I flew out of a general aviation airport to see how the rich travel. I didn't miss the hassle, lines, and frustration of commercial flying.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>US stocks climbed Friday, but the major indexes remain on track for a losing week.</li><li>Debt-ceiling talks drag on, and investors are weighing the implications of the fast-approaching X-date.</li></ul><p>US stocks climbed Friday, but were on track for a weekly decline as investors continue to take in the ongoing debt-ceiling stalemate. Reports said that a planned Friday meeting between lawmakers and President Joe Biden has been delayed until next week.</p><p>With a looming potential US default and more regional bank weakness surfacing, recession fears are mounting. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the so-called X-date, when the US could default on its debt, could arrive as soon as June 1.</p><p>Meanwhile, Federal Reserve Governor Michelle Bowman said Friday that still-high inflation could justify another interest rate hike, which would heighten the risk of a downturn. Her comments followed weaker-than-expected wholesale prices data, which pointed to easing inflation.</p><p><strong>Here's where US indexes stood shortly after the 9:30 a.m. opening bell on Friday: </strong></p><ul><li><a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/index/s&amp;p_500?utm_source=markets&amp;utm_medium=ingest%3Futm_source%3Dmarkets&amp;utm_medium=ingest&amp;utm_medium=ingest&amp;utm_source=markets"><strong>S&amp;P 500</strong></a><strong>: </strong>4,142.02, up 0.28%</li></ul><ul><li><a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/index/dow_jones?utm_source=markets&amp;utm_medium=ingest%3Futm_source%3Dmarkets&amp;utm_medium=ingest&amp;utm_medium=ingest&amp;utm_source=markets"><strong>Dow Jones Industrial Average</strong></a><strong>: </strong>33,367.97, up 0.18% (58.46 points)</li></ul><ul><li><a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/index/nasdaq_composite?utm_source=markets&amp;utm_medium=ingest%3Futm_source%3Dmarkets&amp;utm_medium=ingest&amp;utm_medium=ingest&amp;utm_source=markets"><strong>Nasdaq Composite</strong></a><strong>: </strong>12,353.89, up 0.23% </li></ul><p><strong>Here's what else is going on: </strong></p><ul><li>Investors should snap up Tesla stock because a new Twitter CEO will <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/tesla-stock-price-elon-musk-new-twitter-ceo-wedbush-ives-2023-5">allow Elon Musk to focus on his "golden child,"</a> Wedbush says</li><li>Tech stocks' superb 2023 is about to be <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/tech-stocks-rally-recession-federal-reserve-crash-bank-of-america-2023-5">shattered by a recession</a>, according to Bank of America</li><li>The family behind First Citizens Bank has <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/first-citizens-bank-family-wealth-svb-bankruptcy-rescue-deposits-crisis-2023-5">seen its wealth double to $2.2 billion</a> after buying SVB's assets out of bankruptcy</li><li>Hindenburg Research <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/hindenburg-research-carl-icahn-short-selling-shorting-bonds-stocks-2023-5">stepped up its offensive against billionaire Carl Icahn's investment firm</a> by shorting its bonds</li><li>The crypto lawsuit against Tom Brady, Shaquille O'Neal, and the Golden State Warriors <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/currencies/tom-brady-shaquille-o-neal-golden-state-warriors-ftx-lawsuit-2023-5">got the cooperation of a former FTX exec</a></li><li>Tesla's long wait times are a bullish sign and <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/tesla-stock-price-elon-musk-ev-wait-times-piper-sandley-2023-5">the stock could jump 62%</a>, Piper Sandler says</li></ul><p><strong>In commodities, bonds, and crypto: </strong></p><ul><li>Oil prices climbed, with<a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/commodities/oil-price?type=wti"> West Texas Intermediate</a> up 0.5% to $71.38 a barrel. <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/commodities/oil-price?utm_medium=ingest&amp;utm_source=markets">Brent crude</a>, the international benchmark, inched higher 0.6% to $75.45 a barrel</li><li><a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/commodities/gold-price?utm_source=markets&amp;utm_medium=ingest%3Futm_source%3Dmarkets&amp;utm_medium=ingest&amp;utm_medium=ingest&amp;utm_source=markets">Gold</a> edged higher 0.14% to $2,023.00 per ounce</li><li>The<a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/rates/u-s--rates-10-years?utm_medium=ingest&amp;utm_source=markets"> 10-year yield</a> held steady at 3.39%</li><li><a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/currencies/btc-usd?utm_medium=ingest&amp;utm_source=markets">Bitcoin</a> dropped 1.68% to $26,428.21</li></ul>

