Warrior Season 3 Premiere Review: These Onions Can Scrap Still

Some shows deserve saving. After watching Warrior Season 3 premiere, the show makes an excellent case for why it deserves to be around.

It has almost been three years since its future was in the air after Cinemax stopped making scripted content, and many shows can’t survive being off the air for so long.

When different platforms with different business models save shows, there are many noticeable changes in the show’s creative direction, which can make or break it.

Yet, there was no noticeable change in Warrior Season 3 as it delivered the same complexly interwoven narrative, epic action sequences, stellar writing, and good music.

Watching the three-episode season premiere was a great reminder of why this show is loveable and perfectly entertaining.

Warrior Season 3 Episode 1 picked up a short while after the wild race war that plagued San Francisco in the Warrior Season 2 finale.

Territories had been divided, Ah Sahm was viewed as this savior, Young Jun finally became the boss, and the city was rife with politics or race, economy, class, love, and lust.

Ah Sahm: You guys seem to have wandered off Long Zii territory. It’s okay. We all get turned around now and then. I’d be happy to point you in the right direction.
Long Zii Guy: You’re the one who’s turned around, motherfucker.
Ah Sahm: Wow, you escalated that pretty fast. Usually there’s a little more repartee, a few zingers before the hatchets come out, you know?

All this existed in the fragile harmony that had been the hallmark of San Francisco in the late 19th century. A slight misstep by one faction could cause all this to collapse, as was when Ah Sahm found some Lao Zhing tong members outside their territory.

Cops had developed a less destructive method of preventing unrest which involved breaking up fights but not bursting heads as they had always done.

After spending years in Chinatown, Big Bill has learned enough to know who his friends are and what he can and can’t do. It was this valuable knowledge he had that placed him in a better position to be the most effective Chief of Police the city had seen in a while.

Racism was the order of the day, but sometimes you have to laugh at how short-sighted bigotry can make you. How do you disrespect the man who sells you weapons because you deem his race or accent inferior?

The guys down at the docks were idiots because while they had to cross certain hoops to get guns, Wang Chao was the connect. Everyone knows: you don’t mess with the connect.

The thing about tough economic times is that everyone feels it to some extent.

We’re losing protection money and we’re losing guys. Either we find a way to dodge these ordinances or we’re fucked.

Young Jun

And no one feels it more than the working man. The Irish were still trying to secure jobs around the city, and that involved O’Leary sitting around with men who deemed him inferior.

Truth be told, he was five times the man they were, but money has a way of skewing reality.

If not for that O’Leary genuinely cared, he would have hanged up his boots long ago.

Killy: I thought the idea of you joining the city council was to get rid of the Chinese and get us all working again.
O’Leary: What the fuck do you think I’m doing? You think I like sitting ’round a table with those fat fucks talking down to me? I can’t just force them to write new laws. Listen. It’s like anything else, right? You find the pressure points, and then you dig your thumbs in. These things take time.
Killy: Ooh, careful there. You’re even starting to sound like a politician.

As if fighting the battle on one front was not enough, he had to fight another at his court because the men he was looking out for were hellbent on sabotaging themselves.

I think it’s stupid to opt to starve because your racism doesn’t allow you to work with people from another race, but hey, that’s just me.

Warrior Season 3 found the younger Jun was in power, having taken over from the older Jun, but the timing could not be less perfect.

Young Jun has always dealt with an inferiority complex because he felt he was owed something after staying in his father’s shadow for so long.

It didn’t take much to trip his ego, and his response was disproportionate.

Cops had enforced ordinances that saw many businesses being closed, and as a result, there was not much revenue for the Hope Wei because who were they going to shake down for protection money? An old printer?

To make matters worse, Mai Ling had the upper hand in all the tongs, and with how challenging times were becoming, many other tongs were folding and pledging allegiance to her. She was becoming stronger every day, and Hope Wei was weakening simultaneously.

They were reeking of desperation, and desperate people do desperate things like playing with the fire that is the federal government.

After the past couple of months she had, Ah Toy was enjoying the bliss of being in love and having a successful enterprise. The vineyard was thriving under Nellie’s care, and their relationship could not have been better.

Theirs being forbidden queer love in the 19th century, one is always waiting for the other shoe to drop, and it always drops.

Lee had since left the police force and channeled his skills into offering security services at his girlfriend’s bar. With an ailment, he was looking frail and unkempt. Not even Big Bill could get him back into the groove.

Change was happening in Chinatown, and those who emerge on top are those who adapt.

For Mai Ling, that involved branching outside Chinatown into the unknown world of Proper Society. But that was also a risky move. What if they never accept her and all her efforts are in vain?

Big Bill was not the new police chief, spelling even more trouble for Chinatown, especially with a police force so eager to maim or kill as many Chinese people as possible.

