Kung Fu - Year of the Tiger (Part 1)

Kung Fu returns for its Sophomore Season with some new faces and and some unexpected returns. It appears our main villain in Season Two will be Russell Tan (Kee Chan) who still has some interest in all things mystical despite the power of the weapons being returned to the Earth in last season's finale. While comatose for most of the episode, Tan's son Kerwin (Ludi Lin) is apparently still alive and his former girlfriend, who left him for dead, returns as well as we find Zhilan (Yvonne Chapman) incarcerated in a Chinese prison.

In terms of new faces we get the introduction of Continuum's Luvia Petersen as a mercenary hired by Russell Tan and Nicky's (Olivia Liang) cousin Mia (Vanessa Yao) who starts off as a potential enemy but by the end of the episode has been brought into the family. Both, along with whatever long game Tan is planning which Evan (Gavin Stenhouse) continues to covertly investigate, appear to be staples of the season. As for our heroine, Nicky is doing well juggling life with Henry (Eddie Liu), her parents flourishing business, various vigilante saves in the neighborhood, and being there for her siblings (who continue to have various struggles of their own).

Part One of "Year of the Tiger" works to reset the status quo of the entire Tan family while foreshadowing looming trouble over the horizon. While I'm still not all that invested in the professional or personal lives of Nicky's siblings, we do get glimpses into both here with the larger story being the integration of our new characters. I was pleasantly surprised to see Chapman return, but I will be curious if Zhilan will eventually be reintroduced into the main storyline at some point or will remain in China learning to come to terms with her actions. And if she does return, will it be as friend or foe?

• Title: Kung Fu - Year of the Tiger (Part 1)
• wiki: link