As the episode begins, Richard Lee (Tom Weston-Jones) stands outside and guards Bill’s house with a rifle. Before long, more officers arrive and they check to make sure everyone is okay. Bill (Kieran Bew) tells his wife she’ll be okay with her sister until he gets this sorted. She can’t understand why they came to her home and says they need to leave. She tells Bill that they need to get as far away from him as possible before blaming him for everything that has happened. Bill tells his son, Ethan, to take care of his mother and the boy agrees to do that. Bill tells his wife he’ll send for them but she tells him not to do that. Once the family is gone, Richard tells Bill he thought he had quit gambling and bill says he did. Richard asks why the Fung Hai were at his house.
Richard follows him inside and continues trying to find out why Bill and his family were attacked by the Chinese tong. Lee warns him that they killed three of their men so they’re going to keep coming before offering to help Bill out with money. Bill confesses he was working for the Fung Hai by collecting money for them. Richard realizes he was attacked because they were sending Bill a message so he punches Bill in the face. Lee starts wobbling around. As he leaves, he tells Bill to get away from him. After the intro, Sophie (Celine Buckens) goes to the pub with a date. The man tells her about playing rugby at Yale. He goes on to say that if you don’t see blood, you didn’t come to play. When the alcohol arrives, Sophie has no trouble putting hers away. Her friend, Spencer Thornhill (Russell Crous), tells her she is a very unusual woman.
She asks him if he still enjoys the sight of blood before they enjoy a fight in the pit. Dylan Leary (Dean Jagger) arrives and learns from Sophie that Spencer was thinking about going a few rounds. Spencer says she is joking though. He introduces himself to Dylan and wonders if it is a sport without rules. Dylan has other ideas and says removing the rules allows you to come up with something natural so you can find out what kind of a man you are. Dylan goes on about the pleasure of fighting before Spencer decides to leave. He tries to take Sophie with him but she decides to stay a bit longer. Later, Sophie and Dylan have sex. Mai Ling (Dianne Doan) learns about a business on Clay Street that will be the first encountered by ducks. The man wants $300 from her so he can buy supplies and hire employees.
Mai Ling quickly thinks about the offer and decides to increase the asking price to $1,000. She explains she doesn’t need a one-time interest payment on an insignificant loan. Her $1,000 would be an investment in exchange for 40% of the monthly revenue of the business. She also offers to give them protection and guarantee that no harm will come to their business. The man says he was only looking for a small advance but Mai Ling says he got a partner instead. She doesn’t give the man a chance to back out. Li Yong (Joe Taslim) doesn’t understand that since he told Liu Wei that they could give him a loan and not a buyout. Mai Ling explains that owning more legitimate businesses will reduce their risk of exposing themselves. He says they’re warriors and not washers but she suggests they’re whatever they need to be to survive.
She is worried about the duck government putting an end to the tongs and believes this could help them survive. Meanwhile, police officers get prepared while learning about the attack on Big Bill and his family. They’re told that they need to answer in kind or no one wearing blue will be safe. Chao arrives and requests to speak to Bill. He meets with Chao and tells him it isn’t a good time. Chao tells Bill it isn’t a good time to attack the Fung Hai because they expect an attack. He also reveals that Zing (Dustin Nguyen) will not be there. Chao sits down and tells Bill he is looking for a swordsman. He says it would be good for Bill if Zing was the swordsman and Bill realizes it would be good for Chao too. Chao offers to get proof in two days. Chao wants all of the weapons police take during the raid so Bill says they discuss that if Chao delivers.
Chao wants his weapons now or he won’t give up Zing. Sophie gets out of bed and looks through the window as Dylan feeds some of the locals. He brings her food moments later. Sophie asks Dylan why he hasn’t targeted her sister’s factory yet and wonders if it has anything to do with her. Dylan makes it clear he cannot let his feelings get in his way. He explains that Penelope’s factory is being guarded by Chinese gangsters so it is best to deal with targets that won’t cost men. He tells Sophie that as long as Penny continues to feed this plague Mercer Steel will be on his list. Meanwhile, Shan tries to joke around with Hong (Chen Tang). Young Jun (Jason Tobin) and Ah Sahm (Andrew Koji) listen to the cheesy jokes. Young Jun teaches Shan a lesson and tells him not to mess with Hong. Father Jun (Perry Yung) enters and tries to find out what is going on.
