Warrior Review: Learn to Endure, or Hire a Bodyguard (Season 2 Episode 1)

Rage is something Ah Sahm knows all to well since his fateful fight with Li Yong, but on Warrior Season 2 Episode 1, “Learn to Endure, or Hire a Bodyguard,” he’s finding a way to channel it to do some good.

That good may be in the name of revenge, or at least taking out his anger on those who prey on the less fortunate, but it’s also a concern of burning too bright and burning out. Anger can only get you so far, as Warrior has taught us up to this point.

It’s great when a show picks right up where it’s left off (but with a mention of two months having passed) without missing a step. The premiere is drawing lines and looks to be creating interesting alliances behind the scenes that could put Mai Ling’s ascension to shame.

But they’re still just words and ideas, and this season feels like it will be the test of putting them into action.

The encounter between Ah Sahm and Mai Ling shows that the bad blood between them is likely to never reconcile. Mai Ling’s revealed her ruthlessness and that she will do whatever it takes to secure her rise, and through this she has given a clear sign to him that she is not the person he’s come all this way to find.

Warrior has been flirting with the idea of Ah Sahm and Mai Ling being the hero and villain of the show, brother and sister at war, but this still feels a little ways out still, especially if Ah Sahm is serious about wrestling away control of the Hop Wei first.

He’s playing a dangerous game saying something so incendiary to his technical enemy, but now that’s he shakily made peace with Father Jun, he’s on better footing. But as we see not even a moment later after that low bow, the rage is bubbling to the surface.

Will Ah Sahm’s rage be that purpose he’s been searching for all along? Throughout the first season, Ah Sahm is told he needs to find something to fight for, and after the humility he learns from the fight with Li Yong, righting the wrongs of Chinatown may be that calling.

But his anger may be his undoing. It will help in battle, but may end up clouding his judgment as he looks to sneak away the molasses trade that Mai Ling is collecting.

At least we get the killer scene with Ah Sahm teaming up with Ah Toy and Lai, where the three get to exact revenge on a bad bunch of characters. The women of Warrior have been silently building their own empires, and Ah Toy looks to be going about it the smartest, even if these fights are costing her that anonymity.

Chao may be an issue for Ah Toy. They have always been rather close, closer than most on the show, but now that Bill and Lee are putting the squeeze on him, that closeness may be tested.

Chao’s been treated as somewhat of a pushover (though that may be too harsh) at times, but I have a feeling he may be the most interesting to watch, as he has the experience and wherewithal to stake his own claim if the need ever rose.

His speech at the end of the first season, about his time as a slave in Cuba before coming to America, hints at a deep, hard past, and while he may offer a smile and a pleasantry, he has the resources to push things his way when his moment to strike comes.

Bill’s descent into debt collector is certainly nice for his family, but it’s part of a pattern for him where he’s losing bits of his soul in the process. There’s definitely a kindness buried in there behind that big, bushy beard, but his actions are tearing it from him piece by piece. The money is too alluring to him, and it’s not leaving him in a great place.

Owing Zing, or being owned by Zing for that matter, is a dangerous game, and he may be the most dangerous person now. He’s smart with his brutality and cruelty, inflicting it when you least expect it. Bill is in a bad place being under someone’s thumb like that.

And yet he’s doing better than Lee. Lee’s headaches from the attack are causing his own bursts of anger, taking away the goodness that stood him out from the pack.

Even Bill’s taken aback by it, and with the combination of drugs to handle the pain and the secret of Bill working for the very man who has caused this pain in Lee, a reckoning is likely coming between the two.

It’s a theme that the show is handling incredibly well: this world is tearing everyone down and leaving them with a singular rage. While some certainly can turn it around, others, like Ah Sahm, don’t appear interested in letting it go.

Anger is the great motivator on Warrior, and while it may signal far more brutal fights ahead, it’s also going to lead to a whole lot more heartache and loss.

Something that can always be counted on with Warrior is an incredible production, and the premiere is no exception. Written and directed by Jonathan Tropper, there’s a wandering eye on the extravagant sets, especially as we see the exteriors of the Barbary Coast, a fantastic new area.

Ah Toy’s costume design, too, is stunning here, especially with the yellow foil (I’m not a fashion person, in case you can’t tell) as an accent to the dress. Warrior can be counted on for gorgeous photography and eye-catching visuals, and this episode stands out with both.

Vega is a great addition, and hopefully we get to see more of her. These fights are Ah Sahm’s way of not only getting better, but to rid himself of the demons that the loss have inflicted upon him. He is trying to prove something now, and Vega may be his way of doing just that.

Penny’s sister Sophie is a curious new character. It’s looking like she will be involved with Leary in some way, though that’s a road to destruction if she finds out he has something to do with the death of her father. But it also gives urgency to Penelope in the process, torn between her new business and her sister, if that is where the story is heading.

Warrior returns just as great as the first season, and I can’t wait for more.

 

What did you think of this episode of Warrior? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Warrior airs Fridays at 10/9c on Cinemax.

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