'Marco Polo' Season 2 Has No Villains, Only Opponents (Commentary)

(Spoilers for Marco Polo season 2 below.)

If “Marco Polo” has a protagonist at this point — and I’m not saying it does — then it’s probably Kublai Khan.

(Don’t bother reminding me what the name of the show is. I’ll just tell you it’s called that more because of Marco Polo’s book than the man himself.)

If Kublai is the good guy, then the bad guys of season 2 are legion: Ahmad, Kaidu, Nayan, Niccolo Polo, the Pope, and more.

But I don’t think that’s how “Marco Polo” works these days. Season 2 doesn’t have a Jia Sidao — a clear and present external opposing force who’s just a complete asshole. Nearly all of Kublai’s enemies here are friends and family.

And in the case of Ahmad, Kaidu and Nayan, it’s people who not only are family — but people who were apparently on his side a season ago. They were themselves supporting protagonists. What’s changed?

Also Read: 'Marco Polo': Who Is the Mythical Christian Warrior Prester John?

Nature happened. Physics happened. Honest disagreements happened. In essence, these characters were taken for a ride by the metaphorical winds of human interaction. And somehow, for a brief moment, those winds brought them together on the other side of a game of chess from Kublai. And it just as quickly blew them apart.

The reveal of Ahmad’s motivation for wanting to take down Kublai midway through the season is a pretty great demonstration of how the character physics, and the perspectives, of “Marco Polo” work. We learn that Ahmad was a young boy when the Mongols sacked his town and apparently killed his mother. He himself survived and thrived in the aftermath when he was adopted by Kublai and Empress Chabi.

Years later, after Ahmad is grown, Kublai offers him the position he holds in the present, financial adviser for his empire. But Ahmad says he isn’t prepared for that responsibility yet, and wants to work as a tax collector for a while to get a feel for the empire and its people.

So he travels around doing that for a while, and we see that one day a brothel madame claims to be unable to pay, offering him the pleasures of the flesh as an alternative. And this madame happens to have on hand a woman whose skin tone matches Ahmad’s own.

Also Read: 33 Major 'Marco Polo' Characters, Ranked (Photos)

They have sex, and this woman tells the story of how she came to be where she was: the Mongols had sacked her town, and killed her husband and son. She was brought in for consideration as one of the Khan’s concubines, but they passed on her and sold her to this brothel. And then she starts humming a distinct tune, one Ahmad knows.

The woman says she wrote the tune herself, for her son. Ahmad, of course, knew the tune because his mother wrote it for him. This woman that he’d just slept with was his own mother. All because of the carnage the Mongols had wrought when they conquered his home.

It’s hard to say exactly how most people would handle going through that sort of impossible scenario, but I would assume few of us would come out the other side normal. Ahmad, I think, handles it pretty well — sure, he immediately murders his mom (he probably considered it mercy), but from there he doesn’t go on some snap rampage.

He spends years, maybe decades scheming to overthrow the Khan. He knows who’s ultimately responsible for what happened, and that’s who he wants to hurt.

Also Read: 'Marco Polo' Fact Check: Did the Pope Really Send Crusaders Against Kublai Khan?

It’s a very legitimate grievance, and it’s one he has simply because of the incredibly random way the wind blew on that one day when he was a kid, followed by another improbably string of coincidences that led both he and and his mother to be at a specific place at a specific time — and none of it was meaningfully within anyone’s control — except, perhaps, for the man who decided the Mongol Empire should rule the world.

In another story, you could easily see Ahmad as the underdog hero who fights back against a rampaging dictator. His failure could be seen as a nihilistic tragedy.But that’s not the story of “Marco Polo.”

Kaidu’s conflict with Kublai is similar in that way. Kublai wanted to continue to expand, and Kaidu wanted a more conservative approach for the Mongols, one that didn’t involved endless war and conquest — and he planned to pursue that approach through peaceful means, by challenging Kublai’s authority and calling for an election.

But the pressures of the situation were overwhelming and he didn’t handle it well. His desperation ruined him, as was also the case with Nayan. Nayan was a devout Mongolian Christian who met the Pope (the freaking Pope!), only to have that voice of God on Earth tell him straight up that he risks eternal damnation if he doesn’t ally with the church to take down his own family.

Also Read: 'Marco Polo' Fact Check: What Really Happened With the Child Emperor of the Song Dynasty?

But the Pope has his reasons: he’s concerned about what will happen to Europe, and its people, if Kublai decides to send tens of thousands of soldiers to conquer it. This, I would say, is a valid concern, given all Kublai’s rhetoric about ruling everything under the blue sky.

