Warrior Review: Man on the Wall (Season 2 Episode 10)
Everyone wants to live up to expectations, and on Warrior Season 2 Episode 10, “Man on the Wall,” those expectations come with heavy consequences.
The idea of legacy and leaving behind something good for your people hangs over the episode, as every character questions their choices and what comes next after the terror that occurs on Warrior Season 2 Episode 9, “Enter the Dragon.” Those events have left everyone shaken and uncertain.
That reflection is expertly crafted with the back and forth between Bill and Lee as they question everything, and while it’s a quiet, contemplative way to take the finale, it does wonders for the characters.
The previous episode is the big climax, and we’re witnessing the aftermath. The heady subjects of morality and the future help put things into perspective, and allows for introspection in characters that normally don’t do so, like Leary and Bill as they share many drinks.
They conclude that it’s all for the future and family, and while Bill may still have a chance to fight for his, Leary’s is only a painful memory that Ah Sahm incorrectly pokes him with.
The main event of the episode is the big battle between Ah Sahm and Leary, a fight that’s long been coming. By the end they’re mostly trading blow for blow, a fairly even match, but those final two hits, effectively aiming for Leary’s heart, may be the ones that put an end to his fighting days.
It may explain why he sees politics as his next route toward the injustice of his people, if Ah Sahm has done significant damage to him. The way the moment plays out, it’s as though his heart nearly gives out but makes it back just in time.
The fight is a good piece of adrenaline, where the two men take out their rage on each other of both the injustice done to their respective people, but also the loss and damage down to them personally.
There’s a small bit of irony to the end of the season, where both Buckley and Leary turn away from violence after it’s failed them and now turn to the law in order to fight back. They have been so set in their ways that a new approach is needed, but there’s an air of backpedaling to it that’s hard to ignore.
Penny ending up in an asylum is a dark place to end her story after all she’s been through, another cruelty inflicted upon her for trying to do the right thing. It’s a common occurrence on the show, people getting punished for doing the right thing, but this one feels especially dark if this is the final episode.
To be fair, though, Buckley is definitely the type to pull a Fight Club and injure himself to his own benefit (and it’s a surprise more characters in both movies and shows don’t take this drastic approach when cornered).
Not all wars are fought with fists and knives, however, as Mai Ling finally reveals her sibling status to Young Jun. It doesn’t go well, justifiably, but it’s a move that feels incomplete at the moment.
There is damage done to the closeness between Young Jun and Ah Sahm, perhaps permanently, but we don’t know where that could lead next.
With Ah Sahm essentially becoming an image to rally behind in Chinatown with his giant mural, maybe Ah Sahm will go on to be the one to protect Chinatown as a whole rather than throw a Tong gang. He’s been searching for his place, and protecting the innocent may be that next shot.
After all, his fight with Leary has purpose, as he even says so himself: it’s a warning to any that threaten Chinatown now, that he will do the same or worse to any who oppose their hopes of making a living. If that’s the direction they’re taking Ah Sahm in a hypothetical third season, that’s a fantastic starting point.
But at the same time as the episode being another fairly great one for Warrior, there are some caveats.
One is that this may be its final episode. Given that Cinemax has closed off its original programming, its time at Cinemax is likely at an end, and there hasn’t been news of the show possibly moving to HBO or HBO Max since those gradual announcements.
The second is that so many threads are left open. Ah Sahm is in limbo with the Hop Wei when they will need him the most, politics being used against Chinatown is coming, Penny is locked up, and there’s the stinger with Zing.
The scene with Zing may be the most overt sign of intentions for a third season. The question is, will he return to help Mai Ling, or will he strike his own path and cause chaos? We may never find out, which is super disappointing, but at least there’s the hope.
Hope is what Ah Sahm’s painting represents, at the end of the day. Both the Chinese and the Irish have come to find better lives and provide for their families, and that’s a backdrop that leaves both sides pitted against each other while they strive for the same thing.
While Leary may see the light through the law, maybe Ah Sahm will see the same through vigilante justice or something similar.
Either way, Warrior closes out its second season with some excellent moments, but feeling like we could use just a little bit more.
What did you think of this episode of Warrior? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Warrior airs Fridays at 10/9c on Cinemax.
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Kevin Lever
Kevin Lever has been following television closely for most of his life, but in starting to cover it, he has grown a further appreciation. He strives to give the blockbusters their due, and give the lesser known shows a spotlight to find more fans.