Kung Fu: Gavin Stenhouse on What's Next for Evan After "Rage"

Tonight's midseason finale of Kung Fu, "Rage", was a significant turning point for The CW series. For Nicky (Olivia Liang), the episode saw her finally in a position to get a step ahead of Zhilan (Yvonne Chapman) only for things to not quite go as planned in the end. The episode was also a bit of a turning point for others in Nicky's life as well, especially her ex-boyfriend Evan Hartley. Nicky's continued friendship with Evan coupled with his job as an assistant district attorney has made him an important part of Nicky's mission to find and stop Zhilan -- though she hasn't necessarily fully let him in.

In "Rage", however, the imbalance in their relationship begins to come to a head with Evan starting to question the compromising position he's in. ComicBook.com recently sat down with Gavin Stenhouse, who plays Evan on Kung Fu, and asked what's next for him and what kind of pressure he's under.

"That's a really good question. I think that the answer to that is multifaceted. Firstly, I think that Evan's perception of Nicky is antiquated," Stenhouse said. "I think that the issue with Evan is that the last time he saw Nicky, she was a very different person to how she is now. And that is a residual ghost of a person that has stayed with him and I don't think he's addressing the important point that you know, Nicky has changed. And he has to accept that the new her is who she is. I think that especially in this episode 6, you'll start to see Evan really hitting a breaking point with regards to how willing he is to muddy the boundaries of legal authority and his position. I think he fundamentally wants to help. And he wants to be a part of the Shen crew that he used to be a part of. I think that being kept on the outside, or, you know, in his perception being potentially used for his position is going to get real old real quick. And I think that in episode 6, is a big turning point for Evan, in terms of how much he's willing to give without receiving some kind of explanation."

That lack of explanation is something that also contributes to Evan's confusion and conflict about his feelings surrounding Nicky's return.

"I think Evan is very confused. I think that he doesn't really know where he sits himself," Stenhouse said. "And I think that the years that it has taken for Evan to put aside these fears of, you know, had that conversation gone different, wouldn't he have stayed? Did I say something wrong? Is it my fault? All those haven't gone away because they haven't been addressed. Because to address these demons, you have to sit down with the person and talk them over and Nicky's not been there. So these things have just been quashed inside of them, he's kind of tucked them away. And he's found a really good, a good place in his life with Sabine, who's very on his level, vibes on the same energy, they get along. And it's really the first woman that Evan has come across who he can see himself with. And I think that he knows how important that is. And he knows how much of a good thing he has, with Sabine."

He continued, "At the same time, he's constantly struggling with this childhood love, or this perception of his childhood, that he just needs answers, he needs to address these demons. And I think that Sabine is one of the most patient people in the world to deal with. Constant help and being with Nicky, and it'll be interesting to see how far Sabine is willing to go along that route as well."

And when Kung Fu returns for the back half of its first season, Stenhouse teased that Evan and Nicky will have a chance to have that much-needed conversation.

"Well, without spoiling anything too much, when we come back from a midseason hiatus, you'll see that it changes things for Evan in a huge way. You know, we leave episode 6, seeing Nicky in dire straits," Stenhouse said. "And we don't know who comes to her aid in that particular moment. But I still say that it is a big turning point for having a moment of clarification, and a chance for Nicky and Evan to sit down and really have the talk that they need to have to put their demons to bed."

Kung Fu airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on The CW.