis achieved; he conquered China. His forces now ruled over an empire whose people remained loyal to the boy emperor who escaped before Xiangyang fell. 

Apparently, the use of birds as fire bombs was historically accurate. In a campaign against the kingdom of Xi Xia, Genghis Khan offered to end the siege of Volohai in exchange for a tribute of one thousand cats and ten thousand swallows. He then tied flaming wool to these animals; they fled back to the city that was their home, taking with them the fire that eventually engulfed Volohai.

In present day Cambulac, Kublai was too busy with administrative concerns that he could not even attend the wedding festivities of his son Prince Jingim and his fourth wife Princess Kokachin. Now that Ahmad had been revealed as a quiet adversary to the Khan who looked to him as a son, his policies like immensely devaluing Chinese currency and raising their taxes looked suspect. Ahmad also made Byamba wait for an audience with the Khan. When they finally spoke, the Khan's happiness over the presence of his son turned to bitterness after Byamba delivered his news; Kaidu meant to challenge Kublai's rule and call for a Kurultai. 

Prince Jingim also felt the weight of what he viewed as his brother's betrayal, along with his Uncle's. Jingim, however, was happy enough with his new wife. Kokachin was very clearly miserable (Empress Chabi gave her something to smoke) but like the royal that she pretended she was, she did her duty. She even slept with Jingim before the Khan could officially give the wedding blessing. 

Benedict Wong as Kublai Khan. Image from Marco Polo, streamed via Netflix.

Away from Cambulac, Marco paid no heed to the fact that with the golden tablet entrusted to him, he could have gone back to Italy. Instead, he led a small squad of Mongol soldiers tracing the location of young Emperor Zhao Xian, along with Mei Lin. 

Jia Sidao was now a hero in the eyes of the Chinese. Mei Lin suffered under her brother, but even she understood what he fought for. She lived in the palace with the boy she was now forced to hunt, for the sake of her daughter who was a prisoner of the Khan. In the end, Marco and Mei Lin found the emperor, guarded by the yet to be named warrior played by Michelle Yeoh.

It is with a heavy heart that I now watch Marco Polo. I'd like to support period shows like this. I'd like to support the actors, the writers, the crew. Marco Polo is the kind of show I tend to enjoy, but I do struggle with whether it is right to even watch it, let alone give it space on my blog. I don't know. I honestly don't know. 

Strays

■ This is a rewatch, so I am already aware of Ahmad's motivations. This does not make him less despicable, however, especially his implications about wedding young Princess Ling Ling with old Prince Nayan, the Khan's cousin and a Mongol of Catholic faith.

■ On their journey, Marco saw Chinese citizens who committed suicide rather than be subject to the Khan.

■ Empress Chabi was well aware of Kokachin's feelings for Marco. The Empress explained not unkindly that Kokachin could not compete with the Khan in Marco's affections. 

■ The warrior pope referred to here was likely Pope Gregory X.

■ At the war counsel, Ahmad declared that Kublai Khan would be challenged by saying he was not fairly elected as Khan.

■ Hundred Eyes opined that the Khan would be challenged by saying he could no longer manage Mongol affairs now that he needed to manage Chinese affairs as well.

■ Empress Chabi is one of my favourite characters. In this episode, I especially liked how she dismissed the war counsel as empress and everyone obeyed her.

■ Kublai Khan sent Byamba back to Kaidu with heads of men he personally removed.

Director: Daniel Minahan
Writer: John Fusco
Original Air Date: 1 July 2016