And really, how is Nayan leading a bunch of crusaders east to murder Kublai any worse than what Kublai is doing all the time as he orders Mongol armies to sack cities and occupy the lands belonging to other countries? It’s not.

Kublai, on the other side of the table, also spends season 2 making bad decisions — some you might even call evil. But “Marco Polo” is his show, not Ahmad’s or Kaidu’s.

GALLERY: Who Are All These Characters on Netflix's 'Marco Polo'? (Photos)

Make no mistake, though — Kublai is as lost as anybody, because there’s no guidebook for how to rule the world. Everything he does is so perfectly and imperfectly human. The weight of everything is far too much for any man to bear, and Kublai is just a man.

The result is a season of television that can feel, at times, narratively chaotic. But that’s why it’s so interesting. Kaidu and Ahmad and Nayan aren’t “bad guys” any more than Kublai is — and Kublai isn’t a “good guy” any more than his opponents are. There’s no “right” choice among them. And there are no easily identified markers of evil — nobody is doing what they’re doing because of a lust for power, for example.

It’s all just a matter of perspective who your hero is. “Marco Polo” knows it, and that’s why season 2 works so well.

33 Major 'Marco Polo' Characters, Ranked (Photos)

(Be forewarned: There are spoilers ahead for season 2 of "Marco Polo.") There are so many characters on "Marco Polo" -- some bad, some good, most just kind of in the middle of the spectrum. But which is the greatest? We've taken the 33 most important characters on the series so far, and ranked them worst to best.
Netflix
33. Maffeo Polo

Marco's coward uncle is somehow even worse than his father, so I guess we can all be glad he didn't show up in season 2.
Netflix
32. Orus

Kaidu's son thinks with his biceps, which is good, considering Jingim smashed his skull in.
Netflix
31. Bai

Got cut down while trying to say something mean to Mei Lin. It was delightful.
Netflix
30. Niccolo Polo

I should hate him for being a total jerk in nearly every scene he has, but that part where he very smoothly killed a bunch of Mongol soldiers forced me to very begrudgingly respect the dude.
Netflix
29. Boy Emperor

It's difficult to judge a very young but important character played by a blank-faced child actor who clearly wasn't prepared to actually have to read lines. Oh wait, maybe I just did judge him. But I guess we probably all agree that his murder was bad.
Netflix
28. The Blue Princess

I know she was just an illusion, but she shouldn't have been so mean to poor Kokachin.
Netflix
27. Kaidu's evil mom

Pretty sure she hates everybody, even her family. That's makes her a Certified Bad Person.
Netflix
26. Empress Dowager

"Marco Polo" tends to be very reluctant to kill off major characters, especially "good" ones, so the Empress' death in season 1 was kind of a big deal. She didn't really manage to accomplish much, but that's pretty much how it's been for everybody from the Song Dynasty.
Netflix
25. Ariq Bloke

Deserves props for rebelling against Kublai before it was cool, even if all he got out of it was a mostly severed head.
Netflix
24. Kaidu

If, in your quest for power, your mom suggests you do a bunch of drugs and walk naked on hot coals, maybe you should just call it a day. You're not a bad dude, Kaidu. Relax.
Netflix
23. Gerel

Had the great honor of having his group be the first to be wiped out by Prester John. Otherwise, didn't do much.
Netflix
22. Stable boy

Got to secretly bang Kokachin thanks to Chabi feeling the need to arrange a clandestine surrogate father for Jingim's kids, what with Jingim apparently shooting blanks. So he got to be father to the future Khan. Though also he got murdered for that, and also nobody will ever know about it. Wah wah.
Netflix
21. Ling-Ling

Mei Lin's daughter, whose sole purpose in life is to be held hostage by everyone as leverage over Mei Lin.
Netflix
20. Arban

Hard to respect a waffler like Arban, who spent all of season 2 changing his mind about whether he wanted to support Kublai or Kaidu at the kurultai. But, to his credit, he did eventually see through Kaidu's incredibly transparent and bad schemes.
Netflix
19. Jing Fei

Was not extremely good at lying, but she gave it her best shot. Also had enough dignity to not let Jia Sidao kill her after he found out about said bad lying, taking matters into her own hands instead.
Netflix
18. Za Bing

Notable for being the first character I've ever seen on a TV show who pees through a straw on screen. I think.
Netflix
17. Yusuf

It seemed noble at the time when he took the fall (and was executed) for some bad stuff Marco was accused of doing. Of course, when that means Ahmad, the actual perpetrator, gets away long enough to pull a coup, maybe it wasn't so noble after all.
Netflix
16. Tulga

