Summary
A slower-paced episode deals with the fallout of some big events, and reminds the main characters that those with power will continue to keep it by any means necessary.
This recap of the Max series Warrior Season 3 Episode 4, “In Chinatown, No One Thinks Forever”, contains spoilers.
The previous episode of Warrior ended with the most emotionally powerful moment of the season thus far – Nellie Davenport’s vineyard being burned to the ground, with most of her liberated Chinese working girls killed in the process.
“In Chinatown, No One Thinks About Forever” unfolds in the looming, ash-stained spectre of that development. Ah Toy, injured, has returned to Chinatown. Nellie, at a loss, has challenged Douglas Strickland in court and quickly finds herself totally powerless against his influence.
And there’s the theme. Those with power – and we see it elsewhere in the episode too – sustain it by wielding it over those less fortunate than themselves. Whether it’s a railroad development or a spiteful attack to preserve one’s public standing, the usual suspects come out on top.
For now, anyway.
Warrior Season 3 Episode 4 Recap
It seems to be becoming obvious that the rivalry between the Hop Wei and Long Zii is going to give way to a wider struggle of the Chinese against the San Francisco establishment. “In Chinatown, No One Thinks About Forever” seems to plant seeds for this in all its subplots, not just Nellie’s losing battle in court and Ah Toy’s hopelessness at having witnessed the dream of a better life burn before her eyes.
So, let’s talk about the police.
What happens to Young Jun?
In this episode, Richard and the Secret Service’s investigation into Chinatown’s counterfeiting operation intersects with Buckley’s appointment of Atwood as Chief of Police.
Richard has the unfortunate distinction of being both a good cop and a good man, so his efforts lead the police directly to the doorstep of the Hop Wei but also force him to reckon with the needless brutality of an insane Atwood and his racist precinct.
When the police and Secret Service raid the Hop Wei’s hideout, they find no evidence of counterfeiting. Something heavy has been recently moved from a hidden room, which is suspicious but isn’t legally credible, so the cops, led by Atwood, instead beat the Hop Wei half to death for no reason at all.
Here we get a real glimpse of Atwood’s psychopathy. He brutalizes Young Jun until he has to be physically restrained by Bill, of all people, and it’s obvious he’d have beaten him to death were it not for the intervention. I have no idea if Warrior is going to delve into the extent or perhaps even the cause of such deep-rooted xenophobia, or just be content to leave Atwood as a particularly serious symptom of a common disease, but nevertheless, he remains, after Strickland, the second Big Bad of the season.
Why don’t the police find the printing press?
The police don’t find the printer because Ah Sahm and Yan Mi have wheeled it out of there in a donkey-drawn cart, after a tip-off about the raid. Maybe I missed something here, but do the Hop Wei have a contact in the SFPD? Perhaps Chao put the pieces together after Richard visited him, and the timing was just fortuitous. Something to keep an eye on either way.
Ah Sahm and Yan Mi are forced to fight off a few cops that hassle them in the streets, which understandably upsets Yan Mi but also makes her kinda horny, so these two finally cash in on all that flirting from previous episodes.
Warrior Season 3 Episode 4 Ending Explained
At the end of the episode, Mai Ling also falls victim to the police when she’s arrested for supposedly soliciting the husband of one of the rich white women she has recently befriended.
Of course, Mai Ling did nothing of the sort. She had just entered a business deal with the man, and he was happily teaching her how to play pool before he made an unwanted pass at her. You know what white dudes of this era are like.
Unfortunately, this was witnessed by the wife, and since it’s easier to blame the victim rather than admit your husband would rather sleep with someone else, Mai Ling is taken away. This will doubtlessly affect her business arrangements, weaken the Long Zii, and probably give her a bit of a chip on her shoulder.
You can stream Warrior Season 3 Episode 4, “In Chinatown, No One Thinks Forever” exclusively on Max.