Sergeant O’Hara, meet Colonel Benjamin Atwood, our new chief of police.

Mayor Blake

Sometimes people go out of their breadth, and while Hope Wei had a handle on things in Chinatown, dabbling into the business of printing fake currency was a losing game because the federal government is not to be messed with.

This was not the time to get proud, but it was also not the time to play Russian Roulette with all chambers full. And that was what Hope Wei was doing. No one could save them from the federal government.

“Exactly the Wrong Time to Get Proud” did a great job of setting up the conflict for the remainder of the season, showing where everyone was emotionally and economically. Even with relative peace having been established, tough times were coming.

And as sure as the skies are blue, the federal government came knocking.

There was no way the government was unaware a fake money printing operation was happening, and they sent seemingly the right person for the job.

Even after he lost his partner, Special Agent Mosley did not let emotions get the better of him since he still needed information. Most people would have just the riders because who can prove they executed them?

At this time, J. Edgar Hoover was not born yet, so the FBI, notorious for handling these cases, was yet to be formed.

But every government institution is as good as the people in it, and the Secret Service has great people.

The Hope Wei had a literal money printing machine but no one with printing experience.

These onions don’t know what they’re fucking doing. We need people who specialize in this kind of work.

Wang Chao

Interestingly, no group member thought, “Hey, this is a bad idea; let’s stick to the stuff we know.” Not even Wang Chao, who is usually more critical.

On Lee’s side, his past caught up with him again as bounty hunters knocked on the bar’s doors.

You can never escape some things, and $500,000 in the late 1800s is enough money to make even the most pacified men start hunting him down. That was enough money for someone to never work again for the rest of their lives.

The price on your head says this country isn’t big enough.

Lee’s Girl

That is, if they got the bounty or died trying.

Lee and his girlfriend had managed to kill one batch, but how many more were coming? His first instincts were to run, but he wasn’t considering himself alone. He had a girl to think about, and she was very persuasive about staying.

He had very few options and none viable.

Politics is a dirty game, and whoever wins is the one who plays the dirtiest.

Also, those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it, and watching events unfold in Mayor Blake’s campaign was eerily similar to what we’ve seen recently.

Politicians usually pick an issue to double down on, and if you’re a bad player, you choose something divisive and go to the extreme.

The Chinese immigrants were useless to Mayor Blake because they had no voting power. Hence, he turned them into the target. He rallied the rest of the city against the other and, using his new police chief, went to town in Chinatown, enforcing bizarre ordinances.

In the rallies, he showed the public how bad the immigrants were and how good he was, declaring war on them.

If that didn’t ring a bell, it is what Trump did with Latine immigrants.

People can be as inhuman as they want. There is not much you or I can do about it, but there are effects.

It doesn’t end with giving a few disgusting speeches in rallies. It is the measures taken like beating people to a pulp, extrajudicial killings and outright denial of human rights.

In modern terms, that locking children in cages, murder, and outright denial of human rights.

The other side was not better because their platform was on family, which has also been used to attack other people whose families differ from the idealized version.

The quest to print perfect fake money saw Ah Sahm get acquainted with the printer’s daughter, and sparks flew from their first meeting on Warrior Season 3 Episode 2

The dollars started coming in after she offered her expertise.

Yan Mi: Your press is fine. You just have no idea how to fine-tune it for the bills you’re trying to print.
Young Jun: Who said anything about bills?
Yan Mi: Green ink, scraps lying around. It’s pretty obvious.

The fake money could get them out of their current fix, but it is a bad idea.

First, it exposes them to trouble with the federal government and the other tongs if they get a whiff of this new development.

Second, it might inspire laziness. Why work for money when you can literally make money?

Finally, it’s terrible for the economy. That might not matter much to them, but it is very damaging — possibly the biggest problem.

Special Agent Mosley arrived in San Francisco with a bang. Like always, he approached the new chief nicely but pulled the big guns when needed. It was the same with Lee when he required a Chinatown liaison.

I am a federal officer empowered by the President of the United States, and you will render any assistance I ask for with a fucking smile, or I’ll have you working out of the basement while I make this office mine own.

Agent Mosley

He is not afraid to use every tool at his disposal.

O’Leary was still trying to find jobs for his men, which involved meeting with a new businessman.

His dedication to his job is admirable because he will do anything needed to secure a dozen jobs for his men, even if that means acting like a thug to scare people.

He will fight for jobs for his men and fight his men because of the jobs.

The calm and prosperity in Sonoma Valley would not last long as someone from Nellie’s past came with a proposal.

Douglas’ demeanor was not that of someone who is used to being told no. And after what he saw between Ah Toy and Nellie, he would do anything to get his way.

