“Nicky Shen doesn’t know it yet. There’s a girl out there, a young woman, her cousin. She is the daughter of a Warrior and a Guardian. I’ve kept tabs on her over the years, waiting, watching for the right moment. Now that the weapons are gone and Biange is free, without a home, it is time. She is the key to everything.”
Those were the words uttered by Russel Tan to his comatose son in the closing moments of Kung Fu‘s inaugural season. In the series’ sophomore premiere, The CW action-drama reveals the mysterious young woman. Written by Christina M. Kim & Robert Berens and directed by Joe Menendez, here’s a recap of what went down in episode “Year of the Tiger: Part 1.”
Evan (Gavin Stenhouse) reports to Nicky and Henry with an update on his investigation of Russell Tan (Kee Chan), the wealthy and powerful businessman. The assistant district attorney shares that he has reached a dead end. He adds that Tan is amassing a real estate empire in the city, and when asked if any of his acquisition deals were shady, “Just ordinary billionaire shady,” Evan replies.
When Nicky (Olivia Liang) returns home, she is greeted by a hooded figure, whose face is obscured by a mask and shades. The two have a fight in the dark home until the intruder swiftly escapes, locking Olivia behind her living room door. When the police arrive at the Shen household, Nicky provides them with her statement that a female assailant snuck in through the window and was chased out into the street after their scuffle.
On the front footsteps of her home, she tells Henry (Eddie Liu) that her attacker was unlike anyone she’s fought. “This felt different,” Nicky says. “When I walked into the house, I sensed her presence. I felt something like a connection to her. She was raw, sloppy even, but she was strong. You know how we’ve been waiting for the other shoe to drop — for something big and bad to start up? I think it just did.”
During a training session with her brother Ryan (Jon Prasida), he concludes that Nicky is a superhero. She counters his statement by saying that her normal heart rate after is because she’s been training a lot. He shows her his “empirical” evidence which includes months of data that supports his theory that her brush with Biange gifted her with superhuman abilities. “No one works out like you just did without spiking their heart rate!” he tells her.
Evan phones Nicky and informs her of his discovery that a highly-skilled mercenary by the name of Sasha Beals (Luvia Petersen) has popped up in the city and matches the description of Nicky’s attacker. He’s been tracking the mercenary because she has done jobs for dictators, shady multinationals, and Russell Tan. He goes on to say that Beals specializes in infiltration and exfiltration. “What could you have that she wants?” Evan asks her. Moments later Nicky finds that all of her and Henry’s research on Biange, the weapons, and the bloodlines have been stolen.
Nicky enlists her computer-savvy sister Althea (Shannon Dang) to find the possible whereabouts of her assailant, which leads Nicky and Henry to an abandoned warehouse. The duo finds their stolen research along with a bracelet that is identical to the one Nicky’s mother has. While on the phone with her mother, Nicky learns that her mother’s bracelet is part of a pair and that its counterpart was given to her aunt Mei-Xue.
After learning of the second bracelet’s rightful owner, Nicky realizes that they have been looking at the whole situation wrong. It’s not the international mercenary whose hideout is at the warehouse; it wasn’t Beals who stole the research. “I think she’s Aunty Mei-Xue’s daughter.”
Nicky shares the news of their newly-discovered cousin with Althea and Ryan. “When we fought, I felt a connection to her,” she tells them. “It makes sense now.” Meanwhile, Dennis (Tony Chung) and Ryan wonder if this cousin could possibly be the same hooded figure that attacked her and if she’s the same person who’s working for Russell Tan. They all dig through a stash of belongings taken from the warehouse to hopefully find a clue as to who this young woman is.
Back at his cabin, Evan is attacked by the hooded woman. After slowly regaining consciousness, he finds her rummaging through his things. She questions him about the stolen government files he has in his possession. She reveals that she knows about him and his friends (Nicky & Henry), and demands to know why they were all in Nash Creek and “Why the hell are you after me?”
The gang at the Shen House put the puzzle pieces together and learn that Nicky, Evan, and Henry first got onto the woman’s radar in Nash Creek. She tracked them from Nash Creek, then to Nicky’s home, and then the library. Ryan finds a piece of paper in the stash with Evan’s license plate number on it, and they quickly head to his cabin.
Nicky and Henry arrive at the cabin, and the woman grabs a knife and holds it at Evan’s neck. Nicky informs her that she knows she’s Mei-Xue’s daughter. “Who are you?” the woman asks. “I’m family. You can trust us. We want to help.” The knife-wielding woman lets her guard down and drops the knife. “Sorry about your friend.”
The woman shares that her mother never told her about her family and that she was raised alone in the cabin in Nash Creek, which Nicky had visited. She had no outside contact with anyone and was told there was no reason for her to go anywhere in the world because it was a dangerous place with people who wanted to hurt her. She was raised knowing how to defend herself in the event that anyone did come for her, but no one did.
The woman adds that she left Nash Creek at sixteen because she wanted to see the world. She ran away and made her way to New York where she made some friends on the street. She says that six months ago, Sasha Beals and a team of men raided where she had been staying and killed all of her friends. She tracked Nicky down because she wanted answers including who she was. “I’m Nicky.” “Mia.”
The cabin is raided with a team of men and Mia (Vanessa Yao) runs out to safety only to run into Sasha. The mercenary ties up her target, throws her into the backseat of her vehicle, and drives off. Nicky runs after them and gets an assist when Evan shoots at the tires causing the car to swerve into a ditch. They manage to rescue Mia and get Sasha into Evan’s custody.
At Harmony Dumplings, the Shens have their annual New Year’s Eve family dinner. Nicky brings Mia along and introduces her to everyone. “Mama, everyone,” Nicky starts, “this is Mia, Aunty Mei-Xue’s daughter.” Mama Shen is stunned speechless then welcomes her to the table. Later, away from the table, Mama Shen tells Nicky that Mia looks just like her sister. “It’s as if a part of Mei-Xue has returned to us.”
Nicky’s mother is aware that Mei is in danger and wants her to be safe. “Whatever happens, she’s family, our family,” she tells Nicky. “You promise me you will protect her, keep her safe.”
“I will.”
Kung Fu airs Wednesdays at 9pm on The CW.
Rowell was born and raised on Maui, Hawai’i, and now lives in the almost-as-green Pacific Northwest. He’s obsessed with Cirque du Soleil, loves teen dramas (especially those with a supernatural element) and horror movies, and is addicted to sushi. Prior to PopWire, he created individual fan sites for the shows Friends, Hellcats, Nikita and others, which led to creating and working on OMFGTV.
