Exactly the Wrong Time to Get Proud

**Exactly the Wrong Time to Get Proud** is the first episode of the third season of Max's original martial arts crime drama *Warrior* and the twenty-first episode overall. It premiered on June 29, 2023.

## Synopsis

Struggling under the pressure of an increased police presence, the Hop Wei search for a new, lucrative way to survive.

## Plot

As the Long Zii unload their opium in Hop Wei territory, Ah Sahm sits at a nearby diner, observing them quietly. There, he is approached by a group of children, who recognize him from the riot. He calls one of the children over and pays him to deliver a message to Young Jun. As the child races to Hop Wei headquarters, Ah Sahm confronts the Long Zii hatchet men in an alley. He advises them to leave, but when they refuse, Ah Sahm proceeds to fight single-handedly more than a dozen hatchet men, killing several in the process, though he eventually finds himself outnumbered and is kicked out a window. Fortunately, he is met by Young Jun, Hong, and his Hop Wei brothers, at which point, a large brawl erupted in the center of Chinatown between the two tongs. Hong and Young Jun both find themselves face-to-face with Li Yong, who manages to outclass both before Ah Sahm intervenes. The two engage in a quick exchange until the Chinatown Squad arrives, at which point, the Hop Wei and Long Zii disperse. Ah Sahm attempts to flee but is spotted by Bill, who is armed with a 12-gauge shotgun. He orders Ah Sahm to put his hands up and accosts the tongs for destroying Chinatown, though Ah Sahm retorts that it's the police presence that is truly ruining Chinatown due to them shutting down Chinese businesses with their new ordinances, leaving many starving.

After parting ways with Ah Sahm, Bill commands his men to pull back, though Stone accuses Bill of tying their hands behind their backs because he wants the open position as new chief of the department now that Flannagan has died.

Chao meets with Austin Greer to undergo a guns deal, in which Chao reminds Greer that he paid $100 for used guns rather than spending $200 for new guns. Greer proceeds to load the gun and point it at Chao, who shows no fear in the face of death and reminds Greer of their agreed upon price. Greer lowers his weapon and counts the money owed to Chao before dropping it at his feet and telling him to leave.

The Hop Wei are more desperate now than ever due to the extra police presence in Chinatown and the slew of ordinances shutting down businesses. Ah Sahm, Young Jun, and Hong make their way into the local print shop, where the shop owner, Yichèn, explains that the reason he has failed to pay his due two weeks in a row is because the bulls shut them down twice in the last month. He's happy to pay for the protection, but the way he sees it, the Hop Wei hasn't been providing much, not to mention that Father Jun would've understood his struggle during such troubling times. In a fit of rage, Young Jun slaps the old man and reminds him that his father is no longer running things. Just as Young Jun reaches for his knives, Ah Sahm intervenes and escorts Young Jun out, leaving Hong to handle the debt owed.

Just outside the shop, Young Jun confronts Ah Sahm for getting in his way. He felt disrespected and wanted to make a point, but Ah Sahm tells him that violence isn't the way to earn respect. In any case, Young Jun tells Ah Sahm never to question him in public again.

With the bulls shutting down businesses and damaging property, Kong Pak, leader of the Jiang Yao tong, has agreed to be absorbed by the Long Zii, pledging themselves to the tong and Mai Ling, who asks Kong to sit on her council alongside the elders, which he accepts.

Leary arrives at town hall for the council meeting, where Merriweather expresses that as much as it pains him, they will not be able to employ Irish labor. A frustrated Leary reminds them that there are 25,000 Chinese in the city and not a single one of them can vote. However, there are 30,000 Irish in the city, all of whom votes are controlled by Leary. Merriweather explains that they all want the Chinese gone, but he's already paying too much for steel and lumber.

Bill visits Lucy and the kids to discuss the likelihood of him moving up to police chief now that Flannagan has passed. When it happens, he'll be out of Chinatown for good. Until then, he tells Lucy that he misses her and the kids and asks her to come home, to which Lucy replies that they can talk about it once he's out of Chinatown. After Lucy exits, Horace enters, inquiring about Bill's chances of becoming chief. While he loves his family, it's a large one, and he would like to get them back home with Bill as soon as possible.