Kokachin's lover from back in the day before she started pretending to be a princess. Unfortunately, Tulga didn't pretend to be a prince, so his days were numbered from the moment he showed up. Rookie mistake.
Netflix
15. Kokachin

A peasant pretending to be a princess, Kokachin totally isn't prepared for life in the spotlight and cracks under pressure in season 2. Thanks to the groundwork laid in season 1, though, we totally feel for her.
Netflix
14. Khutulan

Even as she sees him give into peer pressure, Khutulan tries to be a good daughter to Kaidu -- especially after he pulls the unprecedented move of naming her his heir. She really shoulda just slapped him around, though. Instead she was pretty passive all season and didn't help much.
Netflix
13. Nayan

Caught between family and his faith, Nayan chose the latter -- but it didn't work out for him or anyone else. But, hey, I guess he gets to go to heaven, if the Pope is to be believed.
Netflix
12. Ahmad

Maybe he's not the nicest guy around, what with his whole plot to kill Kublai and his whole family and whatnot. But, like, look: You'd probably be like that too, if you accidentally had sex with your mom. Honestly, his restraint should be applauded.

Also Read: ‘Marco Polo’ Fact Check: The Story of the Real Ahmad Fanakati, Kublai Khan’s Finance Minister
Netflix
11. Byamba

When he finds out his girlfriend Khutulan is Kaidu's heir, he gets all patriarchal and jealous about it. I swear he's a good guy when he's not being a sexist clown. He only gets ranked above Khutulan because he gets a lot more done in season 2.
Netflix
10. Empress Chabi

Mom to everybody on "Marco Polo." Pretty much just wants everybody to be happy and get along. She's so disappointed in everyone.

Netflix
9. Prince Jingim

Grew up a lot in season 2, but still seems incapable of fathering children. But that doesn't really matter, since it seems his true love is Marco anyway.
Netflix
8. The Pope

The showrunners on "Marco Polo" brought in Pope Gregory X to tell Christian Mongol Nayan that he risks eternal damnation if he doesn't murder Kublai. Maybe they were laying it on a little thick with the modern-day social commentary, but it works. You can't help but dislike this goober, even while you love him. It's similar to how we all felt about the High Sparrow on "Game of Thrones."

Also Read: ‘Marco Polo’ Fact Check: Did the Pope Really Send Crusaders Against Kublai Khan?
Netflix
7. Marco Polo

The focus of the show shifted away from him in season 2 (the show is, technically, named after his book, not the person himself), which really made his whole drunk and cranky thing kind of fun instead of annoying. He was a bad main character, but he's fine as a wild card adventurer.
Netflix
6. Lotus

You didn't know you wanted Michelle Yeoh to show up out of nowhere as a medieval Chinese Terminator, but now that it's happened, I can't help but want more.
Netflix
5. Jia Sidao

One of the few characters built to just be hated, Sidao is actually pretty awesome until he gets what's coming to him. If he had a mustache, he'd have twirled it in every scene.
Netflix
4. Hundred Eyes

Already a great character, the blind warrior monk upped his game in season 2 by cracking a ton of jokes and kissing a lady. And he continues to not be treacherous toward anyone -- he kinda stands alone in that regard.
Netflix
3. Prester John

He's, delightfully, the first straight up magical character on "Marco Polo," and there was far too little of him in season 2. But assuming a season 3 is on the way, that should be rectified in the future.

Also Read: ‘Marco Polo': Who Is the Mythical Christian Warrior Prester John?
Netflix
2. Kublai Khan

"Marco Polo" is Kublai's show, and he's wilted under the spotlight by making one bad decision after another. But, like, they were mostly reasonable decisions, at least. Mostly.

Also Read: ‘Marco Polo’ Fact Check: What Really Happened With the Child Emperor of the Song Dynasty?
Netflix
1. Mei Lin

In the awkward position of being caught between basically every different faction on the show and having no tangible reason to be loyal to any of them, Mei Lin nonetheless manages to only murder people who have it coming. You could make a convincing case that shes' the real hero of "Marco Polo," even though she operates on the fringes of it most of the time.
Netflix

1 of 34

Which of the major players in the Netflix series ”Marco Polo“ is the best? We make the definitive determination

(Be forewarned: There are spoilers ahead for season 2 of "Marco Polo.") There are so many characters on "Marco Polo" -- some bad, some good, most just kind of in the middle of the spectrum. But which is the greatest? We've taken the 33 most important characters on the series so far, and ranked them worst to best.

View In Gallery

33 Major 'Marco Polo' Characters, Ranked (Photos)

7DAYFREETRIAL

7
DAY
FREE
TRIAL