Kung Fu (2021) s03e05 Episode Script

Of course.
I love it.
It's giving me modern Shifu.
Pei-Ling, are you OK?
It is just
The kindness your family has shown me,
even after what happened
with your mother.
No. We know that wasn't you.
Everyone's just glad
you're feeling better
and that you're finally
letting me make you over.
Um, speaking of which, may I?
Ah.
I knew it. All right.
Next look.
I think this one
Pei-Ling?
Pei-Ling?
What's wrong?
I'm glad you came.
- I know I've been a little
- Yeah. You've been a little.
Since Thailand, it's been
one crisis after another.
My ex, Henry, got kind of sick,
so I had to help him settle in,
while I moved out of his
apartment and back home.
Wait, wait. That was your ex's place?
Oh. Yeah. But I'm out now,
like all the way out.
But I meant it. I've really missed you.
Nicky, look, I haven't been subtle.
You know that I'm into you.
But before I go any deeper,
I need to know that
you're really available.
I am.
Checking your texts, not a crime.
Sorry.
Another crisis?
Something's come up with
my friend not Henry
- The other friend.
- And you need to go?
Yeah.
But can I see you again?
There's a fireworks show
by the bay tomorrow night.
I thought we could go.
I promise you'll have
my undivided attention.
Fireworks, huh?
The younger generation gets it,
but a lot of my peers, they
want you to sign Ordinance 11.
So I try to explain
to them it's a mistake
to give all that power to
a private security company,
especially when we need the money
to address real problems in Chinatown.
- Are they responsive?
- Some are.
But they just want help fast.
Well, you've got that big
KBNN interview tomorrow.
We need strong talking
points to sell your position.
- Jin, could you help with that?
- Of course. Of course.
It's not just an Ordinance 11 problem.
Your opponent is painting you
as out of touch in all areas.
And if Sarah Collins' last
run for board of supervisors
is any indication,
it's just a matter of time
before she plays dirty.
That's why
I had this prepared.
Hired an outside firm
for an oppo on you.
- Oppo?
- Opposition research, digging up dirt,
a big part of city politics.
This is internal oppo, our eyes only.
I figured we should see what
Sarah might use against us.
- Anything juicy in here?
- Only started to review it.
So far, the worst thing I've seen
2017 3 parking tickets.
Lock me up.
- Anything to worry about?
- Overdue library books.
I'm going to review it tonight,
but I think the campaign will survive.
- A smidge more chili oil.
- Yeah.
I hope Carrie's gonna
like these new dishes.
Anything for the suits.
Sorry, Chef. Just
Just getting used to all this.
I mean, menu approval?
Like, corporate knows better
than we do? Come on.
Sebastian, we could do
a lot worse than Carrie.
She has been really supportive.
- Yeah. OK.
- OK?
- OK.
- All right.
Hi, Chef, Sebastian.
Carrie, we have two new
seasonal dishes for you to try.
Ah. It smells amazing.
Sure you don't want to
step into the dining room,
get the full white
tablecloth experience?
No need. I'll take it while it's hot.
Hmm.
You like it?
Sebastian took the lead on that.
Oh, very nice. Good work. Approved.
Hmm. Nice.
"Nice"?
Sebastian.
Oh.
You're hurting me.
Stop.
Pei-Ling?
I'm really glad you
joined the campaign, Jin.
Your, uh, voice, your perspective,
- it matters to me, you know?
- Of course.
Uh, right across the street.
Uh, big day tomorrow.
You get some rest, huh?
- Yeah, you too. All right.
- Yeah.
See you.
Give me your money.
Hey, OK.
No need for that, OK? Just
- Take it, OK?
- The briefcase, too.
There's nothing in
there, man. Just papers.
Give it to me!
- Hey! Anthony! Let him go.
- Uh!
Anthony! You OK?
Oh, my gosh. Ow.
Watch out!
- My briefcase.
- Hey, don't worry about it.
Look, you're lucky you didn't get hurt.
