As the episode begins, Ah Sahm (Andrew Koji), Young Jun (Jason Tobin) and Hong (Chen Tang) are brought in front of Father Jun who says they were once their brothers. He goes on to say he will never let them embarrass him or weaken the Tong like this again. Young Jun strikes back by saying he was only trying to save money he was giving away. He reminds his father that they outnumber the Long Zii three to one but they’re sitting on their hands. When Young Jun says he is his son, Father Jun says he is the son of a common harlot and it is time to burn him out. A sword is heated while Young Jun prepares for his punishment. Young Jun says branding them isn’t what makes them Hop Wei before giving his father his arm. Ah Sahm and Hong watch as Father Jun brands his son and Young Jun takes the pain.

Once Father Jun has finished, he blames Ah Sahm who says he might’ve lost a fight but he isn’t the one who bent over for Mai Ling. Father Jun tries to strike him but Ah Sahm grabs his arm. He tells Father Jun that the Long Zii are taking their territory and they’re paying half of what the Hop Wi pays for opium because Father Jun insists on importing it from China. Father Jun claims he is the tong before Ah Sahm throws the money to the ground and says they’ll have a fresh supply of opium by next week. He claims they were trying to save the tong and doing things Father Jun’s way will mean the Long Zii and Fung Hai will own them within a year. Father Jun gets upset and tells someone to dice the onion before ordering them. Father Jun asks his son if he is backing Ah Sahm over his father but Young Jun says Ah Sahm is backing him.

Sahm explains they’re losing ground by the day and Young Jun is the only one trying to do something about it. Father Jun orders his men to kill them but they refuse to obey his order. Young Jun approaches his father and says they’re honoring his long years of leadership and celebrating his retirement. He tells his son he hopes he knows what he is doing and Young Jun hopes the same. Then, he steps around the table and sits in his father’s chair. After the intro, we join Mai Ling (Dianne Doan) and Li Yong (Joe Taslim) as they discuss the future of the tong with Zing’s departure. As per Fung Hai tradition, the top three will fight for power until one is left standing. Mai Ling is still worried that Zing was good for the tong but Li says he was out of control and they can make this work for them. Meanwhile, Nellie Davenport (Miranda Raison) and Ah Toy (Olivia Cheng) spend time in bed together.

They kiss and make love. Once they’ve finished, they admit they never could’ve imagined this. Ah Toy reveals her husband in China was a merchant and she loved him very much but someone killed him on the boat. They’ve would’ve taken her if the captain hadn’t protected her. She became his concubine. Her husband taught her the importance of owning land so she has been buying land outside of Chinatown. Nellie discusses the possibility of helping more girls in the future. She tells Ah Toy about a place the police are protecting and she can’t get in to protect them. Ah Toy gets a map and asks Nellie to show her where. Young Jun speaks to his father in private and tries to smooth things over with him. Young Jun claims he wasn’t planning anything and that his takeover just happened.

Father Jun questions Ah Sahm’s intentions but Young Jun believes he is wrong about him. Father Jun warns his son that he’ll look weak if he doesn’t kill him but Young Jun reminds him he isn’t running things anymore. When he leaves, he orders two soldiers to keep an eye on his father at all times. He’ll blame them if anything happens to Father Jun. Sophie Mercer (Celine Buckens) interrupts Penelope (Joanna Vanderham) to tell her the breakfast she made her is getting cold but Penny isn’t hungry. Sophie insists it was only a factor but Penelope says it was freedom for both of them. Sophie believes it is best to sell so Penny can travel and pain. Penelope doesn’t like the idea because she doesn’t want her husband to be right. She tells Sophie she wants to be alone. Next, Richard Lee (Tom Weston-Jones) sits in the courtroom while Bill (Kieran Bew) testifies against Zing.

The judge thanks Bill for his service and commends him for his heroic work. Dylan Leary (Dean Jagger) listens from the back of the room. Ah Sahm speaks to Young Jun about his father and the brand on his arm. Then, he pours him a drink and admits he is still thinking about Vega. Young Jun admits it happened so fast but Ah Sahm isn’t sure there would be any other way. Ah Sahm tells his friend that he belongs in the seat and he works for him. Seconds later, Zing (Dustin Nguyen) is asked to stand. Then, he is found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. He will be hung at San Quentin. Once that is over, Dylan approaches Bill and they agree that Bill fared well. Dylan admits he heard a rumor about Bill being in the China man’s back pocket but Bill denies that. Outside, Mayor Samuel Blake (Christian McKay) speaks from the courthouse steps.

Bill is praised for bringing the monster to justice. Walter Buckley (Langley Kirkwood) approaches Dylan and asks if he is happy about Zing going down. Dylan is surprised they want a parade for bringing down one China man. He says he doesn’t have time because his men need to start working immediately. Buckley believes it is time to change his methods since he has influence. He goes on to say that Blake needs votes and Dylan has votes. Dylan reminds him that he isn’t a politician but Buckley says the best ones say that. Moments later, Ah Toy meets with her partner and tells him it is too much risk for her and him. She believes they should separate before anything bad happens. She wants him to sign the papers in front of him but he can’t because he has used some of the land as collateral for other loans.

