Warrior (TV series)
Warrior is an American martial arts crime drama television series that premiered on April 5, 2019, on Cinemax. It is based on an original concept and treatment by Bruce Lee, and is executive-produced by his daughter, Shannon Lee, and film director Justin Lin. Jonathan Tropper, known for the Cinemax original series Banshee, is the showrunner. In April 2019, Cinemax renewed the series for a second season which premiered on October 2, 2020. It was Cinemax’s final series before ceasing production of original programming. In April 2021, the series was renewed for a third season, along with the announcement that the series will move to HBO Max. Set during the Tong Wars in late 1870s San Francisco, the series follows Ah Sahm, a martial arts prodigy who emigrates from China in search of his sister, only to be sold to one of the most powerful tongs in Chinatown.
Season 1 (2019) And Season 2 (2020) All 20 series plot in certain order.
Plot! Series 1.
While defending another Chinese migrant, Ah Sahm gains the attention of Wang Chao, a black market salesman who takes him to meet Father Jun, the leader of the Hop Wei tong. Elsewhere, police officer Richard Lee arrests a pair of Irishmen for murdering two Chinese laborers. Lymon Merriweather, the employer of the two victims, pressures Mayor Samuel Blake to protect his workers. In response, the Mayor commissions a Chinatown police squad under the command of veteran officer Bill O’Hara, which Lee joins. Father Jun’s son, Young Jun, is nearly abducted from a brothel by the rival Long Zii tong before Ah Sahm comes to his rescue. Later, Ah Sahm encounters Li Yong, the Long Zii’s enforcer, and discovers that his sister is now married to the leader of the Long Zii and goes by the name Mai Ling.
Plot! Series 2.
A group of Long Zii attempt to smuggle opium behind the Hop Wei’s back but are killed after a bribed police officer snitches to the Hop Wei. Despite the attack, Long Zii wishes to make peace and form an alliance with the Hop Wei to unite the Chinese tongs before the Chinese Exclusion Act is passed, unaware that Mai Ling is secretly working with the Deputy Mayor to stoke war between the tongs. The Mayor’s wife, Penelope, is attacked by two drunk Irishmen but is saved by Ah Sahm. However, Ah Sahm is arrested by Bill in spite of protests by Penelope and Lee, who defend him. Penelope asks the Mayor for help but he refuses out of fear of alienating his anti-Chinese white voters and because of Ah Sahm’s association with the Hop Wei.
Plot! Series 3.
At court, Ah Sahm is falsely charged with provoking an attack on the two Irishmen. Irish Mob boss Dylan Leary sends his men to attack Ah Sahm in jail, only for the latter to defeat them. Ah Sahm calls out Bill for aiding the Irish Mob which causes Bill to change his opinion of Ah Sahm. The next day, the charges against Ah Sahm are dropped when the Irishmen fail to appear at court after Mai Ling threatens to kill their family. This causes an angry mob to form, which the Mayor subdues by promising swift action against the tongs. Ah Sahm is able to sneak out with help from Bill and Wang Chao, with the latter giving Ah Sahm a message from Mai Ling, who tells him to leave San Francisco. Ah Sahm returns to the Hop Wei where he is given a hero’s welcome party, only to be later punished by Father Jun due to his actions.RELATED:
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Plot! Series 4.
Bill is beaten by his old friend and former police officer, Jack Damon, who has been hired by the Fung Hai tong to ensure all Irishmen, even cops, repay their debts; giving Bill three weeks. Ah Sahm and Penelope confide in each other and begin an affair. Lee’s opinion of Bill worsens when he witnesses Bill accepting bribery from Ah Toy during a surprise police raid at her brothel. Mai Ling has Wang Chao set up a meeting with the leader of the Fung Hai, who she kills with poison. Despite this, his successor, Zing, agrees to form an alliance with her. As Deputy Mayor Buckley spreads anti-Chinese propaganda to the press, Mai Ling gives Ah Sahm a ticket to return to China, warning him it will be her last offer of goodwill before the war between the tongs begins. Ah Sahm rips the ticket and promises that this time he will be the one to save her.
Plot! Series 5.
Ah Sahm and Young Jun are tasked by Father Jun with transporting a coffin from Nevada to San Francisco. The stagecoach driver warns the passengers that the horses are weary, forcing them to stay overnight at a saloon owned by a former Chinese coolie and his American wife. During their stay, Young Jun falls in love with Wankeia, the saloon’s Native American prostitute. Later, the saloon is robbed by a gang of outlaws led by Harlan French, but he is forced to flee after Ah Sahm and Young Jun fight off and kill his gang. Ah Sahm discovers that the dead body in the coffin is stuffed with smuggled gold and that it is Harlan’s true target. Knowing that Harlan will want revenge after he brings the rest of his gang, Ah Sahm and Young Jun work together with the saloon owners and the surviving passengers to face them.