US stocks climb but head for a weekly loss as investors weigh debt-ceiling talks

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Sheldon Edwards is a third-generation barber who's been cutting hair since he was a child.</li><li>He's become a favorite of soccer players and has traveled with clients to the World Cup.</li></ul><p><em>This as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with Sheldon Edwards, a London barber, about styling soccer players' hair at the World Cup in Qatar. It has been edited for length and clarity.</em></p><p>I was born in Jamaica and brought up as a third-generation barber. My granddad was a barber, he left his barbershop to my dad, and when I was about 9 or 10, my dad started asking me to work for him.</p><p>He did different jobs, though, so he'd send me to the shop to be a "watchman" and make sure that everything was running right. Through that, I picked up a piece of talent from everyone there and made it my own talent.</p><h2><strong>I then started cutting my friends' hair at 10 or 11 years old</strong></h2><p>I'd cut in the canteen or even in the classroom. I then came to the UK as a young kid, where my mum was working four or five cleaning jobs to keep us going. So when I arrived, I started pushing my barbering talent straight away. I built my talent from there, and that's led to where I am today.</p><p>I named the brand after I gave Moussa Dembélé, a French footballer, a haircut. It was so sharp, we compared it to an HD TV. Ever since, we've been known as HD Cutz. It started as a joke, but everything has grown since then.</p><p>I met the Belgian footballer Radja Nainggolan, and every week for about five years, he took me to Rome when he was playing for Roma. I then became the barber for the Roma players. I met Antonio Rüdiger, who played for Roma at the time but plays for Real Madrid now. He's been like a brother to me.</p><p>Rüdiger moved to Chelsea, and then I met Raheem Sterling, who became a friend. That led to me meeting a lot of Manchester City players. Names like Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez became my clients.</p><p>The England player Jude Bellingham took me to Germany, where he plays for Borussia Dortmund. The team's players all became my clients. It was a ripple effect of one player sowing the seeds with others. I'm like the pied piper.</p><h2><strong>Now I'm the barber for England's men's soccer team, but I travel for all my individual clients</strong></h2><p>Some clients fly me out to competitions with them. In Doha, Qatar, I'm on a retainer with all of my clients, who'll cover flights, hotels, time, and expenses.</p><p>I was also at the Russia World Cup in 2018 with England, and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/jun/20/phil-foden-says-teammates-will-copy-haircut-if-england-win-euro-2020#:~:text=Phil%20Foden%20says%20his%20England,went%20blond%20for%20Euro%2096.">my haircut for Foden during the UEFA European Football Championship went viral</a>. <a href="https://metro.co.uk/2021/07/10/euro-2020-how-to-bleach-your-hair-like-phil-foden-at-home-14905504/">The entire nation was dying their hair blond</a>.</p><div type="image" title="Soccer player Phil Foden stands with his hands on his head on a soccer pitch" height="2655" width="3554" msid="96131750" hostid="261" sizebytes="946428"></div><p>I also do German, Belgian, and French players, and I have clients in Brazil. I do a lot of teams, but England is my home and where I live. I ultimately want them to win.</p><h2><strong>Some players think if I cut their hair before a match, they'll do well</strong></h2><p>They're superstitious. Some say that if they don't feel good, they won't play good, almost like they haven't brought their football boots to the game.</p><p>At a tournament like the World Cup, the day before a match, I get up, eat breakfast, go to the gym, and get my mindset right. It can get very busy when you're on the move. You're so in demand, and you're moving around to different hotels. You're working around the massages, physical therapy, and team meetings. You're always on the move.</p><p>This is the wild thing, though — I'm going to be cutting the France players and the England players before the quarterfinal match between them. It's my job to make sure both teams are fresh. A lot of times, these people are friendly with each other, but when it comes to the flag of their country, they fight it out like warriors. That's what I respect.</p><p>This job comes with a lot of sacrifices. You're going to have to sacrifice the things that you love to do. You have to put yourself last and the job first.</p><p>If you have those skills, you're on your way to becoming a celebrity barber. But you also have to have funny banter with the players about how nice they look and how great they feel about going into the game.</p><p>It brings me the greatest satisfaction when I see players performing at their highest level — and know that I brought out in them a form of confidence that nobody else could've.</p>

I'm a barber at the World Cup. Superstitious players think a haircut gives them good luck for a game.

