Kung Fu (2021) s02e08 Episode Script

- Mia, on your left!
-
Cover me.
Mia.
Mia.
Hello, Zhilan.
It worked.
You're touching the Jyu Sa.
It is the source of everything.
A bridge between my realm and yours.
Between the present and eternity.
- You're the alchemist. Xiao.
- Call me Mother.
Trouble sleeping again?
What's keeping you up?
What Xiao said about Mia.
That she's destined to become
an instrument of death and destruction.
You said you didn't believe her.
What she showed
me in that dream
The first hybrid destroying
everything around her
I think it was real.
But it doesn't have to
be like that for Mia.
You know? She still has a choice.
You're still losing
sleep over it, though.
Maybe it's because
you haven't told your
family yet, or Mia.
Can't. She's finally settling in.
- I don't wanna spook her.
- Doesn't she have a right to know?
When Pei-Ling took you in,
she knew you were a Warrior,
but she kept it from you.
- When you found out
- Yeah. I know.
I'll tell her eventually.
But for now, we all need to
focus on stopping Tan.
If that means I lose
a few nights of sleep,
then so be it.
Well, since we're not sleeping anyway
D.A. Hughes, the staff
meeting had to be pushed.
- Your day is stacked. Would you
- Clear everything, Nadia.
Everything?
Something personal come up
Not your concern. All
you need to know is
- I'm leaving for the day.
- I'll update your calendar.
- Hey, Mia.
- Hi.
Sorry I'm late, Lo Por.
- Hey.
- Oh.
Lao Gong, what is that?
I had to get the bok choy from
gourmet place around the corner.
Hey, Mia, can you put this
in the fridge, please? Here you go.
Lao Gong, that must've cost a fortune.
Why didn't you just
get it from the Changs?
- You haven't heard?
- What?
- They're closing.
- No.
The Changs have been
here long before we were.
I thought they would outlast us.
- Me, too.
- Hey, Mama, Baba.
- Hey, Nicky.
- Ready to train?
Oh, yeah. That is from
when Althea and I were playing spa.
If you look closely, you can see
where she shaved off my whole eyebrow.
- Ha ha! What about this one?
- Opening day.
- 25 years ago?
- Actually, 25 years
to the day tomorrow,
but someone has already decided
we're not gonna celebrate.
I already told you, Nicky.
We're gonna be too busy.
It's a shame.
Not to celebrate something so big.
You know what, Mia? I agree.
Have a seat.
Oh, marshmallows and peanut butter?
That bad?
That bad. My app was rejected
by every investor in Silicon Valley.
We've been disowned by the Soongs.
Dennis is out there
hustling for new gigs
while I'm hiding at
home from my employees.
I mean, how am I supposed
to look them in the eye
and tell them that all of my
pitches went splat?
Or that we're a month away from
complete insolvency?
- Althea
- Nicky, please, no pep talks.
Well, you still look amazing,
even in sweats and a dirty hoodie.
- Mm-hmm.
- Thank you, Mia.
I know you're in a funk, but
we need your help.
Uhh. With what?
A party. It's Harmony
Dumplings' 25th anniversary.
Didn't Mama say she
didn't want to do anything?
Well, we were thinking
it could be a surprise.
That way, Mama doesn't
have to lift a finger.
Mama? Surprises? Ok.
You guys knock yourselves out, but
I'm just not up for it. Sorry.
Ok. Totally fair.
Mia and I will just
handle this on our own.
We actually already have
a couple ideas, right?
Yeah. Um, I was thinking
the restaurant was
founded in the nineties.
Maybe a nineties theme?
Mm. I like it.
Ooh, we could get
the wait staff to dress up.
Plaid shirts, scrunchies, bucket hats.
- Music for a playlist?
- Yeah.
Hip-hop, grunge, jock jams.
Does Mei-Li like techno?
Ok, I know what you
guys are trying to do.
Fine. You got me. I'll take care of it.
Good work on procuring
the Jyu Sa, Juliette.
The bell is nearly finished.
Is it time
to go after Mia, father?
Almost. The asset I've been
negotiating with arrives today.
He'll be here? In San Francisco?
Our friend the D.A. came through.
And once the asset
arrives, I'll be in position
to take the final piece.
We're done, Mr. Tan.
Get ready, Juliette.
This will all be over very soon.
You promised this was the last favor.
Do I have your word?
Of course, Kim.
Your asset arrives at 3 P.M. today
at the old Boeing hangar.
He's flying under an alias
in a private jet.
I've made arrangements to hand him off
directly to your team.