Plot! Series 6.
An assassination attempt on Father Jun during the Chinese New Year parade ends up killing many people, including a white woman. Senator Robert Crestwood, a Chinese Exclusion Act supporter who hopes to become the next US President, uses the woman’s death as publicity to garner support and enact harsher laws against the Chinese. Young Jun learns from Wang Chao that the attack on his father was perpetrated by the Fung Hai and their new allies, the Long Zii. In retaliation, Young Jun, Ah Sahm and Bolo attack the Fung Hai’s casino and send a warning to the Long Zii. Later, Long Zii meets with the recovered Father Jun to apologize for his subordinates’ actions, offering compensation with hopes of maintaining the truce between their tongs. However, Father Jun makes clear that he will only accept peace in exchange for Long Zii’s life.
Plot! Series 7.
Penelope’s father, Byron Mercer, reveals that their family’s company will go bankrupt should he fail to secure the city’s cable car contract. A bounty hunter from Georgia approaches Bill with the information that Lee is a wanted man and offers to split the bounty if he aids in Lee’s capture. Bill confronts Lee who confesses that he killed his cousins after they murdered his black lover, Nora. Hearing this, Bill exiles the bounty hunter from the city and threatens to kill him should he return. When Ah Sahm learns that Father Jun has sent Bolo to kill Long Zii and Mai Ling, he rushes to the couple’s hideout and fights Bolo, which results in Bolo’s death. After Mai Ling tells Ah Sahm to flee, she kills Long Zii but promises him vengeance against the Hop Wei. Ah Toy buys a young girl from the same village as her, named Lai, from trafficker Zan.
Plot! Series 8.
The Chinatown gang war leaves many people dead and injured, forcing Mayor Blake to back Senator Crestwood’s anti-Chinese initiatives. Lao Ting of the Chinatown Business Association calls for a meeting between Father Jun and Mai Ling, in order to end the war between their tongs. The two agree to settle their differences over a duel between their best fighters: if the Hop Wei win, the status quo will be maintained, but if the Long Zii win, they will be allowed to transport opium in their territory. Ah Sahm agrees to represent the Hop Wei in the upcoming duel but becomes despondent when Penelope ends their relationship. Meanwhile, real estate mogul Victor Timmons and his partner Lance McCormick blackmails Ah Toy and her own business partner Leonard Patterson, extorting more money from them in exchange for allowing them to purchase land.
Plot! Series 9.
The duel between Li Yong and Ah Sahm sees the former ultimately victorious, allowing the Long Zii to trade opium in their territory. Banished from the Hop Wei by Father Jun, Ah Sahm is taken in and nursed by Ah Toy; as he heals, reminiscing his sister introducing him to Sifu Li Qiang, who teaches him Gung Fu. Ah Toy informs Ah Sahm how Mai Ling planned to allow him to die in the ring. Later, Ah Sahm is visited by Penelope and Young Jun, with the latter informing him that he is disallowed from joining another tong under the threat of death. Meanwhile, Deputy Mayor Buckley lies to Byron that another bidder has offered a cheaper price for the cable car project. This forces Byron to rescind his earlier promise to Leary of hiring only the Irish, instead replacing them with the cheaper Chinese workers.
Plot! Series 10.
A depressed Ah Sahm begins working for Penelope’s father as a coolie, but Chao refuses to believe he is broken. Guilt-ridden, Bill watches over a comatose Lee in the hospital and vows retribution against the Fung Hai. Instead, Zing offers Bill a deal: the Fung Hai will no longer target his family and friends in exchange for Bill becoming their new debt collector. After learning of the recent police crackdown on the tongs, Mai Ling confronts Zing for his attack on Lee. Zing reveals he only allied with Mai Ling to get into the opium trade and forces her to renegotiate their alliance when the Fung Hai surround the Long Zii headquarters. Young Jun invites Ah Sahm to rejoin the Hop Wei, only to be rejected. When Leary and his men attack Byron’s factory, Ah Sahm is motivated to fight back.RELATED:
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Season 2 (2020) All 10 series Plot.
Plot! Series 1.
