Champ box review
Well guys, I’m glad I got everyone thinking about the Champ box. We had a great discussion on the blog the past few days, and I thank all you blog followers who posted in other forums to bring your friends who joined in the discussion as well. A special “ALOHA” to our fans in Oz, Germany, Russia, Korea, the UK, and France for connecting to my little grass shack out here in the Pacific.
So where are we now with our prognostications?
Theory: John McGarrett probably has a background story of owing someone money, or crossing someone the wrong way. His wife was murdered 18 years ago either because John was the intended target, or the murder was a warning to John to settle his debt.
Revealed: John got close to revealing the Yakuza boss in Hawaii, so the boss ordered his murder. Unfortunately his wife happened to be driving the car that day.
Theory: After the murder of his wife, John may have gone undercover, hid underground or went into some type of witness protection program to protect his children. …John was not in Steve’s life at that point. …Mary presumably was sent away to school on the mainland.
Revealed: At the airport, Mary Ann mentions that she was having a “deaj vu moment” of the last time they were at the airport and their father put them on separate planes for their safety.
Theory: There may be more than one snitch in the HPD.
Revealed: Koji (Hiro’s brother) was a crooked cop who planted the bomb.
Theory: I went out on a limb with this one- Mary Ann was up to something sinister.
Revealed: A lot of you reeled me back in and chalked up Mary Ann’s snooping as a desire to play Nancy Drew. Good call…I think Mary Ann doing anything sinister would have destroyed her character.
Theory: Cigarette butts, postcards and keys all play a role.
Revealed: Kudos to Mr. Mike’s followers for nailing the Sherlock Holmes dancing men reference. And boy, did I over think the brass key. But Peter Lenkov and writers skirted around a few things- McG’s yellow tablet showed figures *not* on the postcard. (presumably taken from other postcards). Hiro disposes the evidence, but Mary Ann saves the photos on her camera. Interestingly this wipes the slate clean somewhat, and the writers have a lot off leeway in introducing new evidence, rather than being obligated to what was originally shown in the pilot.
Ke Kinohi, Hawaii Five-0, Photo: Neal Jacobs
The all Alex show
Because the show finally moves the story arc along, Alex O’Loughlin was front and center in just about all of the scenes. He delivered immensely. So well, that one of the blog followers on Facebook is petioning for Alex’s nomination for an Emmy award. 😉 I mean this show had Alex doing everything- McG kicking Ninja butt, driving a motorycle through a club’s doors and up the stairs, and laying down his terms to the Gov and the bad guys! I’m sure a lot of people noticed a wider range of emotion that Alex had to work with. The strongest emotional scenes in the episode included McG pulling his sister out of the car, comforting her in the office, and sending her off at the gate. There was even a glimmer in his eyes as he turned away from his sister at the airport…my wife was halfway through the box of kleenex by then. I was crying because there was no battle royale at the golf course with Hiro, Wo Fat, Danno and McG. Men, we were robbed of epic combat!
I admit with the first two episodes, Steve and Mary Ann’s relationship was barely believable. The long hiatus of Mary Ann off camera was enough to convince some fans her presence was nearly useless…then came this episode. For the first time, I was convinced that they were siblings who did things their own way, but ultimately big brother would be there to look after little sis. With the lift of his hand under Mary’s chin, telling her he loved her, that spoke volumes of the relationship that had been missing for most of the season. I wasn’t a big Mary Ann fan at first, but after this episode, Five-0 fans finally see what Taryn Manning can do and should be impressed. I’m wanting to see more of Taryn Manning as Mary Ann helping McG close the case on their parents. Some feedback on the Facebook page shared this sentiment as well.
And now, “Things We Learned About Hawaii From Hawaii Five-0”
1) We have the World’s Noisiest Ninjas. They failed Tiptoeing 101. At least they’re high tech…they don’t need ninja stars, they’ll just tase your a$$. McG didn’t even have a chance to yell “DON’T TASE ME BRO!”. Poor guy.
2) Getting anywhere is faster with a helicopter. Everyone has one.
