Tamal Kundu
Portrayed by Nat Ramabulana, Happy Jack is an important supporting character in the Max (previously Cinemax) martial arts period drama series ‘Warrior.’ The leader of a drug trafficking ring operating on the Barbary Coast, Jack makes his first appearance in season 2 and gets into a tentative partnership with the Hop Wei. He also develops an antagonistic relationship with Richard Henry Lee (Tom Weston-Jones) after the latter becomes romantically involved with Abigail (Gaosi Raditholo), the widow of Jack’s brother. If the events of ‘Warrior’ season 2 episode 7 have made you wonder whether Jack is dead and Ramabulana left the show, we got you covered. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Happy Jack is Dead
Happy Jack is dead in the third season of ‘Warrior.’ His death is the result of a series of events that starts with the Hop Wei getting hold of currency plates with Wang Chao’s (Hoon Lee) help. They start printing counterfeit money that they decide to use in their dealings. The counterfeits are so well made that Jack and his associates do not suspect a thing. However, Edmund Moseley (Nick Cordileone), a Secret Service Agent attached to the US Treasury Department, comes to San Francisco looking for the plates. He traces it to Chinatown, and after quickly figuring out how corrupt the local police are, he enlists Lee’s help to find the plates.
As the Secret Service and police zero in on the Hop Wei, Chao begins to fear that Jack will realize they gave him fake money and come after them. He decides to kill two birds with one stone by paying Jack to kill Lee. After getting approval from the Hop Wei, he approaches Jack with the proposal, only to learn that the other man has different ideas. He keeps Chao’s money and reveals that he intends to send Lee back to his home state of Georgia, where he has a $500 bounty on his head for murdering his cousins. Jack also insists that they ambush Lee in Chinatown so that Abigail will not find out about it.
On Chao’s invitation, Lee and Moseley arrive at the former’s place of business, not knowing they are walking into a trap. Moseley is shot, though it is later revealed that he survived, and Lee is rendered unconscious. It is then that Jack turns on Chao for making a deal with him with fake money and sends him to Georgia along with Lee.
In Georgia, Lee’s remaining cousins and their mother try to kill him and enslave Chao. But Lee and Chao manage to kill the cousins and the aunt before returning to San Francisco to seek vengeance on Jack, who arrives at Abigail’s bar, not knowing that a trap has been set up there and he is the intended victim. Abigail is the first to shoot him before Chao puts a bullet into his head.
Nat Ramabulana’s Exit from Warrior Likely
As his character is dead, it’s safe to assume that Ramabulana has left ‘Warrior.’ In June 2023, he took to Instagram to announce that he would appear in seven episodes of season 3. “I featured in one episode in season 2,” Ramabulana wrote. “One of the producers @bradcalebkane [Brad Kane] was very impressed and hinted at my character Happy Jack possibly making a come back in the 3rd season. However there was only a glimpse of hope that there would be a season 3. When the announcement for a season 3 was made it was a massive celebration. I then received a call that my character would feature in no less than 7 episodes out of 10!”
The actor continued, “This was massive! I couldn’t believe it! It all happened over like a 4 year process. We’re still building the dream and making our way but this is one of those big wins along the way and it deserves a huge shout out!” Besides ‘Warrior,’ Nathaniel “Nat” Ramabulana has also appeared in ‘Blood Diamond,’ The Good Lie,’ ‘The Mating Game,’ ‘Professionals,’ and ’Fatal Seduction.’
Read More: Warrior Season 3 Episode 7 Recap and Ending, Explained