He wants a little more time and promises to get onto it right away. He believes he can get it done by the end of the week and Ah Toy wants to make sure that they part on good terms. Dylan fights another man in the street and takes care of him pretty easily. Sophie arrived just in time to watch Dylan brutalize the man. Once that ends, he speaks to Sophie in private and admits he didn’t know she would come back. Sophie confesses she didn’t know she would return but just couldn’t stay away. Now, she says her system is defeated and it is her fault. Dylan says they all have regret but what done is done. Sophie wonders if he ever gets tired of the violence but he says things need done and he does it. She believes Dylan has the power to swing the Irish vote but Dylan doesn’t trust the politicians. Sophie tells him he doesn’t have to trust them.

Moments later, Ah Sahm meets with Wang Chao (Hoon Lee) who says his face was caused by an occupational hazard. Ah Sahm lets him know that Young Jun wants to order a full set of hatchets and blades for the tong The amount of hardware makes Wang believes that Young Jun is planning on going to war. Ah Sahm says that isn’t the truth and Jun only wants to be ready. Wang is confident that Ah Sahm played an important role in Jun’s transition. Wang says the only certainty in a place like this is uncertainty and that he wouldn’t bet his fortune on the Hop Wei. Wang warns him that the only ones who will survive the chaos are the ones who operate between the lines and shadows. Ah Sahm warns him but Chao says he is only implying it might be good to have a friend there.

Then, we watch as Ah Toy raids a brothel with Lai (Jenny Umbhau) by her side. They kill the guards. Lai goes overboard and Ah Toy has to stop her and tell her to just finish the man. Once they’ve taken care of business, the women are released from the cells. Bill analyzes the crime scene moments later. One man wants Bill’s recommendation for sergeant so he will not tell the press what he saw there. Once the office leaves, they agree to clean up the mess. Next, Mai Ling meets with Cyle (Emmanuel Castis) and learns that he has found something about Buckley. He hopes she knows what she is looking at and how much it is worth. Meanwhile, Li Yong tells two men to get out. Penny meets with Merriweather (Andre Jacobs) and asks if the deal he offered is still on the table. Ah Toy’s business partner, Frank, goes to the confessional.

He admits he has never confessed before. He goes on to say he has been incautious as to how he has used money others trusted him to invest. He explains a partner is about to leave him badly exposed and he could be ruined. He has heard that the man could be of some help in these kinds of situations. The man wants cash in exchange for his assistance. When the priest takes the money, we see that he is missing a finger. Ah Toy rides in a carriage before meeting with Nellie. She shows her the girls she has brought and tells them they’re all safe with this kind white woman who will teach them to farm. Before Ah Toy leaves, she tells Lai that she is going to be staying too. She wants Lai to build a better life there but Lai doesn’t want to stay behind.

They get into an argument and Lai begins hitting Ah Toy. They hug and cry before Ah Toy leaves Lai. Next, Richard Lee takes what was found on the China man back to the woman’s husband. The woman admits she had barely stepped foot in Victor’s study since that night. Richard listens and leans that Bill came to see her last week to tell her there had been a break in the case. We join Frank as he walks through a butcher shop of sorts and tells a man that Father Herlihy sent him. Another man joins them. Meanwhile, Mai Ling and Li Yong have sex. She begins choking Li Yong and telling him to let her do it and trust her. She chokes him until he blacks out. Samuel Blake goes to the pub and tells everyone he thinks it is time to put their own men back to work.

He believes Lymon will find a way to pay their wages and says he should be able to see the value of employing your fellow Americans. He tells Lymon that the difference in payroll won’t break him before Lymon reveals Penny’s factory will be forging steel for his buildings. They laugh at Samuel because of his wife’s decision to employ Chinese labor. Lymon wonders if Penny should be running the city. After that, Penny finds Sophie hanging out with Dylan. They return to the Blake house and Penny tells Sophie to get out of her house. Samuel returns home and confronts Penny about her deal with Merriweather. Samuel isn’t happy but Penny says she had to make another deal to save her company. He argues that she is going to piss away their future on a second rate foundry.

He goes on to say that Crestwood offers a direct line to the presidency and he could send him right into the governorship. Samuel wants Penny to sell the company to Merriweather but she suggests he should divorce her. She believes that will solve both of their problems. They end up hitting each other. Samuel punches her in the stomach before standing over her. Sophie jumps on his back but he throws her to the ground as well. Samuel gets on top of Penny and begins choking her while asking her why she is doing this to him. She nearly blacks out before Jacob cracks him in the back of the head and kills him.

 

Warrior Review

Well, that was a little extreme, wasn’t it? I am not sure how things got so extreme so quickly. It feels a bit rushed honestly since Samuel was never this unhinged in the past. While the episode started out well, it got a bit wonky there in the end. I mean the sex scene with Mai Ling and Li Yong was very strange and made little sense.

I am glad that Young Jun has taken over the tong though as I think this will make things interesting over the next few episodes. While I’ve enjoyed most episodes of Warrior this season, I can’t help but feel like something is missing this season. Some of the magic from the past season has disappeared only to be replaced by some really unbelievably silly character behaviors.

I am still enjoying the show but this episode was a bit weird. I’d give it a 7 out of 10. Previous recaps of Warrior are available on Reel Mockery.