Kung Fu (2021) s02e02 Episode Script

Go away! Go away! You cannot run from this, sister.
You're not real.
You're a figment Dressed in white to remind me of your death.
I don't need reminding.
Prison has driven me mad.
The pendant.
You lost it.
Your one connection to the outside world, to our past.
Our past.
Oh, yes, the halcyon days.
Growing up motherless and poor, watching you kill our father.
When I ran from home, it was torture.
I hid just as you are hiding now.
I'm in prison, Pei-Ling.
Do you think I want to be here? Just say it.
This is about what I did to you.
I would do it again.
Uhh! Your fists will not guide you through this.
MEI-XUE, ON TAPE: With that song, little ware, our song, I've given you everything you need.
I know it must be difficult, listening to your mother's voice after all this time.
Right.
Um.
Is this the last tape? - Um.
- Yeah.
Does what she said mean anything to you? She spoke in a lot of code.
Warriors, guardians, a mystical sword.
None of it makes sense.
Those tapes, I think she made them for you.
- She was trying to prepare you for - Prepare me for what? My mother, she never told me any of this.
She didn't even want me to leave the cabin.
Your mom never said why people would hurt you or why they'd come after you? No.
On the tapes, she mentioned warrior blood.
Is that what this is about? I'm not sure.
We're both descendants of the warrior bloodline, but for some reason, he's not after me.
He's after you.
Mia, I know your mom kept secrets.
Do you remember anything at all - That she might - No.
It's gonna be really hard for me - to keep you safe if I don't know - Look, I'm sorry.
I You know, the sun's almost up and we could all do with a bit of a rest.
Um, you can take my room.
It's upstairs.
The first door on the right.
Hey, she's gonna need some time.
Time's kind of a luxury we don't have right now.
She is in a lot of danger.
I couldn't be there for my sister when she needed it, but we can help Mia.
- Hey.
- Uh, sorry.
No.
Um, that belongs to you.
It was your mother's.
Well, I just brought you some towels.
I thought you could use a shower.
So Are you sure this is ok? - What? - I mean, this.
Sleeping in your bed, forcing you on the couch.
You don't you don't owe me anything.
It's fine.
That's what families do, right? Right.
I guess.
I know how overwhelming this must be I think I just need sleep.
Yeah, of course.
Good night.
Night.
Whatever fate wields or extinguishes before us, I carry your silhouette against the island waves.
Please tell me you have something.
Sasha had a hidden compartment behind the fuse box of her SUV.
She stuffed it with ids, cash, and a vehicle access pass.
- To where? - It took some legwork, but I figured out what it's for.
Warehouse 219, Fillmore Street Docks.
- The docks? - Yeah.
Tony Kang's turf.
He owns that warehouse.
So Tan's kidnap squad is working with Tony Kang? I guess he's been busy since he got out of prison.
Evan, if we can prove Tony's connected to Tan's kidnapping plan, that could be our smoking gun.
Nicky, Tan's careful.
How do you expect to pull that off? How long can you keep Sasha in holding? 24 hours, Max.
I can work with that.
We're taking Russell Tan down.
Today.
Tony Kang? The man who extorted Harmony Dumplings and put Baba in the hospital, he's working with Russell Tan? Yep.
Tan's mercenaries have access to a warehouse controlled by Tony.
Somehow they're connected.
That guy nearly killed us, Nicky.
The man's got a vendetta against you.
Getting evidence they're working together is gonna be a long shot, not to mention dangerous.
Well, I have to try.
And I need your help.
- Whatever you need.
- Great.
You're covering my shift.
What? You're putting me on dish duty? I can't leave Mama and Baba hanging with the New Year rush.
They're stressed enough.
It's their first time staying open for the holiday.
- Fine.
- I can call in sick.
No.
You're in a new job kicking ass.
I don't want to throw you off your girl boss game.
Ok, so what's our game plan with the warehouse? Actually, I need you to keep an eye on Mia.
What? No, you shouldn't go there alone.
If things go sideways and Tan's alerted, I need you there to protect her.
He's got an army at his fingertips.
Hey, Mia! How was your sleep? Uh, you hungry? Got some Joe left.
I'm ok.
Hey, you and me, we're hanging out today.
I got a class to teach at the community center, - but if you're a little too tired - Look, that research, the stuff I stole from you guys, I want to see it again.
