In this week’s Kung Fu, Nicky’s anger at Bo’s lies comes to a head as Xiao seeks the last piece she needs to regain her power. Jin learns that his new political ambitions won’t be as easy to achieve as he thought while Mei-Li deals with the politics of the food world. Read on to see what happened in “Betrayal”!
Playing Dirty
Jin’s campaign manager uncovers hidden dirt on Anthony: he’s been seen making exchanges with a local drug dealer, possibly to help his brother. Jin is reluctant to use this information to help his campaign, but then Anthony turns up at a campaign event and humiliates Jin by showcasing his weak spots. He almost tells the audience what his manager found out, but holds back at the last minute. She tells him that in politics if you pull punches, you get hit.
Taste Test
Mei-Li is struggling with managing the restaurant and her new commitment to provide new products for licensing. She taste-tests several dumplings that don’t meet her standards, but her standards lead to a product that is too expensive to produce. Her only option is to make her own version, which is slightly more expensive than what Carrie is looking for. However, Mei-Li is able to convince her to focus on quality over cost by going behind her back to the manufacturer.
Going Too Far
In the aftermath of Bo’s betrayal, Nicky goes looking for him and for answers. Meanwhile, he is wrestling with his own feelings of guilt. Bo is ready to skip town when Xiao shows up in her true form. She has one last task for him to complete, though he is upset at being asked to stick around when Nicky will definitely be coming after him. He needs to retrieve her hu shen fu so she can travel freely. Bo reluctantly agrees when Xiao reminds him that he owes his life to her. We see flashbacks to his childhood, where he accidentally finds himself trapped in another realm with Xiao due to his uncontrolled traveler gift. He can’t get home, and she manipulates him by withholding her protection unless he helps her.
Nicky and the team track Bo in an effort to find Xiao. Nicky’s angry and not thinking clearly, leaving backup behind to chase him down at their library. When she realizes he’s looking for something of Russell Tan’s, she goes to Zhilan. Zhilan is upset that Nicky didn’t recognize the threat Bo posed and is even more upset that their only chance of finding Pei-Ling is to find him. She also doubts Nicky’s ability to seriously threaten Bo given her usual ineffective interrogation methods, but Nicky assures her she’ll have no problem getting what they need.
Ryan realizes that Bo is looking for the hu shen fu so that she can travel. Nadia offers to use her badge to get into Russell Tan’s evidence collection, which is where Xiao’s hu shen fu is. Once she finds the location, Nicky, Zhilan, and Henry head to the evidence storage facility. Nicky is impatient, clearly wanting to make up for not seeing through Bo’s act before. Bo beats them there, and the two groups run into each other as he’s about to make his escape.
Nicky tries to convince Bo not to give Xiao the talisman as he weakly argues his point. Zhilan pities his ignorance and misplaced loyalty, but Nicky is beyond pity. She angrily reaches for him, but he teleports away before they can stop him. Henry can feel where he went: back to his apartment.
Back at his hideout, Bo is undergoing a crisis of conscience as he thinks of Nicky’s words. Xiao shows up in Pei-Ling’s body reminding him of his promises to her. But he realizes she never freed the souls he took, which is what he thought she would do once she returned. Instead of handing over the hu shen fu, he moves to keep it away from Xiao. But she’s too fast for him, and as Nicky breaks in, she teleports away after grabbing it.
Nicky fights Bo, but he doesn’t fight back, even asking her to “end” him as she hits harder and harder. Her anger takes over and she nearly kills him, only stopping when her hands are covered in blood. She runs home as Zhilan and Henry find his unconscious body, with Zhilan realizing it was Nicky. At home, Nicky frantically tries to wash the blood off her hands while Jin knocks at the door. He’s been informed that Anthony is going to run attack ads about Nicky and wants to warn her. Instead, she collapses, crying into his arms as he assures her that everything will be okay.
Kung Fu will return Wednesday, February 8 at 9 p.m. ET on The CW. You can find our other coverage of the series here!
