The Chinese Connection
After Leary’s bomb blast last episode, episode 2 of Warrior Season 2 picks up not long after this event. Desperate to get their plan off the ground, Ah Sahm and Young Jun meet Happy Jack. They’re both in agreement that they want Mai Ling out and agree that Father Jun’s handling of this was less than ideal. Happy Jack certainly is not happy though… until he hears the boys out. After some back and forth negotiation, he agrees to follow through with his plan and sell the opium. Young-Jun is not sure but eventually they come to an amicable agreement. At the station, Lee speaks to Bill about his theory surrounding the Teddy Boys’ massacre. He believes a man named Patterson discovered that he overpaid and went crazy against the seller. Bill is not sure but agrees to entertain the man, especially given he mentions inconsistencies with the deal. This eventually sees Lee and Bill visit Patterson, asking him if he’s done business with the Chinese in the past. While he gives a defiant no, both Lee and Bill know that he’s lying. Penny arrives in the middle of her husband meeting with the shareholders. Only, she’s completely ignored in favour of her husband trying to act impartial. Ironically, everyone rallies around her as she asks whether the city will do anything about Leary and his thugs. For now, this volatile political situation is left open and unresolved. This eventually leads Penny to Ah Sahm, offering to pay him and his associates to protect the workers from Leary. He snubs her offer, especially after she called his gang criminals, and leaves her with a big predicament and seemingly nowhere to turn. Chao heads off to meet Claire, who introduces him to his daughter Hannah. She thanks her Papa but he’s less than enthused at hearing this. “Friend. Just friend,” He corrects the girl, before leaving. Young-Jun and Ah Sahm run into problems when they learn Jack won’t store their opium. Tensions are admittedly high and it eventually leads to the pair fighting against Jack’s crew…until he shows up with a shotgun pointed straight at Young-Jun’s head. With things suitably calm for now, he admits why their plan is a bust. The cops are raiding and it’s too dangerous for him to store the opium at his hideout. The order is going ahead though but Ah Sahm will need to hide the shipment elsewhere to salvage their arrangement. Ah Sahm eventually returns to Penny, striking a stiff deal with her but agreeing to protect her investment. Only, this serves an ulterior motive for him too. In the dead of night, Ah Sahm brings in the opium shipment and hides it within Penny’s business. The political waters continue to muddy as the crowd are rallied together with the Mayor. Unfortunate chants of “Send them back” are directed straight at the Chinese. While this was problematic last season, with an upcoming election and the bomb blast it’s even more volatile than before. The Long Zii (or Mai Ling more specifically) remain convinced that rival Tongs are rising up. Li Yong is reluctant to go but eventually leads the crew up to their destination. Things take a turn for the worst though when Zing suddenly starts a fight. The bloodbath that ensues between the two groups is not ordered by Li Yong, who stands incredulously watching this carnage unfold. In the aftermath of this, he holds Zing by the scruff of his neck. It turns out it was ordered by Mai Ling herself. Back at headquarters, it’s obvious that Li Yong is not happy with Mai Ling and shoots daggers her way while they sit having a meeting. This conflict is far, far from over.
The Episode Review
With more drama this time around, Warrior delivers another decent episode that starts to build up toward a larger conflict to come. It’s obvious that Mai Ling and Ah Sahm will come to blows again but it’s made more interesting by Li Yong’s wavering loyalty. Mai Ling lying to him has ultimately caused the man to distrust the leader and her irrational behaviour could come back to bite her. Speaking of trust, Penny putting faith in Ah Sahm while he uses her to hide the opium is an interesting angle and how this will ultimately tie in with the Mayor the racist angle in the office remains to be seen. That’s before even mentioning Leary and his obvious soft spot for Sophie. It’s obvious that he’s taken a fancy to her but quite how that’s going to manifest across the season remains a mystery. For now though, episode 2 continues to build the foundations for this season to grow into, with the promise of a big fight to come on the horizon. Unlike the bomb last time though, these conflicts feel more like implosions between gangs and the future for both the Long Zii and Hop Wei is uncertain for now.
