Ah, weddings!
Aren’t they the most joyous occasions? People eat, drink, dance, and have a good time.
And for the couple, it is an extra special time when they celebrate their love in front of friends and family.
Of course, this is the rosy, idealistic version of events because, at many weddings, many people are present out of obligation, the food might not be that good, some couples are not in love, and enemies are usually in the midst.
Mai Ling and Li Yong’s wedding was a mix of both on Warrior Warrior Season 3 Episode 8.
Was the wedding beautiful? Yes. All weddings are beautiful because everyone looks their best.
Mai Ling’s was no different with everyone who’s everyone present.
There were some Chinese wedding traditions to observe, including a friendly sparring between Li Yong and Kong Pak, which would foreshadow something.
But the plotting never ends.
Unlike Wayne and his friends on Letterkenny, who don’t fight at weddings, any occasion is fair game in Chinatown.
Mai Ling and Li Yong’s marriage was built partly from love, duty, and dependency.
Father Jun: Where are you coming from?
Young Jun: Mai Ling’s wedding.
Father Jun: So she finally decided to marry Li Yong?
Young Jun: Yeah. Let’s see how long he lasts.
Father Jun: He’ll be fine. He’s a follower, unlike Mai Ling and your brother.
Young Jun: That’s not Ah Sahm.
Father Jun: His intentions may be different, but in the end, a man like that will never accept being led, so he’ll always be a threat. Young Jun: He’s been fucked up lately. But he would never challenge me for the tong.
Father Jun: That’s what I said about you.
Li Yong has always been a follower. It would take someone like Father Jun, who had always been there since Long Zii, to make such an assessment. Li Yong felt useful when he was serving someone.
After Mai Ling took over, the duty continued.
His feelings became complicated when he entered a sexual relationship with her, and he might have fallen in love.
For him, this was a great outcome. He gets to be told what to do and some sticky. It was more than he could have dreamed when serving Long Zii.
Mai Ling loved having a protector and lackey. She loved having to say jump and Li Yong asking how high. She fell in love with that dynamic. Does she love him? Probably not, as she can’t name one thing unique about him.
Does she love the idea of having Li Yong around? So much so that she married him.
Li Yong: Kong Pak was right. I didn’t wanna listen. And now he’s gone. The elders are gone. There’s only Mai Ling.
Wang Chao: No, there’s you. Mai Ling has always done whatever she has to to protect herself, including marrying you. Hey, I’m not saying she doesn’t love you. But I am saying she can’t do this without you.
This was one complicated marriage if I’ve ever seen one.
The elders had been thinking of removing Mai Lings as Long Zii’s leader for a while now, and they expressed this on Warrior Season 3 Episode 5.
She was well aware. So when Li Yong disappeared for a chat with them, it didn’t take a genius.
Ruthlessness was her middle name; as Li Yong got lost in lovemaking, she imagined all the old men getting killed.
Kong Pak survived the murder attempt but would meet death at Li Yong’s hands.
It was sad for Li Yong to kill someone he’d grown to respect and attached to. Sometimes it takes a shock to the system for someone to see the truth. Kong Pak’s death was that shock.
Elsewhere, Walter was sworn in.
I, Walter Franklin Buckley, do solemnly swear to perform the duties as Mayor of San Francisco to the best of my ability, so help me God. It is not enough to complain about the Barbarians at the gates of our great city bringing our hands as we wait for the state or nation to intervene. The defense of our city and our way of life falls to us. It is the fighting spirit of Americans that led to the birth of our great nation. We must preserve that spirit and not allow the insidious insurgents of a devious alien race to come between us and our destiny. With your continued support, we will cleanse every trace of this rot and infection from our streets, our ports, our factories, and our fields. And our shining golden city will light the way forward not just for California but for the entire United States.
Walter
Did he deserve it? No. The man had no balls. He was a puppet. And the puppet masters had begun circling to pull his strings.
Leary had gotten comfortable with the new flow where you give favors to cash them in later. But as he came to learn, not every favor is worth cashing.
Sometimes the good ol’ fists have to do the work.