The research, Jin. There's
tons of oppo in that case.
Yeah, but you said it wasn't so bad.
It doesn't matter. That's free
ammo for the Collins campaign.
They could bury us.
Pei-Ling?
Shifu!
I cannot hold her in anymore.
Xiao is getting stronger.
We're giving up our home,
our safety for her plan.
She murdered Simon. She's a killer.
A killer who's risking everything.
We're just spirits.
Zhilan's alive,
and she's putting that life on the line
to defeat the Harvester for us.
They're just nervous,
scared to leave this place.
What if they're right? What if I fail?
You can't think like that.
Hey, I want to introduce you
to a personal friend of mine.
I'm not saying it'll make a difference,
but it's the best weapon we've got.
Thank you, Simon.
Relax. It's a loaner.
You survive this thing,
I'm getting that back.
Shouldn't she be resting?
She insisted I bring her
everything we've got on Xiao.
What do we do?
I don't know. They didn't teach us
how to exorcise evil alchemist
spirits in med school.
All I know is her vitals are plummeting.
Xiao's getting stronger, spilling over,
infecting Pei-Ling's thoughts.
She can't hold her in much longer.
Ryan, we could lose her.
Everything OK?
I had plans with Bo tonight.
This is too important. I have to cancel.
I'm sure he'll understand.
Will he? I can't exactly tell
him what's really going on.
Why not? He's a fighter.
He's already helped us.
This stuff is different
Resurrection, mystical possession.
We just started. It's too soon
to throw him into the deep end.
I don't want to freak him out.
OK, there's got to be something,
some research we haven't turned up yet.
Maybe Pei-Ling will
find something in there,
but I'm all tapped out, and I
don't know where else to look.
Have you thought about
calling in the expert?
Henry?
It might be awkward,
but mystical research lore,
he's the best we've got.
Someone has to stay with her.
Uh, I've got some time
till my shift starts.
You cannot be alone with me.
It is not safe.
Xiao could take over at any moment.
Oh. Don't forget the edges.
I know it's dusty.
I told myself as soon as we
got some more paying clients,
I'd hire a cleaner, but, uh,
so far all my work's been pro bono.
- Althea.
- Baba!
- Mr. Shen, you OK?
- Yeah.
There was an incident last night.
Anthony Chan was mugged
blocks from the restaurant.
- Wait. You were there? Are you OK?
- I'm fine, sweetie.
The thief got away with his
watch, wallet, and his briefcase.
There's documents inside,
opposition research.
- Uh, what did the police say?
- He didn't want the police involved.
They're already slamming
him about soft on crime.
We figured you guys could help, right?
Find the thief, get his things back.
He's willing to pay for your services.
- We're on it, Baba.
- OK.
Where exactly did this go down?
Right in front of Fancy John Pawn Shop.
Uh, Fancy John?
It's a long story.
Uh, does Fancy John
have security cameras?
He's a security nut,
but good luck to try to
get him to help you out.
Don't worry, Baba.
We've got you covered.
Ryan, have you seen this?
An account of Xiao's last days.
Not closely. I've been
focused on her magic.
The emperor had her killed.
"Paranoid of her growing power
"and doubting her loyalty,
"the emperor turned on the woman
who had dedicated her life to him."
He betrayed her.
That is the cell he
built to contain her.
He knew she was a traveler,
that no ordinary jail could hold her,
so he had it specially made,
the bars etched with mystical runes.
How did she die?
She starved to death in that cage.
Hey.
Hey.
Anything new on the compass?
Nope.
I know the compass' power is in me,
but I don't feel any different.
I'm wondering if it's
all a bunch of hype.
What's up? Did you
Did you forget something?
I saw your blender under the sink.
I can get that for you.
Hey.
Nicky, what's going on?
Pei-Ling is in trouble.
Xiao is getting stronger,
and I don't know how to fix it.
I feel like I'm gonna lose her again.
I can help.
Thank you.
