These two episodes of Warrior are pretty interesting. “The Tiger and The Fox” has an underlying theme of what you do for family even when that relationship is strained. That could be either the family that you choose or the family that you’re born into. That’s also something that drifts into “They Don’t Pay Us Enough to Think” which kind of deals with fallout to what happened in the previous episode.
“The Tiger and The Fox” has Penny being guilted by her father over the promised city contract. Bill is approached by a bounty hunter about Lee and his past. We learn that Lee killed two of his cousins after they killed the love of Lee’s life. Bill and the rest of the Chinatown squad beat the bounty hunter half to death and ban him from San Francisco. Ah Sahm saves Mai Ling from Bolo as Bolo was sent to assassinate Long Zii and Mai Ling. Mai Ling does kill Long Zii herself after Ah Sahm leaves. The episode ends with the tongs starting to fight after Bolo’s body is found hanging in Chinatown.
“They Don’t Pay Us Enough to Think” picks up where the previous episode ended with the tongs fighting. This causes Senator Crestwood and Mayor Blake to scramble and Crestwood using the fight to push his anti-Chinese policies. A duel between the best fighters from the tongs is agreed upon as the way to solve the problems. Ah Sahm is chosen for the Hop Wei and Li Yong for the Long Zii. Penny breaks things off with Ah Sahm after the brawl between the tongs. Ah Sahm doesn’t take the breakup well. Ah Toy takes some personal matters into her own hands after she and her business partner are blackmailed.
Joanna Vanderham gets some of the best moments in “They Don’t Pay Us Enough to Think” and its such a fun moment in the episode. It lets Penny be defiant while also putting the terrible white men in their place, even if they don’t realize it. Kieran Bew gets moments that branch off from the ending of “Chewed Up, Spit Out and Stepped On”.
These episodes feel like the opening winds of a massive storm. The final episodes of the season look to have some massive consequences for the story. I don’t remember what all happens in those episodes but I remember a couple of things. I give these episodes 8 hatchets out of 10.