Tilda, Into the Badlands

Tilda (Ally Ioannides)

Into the badlands is set in a post-apocalyptic feudal society divided between barons who control land and commodities and are served by a massive workforce of slaves (the Cogs) and a prostitute class (the Dolls). They maintain power through their “Clippers”, highly trained and loyal warriors at the apex of the society.

Tilda is part of the regular cast, the teenage daughter of one of the barons, The Widow, and the Regent of her mother’s Clippers, who are called “Butterflies”. Her father had abused and raped both Tilda and her mother, until eventually her mother killed him and taught Tilda how to fight and kill.

Season 1

In Season 1 Tilda formed a semi-friendship with MK, one of the main characters, a boy with a hidden power revealed when he is cut. The romance was only hinted at, but Tilda kissed him in episode 2 to fool The Widow, to cover the fact that she was helping him escape, and when Tilda cut him to reveal his inner power, she managed to calm him down by saying his name.

Alexia Ioannides, who plays Tilda, compared it to a “true love’s kiss”:

Q: Can you talk about the showdown between M.K. and Tilda in Episode 4? Sunny told M.K. to focus on something “pure” in order to control his dark side. Does Tilda represent purity for him?

A: It’s like a “true love’s kiss” kind of thing. It’s romantic, but that episode brings a lot of issues for Tilda. Tilda might remind him of his mother, subconsciously. There is something pure and honest that really speaks to him.

Season 2

In the season 2 premiere Tilda helped retake the oil fields with The Widow, whose dream was to eliminate the current system so that free men and women could choose their own futures. Tilda introduced her mother to Odessa, who had been kept as a Doll at the oil refinery. The Widow told Odessa she hoped she would decide to stay and join their movement.

As The Widow went to a meeting with the other Barons to petition to be allowed to hold the oil fields, Tilda was left behind at the refinery. Odessa appeared again in a very brief scene in 2×04 “Palm of the Iron Fox”, dressed as a Butterfly, and asked Tilda to be the one to train her. Tilda refused, but after a conversation she had with her, about women finally taking back power, she showed up in time to save her mother at the end of the episode.

In episode 2×06 “Leopard Stalks in Snow”, Odessa asked Tilda to meet with her to tell her she was leaving, because she found out The Widow was making an alliance with the Baron she had belonged to for 7 years.

Tilda tried to convince her to stay, and told her about her own past and the history of her father raping her every night, until The Widow killed him. Odessa said she would stay, but not for the Widow, and kissed her.

Tilda (Ally Ioannides) and Odessa (Maddison Jaizani), Into the Badlands / AMC. Episode 2×06

Odessa was missing from episode 2×07 and Tilda only made a short appearance. Odessa appeared briefly in the background in 2×08 as part of the butterflies, but she and Tilda had no scenes together.

In episode 2×09, Tilda was reunited with MK who asked her to leave with him to the mythical utopian city of Azra. Tilda refused: “It sounds like a dream, but things have changed. I’ve met someone, a friend. She makes me happy”. Odessa overheard the conversation and interrupted them, and then warned Tilda to stay away from MK not out of jealousy, but to protect her, because of MK’s “dark side”. Odessa was part of a cog shipment being traded along with MK and saw him slaughter every person on the ship. She tried to get Tilda to promise she would stay away from MK, but Tilda didn’t answer.

At the end of the episode, Tilda finally confronted The Widow over her actions and compromises during the season – she lost the fight and asked The Widow to kill her, but she only knocked her out. In the season finale, Odessa saved Tilda, who was locked up in a cell and they drove away together.

Season 3

The show has been renewed for season 3, to premiere in 2018.

Female love interests:

• Odessa (Maddison Jaizani, guest)

Relationship story arc with a woman: Yes

No male love interests

Relationship story arc with a man: No

Filter Relationship Arc:

• Female (Guest)

Storyline during sweeps? No

[1] A relationship story arc is defined as explicit, developed on screen, and lasting more than 3 episodes. It is listed as questionable or subtext if romance is only implied, mentioned instead of shown on screen, part of a dream sequence, or otherwise not explicit for the viewer.
[2] Sweeps episodes air in February, May, July and November, the periods when advertising rates are set. A character is marked as "sweeps" when there is a very limited number of episodes that address their sexuality, all air during sweeps period, and the storyline is otherwise ignore/dropped.