Ohh! Corporate is gonna blow their top
we didn't hire professional designers,
but these menus are great.
Well, Jin's the artist. He helped.
But I am having fun with the designs.
I guess corporate doesn't have to know
that they were done in-house.
Oh, hey.
What's "pancit with mami"?
Oh. That's Seb's idea.
He fused our noodles with a dish
from his family's hometown in Cebu.
You loved it last night.
Oh. Yeah. I just I
I guess I didn't realize
that it's a Filipino dish.
Oh, no, no. It's not just Filipino.
It's ours. It's both.
- So fusion?
- Yeah.
Mei-Li, we're selling Chinese food.
Authenticity is a
huge part of the brand.
Is there a problem?
No. No. We're just
discussing menu items.
I just don't see corporate agreeing
to Chinese-Filipino fusions.
Oh, man.
Should we take Jajangmyeon
off the menu, too?
- Sebastian.
- No, Chef, I'm sorry,
but policing the boundaries
between Asian cuisines.
And especially coming from a
A what?
I didn't mean to start
a cultural conversation.
This is a business issue.
This restaurant is a business.
I'm gonna need a moment
to think about this.
When Ryan mentioned
exorcism, I thought "crazy,"
but it could be a good way to go.
Unfortunately, taoist
exorcism requires a priest,
and catholic exorcism needs
the approval of the archdiocese,
which could take months.
Might be something simpler.
Salem witch trials.
Uh, "these unique candles
were blessed during the trials
to expel evil female
spirits from women."
Magic candles. OK, did they work?
No, not in Salem. These
women were falsely accused.
The candles were used
successfully later in history.
The best part? "The candle's ritual
"can be performed by laypeople,
ideally by those close
to the infected host."
No monks, no priest, no wait list?
It sounds good to me.
Yeah, but how do we
get our hands on one?
On it.
I got something.
Only one of the
original candles survived
into the 20th century.
It was kept in the Museum
of the Blavatsky Society,
a 1920s spiritualist order.
Oh.
What?
It was stolen years ago.
Any news reports about the theft?
Hmm, this article says the candle
was the only thing stolen that day.
Three men showed up dressed as plumbers,
tricked their way in,
and stole the candle.
- Huh.
- What?
When my dad and I stole that
painting from the Assisi club,
we conned our way in by
dressing as repairmen.
- That's kind of a signature move.
- Of the Wan Zai.
Yup. Keeping mystical powerful
objects out of the wrong hands,
- that's basically their M.O.
- They might have it.
Time to call the Wan Zai.
Bo.
Sorry to interrupt.
Bo, stop, please.
So that was Henry.
Yeah.
Look, I hate texting about real stuff,
so I came to find you in person.
- It was my mistake.
- He's just helping me.
With what, your other friend's crisis?
Yeah.
That's it? That's all I get to know?
Nicky,
I like you a lot,
but I'm realizing
I don't really know you at all,
and I'm starting to think that's
a choice that you're making.
- Bo, I
- All I have to go off of is my gut,
and my gut's telling me
that you're not available,
not really.
Not now.
For some reason, you
can't say it, so I will.
This isn't working.
Got it. We'll see you there.
Sorry.
No, it's OK. It's none of my business.
That was Yuen. The
Wan Zai have the candle.
They've agreed to give it to us.
After everything they did to get it?
You offered them something.
Well, apparently, the
Wan Zai caught wind
of my recent misadventures.
Yuen proposed a trade:
The candle for the compass.
But, Henry, you are the compass.
Yeah, but they don't know that.
- Hi.
- Hi.
- Your daughter?
- Yeah. Gabby.
It's an old picture of her.
She's 12 now, going on 22.
I remember that age.
I kept my kids on a very tight leash
until I realized they
needed room to grow
to make mistakes.
Carrie, last year was the
best year in my creative life.
We took some real risks in this kitchen.
Some paid off and some failed.
- You're talking about Sebastian.
- I'm talking about the both of us.
That lesson, it doesn't
just apply to kids.