<img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5cadf3f47ef2b50d6c15b9d7-2400/gettyimages-532422794.jpg" alt="elon musk" /><ul><li><strong>Piper Sandler lifted its price target for <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/tsla-stock">Tesla</a> to $928 per share from $729, setting a new Wall Street-high for the surging stock.</strong></li><li><strong>The company successfully "turned consumers into unwitting climate warriors" with its cars, but Tesla's growing energy generation and storage segments serve as its next frontier, analysts Alexander Potter and Winnie Dong wrote Tuesday.</strong></li><li><strong>The team installed a solar charging system to test their hypothesis and called the early results "illuminating."</strong></li><li><strong>Tesla shares are already nearing the lofty price target, closing at $858.40 on Tuesday and up as much as 8% in early Wednesday trading.</strong></li><li><strong><a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/tsla-stock">Watch Tesla trade live here</a>.</strong></li></ul><hr /><p>Piper Sandler has a new Wall Street-high price target for <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/tsla-stock">Tesla</a> shares, but the stock is already nearing the lofty target in early Wednesday trading.</p><p>The research firm boosted its price target to $928 per share from $729 on Tuesday, praising "the superiority of Tesla's products" and its ability to turn customers "into unwitting climate warriors." The company's ability to combine flashy technology, blistering acceleration, and eco-friendliness has paid off, analysts Alexander Potter and Winnie Dong said. Tesla will now need to focus on its solar business if it seeks to further dominate the electric vehicle sector, they added.</p><p>"As curmudgeons rightly note, charging EVs with coal-based electricity isn't very 'green,'" the analysts wrote. "So Tesla's next challenge will entail making it cool to generate and store one's own solar power."</p><p>Tesla shares jumped on the upgrade, surging as much as 8% Wednesday morning. The stock is already up roughly 107% year-to-date, and is nearing its intraday record high of $969 after a brief slump in early February.</p><p>Shares closed 7.3% higher on Tuesday after Tesla received a price target upgrade from Morgan Stanley.</p><p>It's "easy to forget" that Tesla's battery and solar panel segment accounted for only 6% of sales in 2019, Potter and Dong wrote, but investors should monitor the segment for signs of future success. Tesla management expects the energy generation and storage business to rival its automotive segment in the future, suggesting there's plenty of room to run for the smaller product line.</p><p>To test their hypothesis, the analysts installed a solar system to charge a Model X. The system has already yielded "illuminating" results and show significant promise for Tesla's future in the energy generation industry, the team said.</p><p>"After logging 53,448 miles and surviving four Minnesota winters (with no noticeable range degradation), we are convinced that Tesla's automotive products offer a superior ownership experience. If history is any indication, we'll eventually be saying something similar about generating and storing our own solar power," Potter and Dong wrote.</p><p>Tesla closed at $858.40 on Tuesday, just 3.3% below its record-high close of $887.06 on February 4.</p><p>The automaker has seven "buy" ratings, 12 "hold" ratings, and 18 "sell" ratings from analysts, with a consensus price target of $505.76, according to Bloomberg data.</p><p><em><strong>Now read more markets coverage from Markets Insider and Business Insider:</strong></em></p><p><em><strong><a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/apple-stock-price-analyst-reaction-coronavirus-revenue-adjustment-guidance-2020-2-1028915932">'Tough pill to swallow for the bulls': Here's what 4 Wall Street analysts are saying about Apple's coronavirus-stricken sales forecast</a></strong></em></p><p><em><strong><a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/coronavirus-economic-impact-close-shrinking-global-growth-1q-ubs-warns-2020-2-1028915504">The coronavirus outbreak is dangerously close to shrinking global growth this quarter, UBS warns</a></strong></em></p><p><em><strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/stock-picks-biggest-holdings-from-top-performing-hedge-fund-managers-2020-2">10 stocks the market's best-performing hedge funds are piling into right now - and 9 more they're buying for the long haul</a></strong></em></p><p><em><strong></strong></em></p><em><strong><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5e4d3f402687fc4c6e456d8c-734/screen shot 2020-02-19 at 85909 am.png" alt="TSLA" /></strong></em><p class="tagline"><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/intelligence/bi-intelligence-daily?IR=T&amp;itm_source=businessinsider&amp;itm_medium=ctgr_bii&amp;itm_term=ctgr_subscription&amp;itm_content=tesla&amp;itm_campaign=bi-intelligence-daily"><img src="https://static.businessinsider.com/image/5dc428a57eece546b8629657" alt="Signup Today: Free Daily Newsletter from Business Insider Intelligence" style="width: 100% !important" /></a></p>

