Man on the Wall

**Man on the Wall** is the tenth and final episode of the second season of the original martial arts crime drama *Warrior* and the twentieth episode overall. It premiered on December 4, 2020. The series has since been acquired by Max.

## Synopsis

Young Jun faces a crucial decision after Mai Ling tries to drive a wedge between him and Ah Sahm, who has emerged as a hero in Chinatown and takes the opportunity to go on the offensive against Leary. Determined to take Buckley down, Penny goes to the press. Bill reckons with what he's become, and Lee seeks out a familiar face. Mai Ling finally plays her hand against the Hop Wei.

## Plot

Mai Ling is in disbelief as she walks through to see the aftermath of the riot in Chinatown, destroyed property and dead bodies everywhere, but the most startling discovery is a brand-new mural that's been painted of Ah Sahm defending the area.

Ah Sahm discovers the mural that's been painted of him. He is joined by Ah Toy, who is still badly wounded from her attack. After the riot, she just needed to come outside and make sure Chinatown still stood. She sees the mural as an opportunity; Ah Sahm's a symbol to the people, meaning they will follow him. As Ah Sahm escorts Ah Toy home, she informs him that Mai Ling saved her life. Chinatown needs a hero, someone to remind them who they are or who they could be. Ah Toy believes it is time for Ah Sahm to be the hero painted on the wall.

Lee turns in his badge and gun, prepared to resign. He's starting to feel helpless, as if they're simply trapped in an endless circle of violence. Bill has been telling him this since his arrival, but he continues to do it because there's still a chance every day to do some good and keep the peace. Bill pleads with Lee to stay, as he needs him, but Lee no longer believes that he's cut out to be a cop, to which Bill replies "You can teach a pig to hunt, but that don't make him a dog," meaning that Lee's a cop no matter what.

Father Jun consoles Young Jun after the vicious attack on Chinatown. It's easier when another tong attacks, but they can't fight an entire city or country for that matter. Father Jun advises his son that the battles he chooses not to fight are every bit as important as the ones he does. Young Jun apologizes to his father about everything. Maybe it was the fight they both needed, Father Jun replies. Young Jun wishes to welcome his father back, but it's his burden to bear by leading the tong now.

Buckley blames the riot in Chinatown on Mayor Blake's weak position on the Chinese problem. It's his position that the Chinese don't belong in America. Mr. Oswald and Clemons were hoping he'd take a more sympathetic approach with the Chinese, but Buckley isn't budging, however, he still intends to make a deal with them both. They will be the first to support his position, and in exchange, he's going to offer them a handful of financial incentives to mitigate their increased labor costs. Penny comes barging in and confronts Buckley for Jacob's death. She blames his for not telling the truth, as he used Mayor Blake's death to cast himself as a hero for his new constituency. Penny is going to see that he pays for this.

Young Jun recalls the feeling he felt when he was staring into the barrel of a gun during the riot but was saved by his father. He knew he was dead; it got real quiet and everything slowed down, but thankfully Father Jun was there just in time to save him, as if he knew Young Jun would need him. Young Jun doesn't know if he'll ever be the leader his father was, but Ah Sahm reminds him that even Father Jun was young once. Young Jun then reveals that Mai Ling reached out and wants to get the lay of the land.

Ah Sahm checks on Ah Toy and tends to her wounds. She assures him that she took care of her attackers, but he tells her to invite him along next time, as she's never alone. Nellie unexpectedly arrives to check up on Ah Toy and bring her to her estate, but Ah Toy refuses. She's pretty certain she'll survive, but if she doesn't, she'll die in her own home. Nellie relents and decides to stay at Ah Toy's side, even as she tells Nellie she doesn't belong there. Admittedly, Ah Toy has done many bad things, but Nellie won't be intimidated.

Ah Sahm and Young Jun meet with Mai Ling and Li Yong, who've come in person to congratulate Young Jun for taking the chair. Mai Ling is hoping Young Jun will give her the chance to prove that they can all make more money if they work together. Admittedly, the Fung Hai was a mistake that she made while acting impulsively. When Young Jun turns down her gesture of alliance, Mai Ling remarks that she doesn't want to be at war with her own brother anymore, revealing to Young Jun that she and Ah Sahm are siblings, in an attempt to cause friction.

Young Jun confronts Ah Sahm for not telling him the truth sooner and punches him in a fit of rage. Ah Sahm tries to reason with Young Jun, and Hong even speaks to his genuineness and proposes they give Ah Sahm a chance to explain.

Penny goes to the San Francisco Chronicle in hopes of convincing the publisher, Mr. Raice, in publishing an exclusive.

After hearing Ah Sahm's story, Young Jun comes to the conclusion that Ah Sahm is being truthful and that Mai Ling coming into their home the way she did to blow his cover was a last resort, hoping that would be the end of Ah Sahm. They've been through too much for Young Jun to believe that Ah Sahm has any loyalty to her, but when the time comes for him to choose between her and Young Jun, he wonders if Ah Sahm will make the right choice. He then requests some time to think it over. After Ah Sahm leaves, Young Jun looks to Hong for advice on what to do, but neither of them know what they would've done in his position either.

Bill stops by the Banshee for a drink to find Leary slamming down on a piano in a fit of rage. He reckons that both of them could use a drink.

Lee returns back to the bar where he was robbed, and Abigail tells him that her establishment is no place for a cop, to which he replies that he's no longer a cop.

Bill and Leary have a drink together and discuss their respective moral dilemmas. Bill's a cop, and while he doesn't always get it right, he didn't become a cop to police a bunch of foreigners. Leary realizes that Bill is truly upset about the fact that his wife left him, but Leary assures him that she'll come home eventually, as good women always do, because they know men like them have no business loving them, and they can't forgive themselves for loving the men in return. And they pay for it because their reach has exceeded their grasp.