Sure.
Yeah.
It's back at the library.
Ok.
Ok, great.
We have a plan.
Kerwin, you shouldn't push yourself.
Your father doesn't want you doing too much too soon.
It's not up to him.
I'll do What I want.
You always do.
Hey, K.
You look like hell.
Hello, sister.
Come on.
You can do this.
Come on.
You can do it.
- Hey.
- This could be perfect.
- What's going on? - Your mother's freaking out.
Da-da! I'm not freaking out.
- You'll be wonderful.
- Yeah.
What's happening? The local news is doing a segment at the restaurant tonight as part of their Lunar New Year coverage.
They want mama on camera.
I'm too nervous.
What am I supposed to say? - I don't want to brag - Mama.
I don't want to be flaunting our good fortune.
- Mama! - What? It's not bragging.
You've earned this.
Take the victory lap.
- Look.
- What? He's right.
Listen.
- Ok.
- So.
Where do you want me? Dish duty? Bussing? - Check with Sebastian.
- Sebastian? The new line cook.
He's running the kitchen today.
Ohh.
You're gonna be great.
Where's that sheng - jian bao for table 5? - Coming right up.
And what about my bamboo shoots? Hey.
I'm Ryan.
- Do you need something or - Oh, I'm covering for my sister.
Not really dressed for the part.
Oh, you know, I used to I need you to do the prep work on the lo han jai.
Mince, dice, slice, and chop.
Got it? Got it.
Hold up.
Where are the baby lions? Hey.
There you are.
What happened? Did you guys get lost? Well, that's ok.
Show me those fierce lion faces.
Rawr! Rawr! Oh, my god.
Look at it.
Right? Look Hey, last rehearsal before the festival.
Let's take one big lap around the community center, and then we're done, ok? Ready? And break.
Looking great, guys.
Yeah.
Keep the eyes and the ears working.
Nice.
Man.
Looking for anything in particular? By the way, how'd you get into our research stash? The lock I had on there was top of the line.
Come on, what'd you use, a short hook? - Half-diamond? - Half-diamond.
Yeah, that's what I used to get inside your hideout.
How'd Nicky end up with someone who knows how to pick locks? Well, I spent a lot of time on my own growing up.
So I had to learn a bunch of skills to get by.
You? My mom taught me a lot of things.
I guess she was preparing me to be a warrior.
Well, if you're looking for something, I happen to know that research inside and out.
There's a symbol.
Um, I think it's a cat or a tiger.
Or a puma.
Something like that? It's actually a panther.
It's a symbol for one of the 8 Guardian families.
Mia, have you seen that before? Don't talk to me about Zhu to You loved that dog.
You said giving us a pet was the nicest thing father had ever done for us.
Come on, Juliette, it was a game.
He made us compete over the dog, only letting us play with him when we jumped through one of his hoops, withholding the dog when we failed.
He was sharpening our competitive instincts.
Enough reminiscing.
Father.
What's his game now? He gave me a chance to come home, to forgive me for all of my betrayals.
I refused him.
So why am I still alive? Why did he save me? Let me give you some sisterly advice, k.
When it comes to father, don't ask questions.
Just focus on the future.
Hmm? Evan, I'm at the docks.
I've got eyes on Tony Kang and his goons right now.
D.
A.
Hughes is on to me.
She knows I'm keeping Sasha and her team on ice.
What now? As soon as the mercs hit the system, Tan will know his kidnapping failed.
And he'll send an army after Mia.
I can buy you an hour, maybe two.
I'm sorry, Nicky.
I think it's over.
We won't be taking Russell Tan down today.
Hi, Tony.
- - So this is where Russell Tan's package was supposed to be delivered.
Oh, nice, they even gave her a bed.
But the prisoner you're waiting for, she's not coming.
Why are you here? I'm here to offer you a deal.
What could you have that I want? Freedom.
Russell Tan's moved in to Chinatown, and you're left with his scraps.
I mean, why else would you agree to wait here? You owned this city.
Don't tell me you don't miss that.
I can get rid of him, get him out of your way.
I just need proof, something that links Tan to this kidnapping plot.
You give me that information, I'll do the rest.
Does this company have a name? This is everything on the Guardian symbols? Mia, you told Nicky that you didn't know anything about any of this.
And now suddenly you're like a missile for Guardian stuff.