Hoping to sharpen his martial arts skills, Ah Sahm enters the fighting pits of the Barbary Coast run by Mexican businesswoman Rosalita Vega. There, Ah Sahm encounters the Teddy Boys, an anti-Chinese hate group. Despite his objections, Zing convinces Bill to continue working as the Fung Hai’s debt collector when he is presented monetary compensation. Leary meets Penelope’s younger sister, Sophie, and the two share a connection. Mayor Blake and Merriweather pressure Penelope to sell her father’s company, though she remains adamant. Angered by Mai Ling and the Long Zii’s expansion in Chinatown, Young Jun questions his father’s direction for the Hop Wei and looks for a solo venture that will strengthen their tong.
Plot! Series 2.
With Rosalita’s help, a hesitant Young Jun and Ah Sahm broker a deal with Happy Jack, a local drug smuggler. Senator Crestwood holds a rally announcing his bid for presidency and gains the support of the crowd with his anti-Chinese sentiments. Lee becomes addicted to laudanum when he uses it to offset his lingering head trauma. Penelope seeks to hire the Hop Wei to protect her factory workers but Ah Sahm declines. Bill and Lee look into the financial records of Ah Toy’s business partner, Patterson, in hopes of finding the killer. Mai Ling hires Clyde Nichols, an ex-Pinkerton member, to spy on Deputy Mayor Buckley. When a member of the Suey Sing tong is caught dealing opium on Long Zii territory, Li Yong and Zing are dispatched to meet with their leader.
Plot! Series 3.
The Mayor threatens to cancel the city’s contract with Penelope if she refuses to stop hiring the Hop Wei. Patterson tells Ah Toy of his reservations about their partnership. Mai Ling confronts Zing and tells him not to impede on Long Zii business, cautioning him of the consequences. An awkward encounter has Bill rethinking his job for the Fung Hai, and tells Zing he’s finished with repaying his debt. Nellie Davenport, a wealthy widow committed to ending the exploitation of young Chinese women in the sex trade, hosts a dinner for the social and political elite, including Penelope and the Mayor. Father Jun brings in new recruits from China to the dismay of Young Jun and Ah Sahm, though one of the new arrivals—Hong—intrigues them with his fighting skills.
Plot! Series 4.
In the aftermath of the attack, Lucy and the kids leave Bill, who confesses to Lee about his involvement with the Fung Hai. As the police prepare to raid the Fung Hai headquarters, Wang Chao informs Bill of his plan to frame Zing for Ah Toy’s murders, convincing Bill to postpone the raid. Deputy Mayor Buckley urges Mayor Blake to strengthen his anti-Chinese stance, arguing that the attack on a police officer’s family means he can no longer appear soft on the Chinese. Nellie visits Ah Toy’s brothel to emancipate one of her workers who chooses to leave. The Mayor and Penelope argue over politics and their respective involvement with Chinese labor; Penelope warns him that he cannot pull the city’s contract without facing legal repercussions.
Plot! Series 5.
Penelope examines the remnants of her father’s factory and discovers the Hop Wei’s opium storage. Ah Toy visits Nellie’s winery which leaves her awestruck at the tranquility and happiness of the former sex workers. Later, Ah Toy and Nellie talk and share a passionate kiss. Mayor Blake visits the Mercer factory and reminds Penelope of her legal obligations under the city’s contract. Wang Chao delivers Zing’s weapons order while Li Yong infiltrates the Fung Hai headquarters. Zing suspects Chao’s plot and has him beaten into talking but is interrupted when the San Francisco police begin their assault. Li Yong and Zing engage in a brief fight, ending with Li Yong escaping and Zing being implicated as the swordsman responsible for the murders. Chao extricates his daughter from her mother and leaves her in Nellie’s care.RELATED:
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Plot! Series 6.
Rosalita, Ah Sahm, Young Jun, and Hong travel to the border town of Rooker’s Mill owned by fight promoter and tycoon Elijah Rooker. As the Hop Wei trio settle in their lodgings, Ah Sahm encounters Dolph Jagger, a premier prize fighter who easily wins his first match. On the second day of the tournament, Dolph continues his winning streak until he comes to face Ah Sahm, who defeats him with one kick and goes on to win the tournament. All throughout, Ah Sahm and Rosalita’s attraction increases and ultimately culminates. Impressed by Ah Sahm’s skills, Rooker invites Rosalita and Ah Sahm to lunch, where he asks Ah Sahm to stay at Rooker’s Mill to train his men. As Ah Sahm declines, Rosalita shares her past, explaining how Rooker had killed her father and stole her family’s land.
Plot! Series 7.