Big Bill had braved grueling manual labor, and when he was promoted, he was to work under a kid, taking orders from him.
Oh, how the mighty fall. The bigger they are, the harder they fall. Would he believe he would be drowning his exhaustion in Banshee like any other working Irishman if he had been told so a year ago?
It was time to reclaim his natural place as leader, and the arrested boys were a way to do it.
The new powerful characters in Warrior Season 3 don’t seem to disappoint.
I was impressed by Chief Atwood’s dedication to keeping the law equal for everyone, and when he walked into that cell room with his booming voice, I swear I jumped off the seat.
Leary: Time to go, lads.
Chief Atwood: No one’s going anywhere. I always knew you weren’t much of a cop, O’Hara. Harrison put the prisoners back in their cells, lock the door and then cuff these two and bring them up for processing.
Harrison: Sorry, Chief. I left my cuffs upstairs.
Big Bill: These boys don’t belong here. We’re paying their fines, and we’re bringing them home.
Chief Atwood: We? It didn’t take you long to find your level now, did it, Irishman? I hear you’re fond of a wager, O’Hara. So here it is. You knock me down. The Donahue boys are free to go. Otherwise, the two of you join them.
Big Bill: Look. If you think I’m stupid enough to fight the chief of police…
Chief Atwood: [lands a blow on Big Bill’s face]
Sometimes, characters show up being all bark, but no bite, but like Big Mo assessed Gina on Your Honor, Chief Atwood was not all bark. He got bite.
Watching onions of a slight build scrap till death is always enjoyable, but big grown men delivering punches with such experience was exhilarating.
I won’t lie. I was team Atwood, and boy, did he deliver until the last minute when he convinced himself he’d won. Goes to show that the beginning of a journey doesn’t matter as the end.
Working all those muscles in manual labor was advantageous to Big Bill.
At Mai Ling’s, another battle was going on between Li Yong and Kong Pak.
In the Warrior Season 3 Episode 7 review, I presented that Ah Sahm threatened Young Jun. Stupidly enough, Young Jun had not noticed it. Again, it took the wisdom of Father Jun to paint a proper picture for Young Jun. And Father Jun didn’t lie.
If Young Jun was fidgety before, now how was climbing walls. He’s dangerous when he acts like that.
Love was in the air as Ah Sahm realized he was screwed. For many people, realizing you’re in requited love is thrilling. It was not so much for Ah Sahm.
He had caught the bug for the printer, and Young Jun was looking to close ranks. She was going to get killed.
But the damage was already done because Lee had connected the dots.
Agent Mosely: Drinks. Music. The whole spread. Long Zii knows how to throw a party, I’ll give him that. Can’t be cheap. Maybe we’ve been looking in the wrong direction. What is it?
Lee: Long Zii and Hop Wei at a party together.
Agent Mosely: Is that not part of the course?
Lee: Not without a lot more blood.
How were the Tongs showing such a united front when normally it’s bloodshed? Even a wedding could not have that effect. Speaking of the wedding, what was the printer’s daughter doing at a Tong wedding when she was not part of any Tong?
What was a printer’s daughter doing on premises suspected of printing fake money? If you want to know what’s happening worldwide, follow the money. If you want to know where the money is, apparently you follow the printer’s daughter.
Ah Toy attended the wedding for shits and giggles but found herself in another fight. But how she handled the fight was the most interesting thing.
Even on Warrior Season 3 Episode 7, she struggled to protect herself but was back in shape after months of recuperating.
And just in time, one of her girls had found a way into Douglas’ house. What’s that they say about payback? Right.
Based on the story’s direction, “You Know When You’re Losing a Fight” was never expected to progress the storyline, but if anything, it muddled it up.
We expected the strengthening of the Tongs’ alliance, but so much happened the episode lost track of it.
Mai Ling’s wedding should have been grander in scale and duration.
It’s not like they didn’t have the chop for it. Despite being the main attraction, the wedding became an afterthought as other stories took center stage.
However, the episode was entertaining, but with two episodes remaining until the Warrior Season 3 finale, they must chart a clear course.
What did you think?
Let us know in the comments section.
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.