"Warrior" A Soft Heart Won't Do You No Favors (TV Episode 2023) Poster

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10/10
Great episode (9.5/10)
dororomayumi16 August 2023
Warrior Season 3's sixth episode continues the show's tradition of out-of-town episodes, similar to previous standout episodes. This time, the episode explores two distinct storylines, the first of which focuses on Ah Sahm, Young Jun, and Father Jun. This storyline effectively immerses viewers in a unique world that serves as the backdrop for a compelling tale. The main antagonist of the episode is a fitting one-off villain, contributing to the story's intensity. Ah Sahm's character is richly developed, offering insights into his morals and inner struggles. The climactic fight scene is a standout moment, impressively choreographed and brutal, captivating audiences.

However, this part of the episode does have its shortcomings. With only 55 minutes to share with the parallel storyline, it struggles to fully flesh out the world and characters, lagging behind its predecessors in this aspect. While the villain is intriguing, there's a sense that more screen time would have enhanced the impact of his character and the setting. This is unlike Season 2's standout episode, which had enough time to deliver its message and flesh out its characters and worlds beautifully. Despite these issues, the story remains engaging, and its strengths overshadow the flaws.

Transitioning to the second storyline featuring Wang Chao and Richard Lee, this segment is executed excellently. Lee and Chao's chemistry shines, as their natural camaraderie adds depth to both characters. The exploration of Lee's backstory enriches his character, and the concise narrative works well here. The final scene serves as a fitting conclusion, tying up loose ends effectively.

Overall, the episode warrants a 9.5/10 rating. Despite its flaws, it stands out as one of the series' best episodes to date. The creators deserve commendation for delivering a brilliant installment that masterfully balances multiple storylines, character development, and intense fight sequences.
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7/10
"Hop away."
LegendaryFang5616 August 2023
Warning: Spoilers
(413-word review) Given the general 'decent and serviceable but nothing more than that' nature of this season, being a diamond in the rough wouldn't be that difficult to achieve, which the previous episode did, standing out quite clearly as the champion by a long shot - to the point of casting doubt that the follow-up would come close or surpass it. And I'm pleased to say that this one not only followed up nicely but went above and beyond, becoming the season's new champion by a wide margin. I'm reasonably confident this was the season's equivalent of the first two seasons' standalone episodes: the first's Western-influenced episode and the second's martial arts tournament episode - surprisingly, it wasn't much of a standalone this time, possibly due to how so many things are going on in this one.

The two leading plot threads, involving Chao and Lee/the Hop Wei and the Germans, were adequately captivating: undoubtedly the most enjoyable of any plot thread currently. I also liked how Chao came in for the rescue and then stayed to help Lee at the end; that final shot was fantastic.

Another reason for considering this the best episode yet is that it followed in the footsteps of the previous one, structural-wise. Both avoided, as the others have, cramming in every character and plotline (rather than rotating them).

Among the primary plot threads' carrying were the Leary/Strickland scenes, which I couldn't care less about. That's never been the case, and it's still the case here. The only thing I can say in their favor is that the places they were in, in addition to the cinematography, were visually appealing, as were the overall locations and cinematography.

Young Jun's "wrestling match" with Valentina (who is living our dream of "wrestling" with such a gorgeous woman) and the fight sequence against the Germans were my favorite parts. But, starting off the list of things I didn't like, it was a bit slow and telegraphed; there wasn't a natural sense of flow to it, and that slightly impacted it - it was still enjoyable, though; (2.) Shannon Lee's cameo appearance, while a pleasant surprise, had a convenient purpose of her character, Wen, getting involved in the shootout, culminating in peak convenience concerning how she came running into the fray, on top of the slowness, telegraphed corny nature of which she took down the two guys; (3.) Father Jun's injury that'll likely end in his death in the next episode, making his return cheaper.
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