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fillingthescrapbook · 3 years

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Rewriting The CW's Kung Fu, Part 2: The Pilot

There's really nothing wrong with the pilot episode of Kung Fu...if you take it as a standalone story. It has a beginning, a middle, and an end--which is where the problem lies. By the end of the pilot, our main character has found her place back in her family and in society. Only for the show to undo all that development in the next episode.

So we're going to do a little tinkering with how the pilot unfolds. I'm also going to tweak some character interactions, so that relationships will grow throughout the season instead of being inconsistent.

Without further ado, I present to you the pilot: "Destiny."

We start with a prelude of how NICKY ended up in the monastery. She is in Chengdu, China thinking that her mother had sent her there for a food tour, a research trip to expand the menu of Happy Dumplings while also making it more authentic. She is joined by family-friend STANLEY, the original character I added, as a companion for the trip.

Her trip gets interrupted by a call from her brother RYAN--he has a problem that he needs to discuss with their parents, but he's scared. Nicky tells him she understands. And that he can wait for her return, so she can stand by him. To support him whatever the outcome may be. It is during this phone call that Nicky, away from Stanley's meddling, learns the true purpose of the tour group she's in: it's to facilitate a romance between couples that have been arranged to marry.

Nicky confronts Stanley about this, and he admits it. Nicky reminds him that she has a boyfriend back home. Stanley confesses that Nicky's parents already sat down with Evan to break their relationship off. Nicky is aghast. She storms out. Stanley runs after her--but Nicky is distraught and wants to get away from him. So she hides in the first hiding spot she could find: a parked truck full of produce. Which then starts to move.

When the truck stops, Nicky comes out of her hiding place to find herself outside a monastery in the Yunnan Province--where the truck driver, a woman named PEI-LING, tells her that she looks like she needs somewhere to collect herself. And then we pan through the monastery where women are doing different tasks: meditating, weaving, farming, and training in the martial arts of kung fu. Pei-Ling tells Nicky that she can stay for as long as she needs to. The monastery is open to anyone trying to find their path in life. And then we flash forward to three years later. To Nicky in the robes of a female novice, battling another novice in front of other students--and winning.

Quick title card.

Present time. Nicky is helping a newcomer, HUA, with her martial arts training. Pei-Ling notes that Nicky has come a long way from the girl who hid in her truck three years ago. But, she adds, it seems as if Nicky still isn't done running away. Nicky knows what Pei-Ling is getting at, and she doesn't want to go back to her old life. That she chooses to stay in the monastery because this is where she's happy. Pei-Ling responds to this by asking Nicky if she truly is happy--cutting off all communications with her family. Not knowing how they are doing. Your parents. Your sister. Your brother? Nicky deflects, saying her family life is complicated. Pei-Ling smiles sadly. She knows about complicated families. But, at the end of it all, they are still family. And they will always shape who we are--and who we become.

That night, Nicky gets woken up by Pei-Ling. The latter tells Nicky that it's time for her to explain why she keeps pushing for Nicky to reconnect with her family. But their talk gets interrupted by invaders attacking the monastery in search for something. Nicky and Pei-Ling make short work of the invaders--but Pei-Ling becomes distracted. She runs off and Nicky runs after her. They reach Pei-Ling's room that has been ransacked by a woman in green. This is ZHI-LAN. And she is holding a sword that she has unearthed from under Pei Ling's floorboards. Zhi-Lan makes a snide remark about Pei-Ling being predictable. Pei Ling wants Zhi-Lan to return the sword. Zhi-Lan attacks Pei Ling. Nicky tries to fight Zhi-Lan off. There is a game of tag with the sword--which burns Nicky's hand.

When Pei-Ling gets a hold of the sword, Zhi-Lan incapacitates Nicky--and then wrestles the sword from Pei-Ling which she then uses to stab Pei-Ling through the stomach. Zhi-Lan then leaves the monastery, sword in hand, with her henchmen. Pei-Ling tells Nicky that she must get the sword back--that she must stop Zhi-Lan from harnessing Bian-Ge. Pei-Ling dies. The monastery burns.

In the next scene, Nicky is being bandaged by a nurse. The fire has been extinguished, but the monastery is in shambles. The police are taking eyewitness reports from the novices and other monks. An officer approaches Nicky with her ID. Her American passport. The officer informs Nicky that she has overstayed her visa and, while they are apologetic about what she had gone through, they will be deporting Nicky back to the United States.

Cut to break.

When we come back, Nicky is in San Francisco. Her hometown. But she doesn't feel at home anymore. She's still wearing her monastery robes, and she feels foreign. Out of place. She takes out her phone. An old model. She goes through her contacts, sees "Papa," "Mama," "Althea," and she pauses on "Ryan." She remembers the last thing she told her brother. That she would stand by him when she returns. Nicky feels the weight of her guilt. She starts walking--

And ends up outside an apartment door. She knocks tentatively. Unsure. The door opens, and we see EVAN. He is surprised to find Nicky outside his door. He doesn't know if he should invite her in, but Nicky sees that he's already dressed for work. Evan explains he's working for the District Attorney now as an ADA. He asks about her--and Nicky tells him everything that happened recently: getting attacked at the monastery by a woman who stole a sword, and now she has to look for a woman named Zhang Zhi-Lan even though she has no resources and doesn't know where to begin...And Nicky realizes she's babbling. Nicky apologizes for disturbing him. She just didn't know where to go because she doesn't know if she still has a home to come back to. Evan tells her that she doesn't have anything to fear, that her family loves her and will accept her no matter what. But if Nicky is scared to go home, maybe visiting the sibling she's closest to will help? Evan tells Nicky that Ryan volunteers at the community center's clinic. She could start there.