3) When you live away from Hawaii long enough, you forget how to throw a shaka sign, because it looks like you’re doing a half shake of a juice can with three fingers.
Did you notice…? (now with SUPER OVER ANALYSIS!)
You gotta love Danno going all dental on the Yakuza.
Speaking of which, the Poorly Timed Commercial Placement Award goes to the Sensodyne Toothpaste company. Early on, Danno and McG find the tooth on the floor of Mary Ann’s house. In the commercial break after that, we see a Sensodyne commercial. Do we really need a desensitizing toothpaste if our tooth is knocked out? As far as I know, knocking a tooth out is the most permanent way to desensitize a tooth.
Chin Ho gets the pidgin down:
“Let’s see if the slippah fits, Cinderella.” Correct! Slipper, not flip flop.
“Rajah dat!” Pidgin for “roger that”, “understood”.
The Yakuza punks are not actually gangsters. They’re Korean boy band rejects
Bi Bim Back Street Boys.
A lot of the guitar you hear in the background of the episode is Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready. Update: On rewatching, I think his contributions were at the gunfight on the beach, and McG motorcycle ride into Pipeline Cafe.
McG mentions Duke Kahanamoku. He was a surfing legend credited with spreading surfing outside of Hawaii. He was a 5 time Olympic medalist in swimming. His statue stands not very far from where Mamo’s Surf Stand was set up.
I can’t believe McG spent all that time reading the book. He should have just Googled “Sherlock Holmes dancing men” like I did.
Yes, I know Ka’a’awa (Mary Ann’s house) and Kaneohe/Maunawili (the golf course) is *not* Kaimuki, and yes I know that McG and Danno were better off driving on the H1 to get to the Pali, rather than jumping on a helicopter. And I know that isn’t Hawaiian Airlines flight number to Los Angeles at the correct gate. It’s called artistic license, relax locals! 😉 😉 😉
Hawaii Five-0 UNDERCOVER 
Don’t give up on the key. We don’t know what it’s for yet.
I already miss that tool box. It was like a member of the cast
I think you will get your epic combat 🙂 Me, I LOVED the fight scene in the opener, with the boysnotninjas. That was mmm mmm good.
yeah I’m not too sure how they’re going to work the physical evidence like the key back in… It may not be something the writers will use again. That toolbox was definitely the unsung member of the cast! At the rate their stretching out Wo Fat’s real purpose and intent, it looks like mortal combat won’t happen for awhile!
This episode finally made me a believer in Alex O’Loughlin’s acting ability, but I found the musical score to be annoying and intrusive, and ultimately it raised the cheese factor to eleven.
The score has been a bit much in the past, but this episode was way over the top. I don’t know if Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready is really to blame, but I hope whoever is in charge of the music takes note and tones it down in future.
I agree with you about Alex 🙂
My buddy Mr. Mike is also *not* a fan of the score. I’m sure you’ve noticed the common pieces: the “thoughtful/dramatic” track, the “snooping around” track and the “fight scene” track, just too name a few. I actually like the back ground music/score, it works for me. Upon closer listening, I think Mike McCready’s contribution was the guitar licks at the gunfight at the beach (which had a 1960s California surfer twinge to it) and McG going into the Pipelline Cafe on the motorcycle, and it definitely added to those scenes. Do you mean the music is inappropriate or the music level overpowers the scene?
Lol I thought the same thing about McGarrett going through the whole Sherlock Holmes story instead of Googling it !
I was really pleased to see that Alex O’Loughlin finally had the opportunity of showing more of his acting abilities, especially when he turns around after she boarded. I like the guy, and he’s a good actor (Moonlight was rather ridiculous, but he was good in it), he just lacks the opportunity (vs Scott Caan, who’s got the greatest character of the show).