Where'd you see that panther? I found this in my mother's jacket.
It's Mama.
And this man, he's wearing the panther symbol.
I think he might be my dad.
That's incredible.
- What? - The pendant.
Your father must have been a Guardian.
Your mother was a Warrior.
So I'm both? What does that mean? It's unprecedented.
In all of our research, we've never found an instance of two bloodlines crossing.
That could explain why Russell Tan is after you.
Your mother shared a lot of secrets on those tapes, but nothing about you or your father.
She must have known how unique you are.
I was hoping I could find out who he is.
Even just a name.
I'm sure he will know something about this, about how I fit in.
Can you help me? I can try.
Nicky? Hey.
Got a lead on Tan.
Could use your expertise.
Also, you never mentioned this place was so fun.
Yeah, super fun.
It's the culture.
So the warehouse thing panned out? Turns out it was some kind of holding tank for Mia.
- Yikes.
- Mm-hmm.
Tan hired Tony's crew to keep her there.
I've got the name of the construction company that built the cell.
I'm running out of time, but I think if we can connect Tan to that job You can nail Tan and save Mia.
Ok, what's the name of this company? Verdok Construction.
Ok, I'll get into their servers.
Uh, shouldn't we be doing this somewhere a little more private? Won't your boss mind that you're goofing off on company time? Have you seen this place? Ok.
Hey, Ryan, how's that cabbage coming? Almost done.
Ok, you said that 5 minutes ago.
I got two orders waiting.
I'm gonna need you to pick up the pace.
If I hadn't spent 15 minutes looking for the right knife, I'd be finished.
I rearranged the cutlery to make it more efficient.
Well, it's not efficient if I can't find anything.
Ahh! Ryan? Yeah? You just cut yourself, didn't you? I'm a much better dumpling crimper.
- All right, let me see.
- No, I know how to Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I know you're a doctor, but you only got one good hand.
This is why Po Po never let us use knives on New Year's.
Bleeding on the cabbage.
It's got to be a bad omen.
Let me see.
Whew.
It's deep.
Not wide.
It won't need stitches.
Got a few of my own.
You'll live.
I'm sorry my knife skills are subpar.
Well, good thing you got that doctor thing to fall back on.
Yeah.
Ryan.
Have you seen my earrings? I need them for the interview.
Uh, on the desk in the office.
Ok, thank you.
That's disappointing, but you can't be far.
Get another team together, start searching.
Now.
- Problem? - Minor setback.
Father, I handle all the company's P.
R.
, I steer all of our family's philanthropic endeavors, and you send me out like a pit bull to wrangle the board of directors.
You don't trust me with your big, mysterious plan for San Francisco? This city sits on the border of new and old technology.
And what I am doing will bridge that divide and change the way that we see life forever.
Don't worry.
You and your brother will have important roles to play.
Are you going to make us fight for it? Another one of your competitions? And this girl you're hunting, Mia, how does she fit into it all? Oh, family meeting? Good to see you up and on your feet.
It's late, and you need rest.
Yeah, K.
Let's go.
- Why'd you save me? - Kerwin.
I betrayed you.
You didn't have to spare me, but you did.
So if you need me for something, some purpose, I need to know.
Not now, Kerwin.
Go to bed.
What happened to her? Zhilan? I never want to hear that name again.
Ever! You want me to say that I'm guilty.
You want me to say that I regret it, killing you, killing Kerwin.
Do you? My only regret, that I failed.
Russell Tan's greed destroyed our home.
The toxins from his factory killed our mother, crippled me, ruined our family, our entire town.
If I had succeeded, if I had used the weapons to strike him down, all my sacrifices would have been worth it.
But I failed.
And that, sister, is my only regret.
So if you're here to guide me towards redemption.
No, Zhilan.
You are well past redeeming.
I have been watching you in here, shrinking, hiding, disappearing into the walls.
You failed in your mission.
But what you are now is worse than a failure.
Sister, it is as if you are already dead.
Redemption, for you? Perhaps in time.
But first, Zhilan, you must decide if you want to live.
Althea's hacking into Verdok right now.
What do you know about them? They're leading the renovations on a bunch of new Tan acquisitions.
Mostly apartments and office space.
As far as I can tell, they're above board.
Ok, well, you've been tracking Tan's real estate moves.
Is there anything we can pursue, any new leads, any Nicky, I told you everything.
