Into The Badlands Reveals [SPOILER]’s Gift – And It’s Different

In a shocking twist, Into the Badlands has just revealed that Cressida (Lorraine Toussaint) has the Gift – or at least something that looks like it – except with one major difference. In a pivotal moment in the episode, Cressida’s eyes turned blood red instead of black. While Into the Badlands has finally answered several questions about Sunny’s past, the mystery of the Gift is continuing to deepen. It was recently revealed that the Gift isn’t a weapon, though it’s also been said that it was responsible for the apocalypse. This new development suggests that there could be more than one kind of Gift.

Throughout Into the Badlands season 3, Pilgrim (Babou Ceesay) and his high priestess, Cressida, have been on a mission to bring their own version of salvation to the Badlands by waging war against anyone who stands in their way. Pilgrim found a path to power when he encountered Sunny (Daniel Wu) and regained the Gift by absorbing it from his son. Pilgrim spread the gift to his most loyal followers, now known as the Harbingers, and recruited an entire army of Dark Ones after visiting the Monastery and waking up the Master’s sleeping prisoners. However, it appears that Pilgrim’s greatest weapon has been at his side all along.

Monday’s episode, “Curse of the Red Rain”, begins with Cressida visiting the Butterfly Territory to demand tribute. The Widow (Emily Beecham) refuses and captures Cressida, igniting a war between her people and Pilgrim’s. In an attempt to scare the Widow, Cressida performs a ritual that causes blood to rain down from the sky. When Pilgrim learns of what happens to Cressida, he, of course, retaliates by launching an attack on the Widow’s base. During the battle, the Widow sends Lydia (Orla Brady) to execute Cressida. When Lydia arrives, Cressida chants something in an unknown language and her eyes suddenly turn red. The strange transformation enhances Cressida’s fighting ability and allows her to easily kill Lydia and escape.

It appeared as if Cressida cast a spell on herself in order to use the Gift, an ability she was never supposed to have. It’s possible that this is why Cressida’s Gift is visually different from everyone else’s Gift. Whether or not it has any other unique qualities remains to be seen. Her use of the Gift, or some variation of it, raises a number of questions about her past, her relationship with Pilgrim, and her own connection to Azra. Cressida is known as a loyal follower of Pilgrim, but where she came from and why she follows him hasn’t been fully explored. Pilgrim may not be even aware of Cressida’s Gift.

Throughout the season, Pilgrim and Cressida have displayed a greater level of understanding toward the Gift than the other characters on the show. Cressida’s red eyes could indicate that she is able to use a part of Gift that no other Dark Ones have been able to access.

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