As for the siblings relationship they have, I was not as surprised as you were by their “coldness”. They haven’t seen each other in 18 years, obviously they’re not really close in age (see 102 in the beginning, there’s a picture of them, where he’s clearly a few years older than her), and obviously they haven’t much kept in touch (well he being Super Seal, it doesn’t come quite suprisingly huh ?! ^^). So their reunion would be quite akward…Just the fact that she had to rent a house is proof (other than the obvious difficulties of sharing a house with an other adult that is not your boyfriend…) : technically it’s her house as well, she had as much right to stay in as Steve…
Plus, siblings relationships are not always easy. I have an older brother (2 years older than me), and we occasionnally get along : the first three days of our reunions are usually really cool, catching up, sharing new stuff we’s seen/listened to/done…and then it’s back to childhood and we can hardly stand each other !
So, not so surprised by the no-Mary period, (I’m well aware the writers wrote her out for a bit so as to developp the main characters more easily…), but I would have like to see more of her, yes.
And (yes final chapter^^), there was a time, in this episode, where I wondered when Danny had gone ! Right before storming the Pipeline cafe, McG is talking with Kono and Chin, and then, when coming out of the cars, Danny is the last one to appear. Nothing interesting in that, I just thought ‘Hum, what’s he up to ?’ And actually, it was nothing…lol That, my firends, was a really useless comment !
And, as always, thanks for the analysis 🙂
Excellent anaylsis of the bro/sis relationship and their reunion. I think a lot of us were converted to Mary Ann fans after this episode.
Re: Danno being the last up the stairs: bad knee. 😉
Thanks for your kind words!
Oh one more thing…I was surprised that McG hadn’t himself taken any pictures of the Champ box content. That’s one of the first things I would’ve done, in case anything happened. Maybe it’s a work-induced mannerism (I’m an archaeologist, eveything i see will disappear sooner than I want, so pictures are unavoidable), but maybe Danny or Kono would’ve pointed out the utility of it to McG…The Police usually does take picture of evidence they have.
quick point…McG had a security system in his house, and probably thought his house was the best place to keep it where no one would dare try to steal it…he was thinking like a SEAL, not a cop perhaps?
Steve didn’t take pictures of the contents because, like you said, he felt the box was safe in his house but also, I think, photos would be another thing to protect. The file could be lost or stolen and then the contents would be known even if the box was still there. Also, Mary didn’t have forsight to take the pictures as security. She wanted to examine the evidence and didn’t want Steve to know she was doing it. If she’d taken anything out of the box to examine it Steve would have been on her in a milli-second.
I meant Danny, Kono or Chin could have told him to do it. Nevermind :).
Loved your thoughts! Did your wife not wonder why in the world Alex is sleeping in a t-shirt? Talk about a missed opportunity. :>) My husband watched part of the first episode and a few minutes of this one ( he has to be up very early) and he said “they are still talking about that toolbox?!” ha ha. I thought this episode was really good. Believable on the brother/sister thing, you could really feel his feeling of responsibility to protect her. The tension on the golf course! Wow. Wo Fat. Gives me chills! You just know he could seriously hurt somebody! I normally totally love the bantering with Danno but this time I thought it was kind of forced. I did like it when he said he was going to give McG the name of a therapist. What a way to come back with a new episode after the repeats. Good stuff!
You know, you’re the second person to ask that about my wife and the Tshirt, I’ll ask her LOL.
Good catch about the golf course. I thought that it was somewhat anti climactic…they just walk up and arrest Hiro. On second thought that took guts…Danno and McR are outnumbered 5-2 against the murderers and Wo Fat.
The bantering I think wasn’t too forced, but it was definitely tuned down, and fit the situation (ie therapist for the stairs) which worked out for the episode.
What can I say about this episode other than it was totally amazing from start to finish! Anyone who was questioning Alex O’Loughlin’s acting ability now is just insane. His intensity was palpable and you could feel his electricity emanating right from the TV screen. He went from sound asleep to, as Mary Ann said, total ninja in about 2 seconds. His emotions ran from near tears when he was thinking the worst had happened to Mary to anger, frustration, fear, anxiety, sadness, relief, resignation, and almost everywhere in between. Alex played it like a man about to shatter at the seams at any moment but in as much control as humanly possible. That look on his face as he was flying the chopper down towards that car was so intense I’m surprised the surrounding trees didn’t burst into flame. Yes, I totally agree, send this reel to the Emmy Committee!
