Episodes 7 and 8 of Warrior season two are momentous in terms of their events. The major action scenes in both episodes are shot in almost uncomfortable ways. The one at the end of episode seven is incredibly uncomfortable in not only how it was shot but also the way it comes about.
“If You Wait by the River Long Enough” begins where the previous episode ended. Young Jun completes his takeover of the tong, with Father Jun knowing that Ah Sahm is the person really behind it. Ah Toy works with Nellie to free more abused women. This leads Ah Toy to discovering that Lai has become changed. Ah Toy makes Lai stay at the winery, hoping that would undo what Lai had become. Zing is sentenced for the Swordsman murders. Mai Ling gets her blackmail material on Buckley. The episode ends with Blake attacking Penny, which leads to Jacob killing the Mayor to save Penny from dying.
“All Enemies, Foreign and Domestic” opens with our main trio of Hop Wei members joking in the Fung Hai base, having taken out the rest of the rival tong. The death of Mayor Blake sends a shockwave throughout the entire city. The cops put Chinetown on lockdown and set a curfew. Patterson hires men to kill Ah Toy because he wasn’t careful with his investments. Bill and Lee have a falling out. Ah Toy is almost killed by the assassins Patterson hired, but she survives and makes Patterson sign the papers she needed him to. Jacob comes to Chao for help as the episode ends.
These next two episodes are possibly the best episodes of the series. They have the biggest story moments as well as some of the best fights. As this rewatch comes to a close I remember why I liked this show so much when I first watched it. I give both episodes 9 hatchets out of 10.