His play for the marina, for the Red Pearl building.
- Huh.
- What? I just saw an update.
He's been after that property for months.
And he just pulled his bid this morning.
You said he was obsessed.
He was.
He owns every other building on that block.
He was desperate to complete the set.
That doesn't make any sense.
Nicky.
So I'm on Verdok's inventory page right now and I just saw a huge purchase for demolition explosives.
Is that normal? For a construction company? Kind of.
When was the purchase made? This morning.
- Wait.
- Althea.
- A word.
- Hey, Gwen.
Hey.
Um.
Just so you know, I am totally cool with you having friends stop by work.
And I'm really glad that you're starting to fit in better - with the, um - the culture? Yes, the culture.
Exactly.
But I was just wondering if maybe you could not do side gigs in front of everyone during office hours on company equipment.
So the Red Pearl falls through on the same day that Verdok buys up a ton of explosives.
Could it just be a coincidence? No, Nicky, it's not a coincidence.
- There's a pattern here.
- What do you mean? Two years ago there was another holdout building, an apartment complex in Laurel Heights.
The owners got cold feet, but then a gas leak destroyed the building.
Tan bought the ruins cheap.
The investigators never found any signs of foul play, but what if Tan engineered the explosion? He could be doing the same thing again.
Call it in.
Sorry, I want to help you, but Tan's gonna blow up the Red Pearl building.
I gotta go.
Wait, that's right in the middle of the Lunar New Year festival.
Exactly.
In an hour the streets will be flooded with people.
We have to stop this before anyone gets hurt.
Clear.
The place is clean.
No trace of explosives.
Sounds like you got some bad intel.
We've got to open up the streets to the festival crowds.
Understood.
Keep a few guys out front just in case.
Sorry, Nicky.
Maybe our timing's off.
If he tries again, we'll be ready.
That doesn't help Mia now.
You already said Sasha's been processed.
Tan knows she failed and that Mia's in the city.
What are you gonna do? I have to tell her, keep her safe somehow.
I just don't know how.
This was my only play.
Cops are stretched thin tonight, but I can put a detail on her if you need me to.
All right.
I'll see what I can do.
Thank you.
- Hey.
- Any updates? I'm still digging around Verdok's server.
I had to hide in a nap pod.
Came up empty.
Oh.
I mean, I'm glad there's no explosion, but Mia.
Yeah.
I don't know how to tell her.
Can I do anything? Hey, we'll figure this out.
We'll dig deeper.
There's got to be something we missed.
Althea, are you working in the nap pod? I'm gonna call you back.
Althea.
Help me understand.
Ok, why would you violate the sanctity of the nap pod with work? Technically, I wasn't working.
- Excuse me? - Nothing.
Just I thought we were starting to make progress.
You know, I thought you were actually starting to grok the Loungr culture.
But it's I don't know.
It feels like you're rowing in a different direction - than the rest of us.
- What direction? We're just rowing in place.
You said it yourself, Gwen.
All we're doing is running out the clock on a mediocre product while the Silicon Valley hype machine puffs our evaluation so we can sell for more than we're worth.
Yeah.
What's the problem? I mean, what is wrong with having a healthy work/life balance? Do you guys like having a healthy work/life balance? Hey, guess what, Althea.
This is the dream.
You guys.
Aren't you tired of wasting your talents on ping pong and foosball? I mean, if we really tried, we can change the world.
Doesn't anyone want to make a real impact? Chuck.
Don't you want more? I actually like what Gwen said.
Beats working crunch for a game developer.
Yes, it does.
See, Chuck is happy.
Chuck likes wearing his pjs to work.
I'm happy.
Everyone's happy.
I'm not.
Tell us, Mei-Li, you've gone from a neighborhood mainstay to one of the hottest chefs in the city.
No, no, no, I really wouldn't say that.
Oh, lines around the block.
Everyone's buzzing about Harmony Dumplings.
How does that make you feel? Well It feels wonderful.
You know, they say the heart of every Asian family is the kitchen.
It is our privilege and our honor to be able to bring our food to this wonderful community.
Mama's killing this.
Yes, she is.
Hey, how did it go in the kitchen? The new guy, pretty impressive, huh? Hmm.
Frank? It's been ages.
Can't believe you still have that relic.
It's one of the first things I made at the Chinatown Arts Collective.
