FILMOGRAPHY

BLACK SASH

Season 1, Episode 1
Episode Title: Pilot
Production Code: 296738
Original Air Date: March 30, 2003
Written by Robert Mark Kamen
Directed by James Marshall

Summary

      Tom Chang, the owner of a martial arts school, is explaining the mentality behind his martial arts regime to his new students; how they need to be able to change direction at a moment's notice.

      At school the next day, Allie comes up to Brian at school and gives him the notes from one of their classes together. She asks him if maybe he'd like to study with her one day, but he brushes her off saying he's always busy. Meanwhile, Tory is walking down the hall when some jock grabs her ass. She reverses the move on him and throws him up against a wall. Allie and Brian observe this, Brian isn't impressed, but Allie definitely is.

      Brian explains their master's back story in order to kill the rumour mill at the martial arts school: Tom was a narcotics cop for the San Francisco PD who went undercover in Hong Kong and was set up. He ended up going to jail for ten years in Hong Kong for carrying heroin. He lost everything; his friends, his family. However, the police department still call him in, like right now where he's out catching a man by the name of Chen. Tom jumps off a building to land on the roof of a bus, one which he suspects Chen is in. Chen is on the bus alright, dressed as a woman. Once he spots Tom he pulls out a gun and fires on him. Chang attacks him with his fists and they go at it, matching punch for punch and block for block. Wong gets the upperhand and pulls Chen down the alley and throws him at the police. Turns out Chen was the head of the Hong Kong narcotics squad.

      At martial arts class the next day, Tory is sparring with Brian, but they're not so much fighting properly as they are wrestling. Chang breaks them up telling them they collided because they both moved in straight lines. They need to learn to be flexible and fluid in their fighting styles. As they break into groups to practice palm changes, Tom notices a guy who just walked in that has a nasty bruise on the side of his face. Unfortunately, he can't afford the prices. Tom offers him free classes so long as he agrees to help out around the place. The guy introduces himself as Trip Brady and Tom hands him an application form. An Englishman shows up just as Trip leaves. The man hands Tom an envelope full of money. It turns out that he was supposed to pay the bail on Chen but since Tom caught him, they both get free money. Tom turns down the money however and leaves the Englishman out on the street holding the envelope.

      Back inside, Tom finds Tory and tells her she needs to be more careful in class. She almost hurt Brian and she needs to be careful. She tries to say that she slipped but Tom knows better. He wants to help her control her anger over her father's death. Her father worked for the police department was killed by a man that the police can't find, even though they know his identity. Tom tells her that if she continues to come in to practice full of anger and rage he'll never be able to help her.

      Tom goes to the local ice rink to watch his daughter Claire figure skate on the ice; she performs axels and laybacks to perfection and it makes him smile. What doesn't make him smile however, is his ex-wife Beth that he runs in to on his way out of the rink. She didn't know he was out of Hong Kong and she's worried that Claire might have seen him. Tom asks what happened to all the letters he wrote to his daughter and to her, but she won't answer him. Phillip Rogers, Beth's new new husband joins them and tells him that he should not bother trying to make contact with them anymore.

      Tom returns to his martial arts school and Allie catches him outside. She wants to join the school. Allie and Trip are the new students in the class tonight and are taught the ropes. In the middle of class, Tom is served with a restraining order; he must stay 100 yards away from his daughter. Tom's lawyer says that he has a good chance of getting rid of the restraining order, unfortunately the lawyer requires a $5000 retainer, money which Tom does not have. Deciding to earn some money as a bounty hunter, Tom goes to the Englishman who apparently runs a sort of bounty-hunting agency. Tom asks if he could get the bounty of whoever killed Jack Stratton, Tory's father. As it turns out, the bounty is available, and it's for a guy named Billy Wu. Tom takes the job immediately.

      Tom hunts down Curtis, one of his informants, demanding to know where Billy Wu is located. Curtis, once threatened, tells Tom where he can find Billy.

      The next day, Allie shows up for martial arts class and shows Tom her moves outside while he cleans up the school. Allie's been practicing her moves overtime so that she can impress Brian. Tom asks if Allie considers Brian a friend, because he barely seems to know that she exists. Tom says to try playing hard to get with Brian, it might work better than her overeager method. Tom notices Tori practicing inside, but she's being too forceful with her moves, so he instructs her to practice with him. Later on, Tom tells Tory that he's going to hunt down Billy Wu, the man who killed her father. She wants to help, but he tells her she can't because it's too dangerous, but that comment only makes her more angry. Tory heads out back to leave, as she gets to her motorcycle she starts to cry. Allie notices her and goes over, asking if she's okay. Allie tells her that Tory is the reason she's here because of her stunt in the hallway the other day at school. But Tory's standoffish, not wanting to talk very much. But before she leaves she tells Allie that it's nice to have more girls around here.

      Tom goes over to Trip's place because he missed class today. Tom notices more bruises on Trip's face and asks what's going on. But at this point, Trip's father shows up and he's none too happy to learn that his son is going to a martial arts school. Trip and his father go inside nd immediately Trip's father throws his son on the couch and beats him with his coat. His father pokes fun at him, saying that he'll never be able to defend himself. Trip's father kicks him in the ribs when suddenly Tom jumps in. Angered, Trip's father tries to attack Tom but Tom handles him well and renders him useless. Tom takes Trip back to his school and tells him to give a strong statement when the police interview him, to mention everything including the beatings and the excessive drinking. Trip says how his mother up and left them because of his father.

      Tory goes over to Tom's office to apologize for what she said to him the other day but she stops when she hears that Tom is on the phone getting the location of Billy Wu. Once she hears the pier number she rushes off to the pier. She gets there before Tom does and immediately starts taking down the guards around the perimeter of the boat. Unfortunately her cell phone rings and alerts the rest of the guards to her position. Just as eight guys jump her, Tom appears and helps her take down the the men. Tory gets her chance to go one on one with Billy and she destroys him will Tom takes care of the other six or seven men. The cops finally show up and cart all the thugs off to jail. Tom is a bit angry with Tori because he told her to stay away but he understands that she needed to do this. Unfortunately, Tory doesn't feel better by having caught Billy Wu.

      The next day, Tom walks exactly 100 yards from his daughter's school and watches her leave school when the bell rings. He's happy just to be able to get the chance to see her. Unfortunately things aren't going well with the lawyer and Beth, Tom's ex-wife, is going to fight him over custody for his daughter. Trip later on tells Tom that they aren't going to let his father out of prison after the statement he gave.

      During practice that night, Brian asks Allie if she's mad at him or something, and then asks if he can see her trig assignment. However, Allie has gained some backbone and flips him over her shoulder onto the ground. Surprised he asks what's up, and she says "Two things. One, I'll learn on my own from now on. And two, do your own homework." The entire class applauds while Brian stands there a bit stunned.

Summary written by Chelle

Click here for screencaptures from the Black Sash Pilot.

Interesting Info

• The director of the Black Sash pilot also directed Smallville's Obsession episode, also co-starring Sarah Carter.
• Sarah also acted alongside Martin Cummins in the 2001 TV movie Trapped.

Cast Listing

Russell Wong	-	Tom Chang
Sarah Carter	-	Allie Bennett
Ray J	-	Brian Lanier
Melissa Peregrym	-	Tory Stratton
Corey Sevier	-	Trip Brady
Mako	-	Master Li
Martin Cummins	-	Phillip Rodgers
Ona Grauer	-	Beth Rodgers
Valerie Tian	-	Claire Rodgers
Desmon Askew	-	Monte Waller