In Review: Kung Fu (S3 – EP2) Risk

Synopsis: In Risk, Althea risks everything to help track the crime boss who has been stealing from Chinatown’s businesses. Meanwhile, Nicky continues to try and figure out if Pei-Ling is somehow tethered to the alchemist. Also, Zhilan tries to find her bearings in the other realm. 

The Story

Nicky and the gang are still trying to find out who has been behind all the crime in Chinatown since the earthquake. The only thing is Althea only has a limited amount of time in which she can help with her skills as a computer hacker as she is due to accept a deal with the DA that will mean she can no longer access the internet for a year. So knowing she has a limited time she goes all in and helps Even and the others uncover the criminal mastermind.

Elsewhere, Pei-Ling is still struggling to come to terms with the fact that she is very much alive and is trying to figure out why. Added to this is the fact that she can’t remember any of her time in the other realm where Nicky went to save the world in last year’s season finale. Speaking of other realms, Zhilan is still there and is apparently very much alive, which might explain why the reaper can’t get her. As everything else in the realm is spirit. 

Meanwhile, Henry has been traveling Europe and meets his late father’s old partner and together they find a relic that seems to react when Henry touches it.

The Acting

Some pretty solid performances in this episode. Shannon Dang does a great job of selling the utter devastation that Althea feels when she is told about the deal that she is being offered by the DA. The scenes where she talks about the world wide web being so much a part of her skillset and identity felt very truthful. We also see the welcome return of Yvonne Chapman as the deadly Zhilan who is in the process of making amends in the spirit realm. Her meeting with Anthony Chan in this hellish afterlife kind of brings her full circle as she apologizes for killing him and the two wind up helping each other against some kind of reaper.

Seamus Dever makes for a fairly menacing disposable villain of the week and really makes the most of the scene where his character Max DeVeer threatens the extremely smart Althea. However like all of these villains. As he is about to kill his prey. He spends way too much time explaining what a pleasure it would be. When really he should just pull the trigger have done with it and get his man servants to clean up the mess. But this is not the actor’s fault. It’s the writers trying to stall things enough to give Nicky a chance to come in and save the day. 

Overall

Overall Risk is a fairly average episode if honest as we only get hints of the bigger storyline. Hopefully, we get more of the real storyline in next week’s show. I’m particularly interested in when the Alchemist is likely to take control of Pei-Ling and how that will connect with all the other stuff. As there is still a bit to tie up from last season in that regard.