At the beginning of the 3rd episode, Ah Sahm (Andrew Koji) wins another fight before Rosalita (Maria-Elena Laas) tells him it is getting harder to make money on him because the odds are bad. She asks and Ah Sahm confirms he isn’t willing to throw a fight. She knows a place where he can earn a much bigger purse and fight some of the best fighters. Ah Sahm tells her she doesn’t know him before he asks him to stay and have a drink with her. She admits she doesn’t have a lot of company before she walks off and warns Wang Chao (Hoon Lee) that he is better not be working there. Chao claims he is only there to watch the fights. He slides over and talks to Ah Sahm about the molasses deal with Happy Jack. Chao admits he doesn’t see any way that could end well.
Then, the conversation shifts to Mai Ling (Dianne Doan) and Ah Sahm’s obsession with taking her down. Chao wonders who Mai Ling is to Ah Sahm who asks him what his game is. Chao claims he isn’t playing a game and only wants to know. He suggests everyone is going to suffer for the secret war Ah Sahm is waging against Mai Ling. After the intro, Mai Ling visits Zing (Dustin Nguyen) to tell him he can pay her $70 based on the opium receipts he was short this month but Zing claims to have charged her a small service fee. He says Suey Sing was embarrassing her and he took care of it but Mai Ling reminds him she never asked him to do that. She expects the money by the end of the day before warning him not to go against another tong without consulting her.
Zing doesn’t seem to be worried about her threats and says they should drink on it. He gets a drink and passes the mare’s milk to her. Li Yong (Joe Taslim) watches as Mai Ling takes the milk and drinks it without any trouble. Li Yong strikes Zing’s guard in the throat before Zing throws his hands up and tells the man to be grateful for his pain since it means he is still alive. Seconds later, Walter Buckley (Langley Kirkwood) and Mayor Blake (Christian McKay) visit Penny’s workhouse and scold her for hiring the tongs. Penelope (Joanna Vanderham) reminds him he made it very clear that there would be no help from city hall so she had to do something. Samuel hopes she’ll understand when he does what he has to do. He threatens to pull the city contract if the thugs aren’t gone by tomorrow.
Ah Toy (Olivia Cheng) receives her portion of the rent from her partner, Patterson, and he tells her about the police visiting and asking about Timmons and McCormick. He reveals that one of the officers was Richard Lee (Tom Weston-Jones) and the other was a sergeant. This leads Toy to believe he is talking about Bill O’Hara (Kieran Bew). Ah Toy says they don’t have to worry about them. She says she did it to protect him and her interests and that is the American way. Richard Lee visits the pub and gets into a fight. He shoots one man in the leg until Abigail (Gaosi Raditholo) pleads with him to take the money and leave. Richard stops what he is doing and leaves with the money. Meanwhile, Bill tries to find out what happened to Edgar by speaking to Mrs. Kellerman.
She accuses Bill of collecting for the casino and he confesses that Edgar owes $40. Mrs. Kellerman (Kelsey Egan) orders her kid out of the room before exposing her breasts but Bill doesn’t want to do anything with her. He says he is a cop owned by the Chinese. He tells her he’ll be back tomorrow and Edgar should have the money by then. After that, Bill takes the money to Bing and Zing gives him a big stack of money. Bill says the bonus should be used to pay some of Edgar’s debt but Zing reminds him this isn’t how they do business. Bill says he is done this time and has paid his debt. He threatens to bring the full force down on the Fung Hai if Zing or his men come after them again. Later that evening, Penny, Samuel, and others have dinner with Nellie Davenport (Miranda Raison) and praise her work.
They suggest having Nellie married again before she asks Penny if her marriage gives her purpose. Penny is hesitant to answer but eventually says marriage means different things to different people. She says her work gives her purpose and Nellie agrees with that. They chat about her husband Fred and whether he would’ve wanted her visiting brothels. She reminds them that Fred was found dead in a brothel on Powell. She says Fred decided to sodomize a 14-year-old girl until his heart gave out but the girl didn’t have a choice. We see a series of transactions that end with Young Jun (Jason Tobin) paying two men and consulting with Ah Sahm. He believes they’ll make up the short fall in three months at this pace.
Ah Sahm says it might happen in two with the extra money they’re making defending the factory. Young Jun tries to find out how his friend pulled it off and suspects his friend was sleeping with the duck lady. Ah Sahm says a gentleman never tells. Zing goes to Chao and asks where his daggers are at. Zing wonders if Chao doesn’t trust him and Chao admits his boss didn’t pay the last time he ordered. Then, he accuses Zing of setting his boss up to die. Zing tries to make it clear that Chao isn’t better or safer before giving him half of the payment. He says they’re in business now and people who work for him usually only work for him. Meanwhile, Lee conducts experiments to find out more about the murder weapon. It leads him to believe that the swordsman is not from one of the tongs.
He hasn’t found anything new on Patterson. The Chief enters and complains that they’re in a police station and not a butcher’s shop. When he stops complaining, Bill asks Lee if he is coming over for dinner tonight. Lee says he can’t let them feed him every night. Young Jun and Ah Sahm watch as a carriage full of men arrive and are promptly greeted by Father Jun (Perry Yung). Young Jun confronts his father who says they need men who’ve been vetted so they know they can trust them. Young Jun can’t believe he is using Chinese hatchets but his father says they need to show the Six Companies that they have things under control. Young Jun asks the others to leave the room so he can speak to his father in private. Young Jun tells his father he needs to show him respect and it makes him look like an idiot.