Tesla has a new biggest bull on Wall Street - and their optimism around the firm's solar business has shares soaring

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/56ed760691058427008b7826-2400/rtx1e6iv.jpg" alt="Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff" data-mce-source="Robert Galbraith/Reuters" data-mce-caption="Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff" /><p class="source"><span>Robert Galbraith/Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff</p></div><p></p></div></div>Salesforce has spent over $4 billion on acquisitions in the past year alone, and it's making some investors grow concerned about the company's spending strategy.</p><p>According to a note by Macquarie Research on Tuesday, Salesforce may have some explaining to do during its earnings call on Wednesday to ease the investors worried about the company's record-high buying spree over the past year. It writes:</p><p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span>"Salesforce's recent M&amp;A activity has inspired a wave of speculation in the press about who Salesforce may acquire next, making many investors uneasy about the company's direction despite particularly little substantial news from the company. </span></p><p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span></span><span>We are therefore looking for Salesforce to provide clarification on its M&amp;A strategy during its upcoming conference call, which we believe would reassure investors about management's M&amp;A discipline."</span></p><p><span>Salesforce has bought about a dozen companies in the past 12 months, the fastest pace in the company's history. That includes the $2.8 billion Demandware acquisition, which was the largest deal Salesforce has made to date, and the $750 million deal for the 40-person startup Quip. On top of that, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff is reported to have <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/salesforce-really-wanted-linkedin-2016-7">tried to outbid Microsoft's $26 billion offer for LinkedIn</a> at one point, causing investors to question the company's M&amp;A strategy.</span></p><p><span>Other research firms like UBS and Wedbush raised the same concerns, saying investors are worried that Salesforce could be finding its organic growth slowing and looking to pursue expensive deals even if they are dilutive to earnings. That's also partly pressuring Salesforce's share price, which has remained roughly flat after announcing its Demandware acquisition in June.</span></p><p><span>Still, Piper Jaffray noted that most of the acquisitions make sense because they've been in the artificial intelligence and machine learning space, in which Salesforce is launching <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/salesforces-new-product-is-einstein-2016-8">its new product Einstein</a>. Salesforce is expected to keep up its growth because of the strong potential in its Service and Marketing Cloud products, which is also helping the company attract "some of the best talent in the industry," the note said. It added:</span></p><p style="padding-left: 30px;">"While investors we have spoken with are getting incrementally more cautious around the pace of Salesforce's M&amp;A machine, we believe that acquisitions such as BeyondCore, which are tuck-in in nature, can expand the scope of existing solutions to make them more impactful and successful in the marketplace," Piper Jaffray said.</p><p>Perhaps we'll find out more Wednesday when Salesforce reports its quarterly earnings. </p><p>Here's what analysts are expecting, according to Yahoo Finance:</p><ul><li><strong>Q2 adjusted earnings per share (EPS):</strong> $0.22, up from $0.19 in Q2 2015.</li><li><strong>Q2 Revenue:</strong> $2.02 billion, up about 23.6% from $1.63 billion in the year-ago period.</li></ul>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/lebron-james-reacts-kevin-durant-joining-golden-state-warriors-2016-8">Here's how LeBron James reacted when he learned Kevin Durant was joining the Warriors</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="VjMHFmNTE6SEQ1ZA3Q4BWQO9T5gxyojD" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'VjMHFmNTE6SEQ1ZA3Q4BWQO9T5gxyojD',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

Investors are worried about Salesforce's $4 billion buying binge -&#160;and are looking for answers

