Learn to Endure, or Hire a Bodyguard

**Learn to Endure, or Hire a Bodyguard** is the first episode of the second season of the original martial arts crime drama *Warrior* and the eleventh episode overall. It premiered on October 2, 2020. The series has since been acquired by Max.

## Synopsis

Back with the Hop Wei, Ah Sahm spends his nights at the Barbary Coast fight pit, confronting a new anti-Chinese group, Teddy Boys. While Ah Toy accuses him of just looking for another fight, an empowered Mai Ling worries about her brother's next steps. Meanwhile, Bill finds it hard to break out of his role as enforcer for Zing; Penny is determined to continue running Mercer Steel, much to Blake's dismay; and Chao offers Ah Sahm some advice for his future with Young Jun.

## Plot

Ah Sahm has joined a fight club in a bar on the Barbary Coast, in which he has not taken a single loss. Vega watches from above as he takes a bit of a beaten, but ultimately gains yet another victory, for which she pays him. She questions why he comes when he clearly doesn't need money. Ah Sahm claims that he's just staying sharp. Vega isn't convinced and tells him that she'll be waiting to help for whenever he decides to tell her the truth.

On her way to leave flowers at her father's grave, Sophie crosses paths with Leary, who is visiting his dead wife and two kids. He lost them to smallpox eight years ago. They had just moved there from San Francisco when it spread. For them, Sophie leaves a couple flowers. She often comes to spread flowers out around the other graves. Leary is amused when a supposed proper lady such as Sophie proceeds to swear, but she retorts that she never said she was proper.

Ah Toy finds Lai applying ointment to Ah Sahm's injuries and takes over. She thought he was done with the Barbary Coast, considering that he's not going to find what he's looking for, which is weakness — the flaw in his technique that allowed Li Yong to beat him. Ah Sahm then reveals that he saw a group of guys at the fight who wore cut-off queues on their jacket. They call themselves Teddy Boys. Those queues they wear are part of their initiation. A Chinese scalp is the only way into their gang. Ah Sahm wants to pay them a visit, but they've already been too active lately, drawing too much attention. Ah Toy worries. With or without her, Ah Sahm intends to go after them.

Bill continues to work as muscle for the Fung Hai, and he pays yet another in-debt white man a visit. However, the man doesn't have a single cent to his name. So, Bill takes the man's ring as payment instead.

The mayor's wife having 100 coolies working for her isn't a good like for Blake, but Penny doesn't seem too concerned. He reminds Penny that Merriweather has made a generous offer to buy her out, but Mercer Steel is her father's legacy, and Penny refuses to give it over. They are joined by Sophie, and Blake excuses himself. Penny then reveals that Ms. Thornhill's son, Spencer, would like to call on Sophie, but she isn't interested in him, especially since the only time they've ever encountered one another was at her father's funeral, and she doesn't trust a man who becomes infatuated with a grieving woman. Penny is upset at her sister's uncanny ability to write off every man that comes her way. Sophie makes a rude remark in regard to Penny's marriage to Blake and then apologizes, explaining that she simply wishes her sister would stop treating her like a child.

Mai Ling and Li Yong walk the streets of Chinatown and notice that one of the vendors' wife is ill. He told his wife that she needed to see a doctor, but she insists it takes two of them to run the store. And so, Mai Ling buys everything they have available on the stand and tells the man to take his wife to see a doctor immediately. While waiting for their items, they cross paths with Ah Sahm and Young Jun, though not a word is spoken between them.

With Blake's wife using coolie labor, their only other option is to take a harder stance against Chinese labor, Buckley advises. In the meantime, he will attempt to apply pressure to Penny from other fronts, with help from the workingmen. People are already beginning to turn on Blake and call him a hypocrite and view him as a man who can't control his wife.

Young Jun is worried that the tong looks weak with how Mai Ling and the Long Zii have moved closer towards their territory. However, Father Jun isn't as concerned with public perception. He's more concerned about what is true, like the Long Zii's unstable alliance with the Fung Hai. And when they fail to uphold the treaty, the Hop Wei can strike with the full force of the Six Companies. When Young Jun disrespects Father Jun for his lax behavior, he strikes his son.

Bill believes that he has paid his debt and is done working for Zing and the Fung Hai. However, Zing insists that Bill continue to work for him, for which he is fairly compensated.

Ah Sahm finds Mai Ling paying her respects to their parents. Mai Ling tries to explain to Ah Sahm that she did everything she could to keep him out of the tournament, but all Ah Sahm is concerned about is the fact that she ordered his death. Mai Ling warns Ah Sahm that he's backing the losing side, reminding Ah Sahm that the Hop Wei tossed him out like he was nothing, only for him to rejoin. She suggests that he join her, as Father Jun won't live forever and Young Jun is no leader, but Ah Sahm has no intentions on working for her. Before leaving, he tells Mai Ling that she's going to wish she had killed him.

Father Jun watches Ah Sahm train, which he admires, stating that his son could use a bit of that focus, as he's too easily riled up. Father Jun has been trying to teach him patience for years. He and Ah Sahm haven't really had a chance to talk since he's been back, but Ah Sahm knows it wasn't Father Jun's idea to bring him back. That said, Ah Sahm insists there's no bad blood. Father Jun is pleased to hear this and asks Ah Sahm to keep an eye on Young Jun, who is known to get a bit too itchy for his own good.

