A Thousand Blows: What Mr. Lao Is Hiding From & What Happens To Him

Warning! SPOILERS about A Thousand Blows season 1, episode 6 ahead.

Mr. Lao quickly proved himself extremely important in A Thousand Blows, but his choice in season 1, episode 4’s ending effectively put a prize on his head. Ever since appearing in the series premiere, Mr. Lao separated himself from all other A Thousand Blows characters, showing fairness and kindness to Hezekiah despite his being a stranger, but also to Mary once he realized Sharkey’s intentions both days he arrived at the Green Dolphin with a gun. Mr. Lao’s reflective nature set him apart from anybody in the East End, but it also heavily influenced his fate due to his past.

Before season 1, episode 4, Steven Knight’s A Thousand Blows only hinted at Mr. Lao’s tragedy through his melancholy and affinity for Hezekiah, with whom he shared a tendency to reminisce, indicating that like Hezekiah was motivated to share to feel closer to the grandmother and family he lost, Mr. Lao too had lost immeasurably. The brutality in Mr. Lao’s past was revealed only in A Thousand Blows season 1, episode 4, after his meeting with the Chinese delegation to England, which led to the revelation of his tragic past and Mr. Lao’s chance to finally avenge his loved ones.

Why Mr. Lao Is In Hiding In A Thousand Blows Season 1

Not Hiding Would Have Led To His Arrest Sooner

In Mr. Lao and Mary’s talks in A Thousand Blows season 1, Mary often implied she knew he was hiding from something, as his behavior felt too out of place for the East End of London. However, the events of A Thousand Blows season 1, episode 4 effectively forced Mr. Lao into hiding, when his violent retribution stirred enough trouble to get various parties interested in his capture, including the police, agents of the Crown, and the Chinese government itself. Brutally killing Lo Feng Luh inevitably caused Mr. Lao to become a fugitive, especially considering the place of his murder.

Mary Carr (Erin Doherty) and Alice Diamond (Darci Shaw) in A Thousand Blows

Who The Forty Elephants Are In A Thousand Blows & How They Compare To The Real-Life Female Gang Explained

The Forty Elephants are one of the most interesting parts of A Thousand Blows, and they're surprisingly faithful to the real life female gang.

Posts

It's worth noting that Mr. Lao didn’t want to go into hiding after he killed Lo Feng Luh. Mr. Lao believed he deserved whatever punishment came for him, as his violent act partially shocked him, despite often dreaming about the chance to get retribution and avenge his family. However, Hezekiah knew firsthand how brutally the British Empire responded to quash such affronts, leading him to rely on Jack Mac to hide Mr. Lao. While Hezekiah knew not to trust anybody with the knowledge of where Mr. Lao was, Mary eventually figured it out and gave him up to the authorities.

Why The Chinese Government Wants Mr. Lao Dead

Mr. Lao Violently Avenging His Family Enraged Them

Jason Tobin as Mr. Lao and Chike Chan as Lo Feng Luh in A Thousand Blows season 1 episode 4 — Jason Tobin as Mr. Lao and Chike Chan as Lo Feng Luh before Mr. Lao killed Lo Feng Luh in A Thousand Blows season 1 episode 4.

Mr. Lao always presented himself as calm and collected, making his outburst of violence against Lo Feng Luh seem completely out of place. From the moment Mr. Lao found himself with the Chinese delegation, he was at the receiving end of Lo Feng Luh’s insults over his presence there, with his fellow countryman commenting on his Mandarin “hurting his ears” and his “sad existence” away from his country and family. Their past nevertheless triggered Mr. Lao’s violence: indeed, Lo Feng Luh had led, during the war, a group of men who burned down Mr. Lao’s village, thus killing his family.

[Despite believing he should be punished] Mr. Lao found himself saved by Hezekiah first, then delivered to the authorities by Mary, only to be saved by her again, as the gravity of killing a foreign dignitary couldn’t let the crime go unpunished.

Alice finding Mr. Lao right after he killed Lo Feng Luh simultaneously saved him momentarily and showed how shocked he was from having effectively gone through with avenging his family after he dreamed about it for so long. However, the violence of it all convinced Mr. Lao he shouldn’t be saved, instead deserving anything coming for him. Still, he found himself saved by Hezekiah first, then delivered to the authorities by Mary, only to be saved by her again. The gravity of killing a foreign dignitary meant the authorities had to catch Mr. Lao, but Mary didn’t want him killed.

How Mr. Lao Could Become More Important In A Thousand Blows Season 2's Story

Mr. Lao’s Fate Engineered By Mary Frees Him Completely

Jason Tobin as Mr. Lao in A Thousand Blows season 1 episode 6.

Mary and Alice organizing Mr. Lao’s escape in A Thousand Blows season 1’s ending guaranteed his long-term safety. Indeed, not only did giving him up satisfy the Crown and the Chinese government that justice was about to be served but faking his death also meant everyone would have believed Mr. Lao died in a fire instead of thinking he fled scot-free. Being pronounced dead led Mr. Lao’s crimes to die too, making his path in A Thousand Blows season 2 potentially more important, as he could act from the shadows whether he helps Hezekiah to get his revenge or Mary.