<p><strong><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/55d6d7c7dd08950b058b4762-951-713/jack-dorsey-913.jpg" alt="jack dorsey 9:13" data-mce-source="Getty Images/Bill Pugliano" /><p class="source"><span>Getty Images/Bill Pugliano</span></p><p class="caption">Jack Dorsey has been acting as Twitter's interim CEO for months.</p></div><p></p></div></div>1. <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/apple-ipad-pro-release-date-2015-9">Apple is reportedly planning to release its long-rumoured super-sized iPad on September 9.</a> </strong>The iPad Pro, along with a new iPad Mini, are expected to hit shelves in November.</p><p><strong>2.<a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/twitter-ceo-search-includes-cisco-exec-padmasree-warrior-cbs-interactive-ceo-jim-lanzone-2015-9">Twitter has talked to Cisco's Padmasree Warrior and CBS Interative boss Jim Lanzone about being its next CEO.</a> </strong>According to the same Bloomberg report, Twitter's board will meet on Thursday to discuss the status of the CEO search.</p><p><strong>3. <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/intel-skylake-will-give-pc-performance-at-tablet-size-2015-9">The tablet market isn't happy about the release of Intel's new sixth generation Core processor.</a> </strong>Intel's new chips are codenamed Skylike, the company's "best processors ever," and could allow the PC to look as sleek as some tablets without sacrificing computing power.</p><p><strong>4. <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/robert-lang-is-new-socialbakers-ceo-2015-8">Socialbakers CEO Jan Rezab will give up the CEO position at the company he founded to become executive chairman.</a> </strong>Robert Lang will become CEO in his place.</p><p><strong>5. <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/ashley-madison-owner-avid-life-ran-escort-service-says-daily-dot-2015-9">Avid Life Media, the company that owns Ashley Madison, also owned an escort service.</a></strong>An internal memo lists a shell company called Pernimus Limited as one of Avid Life Media's assets, which leased an escort website called <span class="skimlinks-unlinked">Escorts.ca in 2013, and the site was active until Tuesday evening.</span></p><p><strong>6.<a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/google-nexus-5-and-android-m-release-date-leaks-2015-9">Google will reportedly unveil its new Nexus phones at an event on Sept. 29.</a></strong>The phones will be made by LG and Huawei.</p><p><strong>7. <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/50-60-percent-chance-apple-build-car-project-titan-gene-munster-2015-9">One Apple analyst believes there is only a 50-60% chance that Apple will make a car.</a> </strong>Piper Jaffray senior research analyst Gene Munster also believes that one wouldn't appear for close to ten years.</p><p><strong>8. <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/wikipedia-extortion-racket-381-orangemoody-2015-9">Hundreds of British businesses have had their Wikipedia pages pulled.</a> </strong>They had been targeted by scammers that offered to publish and protect a page on the company, but then came after the firm for a fee.</p><p><strong>9. <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/apple-has-sold-over-1-million-watches-in-china-2015-9">One study claims Apple has sold over 1.07 million Apple Watches in China.</a>;</strong>Apple still isn't sharing its own numbers.</p><p><strong>10. <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/whsmith-customer-emails-data-privacy-2015-9">WHSmith has apologised for a "bug" in its magazine subscription process that accidentally emailing customer contact details to other customers on Wednesday morning. </a></strong>Here's Wednesday's report on the leak.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/us-air-force-f-22-raptor-costs-200-million-lethal-fighter-jet-2015-7">This $200 million plane is called the 'most lethal fighter aircraft in the world'</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="drYXRkdjoL0Qzy9Ui5QTih2IoyDGgoEm" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'drYXRkdjoL0Qzy9Ui5QTih2IoyDGgoEm',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