Russell Flannagan (David Butler) meets with Samuel (Christian McKay) and Buckley (Langley Kirkwood) to discuss the attack on Big Bill and his family. He confirms that they’re going to wipe out the tong responsible for the attack. Bill joins them and tells them about giving the men the order to stand down because an informant has told him that the Fung Hai expect retaliation. He says the tong members are happy to die as long as they get a few of them and he doesn’t want the men walking into a trap. He tells them that he has other plans and Samuel Blake agrees to let him handle it since he is the man in Chinatown. Buckley tells Samuel he’ll have to discuss this with his constituents and that there is no benefit in standing beside the Chinese anymore.
Water explains Senator Crestwood is becoming concerned with Samuel’s soft position on the issue. Buckley already told the Senator about Penelope and the attack on Bill will make things worse. Samuel is worried that he could lose the upcoming election if he doesn’t act quickly. Ah Toy (Olivia Cheng) and Mai Ling watch a street performer. Ah Toy gives him money before Mai Ling stops her for a conversation. They know about each other and Mai Ling says most people offer a greeting when they see her but Ah Toy did not. Toy claims she was distracted by the exhibition and meant no disrespect. Samuel talks to the press about the Chinese taking advantage of their goodwill and flouting their laws. He says the citizens of San Francisco and Americans need to come first.
He is conducting a review of the city’s labor laws so they can enforce them and make sure good American men are put back to work. Penelope (Joanna Vanderham) pays Ah Sahm for protecting her business. She confirms that Ah Sahm’s men earned it since Leary’s men haven’t shown their faces since. She asks Ah Sahm about himself before admitting she wasn’t sure he’d ever recover after the fight. He reveals he has bigger plans such as building something for himself. Ah Sahm hasn’t changed at all. Penny has but she is still Penny according to Ah Sahm. He gets close and touches her face until another man enters and interrupts. Ah Sahm leaves after pretending not to speak English very well. Dylan confronts Ah Sahm outside and tells him he’ll never be American but the Chinese don’t see it.
Dylan tries to warn him about taking their jobs but Ah Sahm says he doesn’t want it. Then, he tells Dylan he should try asking the Americans why they keep picking the Chinese over the Irish if they’re so American. He suggests Dylan might not belong there. Ah Sahm tells Dylan his name before Dylan tells him they have some unfinished business. Meanwhile, Nellie (Miranda Raison) goes to Toy’s business and sees Lai (Jenny Umbhau) there cleaning the floor. Ah Toy approaches her and introduces Nellie to her girl Pai Lin. Ah Toy tells Nellie that the girl wishes to leave with her. Toy says there was no chance because she doesn’t force anyone to stay and she takes care of them. Toy tells her girl she’ll be safer with Nellie. Then, Nellie admits she wishes she understood her better.
Nellie tries to convince Ah Toy to come with them too but Toy says there is too much work. Penelope asks her husband about his statement. He admits it was well received and he expects Crestwood and the labor movement to support his reelection very soon. She warns him that he has alienated the industrialists who supported his first campaign. He thinks they’ll adapt just like everyone else but Penny says they’ll say he lied. He accuses his wife of exploiting the Chinese for cheap labor. She doesn’t want a fight and says Merriweather and his cronies are talking about finding a new candidate. He insults her by saying they look at Penny and see a deluded woman with a factory that only functions because her husband is mayor.