Nicky goes to the community center to look for Ryan--but he brushes her off. Nicky ends up bumping into HENRY, a martial arts teacher at the community center. He makes note of her monastery robes as a bold fashion choice. Nicky and Henry have an instant connection, he explains that he's a volunteer at the community center. Like Ryan. Henry advises Nicky not to push with Ryan because the good doctor is wound too tight, and nagging Ryan might push him over the edge. Nicky decides to leave the community center for now.

Nicky is walking down Chinatown. Pei-Ling, appears beside her, parroting words she has told Nicky before: how Nicky still isn't done running away. And Nicky finds herself stopping outside Happy Dumpling. It's busy inside. Nicky then sees her reflection on the windows. She turns away. Starts to walk--but someone from inside spots her. ALTHEA. She runs out of the restaurant to catch Nicky before the latter could leave. "Where the hell were you?"

We cut to Nicky and Althea sitting down somewhere else to have a talk. Althea gives Nicky the low down: Ryan finished his internship and is a doctor at a local hospital now--Nicky interrupts to ask why he's at the community center clinic, and Althea explains that he volunteers. All of his free time. He does get a paycheck out of it--which helps with the debt Mama and Papa have accrued from trying to find their missing daughter. This silences Nicky. Until she sees Althea's engagement ring. Nicky is relieved that not everyone's lives were worse than before. Althea ignores this. She tells Nicky that she's glad to see Nicky again, but she wants Nicky to actually come back. Althea leaves Nicky alone.

Nicky remembers a conversation with Pei-Ling from when she first came to the monastery. About how they welcome people who are running away, and how they aim to help the same people confront what they're running away from. In the present, Nicky resolves to go back to the restaurant to talk to her parents--

When Nicky returns to Happy Dumplings, she's surprised to find it has closed early. She heads to the back of the restaurant and finds her father, JIN, being beaten up by a group of men. Nicky shouts at them as she jumps in to defend her dad. We see her show her fighting prowess, disarming the men who had beat up her father. The men realizes they are outmatched and run. Nicky is left alone with her father. She asks for help, for anyone to call 9-1-1.

Cut to break.

Nicky is at the hospital, waiting. MEI-LI arrives, harried. Worried. Until her eyes meet with Nicky's. The recognition is instant--as well as the warring emotions in Mei-Li's face. Part of her wants to hug her long-lost daughter. Another part of her knows that their current predicament was because of Nicky's decision to run away. She chooses to guard her emotions. She thanks Nicky for bringing Jin to the hospital before asking where she is staying. Nicky realizes she hasn't thought about this yet. Mei-Li doesn't say anything. Nicky asks if there's still room for her at the house. Mei-Li nods. Tells Nicky that the key is still where they keep it, before adding that Nicky should go home and get changed.

At the Shen House, Nicky is marveling at how her room remained untouched. A ghostly Pei-Ling tells Nicky that family is one thing that never disappears. Ryan appears behind Nicky, replacing the apparition. He had just come from the hospital. Nicky starts to apologize, but Ryan won't hear it. He tells Nicky that he's just glad that their dad didn't hope for nothing. That borrowing from the Triad wasn't for nothing. That Nicky did end up coming back. He walks out. Nicky is shaken. And then she heads for the landline.

Evan picks up the receiver at his ADA office. He's surprised that someone sought him out personally--until he hears Nicky's voice on the other line. Nicky updates him about her parents debt to the Triad. And how Jin had been beaten up. Evan tells Nicky that the Triad is a big problem, but he doesn't know what she wants him to do--he is powerless unless someone actually files a case against the Triad. People are scared.

Nicky is at the community center, trying to learn more about the Triad. No one wants to help her. Until Henry overhears. He tells Nicky that she might have more luck approaching business owners. They're the ones that have been targeted by the Triad specifically. Nicky asks if he can help her--

Nicky and Henry are walking down Chinatown towards a store that is owned by a friend of Henry's. When they get there, they see Triad members trying to shake someone down. Nicky and Henry rush in to help the targets. They fight with the triad members. Nicky appreciates Henry's stance--and his choice to back her up.

Afterwards, they are given refreshments by the woman they helped. Nicky asks for a favor back: to file a case against the triad. The woman apologizes, telling Nicky that she cannot go against the Triad because she has to think about her daughter. Nicky tells her that it's because of her daughter that she needs to go against the Triad. Is this the life you want her to grow up in? Afraid of people preying on other's weaknesses? The woman doesn't respond. She's thinking about what Nicky has said. They don't notice that a Triad member is still watching them.

