Warrior Review: The Chinese Connection (Season 2 Episode 2)

There is a lot of moving pieces on Warrior Season 2 Episode 2, “The Chinese Connection,” but it’s the way the episode takes its time where it shines the most.

It’s a lot of set-up because of this, but they feel like rather large moves for the greater whole of the show.

Ah Sahm and Young Jun getting into the molasses business and using Penelope’s factory for cover is a fantastic way to converge their two pieces into one whole. Now they are locked into a singular goal of protecting the site.

But with Leary looking to push the Irish workers to the forefront and growing closer to Penelope’s sister Sophie, this is likely where most of the season’s struggle will come from, especially as Buckley inserts himself into the heart of the issue and Mai Ling may find out about their stash.

There looks to be cracks forming between Mai Ling and Li Yong. His realization that she sent him to an execution of another gang is essentially a form of lying, allowing him to think there is a chance for mercy, but once Zing does his thing, the message is loud and clear.

Rewatching the scene, there’s pain on her face when Li Yong tries to talk sense into her. Is this because he is questioning her, or because she knows this will hurt him? She is attempting to appear merciless and strong, but in the end, she may start losing her most trusted ally.

The same goes for Young Jun as he chats with Father Jun. Father Jun may not know what Young Jun and Ah Sahm are up to yet, but he looks to have his suspicions.

That quick glance he shares with Ah Sahm, there’s this moment as though he sees defiance, something he wanted to knock out of him once Ah Sahm returned to the fold.

Father Jun may test the two of them to keep them in line. They’re both being a little reckless, given the state of their blossoming business, but it’s still early days, and anything is possible.

Lee’s steps towards rock bottom are born out of obsession and his pain, where the work and the needling agony combine and are tearing him apart from within. It’s clever to make him hallucinate Nora as he passes out, as a recurring theme on the show is that no one is safe from their past.

His growing addiction and anger may ultimately be his downfall, unless Bill can help him out first.

Bill appears to be having it best on this episode, a far cry from usual. He’s still surly but in decent spirits, getting along with his wife more than ever and cracking some of the best lines. Kieran Bew and the writers deserve a ton of credit for turning this burly character into one of its most likeable and honest.

While they aren’t prevalent on the episode, Nellie and Happy Jack make their first appearances.

Nellie looks to be a more prominent character within the story as she looks to help young women in need of help, which may put her either at odds or in league with Ah Toy as things continue.

Ah Toy treats Nellie with some condescension during the scene they share, where Nellie’s concern over the well-being of Ah Toy’s girls is looked at almost with amusement rather than agreement. Perhaps there will be a clash between them down the road.

The action on this episode is used sparingly but to great effect. The hallway battle with Ah Sahm and Young Jun uses depth in an interesting way so that both of their move sets are constantly in focus, and gives the full image a lot of pizzazz.

The second action sequence is fast and frenetic, and allows Li Yong his emotional moment of realizing that things are slipping through his fingers. Plus Zing rips a man’s throat out and throws it at someone else, which is definitely something you don’t see every day.

While Warrior Season 2 Episode 2, “The Chinese Connection,” is a tad quieter than usual, it’s making a lot of interesting progress within its characters, one of its major strengths.

They’re all marching toward a potential of doom with business deals and politics playing them against one another, but it’s through the calmer moments where the waves die down and their souls are laid bare for us to see. This is where Warrior strikes hardest.

Some stray thoughts on the episode:

• The bar Leary and Sophie talk in is mentioned as “the notorious Banshee,” which is a fun nod to Jonathan Tropper’s excellent previous show, Banshee. I highly recommend it if you haven’t checked it out yet.
• Chao having a child is definitely a surprise, as is the way he hopes to neglect her. Given the cultural divide, maybe he sees good in what he’s doing, letting her have a life without persecution, but hopefully there’s more between them where he can redeem the slightly cold shoulder here.

 

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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