Kung Fu returns tonight (February 8) at 9PM ET/PT with an episode called “The Architect” and in it, we see the aftermath of the cliffhangers we were last left with and finally learn more about the mysterious “Delta” security group. There’s a lot weighing on Nicky Shen as we go into the last part of Season 3, and we were able to speak with actress Olivia Liang (Nicky) about the midseason premiere. You can read the interview below.
KSITETV’S CRAIG BYRNE: What was your reaction when you read the script for the winter finale “Betrayal” and learned that Nicky would be exposed?
OLIVIA LIANG: Shock. Also, as Olivia, I was like, “Oh, this is fun. This will be a fun thing to do” because she’s been working in the shadows. Chinatown knows who she is, but to be painted in kind of a negative light, I thought, “that’s a fun thing to explore.” And then the fact that they did it right after Nicky had that showdown with Bo, and she’s already feeling some type of way about herself. I just thought, “great writing! Great job, writers!”
I’m just amazed how they tie all the storylines together in this show.
Everything will collide by the end of the season. I’m just like, “kudos to you guys. That’s why you guys are writers!” They never cease to amaze me.
How is this all weighing on Nicky, between the exposure, what happened with Bo, and what this revelation has done to Jin’s campaign?
Nicky’s fear, when she does anything, is always that she’s putting the people she loves in harm’s way. That’s why, as we’ve seen in the first two seasons and a lot of this season, she’s tried to take on all of the responsibility, so that she is the only one who has to take the fall. She wants to know who she can blame, a she’d rather blame herself for her her failing than somebody else. So, of course she’s afraid that she hurt Jin’s campaign. but on top of all of that, she’s facing what she did with Bo. She feels so guilty about it. She feels scared of herself. I don’t think she knew that she had that in her. And these attack ads.. even though she knows that she was doing good for the community, she is seeing that she’s violent, and that goes against everything that she learned from Pei-Ling, and everything she’s been practicing. It’s a bit of a crisis of identity for her.
How overwhelming is all of this, also knowing that Xiao is still out there?
If I were Nicky, I would have given up. I’m gonna say that. It’s too much. I’m gonna let someone else handle this. I don’t need to be the hero. But I think Nicky just has to do the right thing, and she wants to make the world a better place.
Especially when it’s affecting her immediate circle and the people that she loves, she has to protect them. So, yes. On top of everything that we’ve just seen, Pei-Ling has been body snatched, and we need to get her back. We see in this episode that Nicky learns from from her past, and starts to delegate tasks to people around her, because she is finally realizing that she cannot do it all on her own, and maybe she isn’t the best person for the job.
When everything is said and done with Bo’s betrayal… obviously Nicky doesn’t know his tragic backstory of manipulation and emotional abuse from Xiao… but at the end of the day, when all is said and done, she still has Henry.
I think that her being able to rely on him will make the Hicky fans very happy, because it will remind her of what a great guy he is, and how reliable and how capable he is. He’s the guy that she has been on this journey with since we’ve met them, and even though the relationship isn’t the same as what it was before, they still care so deeply about each other. They’ve gone through almost like trauma bonding with what they’ve been through, so she knows that he understands her, and where she’s coming from, and she trusts him with her life, and her family’s life, which is a huge thing. We’ll see that their bond is still strong and goes beyond the status of their relationship.
How optimistic are you for Kung Fu to go to Season 4? And if you are optimistic, what kinds of stories would you like to see?
I am optimistic for Season 4. I think the whole cast feels optimistic about it. We’re really proud of the story that we’ve told. There’s nothing like us on network TV, that touches so many genres and can connect with so many different age groups.
For Season 4… Season 2 ended with everything being destroyed in an earthquake, so Season 3 was about rebuilding, so I’m very excited to see where everyone gets to for Season 4.
What makes “The Architect” a must see episode for fans to check out tonight?
It’s the same reason that Kung Fu is a must see show: There’s action. There’s drama. There’s love. There’s humor. There’s family. And there’s magic! What more could you ask for? And also, we’ve got Patrick Fabian as a guest star. We’ve got Lou Diamond Phillips directing. We’re firing on all cylinders for this episode. There’s disguises! There’s undercover-ness! There’s fighting…. what can I add to that, that would entice anyone even more?
Kung Fu “The Architect” airs tonight (February 8) at 9PM ET/PT on The CW. See some photos from the episode here!