Ah Sahm checks in on Ah Toy, who is packing for a weekend trip to Sonoma. In her absence, Chao will keep an eye on the brothel. They discuss the current state of Chinatown and how Ah Toy is still out of commission given the shoulder wound she suffered after being attacked by two hit men. As for Ah Sahm, he's worried about the Hop Wei and Young Jun, who isn't settling into leadership as great as Ah Sahm hoped.

Mai Ling meets with Buckley to discuss his campaign, as well as the brawl that she caused with the Hop Wei in Chinatown. Buckley is keeping the police off her back, per their arrangement, but expanding her operation was never a part of their agreement. He warns Mai Ling not to make any more moves or noise until after the election. She agrees to fallback and offers Buckley some money for his campaign.

Meanwhile, at the Banshee, some of the men are becoming impatient as they wait for more jobs to open up, specifically Killy Donahue, who confronts Leary about not getting rid of the Chinese fast enough. Leary explains that he's trying his hardest and that he can't force the council to simply write new laws. These things take time, but Killy accuses Leary of sounding like a politician.

Lee has been working at the bar on the Barbary Coast alongside Abigail, where he has to break up the occasional fight. After dealing with two drunken brawlers, his head begins to ring, at which point, he takes a dose of laudanum to deal with the pain as Abigail comforts him.

At Ah Toy's brothel, Young Jun confronts Chao for dealing with the Long Zii, to which Chao replies that Father Jun saw the value of an independent contractor, though both Young Jun and Father Jim value loyalty above all and at some point, Chao will have to pick a side. Chao recalls Zing saying the exact same thing to him and warns Young Jun against threatening him.

At the bar, Ah Sahm and Chao discuss Young Jun's recent behavior. He's become paranoid recently, likely due to Ah Sahm's relation to Mai Ling. Chao isn't convinced that Ah Sahm could ever move against Mai Ling, and neither is Young Jun, who could bring down the whole tong if he goes off the wrong way, but Ah Sahm is more concerned about the bulls bleeding them dry. Without the chop to pay for molasses, and Happy Jack won't give them the product. Fortunately, Chao may be able to help. While delivering some guns to some ducks on the docks, he saw piles of cash, which he is proposing that Ah Sahm and the Hop Wei steal.

Buckley arrives at the police station to inform Bill that despite him being next in line for chief, he's gone another way and has brought Colonel Benjamin Atwood as their new Chief of Police. Atwood comes from New York, where he was successful in cleaning up their Chinatown. While Stewart shows Atwood to his office, Bill confronts Buckley for giving his job away. Buckley explains that the riot left their community shaken, though as Bill reminds him, it was his doing that brought order to that riot. Maybe so, but the riot was a result of Bill failing to transport Jacob for the murder of Mayor Blake. So now, he's brought in Atwood to clean up Chinatown, who has also brought some of his own men from New York. And if Bill can't fall in line, Buckley welcomes him to resign.

Ah Toy arrives at Sonoma, where Lai chases after her carriage as she is greeted by Nellie. Lai embraces Ah Toy, who says she'll be staying for a few days.

Chao guides a group of wealthy white women on a tour of Chinatown. Among them is Eliza Pendleton, who recalls the riot and expresses her sympathies. When Frankie remarks that the Chinese killed the mayor, Chao explains that there are bad Chinese people the same as there are bad white people, though most of them are good. He then takes them to meet Mai Ling, introducing her as a successful businesswoman. To their surprise, Mai Ling speaks perfect English, as she invites them inside her home.

Mai Ling shares her life story with the ladies, how she was forced into a marriage with a cruel and powerful warlord. She began secretly selling his weapons to the market until she had enough money for a ticket to America. Had he caught her or had she stayed, he would've killed her, or she would've killed herself. And now, Mai Ling has men working for her, Eliza notes. Her journey is impressive, and Eliza questions how she achieved so much. Mai Ling explains that her single greatest rule has been to be smarter than the men. On her way out, Eliza invites Mai Ling to a small reception in a few days, where she can share her story with others. Li Yong disapproves, as he doesn't like the way they look at her, to which Mai Ling replies that they're fascinated by the Chinese and if she can get them to trust her, she can get them to see her as people to do business with, thus allowing them to expand beyond Chinatown. While the ducks may never treat them as people, their money is as good as anyone else's.