I was one of those people not quite sure if Mary Ann was a character I could ever get behind. Boy was I wrong! The scenes between Steve and Mary Ann were wonderful. First there was Steve pulling her from out of the trunk and holding her in his arms in relief. Then he went from total exasperation at her risking everything by talking to the ENTIRE police department to admiration that she had the insight to photograph all the Champ box contents! You could see the love they have for each other in those scenes in Steve’s office and at the airport and feel how sad they must feel that they have spent so much time apart. I really hope the writers bring Mary Ann back soon. Steve said at the airport that “as long as Koji is on the loose” he couldn’t be sure she’d be safe. But later we find out that Koji is dead, so maybe that’s the open door to get her back. Here’s hoping!
I loved the scene between Steve and the Governor. It was great to see Jean Smart flex her acting muscles again. When I saw those black shoes beating across the floor I said to myself, “oh man…something is about to hit the fan, those are not happy shoes!!” It was a great scene between 2 strong characters that have a strong admiration for each other. Makes me wonder how much Jamison’s “complete confidence” in Steve’s instincts will shatter when she finds out about the 10mil.
All in all a fantastic episode. I can not wait for the 17th and the next new one. Can’t come soon enough!
Great review… I didn’t spend much time discussing the specific Alex/Mary Ann scenes, but you went over everything I would have! And yes, this is the most we’ve seen out of Jean Smart in all the episodes so far…she played it really well.
Re Jean Smart: “She played it really well.” I would agree — but did she really know what she was playing…???
I have a question now having re-watched ep. 13 in light of all that followed to the end of season 1. So ALL of the Governor’s indignation re questioning her friendship with Hiro was faked for Steve’s benefit…??? Her shock and concern over Mary Ann’s kidnapping? Was there anything I missed in that scene to tip off her disingenuous-ness…? ..or do you think the writers hadn’t fleshed it all out that far yet…???
We can’t be too hard on ourselves for not believing in Mary Ann. The writers didn’t do much to endear her to us, and left the plot holes for us to grouse about. I’ve speculated elsewhere that the problems with the whole show were due to it being rushed into production, hence the accelerated shooting schedule, and the Mary Ann controversy.
So okay, Taryn Manning is okay as Mary Ann, and the door is open for her to come back, notwithstanding that whole tweet outburst that’s been hashed over already. That could be a case of burning one’s bridges. But in more idle moments I wonder (tap, tap, tap on the chin…) – could it have been a setup? (I cop to being suspicious of all this sort of thing.)
Yeah that Twitter thing was a bit weird! Do you suppose we can just chalk it up to having such a public outlet to vent frustrations? I mean, we ALL explode once in a while. Before, you would just go into your room and punch out the pillows. Now there is all this internet stuff where you can explode without thinking it through and it’s just out there for the entire world to digest. Mary Ann looked wonderful in this episode. Smart, resourceful, loving. Don’t see what Taryn was so angry about unless they told her right up front she’s not coming back. I don’t know.
textbook…you’re not the first to ask me if that was set up. It may be, but I think that’s too elaborate a setup… I really think there was some stress on the set, the writers wanted one thing, Taryn wanted another, Taryn vented, the story moved on. In any case, it’s wide open for her return.
And I can’t seem to find it, I may be reading too fast…someone made a good point about Kono, that she just graduated from the academy and she’s already a pro. She’s frisked the Yakuza without fear, she forced the cuffed Yakuza out the door and talked some smack to them, she directed the evidence collection at Pipeline Cafe, and she didn’t hesitate to give long time HPD vets orders. Rock on Kono!
Giving Kono this edge definitely gave Grace Park something to work with.
I did on twitter (@xanthus24).
I love her kickass ways attitude ! But it really made me laugh when she litterally told the older officers how to do their job. It would kinda piss me off a little if I were them !
But I’m definitely not complaining about her self-confidence and her combat skills !