Young Jun and Ah Sahm convince the Hop Wei into accepting Young Jun as their new leader, forcing Father Jun to retire. Ah Toy tells Nellie of the land in her possession, which Nellie suggests they place in her trust. Zing is sentenced to death by hanging while the remaining Fung Hai battle for leadership. With information from Nellie, Ah Toy and Lai raid an underground brothel to liberate abused Chinese sex workers. The next day, Ah Toy transports them to Sonoma, leaving them and Lai in Nellie’s care. Mai Ling’s informant, Nichols, delivers intel on Deputy Mayor Buckley. A spurned Patterson seeks help from an outside source to maintain control over Ah Toy’s land. Merriweather and the wealthy industrialists confront Mayor Blake of the ramifications of not using Chinese labor, threatening his future political prospects.
Plot! Series 8.
Hoping to provoke Mai Ling into breaking the treaty, Ah Sahm and Young Jun dispose of the remaining Fung Hai, then hang the Hop Wei colors above their former headquarters. Chief Flanagan questions a stunned Penelope on who killed her husband, with Sophie confessing it was Jacob. Buckley, now the acting mayor, orders a curfew on Chinatown and a citywide manhunt for Jacob. Bill and Lee come to blows when Lee accuses Bill of planting evidence on Zing. Mai Ling asks Buckley to aid her in removing the Hop Wei from Chinatown in exchange for finding Jacob. Alone at her brothel, Ah Toy is attacked by assassins hired by Patterson. Severely injured but victorious, Ah Toy visits Patterson’s home and forces him to relinquish all his claims to her land. Wang Chao discovers Jacob hiding in his shop.
Plot! Series 9.
Under pressure from Mai Ling, Wang Chao tells her of Jacob’s whereabouts. Mai Ling informs Buckley, and the police find and arrest Jacob. During the commute, a mob of Irishmen beat the police into submission and lynch Jacob. Sophie tries to stop the lynching, but she is knocked down. Unsatisfied, the angry mob rampage through Chinatown while Mai Ling and Chao seek refuge at Ah Toy’s brothel. Witnessing the spread of violence, the Hop Wei and the Long Zii temporarily ally to stop the mob from destroying Chinatown, Ah Sahm standing out among all the fighters. Lee and a reluctant Bill also aid the Chinese despite the mob’s overwhelming numbers. As Chao and Ah Toy’s bodyguard defend the brothel, Mai Ling tends to Ah Toy’s injuries.
Plot! Series 10.
The Chinatown residents immortalize Ah Sahm with a large mural of him painted onto a building, Ah Toy encouraging him to consider the potential prospects. Lee resigns from the police force despite Bill’s pleas for him to stay, the former beginning a relationship with Abigail, a barmaid he met some weeks ago. Mai Ling seeks an audience with Young Jun where, in an act of desperation, she reveals that Ah Sahm is her brother. Stunned, Young Jun confronts Ah Sahm, creating a rift between them. After hearing Ah Sahm’s story, Young Jun recognizes that he was in an impossible situation and even forgives him, but questions if Ah Sahm still has lingering loyalties to his sister. Ah Sahm visits Leary’s bar and challenges him to a fight. With both fighters trading blows, Ah Sahm finally defeats Leary and warns the Irish not to step foot in Chinatown.RELATED:
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Father Jun departs San Francisco but asks Wang Chao to watch over Young Jun in his absence. Bill’s wife Lucy, worried for her husband after hearing about the riot, returns home where the two reconcile. Furious about Jacob’s death and Buckley’s manipulations, Penelope vows to expose his corruption at any cost, leading the acting mayor to have her committed to a mental hospital after he frames her with stabbing him. Later, Mai Ling blackmails Buckley with a photo of him in the Confederate Army; he concedes to her wishes and has the city council plan the shutdown of the Hop Wei’s operations. While doing so, Leary walks in and declares his stance as representative of the Irish Workingmen. Elsewhere, Zing plans an escape from prison.
Cast:
Andrew Koji as Ah Sahm, a Chinese martial arts expert- Olivia Cheng as Ah Toy,
- Jason Tobin as Young Jun Sahm.
- Dianne Doan as Mai Ling
- Kieran Bew as Bill “Big Bill” O’Hara,
- Dean Jagger as Dylan Leary
- Joanna Vanderham as Penelope Blake
- Tom Weston-Jones as Richard Henry Lee
- Hoon Lee as Wang Chao
- Langley Kirkwood as Walter Franklin Buckley
- Christian McKay as Samuel Blake
- Perry Yung as Father Jun
- Joe Taslim as Li Yong
- Dustin Nguyen as Zing
- Céline Buckens as Sophie Mercer,
- Miranda Raison as Nellie Davenport
- Chen Tang as Hong
- Maria-Elena Laas as Rosalita Vega