In this episode of Kung Fu, Nicky finds herself face to face with Zhilan as the fight for the weapons reaches a tipping point. Ryan struggles with his feelings over his breakup with Joe, and Mei-Li and Jin come to a decision about the restaurant. Read on to find out what happened in “Attachment.”
Henry and Nicky wake up entangled in the library as community members knock, attempting to get in. They fell asleep after quite the romantic night, which we see in flashbacks as the two frantically clean up. Their act fools no one as the senior citizens knowingly wink at them. The two discuss Mei-Xue’s hidden message in the lullaby leading them to the Forge, with Nicky pointing out that for the first time they have the lead on Zhilan. They flirt before Nicky gets an emergency family meeting text.
Nicky heads to the restaurant, where Althea immediately clocks what Nicky was up to last night. Ryan enters, hiding his breakup with Joe when they ask him what’s wrong. Mei-Li and Jin enter to share the big news: they’re closing the restaurant. Their rent increased again, and they can’t afford to keep it. Mei-Li points out that if they stop fighting the inevitable, she and Jin might actually be able to take a vacation for the first time in forever. Nicky and Althea are supportive, but Ryan is still reeling and takes it hard. He accuses them all of quitting before storming out to go to work.
Zhilan and Kerwin wait outside his father’s house, with Zhilan preparing to steal his weapons. In a slick action sequence, she makes her way through the house and grabs each weapon one by one. Now, there’s only one weapon standing between Zhilan and the complete collection. Nicky and Henry meet up at the library to research as Evan calls to share the news of Zhilan’s break in. Henry suggests they call his friend who has an algorithm designed to find references to song lyrics online. The only problem? The lyrics aren’t a match for an ancient song — they match a K-pop song by Simon Lau exactly. Simon isn’t just a pop star. When they zoom in on his necklace, it looks like Zhilan and Pei-Ling’s necklace with a falcon instead. Nicky realizes he may be a guardian. Henry sees that Simon is performing in Las Vegas the next day, and they prepare to go and talk to him about what he knows.
Althea goes to visit Ryan at work. She intuits that something is going on with Joe, and he tells her about the job in Chicago. He cries as she comforts him. Later that night, Althea takes Ryan out for drinks. Ryan shares that the breakup is hitting him hard because for the first time, he let himself picture getting married and having kids. He admits that he wants a long term partner and is sad he never got to fully open up to Joe. Althea points out that the time he spent with Joe wasn’t a waste. He gained the courage to be out to his parents and even intended to bring Joe as his plus-one to Althea’s wedding. She also advises him to emotionally separate Joe leaving from the restaurant closing.
In Vegas, Nicky has her eyes on the prize while Henry makes plans for their private after-party. They find that Simon’s meet and greet is sold out, but they quickly remedy the situation by pickpocketing tickets from two snotty girls at the front of the line. As Simon takes a picture with them and goes to sign an autograph, Nicky asks him about the song and reveals who she is. Simon scoffs that Biange and the weapons are a fairy tale. When Nicky asks a detailed question about the hammer connected to his family, Simon accuses them of working with a collector who started harassing him for the weapon a few days ago. Realizing that Zhilan is on to them, Nicky insists that they’re not connected and that Simon is in danger. The security guards escort them out as we see Zhilan and Kerwin enter the casino.
Ryan tells his parents about Joe and also shares his thoughts about the restaurant. He respects the challenges they would face in keeping the restaurant open, but he wants to give it one last chance. He suggests that they start making authentic Chinese recipes again, not catering to the Americanized version of Chinese food that the tourists want. He says that if they’re going to go out, it should be on their terms.
Simon waits for a label executive in his suite when Zhilan and Kerwin enter. She has a case full of cash in exchange for the hammer. Simon firmly tells her to get out, and she and Kerwin immediately kill his security team. A shocked Simon stares at them as Kerwin says he doesn’t want to have to kill his favorite celebrity — but he will if he has to. Zhilan notes that his tattoo and necklace speak to his status as a guardian, but Simon swears he thought it was all a story. He agrees to give up the weapon, but Kerwin get an alert as Nicky and Henry find their way into the casino. Kerwin heads out to deal with them. Simon hands Zhilan a case that supposedly contains the weapon, but it has his guitar inside. He fights her, showing that his innocent act was a lie. Kerwin finds Nicky and Henry in the hall. Calling her “The American,” he says he’s been looking forward to meeting her.
Zhilan and Simon battle in the main room while Kerwin fights Nicky and Henry. Nicky finds an opening and runs for Zhilan while Henry fends off Kerwin alone. Nicky teams up with Simon, and they both manage to subdue her. But before they can finish her off, Kerwin enters with a bloody Henry. Zhilan takes advantage of Nicky’s distraction and makes a move, taking the weapon for herself. Simon tries to fight back, and Zhilan hits Simon with the weapon. She saunters off with Kerwin as he falls into Nicky’s arms. With his dying breath, Simon tells Nicky that the song was meant to be sung from the sword’s perspective. He dies as Nicky and Henry panic. Henry drags Nicky away.
Nicky berates herself for letting a moment’s hesitation cost Simon his life. She feels bad that she is relieved that Henry is okay despite the cost. Nicky thinks about Simon’s words and realizes the sword’s scabbard will show them the way to the Forge. Shining a flashlight through the scabbard, they see a constellation that matches Simon’s tattoo. It’s a map to the forge.
The family gathers in the restaurant once again for happier news. Mei-Li and Jin have decided to keep the restaurant open for a few more months while they workshop traditional menu items. The Shen siblings tease each other over their respective romantic lives while they enjoy dinner. Pei-Ling appears to Nicky and warns that soon, Biange will come. She will have to leave her family once again to protect them.
Kung Fu airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on The CW.
