The only reason I paid for Cinemax for 2020 and 2019 is because of Warrior. If you’ve never seen this show before, you’re missing out. Let me sum it up this way: if you love martial arts, if you love Bruce Lee, and if the idea of a Chines martial arts prodigy entering the world of the wild west sounds intriguing to you, then this show is for you. Believe me, it’s worth the extra money. I’ve spoken highly about this series many times before and if you ask me, it doesn’t get nearly as much attention as it should. As a matter of fact, the first season healed me after the very disappointing final season of Game of Thrones. Seriously, I’m still recovering from it. How a series ends is more important than how it begins.
I bring this up because the future of Warrior is up in the air. It was reported earlier this year that Cinemax would no longer be producing original content, including Warrior. That’s very unfortunate, because as of now, the show is technically done after the second season. Without giving away any spoilers, the second season ended on a major cliffhanger. Not an ideal spot to end a show. I know I’m not alone in this when I say that the show shouldn’t end that way. Warrior needs to be renewed for a third season. It’s not just wishful thinking, it’s a must.
If you haven’t checked out Warrior and think it’s a typical kung fu show where people are flipping around and doing fancy kicks, you’re dead wrong. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s a martial arts show, so there is a lot of fighting. However, what separates Warrior from other martial arts shows/movies is that it portrays martial arts the most realistic manner. Ah Sahm, the main character, doesn’t have a glowing fist, nor does he do flips on a horse and kick arrows out of the air. He is a very human character, but he’s a martial arts prodigy. He has great skills, but everything he does is very much real. He’s not a superhero and he’s not a military man of any kind. He’s a regular guy who likes to fight and fight he does. It’s always awesome to watch.
Now I’m a martial arts nut, so it’s no surprise that I love the show. The choreography is awesome and they show us some moves we haven’t seen before. Who would’ve thought that kung fu could be shown in a realistic and awesome way? Well, Warrior pulled it off and we martial arts fans should appreciate that. As much as I talk about the martial arts aspect of Warrior, it’s amazing quality goes so much more beyond that. The reason why Warrior is so important is that it represents something that we really need: some long overdue diversity.
How many American shows do you see with an Asian lead? Last I checked, Warrior was really the only one. As a matter of fact, guess who actually came up with the concept of Warrior originally? The one and only Bruce Lee. Lee was actually supposed to play Ah Sahm, the martial artist roaming in the wild west. Unfortunately, his idea was hijacked and we got a version of his vision in the form of Kung Fu. The man who played the main character was not Bruce Lee. In fact, the lead wasn’t even Asian. The man who starred in Kung Fu was David Carradine. Granted, his character Kwai Chang Caine was the son of an American man, but if you’ve seen how he looked as the character, they were trying to make him look Asian. Yeah, not the best way to promote diversity.
Thankfully, Bruce Lee’s idea has been resurrected, a huge part due to his daughter Shannon and Justin Lin pushing for it. And when they wanted a main lead to play Ah Sahm, they didn’t get a white actor and tried to make him look Asian. It’s not the 1970’s anymore and we live in a new era. Now is the time when diversity should be more important than ever. They nailed the role of Ah Sahm by casting Andrew Koji, a rather unknown actor who has a background in martial arts and stunt work. If we’re talking about breakthrough roles, Ah Sahm is the role Koji needed to make his name more known. Ever since Warrior, he’s been landing bigger roles, most notably Storm Shadow in the upcoming Snake Eyes movie. That’s good, because he deserves the recognition, but to me, I see Ah Sahm.
The impact Bruce Lee had on cinema was that he changed the way Asians were perceived in western cinema. He proved that Asians could indeed be a charismatic lead in American movies/shows. Warrior is not only the proof but his legacy. As a fan of Bruce Lee, I love how Andrew Koji is carrying on his legacy and it’s about far more than martial arts. Warrior is another great stepping stone for that long overdue diversity that we need to see. We need more minorities to get more representation for a growing cinema. In Warrior, there are many talented Asian actors and what’s great about them is that they’re never shown in a “stereotypey” fashion. None of the Asian characters are just the quiet martial arts masters who kick people, then bow and walk away silently.
These characters all have their flaws, their strengths, and come from a different background. They have different goals, different skillsets, and they’re all charismatic in their own way. Warrior breaks stereotypes and really delivers on representing a charismatic and heavy Asian-led cast. A show that has that kind of diversity must continue.
Warrior also excels in showing us a rather oppressive time in American history. During the first and second season, we see how poorly the Chinese immigrants were treated when they arrived to America. They suffer much abuse at the hands of the Irish, the police, and the opportunists politicians who love to use them for cheap labor. However, we also get to see how other minority groups were treated as well. Here’s a rather major spoiler, so if haven’t caught up, don’t read these next few sentences.
At the end of season 2, Penelope Blake, a major female character in the show, gets wrongfully committed to a mental hospital. From the looks of it, she’s in a mental hospital that grossly mistreats its female patients. That was a bad place for Penny to be in and it’s something that needs to be explored in season 3. For a show that tackles racism, it also covers the abuse of not just Chinese immigrants, but American minorities, including women, as well. It’s no surprise, considering women were treated as second-class citizens at the time and Warrior doesn’t hold back in showing it. This shows that Warrior wants to tackle serious historical social and political issues, something we don’t see in many current television shows.
What else can I say? Warrior is just a one of a kind show. It emphasizes on the significance on having an Asian lead and raising the bar on diversity. If you like history, it accurately portrays a time when Chinese immigrants came to America, but received anything but the “American dream”. Heck, season 3 can even show us how the Chinese Exclusion Act affected these immigrants and how they tried to fight it. Oh, and let’s not forget the martial arts aspect. It’s so awesome to watch and it gets me going every time I see an action scene.
I’m confident season 3 will happen. We live in a world where shows can be picked up or revived, examples include Dexter, Deadwod and even Kobra Kai moving from YouTube to Netflix. Which network can pick it up? Well, it can be Netflix or Hulu, but Dianne Doan (Mai Ling) said the first two seasons will be resurrected on HBO Max. This gives us fans hope. There are no confirmed plans that Warrior will be picked up on HBO Max, but it really should be. If it does, Warrior’s popularity will grow exceedingly and will develop a much bigger fanbase.
With a bigger fanbase, there will be a bigger outcry and Warrior will be picked up on HBO Max. They need more shows to compete with Disney+, so why not add one that many people already love? It’s the right move, it’s the smart move, and it’s one that many fans want. Heck, there’s already a petition to renew Warrior for a third season on change.org. It has many signatures (mine included) and it needs more to get Warrior rolling again. Please pay the site a visit and show some support. If you don’t believe me, give the show a watch and decide for yourself. Believe me, it’ll be worth it.
I hope to see another season (or a few more) of Warrior again. It’s a great show and it continues the legacy of Bruce Lee, a man who did so much for western cinema, his own people, and the martial arts community. Warrior needs to continue. Period.
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