Warrior Season 3 Review: The best martial art series on television gets even better

Warrior follows up a nearly three-year gap between seasons 2 and 3 with its best season so far.

While there isn’t an action sequence that comes close to the Chinatown riot in season 2, the action sequences in season 3 continue to set new standards for television.

In prior seasons, Warrior struggled to balance the interesting power struggle in Chinatown with the politics and business struggles of 19th-century San Francisco. Season 3 finds the balance. Ah Sahm’s struggle over loyalty to the Hop Wei Tong vs. his familial bond with his sister Mai Ling continues to land blows. Andrew Koji‘s (Snake Eyes) growing star presence has never been clearer and his performance is only getting better.

Meanwhile, the political storyline in San Fransisco picks up some momentum. Acting Mayor Buckley (Langley Kirkwood) is facing his first election after Mayor Blake’s death in season two. Nelly Davenport’s vineyard is a refuge for Ah Toy’s employees, but Ah Toy’s dream of a promising future becomes a nightmare. After Douglas Strickland, a railroad baron, refuses Nelly’s rejection over wanting the land, he sets siege to the vineyard.

Finally, there are issues in law enforcement. Richard Henry Lee (Tom Weston-Jones) is still unemployed after leaving the SF police department at the end of season 2. Secret Service Agent Edmund Mosely arrives in San Francisco to investigate reports of counterfeiting. He hires Lee due to his knowledge of Chinatown. Bill (Kieran Bew) has never felt more useless as a cop, but has one of the best arcs in the season, which leads to him finally quitting the force and reuniting with his wife.

Mark Dacascos as Kong Pak is the only element that doesn’t completely work. Dacascos does a great job in the action scenes and does the best he can. There’s a clear attempt to compare Pak’s friendship with Li Song (Joe Taslim) to Young Jun and Ah Sahm, but it never quite reaches that level of brotherhood for it to be Li Song’s breaking point.

Outside of that small blemish, Warrior continues to fill the Deadwood-shaped hole in the premium television landscape and is easily one of the best 2023 shows.

Warrior Season 3 Review Score: 9

Outstanding

With the overview out of the way, let’s dive deeper into 19th-century Chinatown. There may be some minor spoilers. Warrior is currently streaming on Max.

Choosing between Family or Tong

Ah Sahm begins season 3 in a difficult place amongst the Hop Wei. His exploits during the Chinatown riot have made him a hero. While he still defers to Young Jun (Jason Tobin), the leader of the Hop Wei, his frustration with Jun’s leadership grows throughout the season.

The Hop Wei are struggling. They’re losing to Mai Ling and the Long Zii for control of Chinatown. Ah Sahm comes up with an ingenious plan to turn the local print shop into a counterfeit money-printing enterprise. Jun’s love for Ah Sahm never wavers, but he can’t control his jealousy at multiple points throughout the season.

Jun squanders the opportunity by flashing too much of the counterfeit money, which draws the suspicion of the local police. Jun’s blunder forces Ah Sahm to work with Mai Ling. Mai Ling and Ah Sahm feel like brother and sister for the first time in the series, but their barbs have a more sibling tone than menacing. For example, Mai Ling discovers Ah Sahm getting intimate with Yan Mi. She’s the daughter of the print shop owner who is printing the counterfeit bills to work off her father’s debt to the Hop Wei. Instead of using the moment to haunt Ah Sahm, she teases him and invites him to her wedding.

Jun notices the siblings getting closer throughout the season. Finally, in a moment of vulnerability for Mai Ling, Jun attacks. He doesn’t force Ah Sahm to join in the assault but orders Ah Sahm to stay at Ah Toy’s. Even after everything Mai Ling has done, Ah Sahm can’t let his sister down again. He fights off Young Jun, Hong and other members of the Hop Wei. The season ends with an injured Mai Ling and Ah Sahm embracing, seemingly united for the first time.

The deterioration in the relationship between Ah Sahm and Jun has been a long time coming. Season 3 delivers in a significant way.

The best episode of Warrior: Season 3

In season, Ah Sahm is arrested for defending a white woman against several Irish thugs. The season one episode focuses on whether Mai Ling or Young Jun will intervene. Ultimately, neither party makes a move to free Ah Sahm.

Season 3 turns the situation on its head with Whiskey and Sticky and All the Rest Can Wait. Young Jun and Mai Ling are both arrested. Mai Ling put her trust in the wrong husband and wife. Young Jun was sloppy with the counterfeit money. Suddenly, Ah Sahm is in charge of the Hop Wei. Does he rescue Young Jun and risk another riot or let him go to China and take over the Tong?

Mai Ling can strike a bargain for her release with Mayor Buckley. Ah Sahm turns to his Mai Ling to rescue Young Jun with few options. He offers to split the counterfeit business with the Long Zii in exchange for Mai Ling’s help in saving Young Jun.

The ploy works in the short term, but Young Jun isn’t happy about Ah Sahm’s pragmatic decision that happens to bring brother and sister closer together.

Whiskey and Sticky and All the Rest Can Wait is one of the best episodes of the series and is a great way to kick off the 2nd half of the season.

Cruel reality defeats hopeful dreams

Throughout the season, multiple characters see their dreams dashed.

No character in season 3 has a darker fall in Ah Toy, through no fault of her own. At the beginning of the season, Ah Toy is happier than she’s ever been. She’s in a loving relationship with Nellie and her girls are taken care of at Nellie’s Vineyard. After Nellie rebuffs, Strickland’s offer for her land. He sets siege to the vineyard and kills many of the women. Following the tragedy, Ah Toy returns to Chinatown believing she can protect the girls better. She also ends the relationship with Nellie.

Meanwhile, Mai Ling believes she’s making strides outside of Chinatown. She strikes up a friendship with an elite San Fransisco couple. The husband makes a move to Mai Ling. She rejects his advances. However, he tells a different story to his wife and she has Mai Ling arrested.

Finally, Buckley has never been more powerful than as mayor, but now that he can’t operate out of the shadows as he’s accustomed to, he’s struggling to appreciate the reality he’s always envisioned.

Warrior season 3 final thoughts

From action sequences to new story developments like the counterfeit money scheme, Warrior was firing at all cylinders in season 3. Here’s hoping Max greenlights season 4 soon.

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