Confirmation. D.A. Hughes
is working with Russell Tan.
Who is this asset and why does Tan
want them in the country?
No idea, but she's doing this
under the radar for a reason.
She's breaking TSA protocol,
she's creating a big red flag
for the FBI, the DHS,
and with a move like this,
she's risking prison time.
That's gotta be connected to Tan's plan.
- We stake this out
- We get ahead of Tan.
And we catch your
former boss red-handed.
- Seen Sebastian?
- Oh, he's just outside.
Come on. I just wanna talk to him.
Don't call again.
Ryan, hey.
- What was that?
- Don't worry about it.
- We still grabbing lunch?
- Hey, hey.
Don't worry about it?
That guy looked like
he was about to deck you.
- What was that, really?
- Hey, can we just go eat?
It doesn't concern you.
First the fight at the
apothecary, now this?
Know what?
I'm not so hungry after all.
Ryan. Ryan, come on.
So, you just select the vendor,
type in what you want, and hit "enter."
This app is cool. I mean, you have
every merchant in Chinatown in here.
Rainbow balloons?
- Bad idea.
- Yeah. Not blaming you.
- I know you were raised in a barn.
- It was a cabin.
You know, it's just
Mama's very particular.
You know, everything has to be just so.
Sounds like my Mama.
I don't know how you do it.
People always after you,
the constant worry and fear.
I mean, I'm used to it.
How I was raised before all of this,
I was taught to always keep my guard up.
Anyway, I think I'm gonna leave this
to the expert.
Ok. Well, we've got
champagne from Fung's Liquor.
Oh, that's a lot of stuff.
How are we supposed to
hide this all from Mama?
She has eagle eyes.
I have an idea.
Plane's at the gate.
Still no sign of Tan's asset.
Oh. I got movement.
There's our mystery guy.
Uhh.
I think Hughes just greased the wheels
to get him into the country.
Keep ahold of him.
Wait a second.
I think that's Fitz Ronson.
Am I supposed to know who that is?
3 years in a monastery.
Still have some gaps.
He's a famous whistle-blower
turned fugitive.
He was Nathan Price's
assistant for years.
Nathan Price, the tech billionaire?
Yeah. Fitz wrote an article
that blew the lid off all sorts of
shady practices in Silicon Valley.
So, why is he on the run?
The billionaires struck back.
Hit him with a blizzard of civil suits.
Technically, Fitz broke some laws
in his pursuit of the truth,
and when the feds came for him,
he left the country, which only
made him look more guilty.
- Ok.
- There's speculation online
that the article was just
the tip of the iceberg
That Fitz has an entire book
stuffed with revelations.
That's Tan's chief of security.
- Nice grip, Colossus.
- Get in the car.
Hey, can we stop and
get some food on the way?
There was no chow on the plane
and I've got really low
You lead me straight to the manuscript.
That's the deal.
That's it. That is the last favor
- I do for your boss. I'm done.
- Oh, it's not for me to say.
Mr. Tan will be in touch.
Hughes doesn't look
happy about something.
Hey, Evan, what's he doing?
He's trying to make a getaway.
- When you're done.
- Tell your boss
I don't think that
was supposed to happen.
Bad news for Hughes. And for Tan.
But maybe good news for us.
Mr. Tan, I'm sorry.
Listen, I can fix this. Just
Kim, you've disappointed me enough.
I have teams across the city.
I'll find him myself.
Evan? What are you doing here?
Who let you in?
You're going down, Kim.
You're gonna give me everything
you have on Fitz Ronson.
So, how long have you been spying on me?
I mean, you must have had some help.
Oh. Nadia.
What does Tan want with Fitz?
Is this about his book?
Fitz's book is full of bombshells
about the billionaires who have
destroyed his life.
Tan has been negotiating
a deal for months.
Smuggle him into the country
in exchange for a
sneak peek at the book.
I didn't ask for this, Evan.
It started with a simple
and perfectly legal
campaign donation.
Then he started asking for favors.
- You could've walked away.
- Of course I did.
I refused.
And then that day, when I went
to school to pick up my kids
They weren't there.
Oh, I was frantic.
Few hours later, Tan's head of security
drops them back at home.
They were safe, happy.
Had no idea.
But Tan's threat was clear.
From then on, he owned me.
I know I'm going down for this.
I just want it all to be over.
This is everything I
have on Fitz Ronson.
So, Tan helps Fitz get into the country
in exchange for a
look at his manuscript.
Fitz gives him the slip.
Where would he go next?
Well, Evan ran the
plates on the getaway.
