“Choose a side.”
A gritty, action-packed crime drama set during the brutal Tong Wars of San Francisco’s Chinatown in the second half of the 19th century. The series follows Ah Sahm, a martial arts prodigy who immigrates from China to San Francisco under mysterious circumstances, and becomes a hatchet man for one of Chinatown’s most powerful tongs.
Where to Watch
Streaming, rent and purchase options
Episodes
1. The Itchy Onion
San Francisco, 1878. Ah Sahm, a newly arrived Chinese immigrant with serious fighting skills, is introduced to Chinatown’s most ruthless tong, the Hop Wei, by Chao, a fixer. After impressing Young Jun, son of tong leader Father Jun, Ah Sahm is branded and taken to a brothel, where he befriends Ah Toy, a courtesan with connections.
2. There's No China in the Bible
Intercepting a shipment of opium at the docks, Young Jun, with Ah Sahm and his Hop Wei lieutenant Bolo in tow, decides to send a message to Long Zii. Big Bill and Lee investigate a grisly murder scene in an alley next to an Irish bar, The Banshee. Penny Blake, the young wife of San Francisco’s mayor, finds herself in a bind while visiting the wharf with her Chinese manservant, Jacob. Ah Sahm pays a steep price for playing the hero. The Long Zii clean up a mess, and brace for more bloodshed.
3. John Chinaman
Leary pressures gentleman industrialist Byron Mercer, who is Penny’s father, to hire his men for a cable-car track job — despite the fact that Mayor Blake hasn’t yet awarded Mercer the contract. Accused of assault and perhaps worse, Ah Sahm gets a cold shoulder from the Hop Wei, with his fate in the hands of an unexpected ally. Buckley urges Mai Ling to eschew restraint and start a war with the Hop Wei.
4. The White Mountain
Big Bill finds himself compromised by his gambling excesses, but discovers a possible solution after an opium-den raid. Penny reveals the circumstances that prompted her to marry Mayor Blake, who’s determined to show voters he won’t tolerate San Francisco’s “Yellow Peril.” After meeting with leaders of the Fung Hai tong, Mai Ling offers Ah Sahm a way out of a protracted — and bloody — tong war.
5. The Blood and the Shit
Transporting precious cargo via stagecoach through the Sierra Nevada, Ah Sahm and Young Jun are forced to spend the night with three strangers at a frontier saloon in the middle of nowhere. The detour turns perilous when Harlan French, a notorious outlaw, shows up with his henchmen, looking for a lucrative payday.
6. Chewed Up, Spit Out, and Stepped On
Tensions escalate between the Hop Wei and Long Zii after an assassination attempt during a boisterous Chinatown parade. Big Bill sets out to pay his debt to Jack Damon, leaving Lee to keep watch over Lucy and the kids. Mayor Blake and Deputy Mayor Buckley get a mandate from Robert Crestwood, a senator with eyes on the White House.
7. The Tiger and the Fox
Ah Sahm faces a dilemma when Father Jun sends Bolo to hunt down Long Zii and Mai Ling . Ah Toy recruits a special girl from a whore monger, and takes on a business partner for a land deal. Penny is faced with an unsavory choice in order to save her home. Lee’s past catches up with him.
8. They Don't Pay Us Enough to Think
After a bloodbath on the streets of Chinatown, the Hop Wei and Long Zii consider a novel way to end hostilities. Ah Toy and her real-estate business partner, Leonard Patterson, hit a fork in the road in their effort to buy a valuable piece of land. After promising jobs to Leary’s Irish workers, Mercer toasts Crestwood at a fundraiser, while Penny struggles to hold her tongue. Mai Ling warns her brother against waging a battle he may not win.
9. Chinese Boxing
Chinatown gathers to witness a “prize fight” between elite warriors from the Hop Wei and Long Zii. Buckley plays a bluff in hopes of getting Mercer to lower his fee. Ah Sahm remembers his roots as a fighter, as Ah Toy warns him of the dangers that await. Bill and Lee question Wang Chao about the recent series of sword killings in San Francisco.
10. If You're Going to Bow, Bow Low
Ah Sahm rejects his warrior roots and retreats into the netherworld of the Chinese working class. A guilty Big Bill stands vigil for Lee at the hospital. With the police roughing up tong members in retaliation for their violence, Zing and the Fung Hai make a show of force to compel Mai Ling to honor her partnership. Burned by Buckley, Leary decides to take matters into his own hands at Mercer's factory. Seeking to snap Ah Sahm out of his funk, Chao shares a harrowing story of personal hardship. Ah Toy preaches a not-so-ancient message to Ah Sahm: In the middle of chaos lies opportunity. Season One Finale.
Cast & Crew
Andrew Koji
Ah Sahm
Olivia Cheng
Ah Toy
Jason Tobin
Young Jun
Dianne Doan
Mai Ling
Kieran Bew
Officer “Big Bill” O’Hara
Dean S. Jagger
Dan Leary
Tom Weston-Jones
Richard Lee
Hoon Lee
Wang Chao
Langley Kirkwood
Walter Buckley
Miranda Raison
Nellie Davenport
Chen Tang
Hong
Chelsea Muirhead
Yan Mi
Adam Rayner
Douglas Strickland III
Mark Dacascos
Kong Pak
Joe Taslim
Li Yong
Story & Production Details
Reviews & Thoughts
The marketing point for this series is that this work is "based on the writings of Bruce Lee." Well it certainly does indeed; the storylines and ideologies are from that of the 1970's, which are so out of touch with the 21st century audience. If one enjoys his type of corny and nonsensical scenarios from his films in the 70's, then this series is along the lines of those films. If one is looking at this series for the martial arts elements, then you'll be disappointed too. There's nothing special or memorable here with just a slight homage to his classic steps and moves--again more stuff from the 70's. Watch 'Into the Badlands' instead... their producers learned after the first season, much more artistic, dynamic and grandiose in the second season. In this day and age when the n-word is sensitively removed from the lexicons in entertainment, media and society, then why is it still OK to repeatedly use the c-word which is equally vile, hurtful and offensive? Just teaching and perpetuating another generation of viewers that it is OK to continue to be hateful and insulting. This also just shows the lacking of creativeness and skillfulness in the writers' and directors' storytelling abilities--shame on them for being tone-deaf and taking the easy route. This is not a matter of being PC, but rather the fact that the show-runners are ignorant and irresponsible in producing such crap. Wake up folks; it is 2019 and no longer acceptable.
it was really good. It was a project that the late Bruce Lee wanted to do for so long, before his passing. However, I am not pleased that it ended after 2 seasons, especially after where it left it! Which is why I gave it 3 and a half stars. Sorry. Still, Warrior was a brutal and satisfying martial arts show, which would've compete against Game of Thrones. Or at least of few shows that have that potential.