Wow! There’s just so much good critiquing(sp?) going on here! There’s not much I can add, but I sure enjoy everyone else’s take on the episode! I have also become a big fan of Alex after Monday. What a range of emotions he portrayed! The whole ball of wax in one hour! Impressive.
I noticed how Kono had grown up on the job, too! There’s more to her than we know about yet, but she’s been tough since her introduction when she punched the surfer. And don’t you love Danny’s comment “What, are you two dating now?” when Steve and Kono discussed the stick figure code? I agree, the banter was still there, just more subdued. The last 2 episodes have been really intense, not a lot of “banter” moments.
And yes, twitter, facebook, etc. can be vehicles for frustration alleviation, but when you are a public person, you need to be a little careful, or just thoughtful, about what you put out there for the world to see. Just saying. I loved Taryn on Monday night.
that’s where it was! 😉
I like to think that Kono was always going to be a powerhouse, and was just holding back until she graduated from the police academy. That’s why Chin Ho jumped at the chance to get her on the team – he knew that it was the perfect match. She gets to show her ass-kicking chops and learn some kick-ass law enforcement at the same time, from Chin his ownself as well as the team with the means. Her learning curve was very short.
We have to remember too that for Kono and Chin being a cop is the “family business” which means she has spent her whole life around cops, more than likely mostly men, and has learned how to take care of herself. Yes, her learning curve was very short indeed. And she’s on a team more than willing to give her the lead and trust her instincts more quickly than if she were a regular uniformed rookie. She hit the mother load of good fortune when Chin saw her talents and recommended her to Steve and she’s making the best of it. Fortunetly she has the talent to back it up. That girl totally kicks ass!
I’m sure you meant to say, Don’t taze me *brah*!
Some real funny stuff in your post – I laughed out loud at an inappropriate volume for the office when I read bi-bim-backstreet-boys!
I actually found it kind of endearing that Steve sleeps in a t-shirt & PJ bottoms – kind of fitting of his character, I think, no? But in terms of lost opportunity, Steve actually did keep his shirt on the entire episode 😦
But now I have lots of questions!! (Mostly your fault for opening my eyes to this level of detail!). Can I post them here later?
Yeah, that would be the local way to say it, LOL.
Glad you got a kick out of that. It was either Bi Bim Back Street Boys or the Man Doo Band. But those who don’t know Korean food will probably say, “Huh?”.
By all means, please post your questions! 🙂
I’ve read on a couple of sites about the banter between Danny and Steve being subdued this episode as if that’s a problem. I think it shows the level that this relationship has moved to in the few months they have been partners. Danny was the voice of reason for Steve several times during this episode. He cared how he felt and brought him ice for his head after he was stunned. He calmed him down when Steve was thinking the worse about Mary, twice! He knew Steve was in no state of mind for their usual back and forth so he cooled it. Danny has become a true friend!!
“He knew Steve was in no state of mind for their usual back and forth so he cooled it. ”
I thought the same thing, and found that pretty cool both for the characters and from the writers, not to hammer the banter into every single episode.
It just reminded me of a couple of friends I had, they’re twin brothers. They’d tease each other and argue a lot, (sometimes just for the sake of the argument). But if one of them was hurt (either physically or emotionally), the other one was pure sweetness with him.
That’s pretty much how I figure Danny and Steve.
I agree Cecile. It’s like the “book ’em Danno”. It’s cute, it’s fun, it’s a link to the old show which many people still love but it doesn’t have to be in every episode. Then it becomes a joke, a cliche. Danny being his usual self in this episode would have come off as an insufferable prick which Danny is sooooo NOT!!! Kudo’s to the writers on this one!!!
Yeah I noticed that to. The usual amount of banter would have disrupted the high speed pace of this particular episode.
Cecile and Linda, you’ve really hit on the development of Danny and Steve’s relationship. They were such opposites at the beginning of the series, but, even though their personalities and approaches are still different, they have come to respect each other as people and partners. The writers have done a wonderful job creating this friendship, and the fact that Alex and Scott get along off screen as well makes them much more believable on screen. The little asides were there, but not until after Mary Ann was rescued. I predict more of the banter will be back when the episodes are not as intense – like maybe when StepStan needs Danny’s help?