The car was ditched locally.
He might still be in the area.
That company that published his article
- has an address in the mission.
- It's out of date. The imprint was
sued out of existence. There
was an ex-girlfriend Naomi Reed.
She and Fitz worked for Price
at the same time.
They split up after he blew the whistle.
Maybe she's heard from him.
And check this out. I found Fitz's
last address in the city.
Uh, building's been condemned,
but it might be worth a look.
It's the only lead we've got.
I take the ex, you look at
- Fitz's old address?
- Ok.
Ryan?
- What are you doing here?
- I want to talk.
That's a first.
Hey, come on.
Like you're not keeping secrets, too?
Nicky.
I know there's stuff
you're not telling me.
Ok, fine.
But maybe it's not about the secrets.
Truth is, seeing you take down
those guys at the apothecary,
I've never seen that side of you.
That guy you saw me with earlier.
He wasn't, like, my bookie
or a drug connect or whatever
it is you were thinking.
He's my brother. Angelo.
What? It looked like
he was about to hit you.
He was. It's It's complicated.
My family and I, we're
not on the best terms,
and I tried to reach out recently,
and, well, you saw what happened.
My brother stopped by
just to tell me to stay away,
to leave our parents alone, and
You know, he's probably right.
My parents cut me off for good reason.
- I did time.
- Oh.
Manslaughter.
Ryan, I killed someone.
What do you mean
you're out of bok choy?
- Jin got some this morning.
- Sorry, chef. I don't know.
Mia, didn't you put it in the fridge?
I did. I don't know what happened.
I'm just gonna have to make another run.
I cannot believe your
plan actually worked.
We could've used you back in the day.
Mama always sniffed out our mischief.
How'd you pick up your skills?
Well, I have been running
from assassins for the past year.
- Right. That.
- What is going on?
Mama!
Hi.
- Wh-what are you doing back?
- One of the cooks stopped me.
He found the bok choy in the freezer.
I told you I don't want a party.
It was a fight,
just a dumb bar fight.
I was working a dive in the Castro.
Some drunk customer
started harassing my crew.
So, I stepped up.
Couple of hits. Knocked him down.
He got up, staggered off,
and I went back to work.
Honestly, I felt pretty ok
about all of it.
Cops showed up the next day.
The guy died in his sleep.
Brain hemorrhage.
The responsibility of
that the weight, it
It's something I'm gonna carry
for the rest of my life.
I did my time. And when I got out,
I just kept moving.
Traveling the world, just trying to
put all of it behind me.
Figured I'd never
have a real home again.
And then I got this job.
I met you.
I should've told you sooner.
I guess I was just afraid
of losing what we had, but I get it.
If it freaks you out,
if it's too much
Seb.
Whatever you decide
I'll understand.
There you are.
Open, open, open.
No, no.
Come on!
Hey, Fitz.
Who the hell are you?
I'm Nicky. I'm not here to fight.
I know Tan smuggled
you into the country.
You ran away Guessing you realized
he was gonna take what he wanted
and kill you anyway. Smart.
But that means he's
looking for you right now.
I can help.
Yeah? Why would you do that?
Look, you're a whistle-blower, right?
You've got a mission,
a cause. I do, too.
I need to figure out
what Russell Tan is after
so I can stop him like
you want to stop Price.
I've got a friend
who can bust that safe open.
Just put the gun down
and I'll help you.
Stay back.
Come on.
Hey. I was just about to call you.
Struck out looking for Fitz's ex.
She moved out. No forwarding address.
All good. I've got
Fitz and the manuscript.
Just one problem. Can you crack open
- an electronic wall safe?
- I can try.
Did you find him?
We got men all over the city
checking any locations
associated with Fitz.
So far, no sign of him,
but I think we got a lead.
Henry Yan just left
Naomi's old apartment.
Turns out we're not the
only ones looking for him.
Think you can get it open?
Well, a torch would cut through it
in a couple minutes, but I would
- burn everything inside.
- Uh, yeah, let's not do that.
This is my only copy.
You don't believe in backups?
Nathan Price and his big tech buddies
pretty much control the Internet.
When I was on the run,
they hacked into my cloud account
and wiped my computer remotely.
I had it on the hard drive,
and then they raided
my safe house in Minsk.
I only took Tan up on his offer
because I needed to
get back to get this.
It's the only surviving copy.
Ok. No torch.
Why does Tan want your book so badly?
I don't know. I don't think Tan's
even mentioned in the book.
You don't think?
The book's not about him.
It's about the Enclave.
A secret society
founded at the turn of the century
by a Norcal industrialist.