Bill returns home with steak for Lucy to prepare, but this isn't the first time, and it's quite expensive, which hasn't gone unnoticed by Lucy. She suspects that he's been to the gambling tables, but he insists that he hasn't. He claims it's from the owner of a nearby slaughterhouse, who gives him free steak after Bill got rid of a couple thugs.

Leary has come to collect dues from the men he got hired at the lumber job last week. Today, they're the fortunate ones, but not everyone can say the same. And so, all the men at the table put some money into Leary's hat. Leary then heads to his office, where he purchases a shipment of TNT.

Ah Sahm, Ah Toy, and Lai track the Teddy Boys to their hideout just in time to stop them from killing a helpless Chinese man. There's about half a dozen of them, but they're no match for Ah Sahm, Ah Toy, and Lai, with the latter two being armed with swords and strike fast and hard, killing every Teddy Boy in sight.

Young Jun paid a few onions to go into one of the Long Zii dens and they came back with molasses that isn't from China, meaning the Long Zii are paying less for it, which explains why they're charging less and why the Hop Wei is losing customers. Jun hasn't told his father, as he already knows he'll never stop taking orders from China, as he's too afraid of angering the Six Companies. With Young Jun being responsible for placing the orders, Ah Sahm suggests that they simply go behind Father Jun's back and set up a local source.

Bill, Lee, and Chief Flannagan have tracked their swordsman to the Teddy Boys' hideout, where their bodies have been discovered. Judging by the crime scene, Lee suspects that this time around, there was more than one person. Chief Flannagan warns Bill that if he and the Chinatown Squad can't find the perpetrator or perpetrators, then he'll find someone who can.

Lee has been taking medication, laudanum, for his headaches, but it's not helping much and it's been two months since his attack. Bill advises him to take some time off, but Lee insists that he's fine and wants to go talk to Chao to see what he knows.

The workingmen cut off the coolies ride to work and attack them on the road.

Bill and Lee raid Chao's place of business as an incentive to give up some information about the swordsman. Chao insists that he doesn't know anything but notes that Bill is probably under a lot of pressure, revealing that he's heard many of things about him.

Merriweather pays Penny a visit at Mercer Steel and has made her an offer to buy the business, but she isn't interested. It's then that Penny discovers a group of her hired laborers were attacked by the workingmen.

Ah Sahm asks Chao for some information, but more importantly discretion. He and Young Jun are looking for a local molasses source. Chao is reluctant to help Ah Sahm, as it has political ramifications. Whatever issues Ah Sahm has going, he tells him to get over it before he brings the entire tong down.

Chao reveals to Ah Toy that he knows she's the swordsman and that it's interrupting his business. The police shut down his shop because they suspect that he knows something. He's contemplating simply turning Ah Toy in, to which she replies that it's probably a good idea that she lie low. Speaking of secrets, she asks if he's gone to see his. Chao replies that he intends to do so tomorrow.

At the Barbary Coast, Ah Sahm wins yet another fight by choking his opponent unconscious. Afterward, he joins Vega at the bar, but he's upset within himself for not winning the fight sooner and reveals to Vega that despite his recent wins, he's taken a serious loss in the past. He then recalls her mentioning that she might be able to help him find whatever he's looking for.

Buckley picks up a red-headed working girl from the side of the road.

Mai Ling is worried about Ah Sahm. She could see the hate in his eyes. Li Yong isn't concerned that they'll break the treaty, but Mai Ling worries he could lose his grip on the tong. While Ah Sahm may be able to fight, he's not a leader, Li Yong retorts. Mai Ling was so furious with Ah Sahm when he first came looking for her as if she was the same sister he'd remembered, as if he still knew her. But she never thought that maybe she didn't know him either.

During the late hours of the night, Leary sets the explosives off and blows up a local business.

## 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
* Perry Yung as Father Jun
* Dustin Nguyen as Zing
* Céline Buckens as Sophie Mercer
* Miranda Raison as Nellie Davenport (credit only)
* Chen Tang as Hong (credit only)
* Maria-Elena Laas as Rosalita Vega
* Joe Taslim as Li Yong
* David Butler as Russell Flannagan
* Kenneth Fok as Jacob
* Jenny Umbhau as Lai
* Robert Hobbs as Stone
* Jacques Bessenger as McLeod
* Nicholas Pauling as Harrison
* André Jacobs as Merriweather
* Caleb Payne as Ethan O'Hara
* Tayah Ronen Abels as Molly O'Hara
* Luan Walden as Michael O'Hara
* Lourens Walden as Davey O'Hara
* Craig Gardner as Mr. Simmons
* Mark Elderkin as Michael
* Alessandro Mendes as Pete
* Jonathan Blaine Shore as Randall
* Shaun Verth as John
* Gavin Lee Gomes as Mick
* Alwyn Marx as Terry
* Ian Stock as Ray
* Graeme Bunce as Dan
* Rob van Vuuren as Man at Banshee
* Jiangwei Jia as Chinese Laborer
* Zak Shukor as Proprietor
* Rosanna Minchella as Blondie
* Esteban Cueto as Esteban

## Gallery

### Videos

Warrior - Inside Episode S2 Episode 1 - Cinemax