When she says she can run the factory as well as any man, Samuel says they’ll find out soon because he is pulling the cable car contract. He explains that Mercer Steel will conduct no business with the City of San Francisco from this point forward. She says he can’t do that but he is more worried about having a wife who contradicts his policies. She tells her husband that the contract says any cancelation of signed purchase orders will leave him responsible for payment in full and it will include penalties as well. She got legal counsel and she suggests Samuel do the same since they don’t know what will come out in a public lawsuit. Then, Penelope runs into Sophie and tells her that Spencer sent his regards this morning. Penny reminds Sophie that The Banshee is not a place for a girl like her. Sophie asks her sister if she thinks she is better than the Irish.
Penny explains she cannot afford the Irish and that she doesn’t own the house. Sophie tells her sister that they deserve each other because they don’t care about anyone and only what people can do for them. Penny takes offense to that and calls her sister entitled since she has never worked a day in her life. Penny tells her sister to go to the Banshee Pub or where she goes to feel superior. Moments later, Clyde Nichols (Emmanuel Castis) is released from jail thanks to Mai Ling. She reminds him she hired him to do a job but he believes she hired a drunk with debts for a reason. She threatens him with a gun and suggests nobody would miss him but he says the people he owns money to would miss him. Then, he admits Buckley isn’t a fool and covers his tracks. He is working an angle and needs more time and money. There is supposedly a photograph and it’ll prove to be money well spent.
Sophie meets with Dylan and offers to help. She tells him about a back entrance to her father’s factory. There is a small supply tunnel that the guards will know nothing about it and they can get in that way. Sophie wants to come with him. He warns her that she’ll pay a price for turning against her own people but she claims she wants to fight for what is right. He agrees and asks her to tell him about the tunnel. After that, Ah Toy meets with Richard Lee at the pub. She offers him a girl but Richard isn’t visiting for that reason. She finds out he has pain and she believes she can help. Chao watches as Ah Toy leads Richard to a back room. Ah Toy tells Richard he is safe there and they’ll take his pain away. Ah Toy leaves and Richard begins smoking opium until he falls asleep.
Ah Toy returns to Chao and learns he is about to do something incredibly stupid. He needs her help. They look at the sword Lai has been using and Ah Toy admits it is stupid because Zing will know it was Chao but Chao wants him to know. He believes he is doing Ah Toy a favor too and he wants a favor in return. He says it is something he should’ve done a long time ago. That night, Bill returns home and looks at the bloody evidence in his home. Sophie leads Dylan and his men through the tunnels before they begin setting up the dynamite. It takes a few seconds for the Chinese to arrive and a fight to begin. Dylan gets cut around the neck but he manages to take down the Chinese guards. Dylan gets the others to escape before starting the fight that will ignite the dynamite. He catches up with Sophie and tells her to run before the dynamite explodes behind them.
Sophie returns home and covers up Penny who she finds sleeping on the couch. She sits next to her and begins sobbing.
Warrior Review
While I’ve enjoyed pretty much every episode of Warrior, I am beginning to worry about the number of storylines we’re trying to follow. There is a lot going on and each episode covers some of those things very little. Sometimes, the episode ignores the storyline completely only to discuss it next time. I question how important these things will be in the end.
I mean I have no idea what Nellie is trying to accomplish and I don’t find that storyline very interesting. By the time I finish an episode, I remember only pieces of what happened. The most important stuff in this episode was Chao plotting against Zing, Sophie betraying her sister, and Dylan blowing up Penelope’s factory.
They added a bunch of new characters and storylines without eliminating any of the characters for last season. I wonder how big of a role these characters will play. They brought in Lai near the end of last season and that character really hasn’t done much yet they bring in Sophie and he now seems to be one of the most important characters. Lai, Crestwood, Nellie, Abigail, Rosalita, and a few other characters just seem like they’re taking up space right now.
I don’t know. The whole thing is a bit weird. Right now, I can overlook the portions of the episode that I don’t think will matter in the end because the others are great. This was a good episode since I think it’ll lead to an even better episode next time. It scores an 8 out of 10. Previous recaps of Warrior are available 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.