- Jacob Sloan?
- Yeah.
Sloan founded the
Enclave before his death,
but his acolytes have
kept it alive in his honor.
But there's a leadership
faction the inner sanctum.
It's Nathan Price and a handful of
other megabillionaires.
What exactly does the inner sanctum do?
They collaborate.
Steering politics and
tech in their favor.
So, your book is an expose
on the inner sanctum?
I was close enough to Price to
uncover some of their secrets.
What does Tan want?
Leverage? Blackmail?
I don't know.
The book's 700 pages long.
It could be anything in there.
Could be anything in a book you wrote?
It's a figure of speech.
How's it coming over there?
Working on it.
- Mama
- Althea,
you know I hate surprises.
Yes, but that's not what this is about.
You love this place
and you love anniversaries.
I just don't see why
you wouldn't want to
celebrate everything that you've built.
It just doesn't feel
right. Not this year.
Why?
You were too young. You don't remember.
But your Baba and I, we
We didn't do this alone.
We had so much help
From neighbors, from
From other businesses.
The Changs.
They gave us deals on produce.
We never would've survived without them.
And now they're closing.
So many people closing.
I can't even look at some of my friends
in the eye anymore.
Who would this party be for, anyway?
Can't this party be for them, too?
We could thank them for everything
they've done for us.
I've been hiding
all week in sweatpants
because I can't face my employees.
But I know that hiding isn't the answer.
Don't withdraw, Mama.
Engage. And fight them.
Celebrate them. Hmm?
Since when did you become so wise?
Is that a yes? The party's on?
Yes, Mia. Yes.
Come here.
Ohh.
- Can we talk?
- Uh
Ok. Not gonna lie,
but what you told me, you
know, it's scary enough
starting a new relationship
under normal circumstances.
- You don't have to explain
- But I feel like now that I know,
I'm finally starting to understand.
So, if you're ready and want to,
I think we could try
For something real.
I'm ready.
I want it.
if you could just tell me
what's in the book,
what Tan could be after,
it would really help.
Like I said, the book's massive.
You know, get this open,
then you can look at it yourself.
You don't know what's in it.
- What are you talking about?
- Who actually wrote the manuscript?
Your girlfriend Naomi?
She worked for Price, too, right?
Getting these secrets
out, this was her mission.
You took the fall for her.
Yeah. But please. No one can know.
Why'd you do it?
I love her.
Working for Price really skeeved me out
but Naomi, she was
She was on fire.
She had this sense of justice.
I got swept up in it.
I-I still am.
When she was writing that first article,
we started getting some heat.
I suggested we publish it under my name
to keep her safe.
Neither of us knew how out of control
this whole thing was gonna get.
Where is she now?
She's safe. Out of the country.
When Tan offered me a ticket home,
it had to be me that came.
I just want to get this manuscript,
get it published For both of us.
Then I can get back to her.
People have a right to know the truth.
Got it.
Should probably make a copy.
- What's all this?
- Naomi's research for the book.
What's that?
Henry?
We got company.
Hallway closet?
Oh. It's there.
I'm just going upstairs to
change for the party, ok?
Tell Baba to be quick.
Althea says to hurry up.
Ok! Ha ha ha!
Mama's making calls.
I've got decorations covered.
Just need those tablecloths.
- Got it.
- Great.
Grab a box of candles, too.
And don't let Baba dawdle!
Right.
Hello, Mia.
What are you doing here?
- You need to go.
- Don't worry. I'm not here
to hurt your uncle.
- I'm here for you.
- I made my decision.
Nicky told me all about you
Who you are, what you've done.
You killed your own sister.
That was in the past. I'm here
to talk about the future.
Your future.
- What do you mean?
- I take it Nicky
hasn't told you?
About your destiny.
What you're meant to become.
Uhh!
Did you get him?
Yup, but he came with friends.
Should we call the cops?
Uh, my vote? No.
I'm a fugitive, remember?
Can't anyway. Phone's dead.
Tan's men must be using a jammer.
Yeah, I'm guessing they got the front
and side exits covered.
So, we're trapped?
Well, we have home court advantage.
- Let's go thin out the herd.
- Uh, what about me?
- Stay here. Hide.
- Where's the manuscript?
I hid it in the art
and photography section.
Ok. When it's safe, we'll come back
and get you. Promise.
Fall back. I have the asset.
We're gonna try this again.
Where's the manuscript?
So, I'm a ticking time bomb,
destined to destroy everyone.
Why would Nicky keep that from me?
She's afraid.
Of what?