And you helped me perfect the brush stroke.
How are things going down there? - We're keeping the lights on.
- Ahh.
Well, new year, new beginning, right? I can't seem to find your order.
Actually, it's under Patrick.
Oh.
Well.
Oh, here.
Uh, like I said, keeping the lights on.
Happy new year, Jin.
And congratulations to you and Mei-Li on all your success.
Thank you, Frank.
Happy new year.
I think that went well.
You were magnificent, Lo Por.
Mama, you're a star.
We should go and watch the street celebrations, the three of us.
We we never do that.
We should.
Sebastian's got the kitchen locked down.
Take the victory lap.
We are so lucky.
Yes, we are.
Based on your mother's travels, there's a number of places where your parents may have crossed paths decades ago.
The Xihu District in Nanchang, Battambang, Cambodia, and she sent a letter to Mei-Li from Hebao Island.
Any of these places mean anything to you? No.
I carry your silhouette against the island waves.
We gotta go.
Why? Where are we going? Not sure.
Somewhere safe.
Hey, I forgot something.
Just a sec.
Mia! All right, let's move.
Clear out, everybody.
Nicky, what's up? I saw Verdok's crew next door to the Red Pearl.
They're set up inside a building Tan owns working on some sort of project in the basement.
- How do you know that? - I'm in the basement.
Nicky! You shouldn't be diving into this alone.
I'll head back.
All right, let's move quick.
We don't have a lot of time.
Found something.
Hey.
Give me a hand with this.
Excuse me? Hold on.
Yes.
Hey, Nicky.
Nicky.
What the hell happened? I found the explosives.
Oh, my Blinky.
We've got to get you to a doctor.
No.
Listen.
Tan's not buying up property for the buildings themselves.
He's digging underneath them.
When the Red Pearl wouldn't sell, I guess he changed tactics.
Blasted under it from the basement he owns next door.
I saw them pull an artifact from the ground like some kind of Henry? It's Mia.
I lost her.
I think she's in the crowd somewhere.
Ok.
We're here now, too.
Let's split up.
Stay in contact.
Yeah.
No.
Tell Pete to get that BOLO out immediately.
Mia? Hey.
Sorry.
Excuse me.
Sorry.
Mia, wait.
What happened to you? It I'm going.
Don't try to stop me.
- Where? - It doesn't matter.
Tan's got an army, and you can't stop them.
We have to try.
You don't have to do this alone.
So what are you gonna do? Put me in a box? I'm not gonna find answers that way.
If you want answers, I can help.
Look, I don't need your help.
Ok.
I don't want it.
Look at yourself.
You don't need to get involved in this.
- Ok, it's me they're after.
- Mia.
Don't make the same mistake I did.
I ran from my family when things got tough, and I lost 3 years with them.
We have to stick together, look out for each other.
We're family.
We're related, but we're not family.
Mia.
Mia! I'm sorry, Nicky.
I've been digging everywhere to find the pieces of this bell to bring it together.
Finally it is complete.
What does an ancient bronze bell have to do with the reshaping of the modern world? It's time to tell you what my plan is, Juliette.
For San Francisco, the world, and for you.
Nicky.
She's gone.
I thought I could fix this, give her a place she could finally feel at home.
But I failed.
She didn't even want my help.
Mia's in the wind.
Tan wants her.
If he gets her first Your family, new year's, they're all at the restaurant.
They're gonna want to see you.
Come on.
I can't.
Not yet.
Can we just sit here for a minute? Ok.
Guess you won this round, sister.
Well, thought you'd given up the game.
You know, you truly are your father's daughter.
You want to know the truth, K.
? Father didn't save your life.
I did.
I'm the one who got you airlifted to the hospital.
I'm the one who convinced him to give you a second chance.
Come to think of it, I've always been the one to clean up your messes.
And we both know there have been a lot of them.
I told you not to drag up the past.
Mentioning Zhilan in front of father.
She's a loose end.
A mess I want to clean up.
Right, K.
Keep telling yourself that, but we both know you turned to jelly the second you saw her.
That is not true! It doesn't matter now.
We took care of her for you.
A team's on their way to the prison now.
She'll be dead by daybreak.
Consider it a gift from both of us.
You can let go of the past, get your head in the game.
And maybe I'll get a worthy opponent.
You must decide if you want to live.
Greg, move your head.