After bringing Father Jun back to Chinatown, he suffers from PTSD. Spouting his rivalry with Long Zii and giving Young Jun deeper worry among the deal with Mai Ling.
Father Jun goes missing and Young Jun has the Hop Wei search for him, only to be returned by Li Yong. Young Jun sees this and what Ah Sahm has been doing as a sense of him losing trust.
The Donahue brothers are caught by the police, arresting them for robbing a Chinese grocery store and witnessed by Zimo. Zimo and two others find another Irishman near Chinatown, beating him down as a message.
Leary is called to bail out the Donahues but Atwood does not budge. Learning the way Atwood dispenses justice shakes him, putting the perspective into the Irish who threaten to enter Chinatown. Leary decides to settle it his way.
Leary enters Chinatown alone to find Ah Sahm.
Ah Sahm and Leary discuss that both sides must not enter each other’s property or it’s war. Ah Sahm finds Zimo, setting him straight along with the rest of Chinatown, not to enter into the city unless he says.
Happy Jack is gone which means Lee and Chao are back. This was done quick I will admit. Not as quick as the reveal of Agent Mosley surviving. He returns with Lee giving up the badge but it’s not so easy.
Mosley urges Lee to continue with the case with him or else he will not lift the charges. This episode explores a lot of belonging with certain characters. Lee is one who still needs to uphold the law but not with Mosley.
O’Hara has taken his brother-in-law’s offer to work. Only to find out he would be working among the other workers, packing cement. O’Hara learns pretty soon that even though he is not a cop anymore, the job is not what he wants.
Zimo has only been seen as Yan Mi’s brother, in this episode we find that he has a mind of his own. Trying to be the person to fight back for the Chinese that Ah Sahm should be doing.
This does not register for Zimo that his actions would have consequences. Ah Sahm finding out what Zimo has done, only settles what is coming. It is one thing to fight for your people, but it’s another thing to start a war.
Ah Toy and Mai Ling having another scene together. This is a perfect example of belonging as the scene started off with Mai Ling helping Ah Toy buy out a rival pimp. After Li Yong escorts him out, Mai Ling invites Ah Toy to her wedding.
This gives a moment for Ah Toy and Mai Ling to discuss the aesthetic of Long Zii household. Ah Toy notices it is a Chinese household which Mai Ling takes as a compliment but Ah Toy states it is what the white community expects her to do. This is an interesting exchange as most shows and movies try to pressure other cultures and hammer it in.
This tells exactly what it is. Mai Ling did exactly what she did to appeal to the white community and it didn’t work. Ah Toy tells her that they are American and they belong here. This is a perfect example of even though people come from different cultural upbringings, it doesn’t matter because we’re all human and people need to understand that.
It is also a prime example of Bruce Lee’s quote: “Under the sky, under the heavens there is but one family.”
Young Jun caring for his father only to have Li Yong bring him back. Li Yong was originally supposed to take over the Long Zii but Mai Ling did. Li Yong and Young Jun never interacted as much and they still don’t share any words together. Here was a sign of respect. Even though Father Jun was Long Zii’s rival, Li Yong has the respect for him.
With the aftermath of the riot and the events of the previous episode, Ah Sahm still struggles to take the mantle of being Chinatown’s hero. Yan Mi listens to her, pointing out the facts that all he has done was not because of Mai Ling or Young Jun but what was right. When Leary shows up, the first three encounters have been tense and yet this one was.
The difference now is both Leary and Ah Sahm both know the battlefield, the people behind the war, the people that are ready and the stakes of that will affect both of them. It is a sign of respect and both of them accepting who they really are.
This finally goes back to finding one’s purpose. And with three episode left, I don’t know what we’re going to expect.
Young Jun is ready to snap, Buckley is mayor by default and Mai Ling’s wedding is coming up.
This better not be a red wedding deal.
Lead photo: David Bloomer/Max