Ah Toy and Nellie lie in bed together, where Nellie asks about Ah Toy's shoulder before telling her that she's found another property nearby. Ah Toy enjoys her time in Sonoma, and so, Nellie invites her to move in, though Ah Toy is reluctant to leave her business behind in Chinatown.

Kong Pak watches Li Yong during training and jokingly remarks that he's getting slower in his old age. Li Yong asks Kong Pak to join him, but instead, they go out for drinks, where Kong Pak admits that he would've never joined the Long Zii if he had a choice, but it is nice to be Li Yong's brother in arms again. It's been too long since they fought on the same side, and it's been their friendship that kept the peace between them for many years, though Kong Pak does have some concern where it relates to the Hop Wei. He then recalls how Li Yong was supposed to take over the tong after Long Zii died, but Li Yong claims that Mai Ling has done more for the tong that he ever has and that he's not a leader.

Bill pays Lee a visit at the bar, where he reveals that he's still holding on to Lee's badge in case he ever wants to come back. He could use some help dealing with the new chief, but Lee refuses to return to the force. Without Lee or Lucy, Bill isn't sure who to turn to. He's not even sure how to get Lucy back now that he's stuck in Chinatown. Abigail confronts Bill and tells him that if he tries to recruit Lee back to the force, she will break his legs. As Bill prepares to leave, Lee tells him that Lucy will come back in time. Ironically, she said the same about Lee.

Leary delivers Merriweather his new lumber prices after paying Sanderson a visit last night. And now, Merriweather has the margins to hire Irish labor. Merriweather informs Leary that his men will have to work alongside the Chinese and that he can only hire 20.

Chao returns to the docks with Ah Sahm, Young Jun, and Hong, who take out Greer's men. Afterward, Chao leads them to the room where he saw the money, but it is no longer there. They head downstairs, where Chao finds ink and a printing press, realizing that Greer and his crew have been making counterfeit money.

## Cast

* Olivia Cheng as Ah Toy
* Jason Tobin as Young Jun
* Dianne Doan as Mai Ling
* Kieran Bew as Bill O'Hara
* Dean Jagger as Dylan Leary
* Tom Weston-Jones as Richard Lee
* Hoon Lee as Wang Chao
* Langley Kirkwood as Walter Buckley
* Miranda Raison as Nellie Davenport
* Chen Tang as Hong
* Chelsea Muirhead as Yan Mi
* Mark Dacascos as Kong Pak
* Joe Taslim as Li Yong
* Sean-Marco Vorster as Stewart Gumm
* Robert Hobbs as Stone
* Nicholas Pauling as Harrison
* Lindsey Macsymon as Maggie Clark
* Trevor Ou Tim as Wu Jin
* Gary Young as Yichèn
* Angelo Chen as Zimo
* Gaosi Raditholo as Abigail
* Emily Child as Lucy O'Hara
* Jenny Umbhau as Lai
* Claire Glover as Frannie
* Leandro Lee Mingyesca as Kid
* Daniel Himschoot as Hal
* Gavin Gomes as Dan
* Jazzara Jaslyn as Eliza Pendleton
* André Jacobs as Merriweather
* Kevin Otto as Horace Clark
* Morné Visser as Killy Donahue
* Russ McCarroll as Sam Baker
* Daniel Newton as Randall Kenney
* Trevor Frost as Henchman
* Edward J. Pepperell as Austin Greer
* Steven P. Park as Tu
* Xin Sarith Wuku as Xin
* James van Helsdingen as Councilman Rand
* Jemma Kahn as Society Matron
* Roger Thomas as Sanderson
* Stefan Van Der Vegte as Irishman

## Trivia

* The episode title was spoken by Chao to Ah Sahm in reference to stealing money.

## References

1. ↑ Season 3 Directors - imgur
2. ↑ Episode Title - Instagram