Episode Summary
In this episode, Tse Ting-wai goes undercover in a gang led by Balong after witnessing intense racial prejudice. He passes a dangerous initiation test and struggles with the violent demands of his new role. His team, including Ho Ho-fai and Leung Yuen-ting, helps him maintain his cover with a crucial alibi. The episode concludes with a separate police team botching the surveillance operation, forcing Tse Ting-wai to help his target, Balong, escape to protect his own identity as an informant.
Spoiler Alert
Homeland Guardian Episode 19 Spoilers: A Dangerous Deception
The episode kicks off when the Unit 3 crew responds to a report from a shop owner about stolen goods. The owner immediately and unfairly blames South Asians, a prejudiced statement that greatly dissatisfies Tse Ting-wai. This incident is set against a backdrop of rising anti-South Asian sentiment among the public, which has even led to physical altercations. The shop owner, furious over the theft of what he believed were valuable items, takes a container of gasoline to a residence, threatening to burn a South Asian family alive. Unit 3 arrives just in time to de-escalate the volatile situation. In a moment of self-defense, one of the South Asians manages to restrain the shop owner. Tse Ting-wai ultimately takes everyone into custody, successfully controlling the tense standoff. A later investigation reveals the "stolen" item was merely a fake Guanyin statue, and the entire conflict was fueled by the shop owner's prejudice. Witnessing the discrimination faced by the South Asian community, Tse Ting-wai is moved to change the situation and resolves to go undercover within the Lan Ya army.
For several days, Ho Ho-fai and Shiu Tsz-chun rigorously train Tse Ting-wai for his undercover assignment, working to erase his distinct police officer's demeanor. Meanwhile, Red Sister sees a girl named Kwan Wing on the news who is the spitting image of her own daughter. She urgently asks Chiu Shiu-tong to find her. The next day, Chiu Shiu-tong asks Ho Ho-fai for information on Kwan Wing to explain the situation to Red Sister. With his training complete, Tse Ting-wai is ready for the operation.
Before starting his mission, Tse Ting-wai follows Ho Ho-fai, who is picking up his son from school, just to catch a distant glimpse of his teacher. He then proceeds to a gathering place for South Asians, claiming he's looking for a man named Balong and was sent by someone named Santo. He immediately recognizes one of the men as the murderer of Jones. Balong, suspicious of Tse Ting-wai, tests him by ordering him to beat up another man. To prove his loyalty, Tse Ting-wai engages in a public brawl. However, when handed a gun and told to shoot, he pulls the trigger without hesitation, having already deduced that the gun was not loaded. The man he was fighting is revealed to be another police informant whom Balong had already discovered.
Balong decides to keep Tse Ting-wai on because he is short-staffed, though he secretly has him followed. Later, Tse Ting-wai gets the group drunk and slips away to meet with Ho Ho-fai. Exhausted and morally conflicted by the violence, he expresses his desire to quit the mission and return to the force. Ho Ho-fai persuades him not to give up halfway.
After the meeting, Balong questions Tse Ting-wai about where he went. Tse Ting-wai lies, saying he went to eat and then to "relax." Balong sends his men to verify the story. Tse Ting-wai quickly contacts Ho Ho-fai for help. In response, Leung Yuen-ting, dressed seductively, answers the door when Balong's men arrive. She flawlessly plays her part, convincing the two men that Tse Ting-wai was with her, and they report back to Balong. Leung Yuen-ting correctly guesses that Ho Ho-fai's urgent request means Tse Ting-wai is working undercover.
In a parallel storyline, Ho Ho-fai finds information on Kwan Wing; she has no criminal record but lives an aimless life. Chiu Shiu-tong finds Kwan Wing and tells her about Red Sister. Intrigued, Kwan Wing decides to see for herself. At Chiu Shiu-tong's home, she sees that Red Sister is just as he described and finds a photograph of the daughter who looks exactly like her. She decides to stay and keep Red Sister company.
The episode culminates as Ho Ho-fai and Shiu Tsz-chun are surveilling a location where Balong suddenly appears. At the same time, a different police team, unaware of the undercover operation, tracks a suspect to the same area. Ho Ho-fai tries to stop them from rushing in to avoid alerting their targets, but they ignore his warnings and storm the building. In the ensuing chaos, Tse Ting-wai helps Balong escape.
