Rewatching Marco Polo - Season 1

[aunt_zelda]

 I’m rewatching the first season with my roommate, as it’s been a while since Season 1 and we wanna watch Season 2 with all the characters fresh in our minds, and we haven’t been watching much tv together lately. Though the show has problems, it does a lot of great stuff too. We keep pausing to geek out over the cinematography, being former film students. We also keep pausing to talk about the really great character scenes and discuss how well crafted many of the interactions are. And pausing to go “auuuugh he’s so awful!” mostly about the Cricket Minister, because fuck that guy.

I keep screaming “stop being so attractive you motherfucker!” at Mahesh Jadu’s character, since this being a rewatch I know he plans to betray the Khan and he’s actually super evil. He’s also the most attractive man on the show and this causes me great anguish. My roommate, a heterosexual man, finds this amusing. 

Hard to say who our favorites are. I lean more towards Mei Lin and Chabi than I think my roommate does. But like, the whole cast is pretty great. My roommate and I both swoon over Khutulun. I wish we had more from the Dowager Empress. I know the cast is huge and the scope is vast, but I wanted more from her. 

I keep arguing with my roommate about whether the sex scenes are gratuitous or not. Overall, most of them are rather restrained, compared to most cable shows. You often don’t see people entirely naked, they’re covered with sheets or shadows or their partner’s body. But then they throw in like, all the concubines flailing around and I just roll my eyes. 

The portrayal of disability in this show is something that troubles me a lot. Hundred Eyes beating Marco up every episode is fun to watch, but the “blind badass” is such an overused and tired cliche, and his abilities verge on magical and ridiculous at times. 

Marco’s presence is annoying most of the time. I do find his journey from unwilling captive/guest to loyal subject fascinating though. At the start of the show he’s trying to run away, at the end, he’s willing to lay down his life for the Khan. As annoying as his presence can be, I am interested in his character’s journey.