And I respect that, Mei-Li.
I know what Sebastian
thinks about all of this.
But our bosses invested in
a Chinese food restaurant.
Fusion elements on the
menu could hurt the brand.
I understand, Carrie,
but I have to stay true to my kitchen,
and this is my kitchen.
Pancit can be a special on the menu,
but it will be on the menu.
Understood. I'll do my
best to sell it to corporate.
Thank you.
Success.
Surveillance footage from
Fancy John's pawn shop.
How did you get Mr. Fancy
to hand over the footage?
I bribed him with cookies.
He used to be a regular
at the restaurant.
Back in high school, my
cheerleading squad had a bake sale.
He was so in love with
my chocolate-chip cookies,
he bought the entire inventory.
Paid for the squad's new pom poms.
Ooh, and there's Anthony.
Wait. Slow down.
You see that?
Yeah. The thief looks pretty
focused on getting that briefcase.
Do you think this could
have been targeted?
If the other campaign knew
Anthony had research on him.
Ugh. No license plate.
Yeah. But look.
Right there, on the side.
A rental sticker.
We can track the thief's car
through the rental company.
How was Thailand?
Muggy.
How did you know about my travels?
I didn't until Zarco
started following you.
We keep tabs on him.
You brought the Compass?
The Salem candle.
Only one left in the whole world.
Powerful magic.
I need to know how you intend to use it.
- It's for a friend.
- Possession?
Of a kind.
Something, someone has
taken a hold of her.
We're hoping the candle will free her.
Shall we?
A pleasure doing business with you.
Nice try.
I said, I wanted the compass.
All right. Thanks. Bye.
What did Nadia say?
Good news, bad news.
The car turned up abandoned
in a parking garage this morning.
It was returned to the rental company,
but it was rented under a fake name,
so no way to track the thief.
Good news?
Well, the wallet and watch are gone,
but the briefcase was in the backseat
and, by the looks of things, untouched.
So at least Anthony will get his
briefcase and his research back.
I'll arrange for him to
pick it up from evidence.
I'll call Baba with the good news.
Um
Can I say it?
You can say it.
Case closed!
How did you know?
When you stole the Lai-taang
Bow-raan in Iceland,
you came back up on our radar.
Suddenly, your father's obsession
with protecting you made sense.
I thought, "could Henry
be the compass bearer?
Could he have been
transformed by Genesis?"
What do you want?
The candle is yours on one condition:
The compass is said to
locate energy, magic.
There are a great many
artifacts that the Wan Zai
are still searching for.
One day, I'll call in a favor.
Your new gift will be
invaluable to our mission.
You don't have to do this.
Deal.
Wait.
You'll need instructions.
Without these, you're just melting wax.
This isn't your typical exorcism.
You won't be the ones
freeing your friend.
It's more of a self-exorcism.
She'll face her possessor alone.
This ritual allows the
host to go below the surface
and draw the spirit out.
If it works,
somehow it'll let you
face Xiao alone.
But, Shifu
Taking on Xiao? You're already so weak.
I will only get weaker.
Ever since I returned,
I have felt a presence,
a darkness clouding my mind.
When I broke the pendant,
I convinced myself I was better,
but this rage within remained.
Now I know that anger is Xiao's.
I will do anything to get her out.
Hey.
Just as we thought.
You're strong but not too bright.
Thanks for coming.
We need an extra hand, and
Ryan has a shift at the E.R.
Yeah. Of course.
- So what do we do?
- We start the ritual.
"We prepare this space.
As the host takes position
and readies their mind "
"We surround her,
ready to set her free."
Here we go.
You think because
I can't take your soul,
I can't take your life? Heh.
This knife still cuts.
Then show me.
You missed.
I've got all night.
I didn't come here to kill the living.
I came here for them The spirits.
It doesn't matter.
You're not getting out of this cave,
not alive.
Is that so?
Hyah!
No.
I gave you your life back.
I gave you a body.
And what have you done with that gift?
