It's on skinemax now but will be on HBO Max when the second season is over. This show is awesome is based on the same manuscripts that Bruce Lee wrote that Kung Fu was based on. This show is much grittier.
Jiggyfly and I had a discussion about this a few months ago. I wasn't too impressed with the first episode but it grew on me. I'm glad they are basing it on Bruce Lee's outline and also that they are covering a time in US History that isn't covered much at all. I still am not sold on the main character. I find him way too wooden and him not convincing at all. Same with the white love interest. Besides them though some of the other characters are great and the overall story arc I thinks is very interesting. The martial arts are decent. I'm not particularly wowed by them but they are entertaining enough. I'm disappointed it moved to HBO Max as now I might have to break down and sign up for it for that and Raised by Wolves..
I've been watching this with my wife and we're a few episodes into season two. Really good show, I'd describe it as Deadwood with martial arts. Does a good job of addressing racism. Looks like the viewership numbers were so good for HBO Max that they renewed it for a third season.
I'm surprised it got a season 3. Usually these kinda shows get 1 or 2 seasons at the most. Looking forward to season 3
Got a weekend of free HBO Max from my IP so binged all of season 2 of Warrior. Pretty good and show definitely grew from first few episodes when I felt it was more of an Asian Django Unchained about attitude than it was about plot and character development. The one character I was really impressed with both development and acting was Penny Blake the wife of the Mayor who in the first season I thought was a fairly forced attempt to give a white love interests to the main Chinese character. Redoing her as a modern women struggling with 19th Century sexism I thought was a good touch and Joanna Vanderham pulled off well. Dianne Doan as the conniving Mai Ling is brilliant, Olivia Cheng does a great job as the tough madame Ah Toy coming to terms with who she is is great but I think the lesbian romance they gave her felt forced (it is Skinemax) but not really claiming. I really wish they would give Wang Chao played by Hoon Lee a bigger role. To me he's the most interesting character as the fixer in the middle of everything. Some really good acting and character development by a lot of the cast. The one area to me that still feels the weakest part of the show is the Ah Sahm the main character played by Andrew Koji. He still doesn't have anywhere the near the menace or presence of a good action star. He seems like he came from the Henry Golding casting for Crazy Rich Asians, a Brit Pretty Boy. His fights against much stronger opponents push suspension of disbelief and I was laughing at his scene where he deliberately apes Bruce Lee with nunchaks. As an actor he is just too wooden. Overall I like the story arc and look forward to season three. A few spoilered comments regarding some scenes. Spoiler I had to fight back tears during the scene where Chao takes his daughter and gives her Nelly Davenport to be given to a white family. Just a very powerful scene full of complete self-awareness about who he is and what future his daughter can have if he leaves her with her mother who is white but is a prostitute or with him as even though he is successful how she will be held back because he is Chinese. Also just realizing how dangerous his life is and the compromises he has to make to survive. His realization that she can pass as white and that the only chance she has has for a successful life in America at that time is to be white. Was a real powerful statement on assimilation. I really wish they would've explored this backstory more. This is also why Chao is one of my favorite characters and I thought his speech in the first season where he says "I am not a slave" was incredibly powerful. The scene where the Irish lynched Jacob was incredibly powerful. Historically things like this actually happened with Chinese lynched and Chinese communities ransacked in race riots and it was painful to watch but I couldn't look away during that scene. This is one of those scenes that should be shown in history class especially about Asian American History to show that Chinese were considering anything but a Model Minority for much of US History. On the other side while the Irish are antagonists they aren't shown as evil racists but the show does a good job of dealing with their struggle to be American. Dean Jagger who plays Leery does a good job conveying the struggle and his speech to Sophie about his family starving is very powerful. Leery and Ah Sahm are supposed to represent two sides of the struggle as the "heroes" of their people but this where the look and acting chops of Andrew Koji just fall short. Jagger's Leery works as projecting the menace of a ruthless fighting man but is good enough actor to project his inner struggle. Andrew Koji doesn't. Their fight at the end is appropriately bloody but I just didn't find it convincing that Ah Sahm could actually defeat Leery.
Just wrapped up season 2. I love this show- every episode moves along well and has enough meat to satisfy. I hope Season 3 continues to impress.
Its funny that you have had issues with the main character since the start, I think the wooden aspect of his character is a choice and it fits IMO. I will admit he does not come off as a great fighter but its not that distracting. I have not started the 2nd season so maybe that will change.
Yep I've just never liked him from the start and admit I might be biased against him but I just don't find him a good actor or a convincing fighter. I'll admit too some bias with having a half Brit half Japanese actor playing a Chinese Triad enforcer. I knew from the moment that I saw him he wasn't Chinese and my first reaction to seeing him was "They David Carradined us!" Understand he's supposed to be playing the strong silent type but that does require acting abilities. Think about Clint Eastwood in The Good The Bad The Ugly, he doesn't say much but there is a menace about him. Bruce Lee in The Chinese Connection which Andrew Koji's performance is based off of. Or more recent Tom Hardy in the movie "Warrior". I admit it's unrealistic to expect Andrew Koji to be Eastwood or Lee but in a show with such strong acting performances the main character just seems almost laughable compared to the rest of the cast.
