Marco Polo Recap 'Measure Against the Linchpin'

Season 2 Episode 3

Mahesh Jadu as Ahmad. Image from Marco Polo, streamed via Netflix.

Several times during this episode, Kublai Khan railed at how others (Empress Chabi, Marco, Kaidu) would not do the hard thing. Killing the boy emperor weighed his conscience and gave him nightmares of Gengis, but he continued to insist that it had to be done. Though there were riots on the streets for weeks, though Ahmad admitted to Prince Jingim that his counsel was not sound (words, for the riots likely were instigated by the Song operative Ahmad paid in the previous episode), Kublai refused to give voice to the doubt he must have felt about the decision he made. In his mind, he as Khan did what others could not. He dirtied his hands with the murder of a child to preserve the dynasty he built.

If only he knew what his empress did.

Even back in the first season, there already were hints that Empress Chabi knew that the girl who called herself Princess Kokachin was not, in fact, royal. This became even more apparent in the ceremony where Kokachin's virginity was tested. It was not just that Empress Chabi knew Kokachin had sex with Marco; it was also that she could tell Kokachin struggled with the dictates of a royal wedding because Kokachin was not born into a royal world as she pretended to be. Knowing that this girl had a secret she would do anything to keep likely aided the Empress's decision in choosing her as Jingim's next wife. After all, the Empress must have already suspected that the issue of fertility was not because of Jingim's wives but because of Jingim himself. In such a case, and with the Kurultai fast approaching, drastic measures needed to be done.

Would the Empress have been able to force a royal princess to lie still whist a stableboy did what her husband could not? Would a royal princess with no secrets have kept quiet if such a vile deed was done to her? Jingim had four wives, yet the Empress chose Kokachin to rape because Kokachin had a secret. Kokachin was more likely to play along than Jingim's other wives because she was much more desperate than they were. 

The Empress was able to set her plan in motion whilst Jingim was away with Ahmad. They went to see Arban and Gerel, the chieftains Kaidu feted in the previous episode. Though Arban and Gerel initially were not happy that the Prince came to see them and not the Khan himself, they eventually agreed to meet with the Khan in Xanadu after Jingim proved his worth by wrestling their massive champion. Jingim would have returned with a manner of victory to his father, but they were intercepted on the road by Khutulun, Orus, and their men. Kaidu had sent his children to repay the Khan for the beheading of the men Byamba traveled to Cambulac with. All the soldiers Jingim and Ahmad traveled with were killed. After Khutulun had ridden off, Orus killed Jingim and Ahmad's horses. Ahmad's horse fell on his leg, injuring him.

Orus had the temper of someone who had no understanding of how not smart he was. He did not even suspect that his father intended to name his sister Khutulun as his heir. Kaidu may have picked Khutulun as his heir because she was the clear better choice, but Kaidu also thought that he could dangle the position to Byamba. Byamba was the son of a Khan, but his mother was a concubine. He lived in a palace, but he was known as a bastard. If he remained loyal to Khutulun, and to Kaidu, he would be husband to the first female Mongol Khan. It was an interesting way to try to wrest Byamba's loyalty from his father. 

Strays

■ Michelle Yeoh went to Mei Lin to ask about Marco's identity. Mei Lin tried to strike a quid pro quo with her.

■ Kublai forced Marco to climb up a mountain with him; he wanted to ask Tengri if Kaidu were to live or to die. Marco saved Kublai's life from a wolf that attacked him. Because of that, Kublai made him a member of the Order of the Mongol Knights.

■ There was a scene where Empress Chabi made Kokachin eat something bloody to help her bear a child that reminded me of the famous scene in the first season of Game of Thrones were Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) ate the heart of a horse.

■ The first screenshot here is that of Ahmad watching through a gap in the wall as Kublai Khan and Empress Chabi had words. The shot was made interesting by the red of the wall decour that framed Ahmad's face.

Director: Daniel Minahan

Writer: Elizabeth Sarnoff
Original Air Date: 1 July 2016