You.
Your power, what you're capable of.
She's afraid of what you'll become.
She's afraid to do what must be done.
There's a simpler way
to stop Russell Tan.
I think you know what that is.
Kill him.
Why not just do it yourself?
Because I know you want it
just as much as I do.
Because you're everything to him, Mia.
You're his treasure, his
prize, his instrument.
You're the one person on this planet
too valuable for him to kill.
You can get closer
to him than any of us.
He wants to trap you, exploit you.
He deserves to die at your hands.
Look, I get it. This place it's cozy.
You get to play
pretend a loving family,
Nicky telling you that
she'll protect you.
But sooner or later,
you'll have to face reality.
Something Nicky can't protect you from,
something that she'll never understand.
What Russell Tan did to us,
to your mother,
we can never move on from.
Until we destroy him,
we will never be free.
Don't tell me you
haven't thought about it.
What it would feel like to end that man.
The relief.
Mia! You almost done?
Please please go.
Hmm. You're like me, Mia.
You're a fighter, a killer.
It's your destiny.
You might as well embrace it.
When you're ready
you can find me here.
Hey. You ready?
I'm running out of patience here.
I can't. I won't.
You're willing to die to protect a book?
Uhh!
Toss the place.
If you change your mind
before they find it,
maybe I let you live.
I'll show you. I'll show you
where I hid the manuscript.
Smart man.
It's, uh, just this way.
I hid it over here,
behind some books. Uh
Should be right here.
Where is it?
Over here.
Nicky. What are you doing?
Hand him over or this
manuscript goes up in flames.
You destroy that, he dies.
He dies, I destroy this.
Pretty sure Tan gave you one job.
Don't think you want to mess that up.
I wouldn't do that if I were you.
Uhh!
Got it.
Stand down.
The manuscript's gone.
You did what you had to do.
Where's Fitz?
Fitz?
Fitz?
Research is gone. He bolted.
So, Fitz is gone, research is gone,
the manuscript is on its way to Tan,
and we have nothing.
Juliette.
Were you successful, father?
Yes. The manuscript has every detail
on the inner sanctum that I need.
And I know exactly how
to get the mallet for the bell.
- Find anything?
- Not much.
The stuff about the Enclave online,
it's just bits and pieces, rumors.
And nothing about the inner sanctum.
What are you thinking about?
I'm thinking that you were right.
About telling Mia.
What made you change your mind?
Fitz.
He and Naomi sacrificed everything
to get the truth out.
But this prophecy is
Mia needs to know.
Turning yourself in,
it's the best thing you could do.
If you speak with the interim
D.A., I'm sure they can
arrange protection detail
on your family, just in case.
That won't be necessary.
Mr. Tan will have no
reason to come after them.
You're gonna take the fall.
You're not gonna implicate him.
This system is built to protect
men like him.
Evan, we did it.
Hughes blackmailed you into resigning,
but she never exposed what you did.
Might take some effort, but we could try
and get your job back.
Isn't that what you wanted?
My oldest and dearest friends,
we are so happy to see
all of you here tonight.
Tonight is a celebration of
25 years in Chinatown.
But tonight we're not just celebrating
Harmony Dumplings.
We are also celebrating the community
and the friendships that have helped us.
We wouldn't be here
today without all of you.
I'd like to propose a toast
to our very special friends the Changs.
Ted, Alissa.
Without you, your hard work,
your generosity, we
never would have survived.
We have weathered many storms together,
and there's one thing
I know about us
We're resilient.
Hear, hear.
And I know many of us
came to this country with nothing,
and we built lives,
families, and a community,
and I know we didn't do it alone.
The world is changing,
and more than ever,
we need to be there for each other.
We need to support each other.
We need to celebrate each other.
So, tonight, I ask all of you
to join me in a pledge.
From now on, when something is wrong,
we'll speak up.
When one of us needs help, we'll ask.
We will be there for each other.
The first 25 years of Harmony Dumplings
were about survival.
Our next 25 years will
be about all of us,
about how we're gonna make
our beautiful community
even better.
- Gan bei.
- Gan bei.
- Hey.
- Hey.
Sorry. You go.
It's ok. You.
Ok. Um
There's something I've
been meaning to tell you.
- When we were in
- Nicky Shen?
- Yeah.
- Got a delivery for you.
Oh. Um, I didn't order that.
It's got your name right here,
and it's already paid for, so
What is that?
Um, it's a new lead.
Notes on something called the Enclave.
Listen, um, I gotta
get this stuff to Henry.
Um, we'll talk soon, ok?