When Nicky returns to the hospital to visit Jin, Mei-Li is waiting for her. She wants Nicky to stop whatever it is she's trying to do. Why, Nicky wants to know. Mei-Li tells her that the Triad has threatened Jin's life. Nicky is shook.

Cut to break.

Nicky is already talking to Evan. She is more driven to bring down the Triad, angry at the power imbalance that allows the Triad to prosper in Chinatown. A ghostly Pei-Ling asks if that's all that Nicky is angry about. Nicky focuses on Evan, ignoring the ghost as she dissipates. Evan tells Nicky that if no one's going to stand up against the Triad--then the only way to bring them down is if they get caught, red-handed, doing something illegal. Nicky pauses, wondering about this change in Evan. She asks what he means, and her ex-boyfriend grins. He tells her that his team had just received a packet of documents in relation to Triad business. And Nicky can help him translate the contents.

Nicky finds Althea at home--listing down things Ryan needs to do for her engagement party. Ryan points out that Althea needs an army--or someone who doesn't have work. Nicky pipes up. She doesn't have work. And she'd be happy to help out. Ryan leaves. Althea isn't sure about relying on Nicky. The latter jokes that she's not gonna run away to China again, before adding that she does want Althea's help with something. Nicky tells her about the intel Evan had gotten. That they could nail the Triad for criminal activity. The problem is, the information is coded in Chinese. And she was wondering if her younger sister, code aficionado, could help out. Althea says she'll look into it.

Nicky bumps into Henry while walking down Chinatown. She's on the phone with the manager of a restaurant where Althea's engagement party is going to be held. Henry sees her carrying shopping bags on top of shopping bags and proceeds to help. Nicky thanks him as they enter a calligraphy store to pick up streamers Althea had made. Nicky sees one of the Triad members she fought. Henry spots him too. Henry asks if he needs to be ready. Nicky shakes her head. They threatened her dad's life. Henry points out that that's not exactly an answer.

Inside the calligraphy store, Nicky is knocked over by the Triad member. Her hand, the one burned by the sword, lands on a wet painting. She chooses not to escalate. Henry sees the imprint Nicky's hand leaves on the painting, but follows Nicky as she picks up Althea's streamers.

Althea is at the community center, waiting for Nicky--who calls and says she's held up by traffic. Althea says she solved the code: she tells Nicky that the shipment Evan's team got tipped on was happening tomorrow night. Nicky thanks Althea, saying she's going to tell Evan immediately. Althea ends the call before seeing that Ryan had been listening on in their conversation.

NEXT NIGHT. Evan is admiring Nicky and Althea's handiwork at the decorations for Althea's engagement party. He congratulates DENNIS for getting Althea to agree to marry him. He apologizes that he couldn't stay, but he was asked to man the office for when the police bring in the Triad--thanks to Althea's code-breaking. Henry arrives and compliments Nicky, which a leaving Evan reacts to, before asking where Ryan is. Nicky and Althea begin to wonder too--

And we see Ryan at the docks. Holding a digital camera. He is staking out the place where the Triad is about to arrive--only for the boss to get a phone call. The boss tells his men that the police are on their way. Ryan accidentally makes a noise--and gets their attention.

Cut to break.

Althea opens up an app on her phone, which helps them locate Ryan. She and Nicky recognize the place as the Triad drop-off site. Nicky tells Althea she's going to save Ryan. Althea asks Henry to go with Nicky, giving him her phone.

Ryan is a captive of the Triad. They are about to shoot him when the police start arriving. The Triad scatters to confuse the police, and to protect the boss. Ryan runs after the boss.

Nicky and Henry locate Ryan's location. Nicky fights off the boss's lackeys as she makes her way to Ryan and the boss. The boss shoots Ryan, but Henry manages to tackle his friend to safety. Nicky performs an amazing stunt that knocks the boss down. And awes Ryan and Henry. Nicky is a little awed herself. She tells Ryan that they can't be there.

At home, Nicky and Ryan have changed clothes. Evan is on the phone with Nicky, thanking her for the "anonymous" tip of where to find the Triad boss. Nicky is about to end the call when Evan tells her, "I asked a friend to look up Zhang Zhi-Lan. She's a ghost, Nicky. The woman who attacked your monastery doesn't exist in any database." Nicky acknowledges this. Sees Pei-Ling's apparition one more time, which is broken up by Ryan coming into her room. Ryan thanks Nicky for saving his life. She apologizes for disappearing on him. Ryan acknowledges the apology. Althea calls them. Nicky asks if they can be okay for tonight? For Althea? Ryan nods.

We end at the engagement party. Jin is still bandaged, but he is very happy, dancing with Nicky. Althea is happy with Dennis. And Ryan and Mei-Li have each other.

Meanwhile, we see Henry outside. In his car. With the painting Nicky ruined. Now the markings are more visible, outlined with a sharpie. We see Chinese characters. Drawings. Henry is on the phone, setting up an appointment with a Professor Chau.

And that... ends the pilot episode. And the post. I didn't completely change the pilot, but I did add new elements to it. Next post, we're tackling something that needs to be discussed before we break the story for the first season. The show's mythology.

#Kung Fu CW #tv talk #my words

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