He also says they wouldn’t have needed to beg China for help if he hadn’t let the Long Zii into the mix in the first place. He asks his father if he lied about him being the only one he can trust but Father Jun says trust goes both ways. He doesn’t believe his son is smart enough yet to know what he doesn’t know. Meanwhile, one of the new men bums a cigarette and lighter from Ah Sahm. The guy is just happy to be in America but Ah Sahm doesn’t want to talk to him until the man mentions his loss in the tournament. He introduces himself as Hong (Chen Tang). When Young Jun returns and says he needs a drink, Hong tries to invite himself. Hong tells Young Jun he is a loyal soldier and can fight very well but he needs some sticky very soon. Dylan Leary (Dean Jagger) finds Sophie (Celine Buckens) in the bag and tells her nobody is allowed back there.
Sophie learns about Dylan’s plan but he says it is only a map. He tries to make sure she isn’t the wrong person to tell and she makes it clear she isn’t. After a kiss, he warns her that this won’t end well but she doesn’t let that stop her. Ah Sahm tells Hong he is going to find out very soon that he has bigger problems. Ah Sahm joins Young Jun downstairs before they discuss what is wrong with Young Jun. He is worried that his father will find out they haven’t placed an order with China very soon so he suggests calling it off. Ah Sahm says they just got it up and running. Plus, it is working so it isn’t time to lose your nerve. He believes they’ll be able to show their profits before Father Jun hears anything about it. Hong interrupts and joins them. He tells them that they’re Hop Wei and he is too so that makes them brothers whether they like it or not.
When they leave, Ah Sahm asks Hong if he is coming with them. As they walk along, Ah Sahm tells Hong about the history between the tongs and Mai Ling making a deal with the Fung Hai. They take Hong to see the Fung Hai. Hong approaches them and starts a fight with them immediately. Ah Sahm tells Young Jun he is starting to like Hong. Young Jun tells Ah Sahm to wait because he wants to see this. Hong handles the Fung Hai without backup. Chao goes to Mai Ling to get assistance settling his problem. He tells her he doesn’t want Zing anywhere near his shop because Zing is bad for business. She tells him to fulfill his order and be thankful for his pain because it means he is still alive. He says unlike the Suey Sing tong and this isn’t only about his pain.
He tells her about the Fung Hai getting into a drunken scrap with the Hop Wei not long ago. He believes the Fung Hai have broken the treaty. When he leaves, Li Yong admits he disapproves since Chao has been a valuable associate for many years but Mai Ling says he was loyal to every tong. Li says Long Zii believed in loyalty. Mai Ling believes his loyalty got him killed. Sophie finds out that Dylan’s plan is to keep blowing up factories until people at the top listen. She claims you need to be in the room if you want lasting change. She says you have to be in the City Hall or state senate. She asks him if he is ever sorry he came to America. He admits they have a ways to go but it is still better in America. She talks about wanting to escape while so many people are coming there for a better life.
He doesn’t believe she knows because he has seen whole villages wiped out by famine and so many other bad things. He gets angry and tries to run off but she grabs his hand and they keep walking together. Then, we see Walter Buckley in a carriage with a woman who is likely a harlot. He takes her home and washes her hair. Li Yong meets up with Chao for food and they discuss the Suey Sing being slaughtered like animals. Chao wonders how bad it’ll have to get but Li Yong suggests he would kill him first. Chao doesn’t believe that would fix anything since the Fung Hai would come after him and Mai Ling would have to retaliate. Chao believes there might be a different way to solve their little problem without starting a war.
That night, Lee joins Bill and Lucy (Emily Child) for dinner and they laugh about Lee’s experiment at work. Bill tells his wife what Russell Flannagan (David Butler) told Lee. Dinner ends and Lee tells them he is starting to feel like he is imposing but Lucy says they consider him family now. Bill encourages Richard to go straight home and get some sleep for a change. When Bill goes back inside, he finds out that Richard left his notebook. He sits outside and looks through the notebook which is full of sketches. When Bill turns around, he finds a Chinese man holding a big sword to his son’s neck. They have the rest of his family too. Bill promises to do whatever he wants before Richard arrives and kills the Chinese man. Then, a scuffle ensues with two men inside.
Bill ends up stabbing and killing one of the men. Lucy grabs a gun and kills the last one to stop him from killing her husband. We see the bloody aftermath before the episode ends.
Warrior Review
Although Warrior is a bloody good time, I am not sure it has the same impact it had the first season. There might a bit too much going on this season. I cringed at the dialogue a few times this episode but I suppose the show never tried to be totally realistic either. I am not sure or interested in where things are going with Dylan Leary since the character is only sprinkled in every so often.
The Teddy Boys proved to be a moot point since we didn’t hear about them all this episode. What was the point of that anyway? As for Leary, he doesn’t have a gang and is only working alone. That doesn’t make him particularly frightening honestly. None of the gangs are well established except the Hop Wei. Still, I like Warrior.
The best parts are the character relationships with Young Jun and Ah Sahm as well as Bill and Richard Lee. I think Lee is quickly becoming one of the most interesting characters. Right now, the show is still very good and much better than a lot of other shows going on. I’ll stick with it. This episode scores a 7.5 out of 10. Previous recaps of Warrior can be found on Reel Mockery.
Jay Skelton is a fan of all television shows and movies. He tries his best to keep up with the latest foreign television shows and movies. Jay loves skinny dipping in the dark too.
