Everybody Was Kung-Fu Fighting
Picking up where we left off last week, Warrior returns with episode 9 and Big Bill patrolling chinatown with Lee, blissfully unaware of the fight about to take place. However, Father Jun invites them in and offers them a seat near the front in preparation for this. Ah Sahm and the Long Zii fighter trade blows and after an intense fight, Ah Sahm appears to have won. Or so it seems. The fighter rejuvenates and they fight again. This time, Ah Sahm is dropped by a brutal punch to the nose, sending him crashing to the ground. Gasping for breath and blood caked to his face, the fighter traps Ah Sahm’s head precariously in a headlock, waiting for the signal from Mai Ling to kill him. O’hara realizes he’s about to be killed and fires his gun, scattering the crowd and saving the china man. As Ah Sahm fades out of consciousness, we see flashbacks of Ah Sahm’s past, including the fateful day he left Mai Ling and left to train to fight. Ah Toy takes Ah Sahm and nurses him back to health the best she can. Having won the war for now, Mai Ling addresses the gang before shooting one in the head; a sign of her seriousness to the cause. With Ah Sahm effectively out of the Hop Wei following his loss, Young Jun goes and sees him one last time, reminiscing around times of old and telling him if he joins another tong, there will be a price on his head. Out in the streets, O’hara and Lee are doing their usual rounds, discussing the body found by the shore when suddenly assassins ambush them. Lee fights them off as best he can but one of them beats him, knocking him off his feet and leaving him a bloody mess. As Lee lies on the floor, panting and wheezing, the assassin drops a Chinese symbol on his chest and walks away. Once again Warrior delivers a very good episode, one chock full of action and enough drama to set up a dramatic finale next week. For the most part, Warrior has been consistently decent throughout its run time, with one or two stand out episodes and this one is no exception. The political subplots are interesting too and certainly help flesh this world out but its ultimately Ah Sahm that’s the real stand-out here. Seeing him lose the fight was certainly a big surprise to me and a nice little twist to something that seemed like a sure thing too. That’s ultimately what makes Warrior such a good show. Sure, the dialogue can be a little stifled and cliched at times but the action and drama more than makes up for that. Warrior is simply a polished, action-packed drama and one of the stand-outs of this year, no doubt. Roll on next week’s finale!