Mai Ling was playing the game on both sides and seemingly winning. The tongs were folding and joining her side; she had found an in with the society ladies.

But still, everything was at risk because it could crumble at any moment.

“Anything Short of a Blow to the Head” did not waste time diving deeper into the season’s conflict while maintaining the storytelling balance needed to pull off this broad narrative.

With two extremely capable lieutenants now, Mai Ling has been delegated to the background sitting around drinking tea and laughing at stupid jokes.

I love the scrapping as the next fan, but we haven’t seen the ladies pull their weight, which needs to happen soon. I’m dreading the circumstances, though.

Whoever said money can’t solve all your problems they’ve never had enough of it.

And sure, it might be true it can’t solve all the problems, but it can solve some. And with their new money, the Hope Wei began by solving the most immediate.

It’s tricky when the money is fake, but it makes no difference if the fake chop is indistinguishable to the eye from the real thing.

If Happy Jack had clocked the bills as being fake, Hope Wei would be in much bigger trouble.

We were waiting for the other shoe in Ah Toy and Nellie’s relationship, and drop it did. Douglas used his knowledge about the affair to try and force Nellie into accepting the offer.

I’m not a massive fan of using queer love as creative fodder to push trauma and negativity, mainly when they are tokenized, but in this case, I was willing to give it a pass.

That’s because after being interested in a singer, Hong made a move on him, and as everyone was drinking and getting sticky with the new money, they got sticky too.

Not having token queers is a positive.

On Warrior Season 3 Episode 3, The Chinatown task force prepared to infiltrate the town to find who was responsible for printing fake money.

A single drop is all it takes to ferret out a fake. If the bill is legal tender, then it won’t leave a mark.

Lee

That required some reconnaissance, but Lee went directly to the source while doing that. It was unclear whether that was the plan, but it was an interesting thought.

Wang Chao will always look out for Wang Chao, and as it stood, Hope Wei was weakening every day, even with their new cash.

Mai Ling was taking over right front and center, and soon, Hope Wei would be the only one left. But for how long when their biggest rival is multiple times bigger than they were?

Will Wang Chao reveal his discovery about the hunt for fake money, or will he let them fry?

Ah Sahm and Yan Mei spent time together, and feelings developed.

Yan Mei told Ah Sahm everything without hiding, and there is something about someone honest with you that people find attractive. No one has ever had Ah Sahm question himself as she did.

While most people almost fell on their knees when he walked by, she didn’t see him as the savior everyone did.

I saw you at the riots. You came in like some avenging angel. Here to save us. But then you come to my shop with Young Jun to collect, and I realized you are not an angel or a warrior.

Yan Mi

It appeared like they had a genuine connection, but sometimes things are not as they appear. Even with the little we knew about Yan Mei, it was clear that she was intelligent and confident. Maybe she was working him to get out with money easier.

The money was becoming a problem, with Young Jun flaunting it everywhere. The Tongs don’t have a reputation for being the kindest people, and it raised a red flag seeing them give out that money even to the least observant person in the streets.

If the money they gave out is tested, it connects them directly to the fake money scheme. Then everyone from the government to Happy Jack and even the public will have a bone to pick with them.

Things escalated quickly when Douglas made multiple moves.

Of course. I read all about it in The Register. Nellie Davenport, savior of Chinatown whores. I just wonder how they’d make of you now sharing a bed with one.

Douglas

I’m not the man you threaten, Mr Leary. I’m the man with whom you make a deal.

Douglas

For O’Leary, nothing is more important than getting jobs for his men, and Douglas’ rail project would be lucrative for him and his men. Suddenly, construction didn’t have the same allure, and he was willing to communicate clearly with a fork.

Douglas’ people attacked the vineyard at night, and when I said I wanted to see the ladies in action, that’s not what I had in mind.

Ah Toy tried her best despite nursing injuries from the previous fight. She came face to face with a really awful man whose prowess with the whip could have fooled someone into thinking he was a Shadowhunter, but realistically he was a seasoned slaver.

The losses were a lot that night, and it didn’t seem like they had any course.

Will Nellie and Ah Toy find a way out?

“No Time for F… Chemistry” delivered another entertaining hour that saw a shift in the dynamics established in the season premiere, yet the change improved the story.

The only person who seemed to be winning was Mai Ling. What has the universe planned for her?

Ah Sahm started questioning everything about himself, including his actions and alliances. Will Wang Chao’s prediction come true about Ah Sahm joining his sister? How bad is the money printing scheme for Hope Wei?

What did you think of this premiere? Did you miss the show? Hit the comments section.

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Denis Kimathi is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. He has watched more dramas and comedies than he cares to remember. Catch him on social media obsessing over [excellent] past, current, and upcoming shows or going off about the politics of representation on TV. Follow him on Twitter.

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