Uh, should we stop?
Shifu? Shifu!
Do you even want to live, hmm?
I needed time to build my strength back,
to take you over,
but you've come to me.
You've made it easy.
All I need to do is defeat you here,
and my work will be done.
I will subsume you completely.
It's quiet now. Maybe she did it.
He's back.
That's enough! Leave them alone.
Fight me!
Take him!
No!
Didn't you wonder where
I'm getting my strength?
I have a friend on the outside
reaping souls of the bloodline,
feeding me, making me stronger.
- Uh, Nicky?
- Henry? Henry? Henry?
Henry!
It was always going to end this way.
Simon!
You have been very useful to me, Shifu,
and for that, I thank you.
Henry, what happened to you?
I don't know. I saw something
a light.
Someone is spying on me.
Silence.
Let her go, Xiao.
I'm almost done with her, child.
We'll have plenty of time for this.
The pain will be over soon, Pei-Ling.
I'll make this quick.
I understand now.
My mind is like a cage,
a cage like the one you died in.
It must have been unbearable,
trapped in the dark,
betrayed by the Emperor.
You used me to escape your world
but found yourself trapped once again.
I thought the poison
I felt was your anger.
I know now that was not anger.
It was fear.
I am sorry, Xiao.
What could you be sorry for?
For this.
No, no.
How?!
My mind, my rules.
Shifu, is it you?
Yes. Yes, Nicky.
You OK?
I, uh, I don't know.
I think that ritual triggered my power.
I felt this energy coming into the room.
It it took a hold of me.
It's like I was here, but
I was somewhere else, too.
Another world,
a wasteland.
There was a man. He
had two blades. He was
he was killing people.
It's like he was taking their energy.
You saw it, too?
The light. Xiao was consuming it,
feeding on it.
She said it was the
souls of the bloodlines.
That is how she has
been getting stronger.
That's why she attacked you.
- She didn't want us to know.
- What I saw, what I felt
I think I need some time.
Of course.
Thank you, Henry.
I'll see you at home.
How did you do it?
How did you beat her?
I found her fear,
and I turned it against her.
I had struggled for so long.
I had to stop hiding,
but it is not over.
She is stronger than ever,
but she is contained.
Heard pancit's staying on the menu.
Thank you, Chef, for having my back.
Sebastian, I need you
to do something for me.
Be kind to her.
Carrie's a part of the team, too.
It's a big change for the both of us,
but she is the main reason
why we're able to do this,
what we love
Working, creating, cooking.
And I need you to show her respect,
the same respect you show me.
Of course, Chef. Whatever you need.
Anthony, got your briefcase
back from the police.
- Hey, Jin, about to start.
- Here you go.
Our pleasure.
Thank you for bringing this
to me, and thank Althea.
You got it.
Something missing?
No. No. All good.
Thanks again.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
That's why community
outreach is critical.
I think the people of
Chinatown deserve to be heard.
Recently, your opponent has made claims
that you are soft on crime.
And to judge from your recent polling,
many of your constituents agree.
In particular, she's criticized
your opposition to Ordinance 11.
I think we need to
have a full conversation
about the issues involved
in outsourcing police
work to private security.
However, part of being
an elected representative
is knowing to admit when you were wrong.
The other night, I was attacked.
I was robbed at knife point.
I now understand the fear
that so many people in my
district have been living with.
No one should ever have to
experience something like that.
The people of Chinatown
deserve to be safe.
That's why I'm changing my vote.
I will vote yes on Ordinance 11.
- Nicky.
- You were right.
I made a choice to keep you in the dark.
Even when I saw what it was doing to us,
I wanted to keep it
that way, to keep hiding.
I was afraid what you'd think,
that that I'd scare you
off, but that isn't fair to you.
You caught me off-guard.
I didn't expect to feel
this way about someone
this fast, this hard.
But we can't be together if
we don't understand each other.
So if it's not too late,
if you still want this,
I'll tell you everything.
I'm ready. I will
Zhilan.