10 things in tech you need to know today

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57753feddd08954d6d8b490f-960/a3d0b8ae6b492e74c8d1947736b07a17952996aa.jpg" alt="Marco Polo" data-mce-source="Netflix"><p class="source"><span>Netflix</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div><p>Netflix's original series "Marco Polo" was one of the most ambitious, beautiful, and expensive seasons of television ever to air. (Seriously, the 10-episode season cost a staggering <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/netflix-marco-polo-tv-show-budget-2014-11">$90 million</a>.)</p><p>So it's kind of weird that nobody really seems to care that the historical drama's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXfgvcJ5T8E">second season comes out tomorrow, July 1</a>.&#xa0;</p><p>Here's what you need to know about what's weirdly one of Netflix's most underrated series.&#xa0;</p><p><strong>It's not exactly "great," but man - does it have potential.&#xa0;</strong></p><p>Netflix really wanted "Marco Polo" to be its <a href="http://www.thisisinsider.com/game-of-thrones-is-setting-up-a-war-of-the-five-queens-2016-6">"Game of Thrones."</a> It's got a similar - if somewhat more realistic - swords and sandals setting&#xa0;as the hit HBO series, and a comparable budget, but it never quite caught on the same way. The streaming service doesn't release viewer stats, but it's a pretty safe assumption that more people&#xa0;are fans of "Game of Thrones" dragons and ice zombies than this Mongolian period piece (your timeline isn't being flooded with "Marco Polo" fan theory posts, after all).</p><p><div><iframe width="800" height="450" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/gua4tiGw5tk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></p><p>Part of this is undoubtedly because Westeros is a more immediately exciting setting than the Yuan Dynasty. Another part of it is that "Marco Polo" is kind of a mess tonally. Half of the time it's a straightforward, respectful bit of lightly fictionalized history. The other half of the time it's naked kung fu. (Though, to be fair, most of the fight scenes are dope.)</p><p>It's more than a little jarring, since the two halves don't quite feel like they go together, and "Marco Polo" might benefit from picking a lane and sticking to it.</p><p>Season one was a slow build too, and it took the series a little while to make anybody but the title character seem fleshed-out and worth investing in. That's a shame, because Marco Polo is probably the least interesting character in the series. Luckily, he's surrounded by fascinating figures once we get to know them.</p><p>And there's one really cool thing about all these characters...&#xa0;</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57753feddd08954d6d8b4910-960/1f7fc01c43c436212fb6fb590f4050cf51be80de%20(1).jpg" alt="Hundred Eyes" data-mce-source="Netflix"><p class="source"><span>Netflix</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div><p><strong>"Marco Polo" is incredibly diverse.</strong></p><p>It's sad that this is the case, but it's really surprising - and admirable - that Netflix spent $90 million dollars on a tent pole series that features exactly one (1) major white actor. Sure, Marco Polo is the main character, but as the series goes on he begins to becomes part of the ensemble rather than an outright protagonist, Piper Chapman-style.&#xa0;</p><p>Instead, "Marco Polo" showcases the talents of dozens and dozens of amazing Asian actors. Benedict Wong is especially terrific as Kublai Khan, a terrifying, hot-tempered warrior with aspirations of being a truly great ruler even as he harbors doubts about how to best go about that course.</p><p>Sadly, this very diversity could be one of the reasons why "Marco Polo" hasn't caught on with mainstream audiences who aren't used to seeing such a major production with so few big-name white actors.&#xa0;</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57753feddd08954d6d8b4911-1760/marco_s1_023_h.jpg" alt="Marco Polo" data-mce-source="Netflix"><p class="source"><span>Netflix</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div><p><strong>"Marco Polo" is the most beautiful show on television. Full stop.</strong></p><p>The historical setting of "Marco Polo" was full of details, lush&#xa0;costumes and staggeringly ornate architecture, all found amidst the&#xa0;gorgeous landscapes of the Mongolian Steppe and 13th Century China. It's instantly clear that a sizable chunk of the $90 million budget of the first season went towards bringing this to life.</p><p>Gorgeous cinematography helps bring out the best of the&#xa0;sets and costumes, and there are a staggering amount of extras and horses in most scenes. The whole world "Marco Polo" is recreating seems incredibly real, until it's undermined by a somewhat silly amount of nude, post-coital martial arts murder. (But again, even those scenes are&#xa0;amazingly shot.)</p><p><div><iframe width="800" height="450" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/OXfgvcJ5T8E" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></p><p>&#xa0;</p><p><strong>What's going to happen this season?</strong></p><p>The first part of&#xa0;the first season was all about introducing the viewers, through Marco Polo's eyes, to Kublai Khan's kingdom. The second half really kicked into gear when Kublai's' war with the walled city of&#xa0;<span>Xiangyang, which was under the control of the cunning and deadly&#xa0;<span>Jia Sidao, chancellor of the Song Dynasty.&#xa0;</span></span></p><p>Based on the trailer, the sophomore season will see the Khan battling forces from within his own Dynasty, and possibly taking his darkest turn yet.&#xa0;</p><p>It looks cool (flaming horses!) and, perhaps best of all, Marco Polo looks like he's maybe the third or fourth-most important character. Instead, the focus is on Kublai Khan, Hundred Eyes, and the other, more interesting characters than our increasingly unnecessary POV&#xa0;protagonist.&#xa0;</p><p><strong>Bottom line: "Marco Polo" isn't great, but it's pretty good and has potential to be so much more. Plus, it's not a coincidence that it's airing on the first weekend since "Game of Thrones" ended. What else are you gonna watch?</strong></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/best-underrated-unknown-netflix-tv-shows-2016-5">The 7 best TV shows on Netflix you've probably never heard of</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="huZ3ZyMzE6rGxAguTdCEVzFAvdxaEa5B" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'huZ3ZyMzE6rGxAguTdCEVzFAvdxaEa5B',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

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