Asian American Race, Class, Gender, And Television Action: Vanishing Son And Martial Law

On the lam from the law, Caine picked up where The Fugitive (1963-67) left off and added a topical resonance with the televised resistance to the war in Vietnam by living like a pacifist, draft-dodger as well as fighting guerilla-style like a Viet Cong, and, in all respects, getting the better of his Anglo-American opponents, while being white himself. Thus, Caine took the moral high ground as a Buddhist priest while embodying the anger of an entire generation. Twenty years later, Warner Bros revived the series as Kung Fu: The Legend Continues (1993-1996) set in modern day California with a plotline involving the police.

Growing out of traditional Chinese culture, kung fu has its basis in Confucian principles and the often contradictory spirituality of Chan Buddhism, Taoism, and the legacy of the Shaolin Temple. Jian-Wa and Sammo both use a heavy dose of Confucius to cure Ray and Jake of their self-centered individualism. Throughout “Lock and Load, Babe,” Jian-Wa urges Ray to put the greater good of his family above his personal desire to live with his son. Although this may appear to be a blow to the patriarchy, it actually upholds very traditional, Confucian principles of the family as the foundation for the greater society. By putting the family and the State above the individual, Ray implicitly acknowledges the moral force of Confucian ethics. Similarly, in “Deathfist 5: Major Crimes Unit,” during a “lesson” in which the kung fu master takes on the celebrated Confucian role of teacher, Sammo admonishes Jake by saying, “You know all the moves, but you do not know the philosophy behind them. Martial arts is not just a way to serve yourself, but to serve others as well.” With Jake down on the mat in a prone position, Sammo has the last word on the subject in this scene. Later, of course, Jake accepts his responsibility as a martial artist and action hero to follow Confucian principles of bowing to those above and serving those below in the social hierarchy. By helping the homeless family, saving face with his young fan, and asking Sammo for more martial arts instruction, Jake has internalized these principles of humility and deference to authority.

Thus, both Martial Law and Vanishing Son appear to self-reflexively turn on the industry of which they are a part in order to critique those things that made each series successful; namely, the surface polish, elegance, and sexual allure of Vanishing Son and the superficial excitement of kung fu fighting, spectacular explosions, and fast-paced car chases in Martial Law. With a postmodern flourish, each show reflects on its own commercial appeal and attempts to cleanse itself of any charges of inauthenticity or superficiality through narratives that dispose of fashion photographers and rehabilitate self-absorbed actors. However, ultimately, each show remains the same “face in the mirror” under attack from the outset. Thus, while having a very direct moral appeal to children, these shows take on an ironic patina to please viewers who may be more jaded in their approach to action entertainment. The self-reflexive critique allows a more sophisticated enjoyment of the action, cleansed of any charges of shallowness, childishness, or exploitation.

Placing Vanishing Son and Martial Law in a global context, however, reveals another possible way to look at the organization of gender, kinship, and other social hierarchies in these narratives. [28] Although the Oedipal configurations of these two episodes with their castrating women, sullied father figures, victimized mothers and troubled sons seem obvious, the underpinning of each in a somewhat different, Chinese imaginative structure merits attention. In many respects, Jian-Wa and Sammo, as the heirs of Confucius, stand against Western immorality represented by selfish individualism, disregard for the extended family, lack of respect for order in human relations, sexual excess, deficiency in self-discipline, and lack of moderation. Going against Confucian principles, Western capitalism exists for individual gain rather than the greater familial or social good. In fact, this neo-Confucian rise in “Asian values” in opposition to Western consumer capitalism has been lionized by the government of Singapore, praised by high officials in the People’s Republic, used as an explanation for the economic power of Hong Kong, Taiwan, [29] and the overseas Chinese globally, [30] as well as finding intellectual support among academics like Tu Wei-Ming. [31]

Although the action genre in the United States has most often been associ

Some topics in this essay:
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