Abigail questions why Lee isn't a cop anymore. He explains that the cops of San Francisco are actually just broken men in blue suits. She asks if he's broken. Admittedly, Lee has killed men, to which Abigail replies that some men need to be killed. And if he had to do it again, Lee admits that he wouldn't do it any different.

Leary confronts Bill for collecting for the Chinese, which he admits is true, but he buried them because they had him trapped. Bill assures Leary that it won't happen again, but for that, Leary informs him that a bill will come due.

Much like Lee, Abigail has killed multiple men. After a bit of flirting at the bar, she brings Lee home and they have sex.

Buckley gets an unexpected visit from Mr. Raice, who shares his exclusive from Penny, who revealed that Jacob only killed Mayor Blake in her defense. She also claims that Buckley knew this to be true and made Jacob to be the political scapegoat. And so, Buckley pays Mr. Raice to bury the story.

Ah Sahm makes his way over to the Banshee and single-handedly takes out a few of the workingmen before grabbing a drink and waiting for Leary to join him. Ah Sahm intends to finish his drink and go a round with Leary, who accuses the Chinese of bleeding the countey dry, but as far as Ah Sahm is concerned, they all came for the same reason — for a better life.

Ah Sahm and Leary head out back, where they are surrounded by a large crowd of Irishmen. Ah Sahm and Leary trade blows, but it is Ah Sahm who hits the ground first, though he quickly recovers and goes on the offensive, knocking Leary to the ground with a spinning kick. Leary eventually makes it back to his feet and the fight continues. Unfortunately, Ah Sahm takes a few too many punches and finds himself back on the ground. But he manages to pull himself back to his feet and regain the upper hand, hitting Leary with a combination of punches before kneeing him in the face. Leary then charges at Ah Sahm, but is stopped in his tracks when Ah Sahm delivers a heavy blow to Leary's chest, momentarily stopping his heart before finishing him off with a drop-kick. On his way out, Ah Sahm warns them to stay out of Chinatown.

Father Jun prepares to leave the Hop Wei and Chinatown behind. Chao commends Father Jun for going out strong and asks where he's headed. Father Jun simply replies the "big country" and that he'll know when he's there. He then looks to Chao to break the news to Young Jun and asks him to keep an eye on him.

Penny confronts Buckley at city hall for getting her exclusive shut down. He asks why she's so determined to soil her husband's legacy. She's been through a terrible time these last few months; her father died, her business was destroyed, and lastly her husband was killed in front of her. Any one of those events would be more than most could bear. Angered by his insinuation, she slaps Buckley, who becomes so enraged that he grabs a letter opener from his desk and stabs himself in the shoulder, for which he blames Penny. He accuses Penny of stabbing him and has her taken away by authorities.

Bill returns home to find Lucy awaiting his return. She heard about the riot and wanted to make sure he was okay. That said, she doesn't intend to come back, at least not immediately. Bill explains that he never intended for this to happen. He went out there with the intent of doing good, but at some point, it stopped being an option. A better man would've made better choices, but he thinks he can still be that man and pleads with Lucy not to leave him.

Sophie returns home to find Buckley waiting. He informs her that Penny had an episode, a mental collapse of some kind, and stabbed him in his office. He has no intent of pressing charges, but for the time being, she has been placed in an insane asylum.

After Buckley failed to show up to their last meeting, Mai Ling decides to stake out the area where he often frequents to pick up redhead prostitutes. When he finally arrives, she confronts Buckley and presents him an old photograph of him fighting for the confederacy. She informs him that she has two more of the same photos for sale. Just like him, she simply wants blood in the streets.

Backed into a corner, Buckley bends to Mai Ling's whim. During the next council meeting, he announces his plans to wage war against the Hop Wei, who he describes as being the most powerful and brutally violent in Chinatown. Chief Flannagan is reluctant to the idea of sending his men to do battle with the tongs in their territory, but Buckley assures him that they'll be fighting on their terms and will be using the justice system to do so. All the surrounding businesses are the Hop Wei, and Buckley intends to shut them down by using every long-neglected ordinance, like the operation of brothels and laundromat permits. They will enforce these laws by making arrests and shutting down business. Leary joins them and accuses Buckley of making empty promises. He then introduces himself and reveals that he's there on behalf of the Workingmen's Party of California.

Young Jun menacingly glares up at Ah Sahm's mural in Chinatown.

Zing is in San Quentin Prison. He is told to stand up and assume the position by the guards. They instruct him to hug the bars as they throw his lunch into the cell. In hugging the bars on his window, he notices that they're loose.

## 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
* Joanna Vanderham as Penelope Blake
* Tom Weston-Jones as Richard Lee
* Hoon Lee as Wang Chao
* Langley Kirkwood as Walter Buckley
* Christian McKay as Samuel Blake (credit only)
* Perry Yung as Father Jun
* Dustin Nguyen as Zing
* Céline Buckens as Sophie Mercer
* Miranda Raison as Nellie Davenport
* Chen Tang as Hong
* Maria-Elena Laas as Rosalita Vega
* Joe Taslim as Li Yong
* Gaosi Raditholo as Abigail
* David Butler as Russell Flannagan
* Martin Munro as Leonard Raice
* Deon Lotz as Leland Clemmons
* Norman Anstey as Oswald
* Jervis Pennington as Nelson
* Inez Robertson as Miss Foster
* Rowan Studti as Prison Guard

## Trivia

* The episode title, "Man on the Wall," refers to Ah Sahm, as a mural of him is painted on the side of a building depicting his heroic actions during the riot in Chinatown.

## Gallery

### Videos

Warrior - Season 2 Episode 10 Preview - CinemaxWarrior - Inside Episode S2 Episode 10 - Cinemax