Can’t wait to meet StepStan ^^ We’ll have a lot of “Back in Jersey”, and Danno hating his demonic ex-wife (maybe not so much after all ;)) and loving his angelic daughter (see the EW H50 Bingo card) .
Yeah, that’s going to be a good episode. Danny having to help StepStan because it’s in the best interest of Grace. I can see Steve enjoying Danny’s discomfort with the whole idea. I can almost picture his snickering off on the side as Danny squirms but then, when things get serious and dangerous Steve will be there for Danny just as Danny was for him. It will be a great episode. I can’t wait. Well, I can’t wait for all episodes. Maybe I should ask Danny for the name of that therapist he knows…I am definitely addicted!
Random and useless question : anyone knows what’s Danny eating when taking the ice from the freezer ?
OMG I can’t believe you just asked that!! I was rewatching the episode today and asking myself the very same thing. Anyone know???
From what I heard, it was a piece of candy, gum maybe!
wow you ladies are hard core analysts 😉
I thought it was like a piece of chocolate. Like a York Peppermint Patty – those are yummy from the freezer. Then Kono asks him what he’s eating and he so innocently replies, oh nothing! Hee hee.
Yeah I think you’re right, York Peppermint Patty. The “don’t worry about it” type response is classic!
Lol I was curious to know what the hell you could take from the freezer and eat like that ^^. Thanks !
Hi everyone,
So here are a few areas of questioning that came up for me as I watched this last episode. Was hoping I could maybe get some thoughts from others, to straighten me out, or just tell me I’m over thinking stuff.
STEVE’S HOUSE
I thought Steve was living at his Dad’s old house, no? And I thought MaryAnn was also staying there (from the episode where Mary Ann runs into Steve’s girlfriend the morning after their big night). Maybe they got on each other’s nerves too much after a while and she needed her own place. Since we don’t know how much time really passes between each episode, I guess it’s possible.
Also, it seems Steve’s got a new bed that the one in which he woke up with Catherine… In the opening shot when Steve is asleep in his bed – a very different looking bed, I was confused about where he was (also because CBS says in the episode synopsis that the Champ box is stolen from Steve’s *apartment* – so I thought, hmm maybe he’s not living at his dad’s place anymore). Am I over thinking this? (Probably, yes).
Kind of related to Steve’s house/His dad’s house/His dad’s address (and this one is totally Bob’s fault since I would not have otherwise been looking or noticed something like this before), in the scene where Kono, Mary Ann and Steve are at the magic table looking at Mary’s photographed evidence, they cut to the stickmen postcard twice – the first time shows John McGarrett’s address as 404 Piikoi Street and the second time as 2727 Piikoi Street… is this an oversight or could these be two different postcards?
TIMELINE
In the poignant scene at the airport between Steve and Mary Ann, she said that after their mom’s funeral, their dad put them both on separate planes to the mainland and after that she hadn’t talked to Steve in 10 years and never saw her dad again. This really confused my understanding of the timeline.
Steve’s mother was killed in 1992 when he was 16 – which was almost 20 years ago. If Steve and Mary Ann hadn’t seen each other since the funeral, it would’ve been 18 years, not 10. I don’t want to hang on every word literally, but in the scene, the word Mary Ann used was “talk” and the only way the timeline hangs together is if they’ve at least been talking to each other by phone or whatever, even if rarely, in years 10 – 18 since their mother’s death, but have not actually seen each other again until that scene in the airport holding room.
Also, if they were BOTH sent off the island, that doesn’t jive with information from earlier episodes. On one hand, it actually makes more sense to me that John McGarrett, knowing or suspecting what he did about his wife’s death, would worry over the safety of his children and send them both off the island (just like Steve sends Mary Ann back to LA for her safety while Koji is still alive).
But earlier episodes have suggested that Steve is in Hawaii at least through high school before joining the Navy (He went to the Naval Academy, right? Or am I making that part up?). He plays high school football at a local school, presumably as the varsity star, which most likely means he was a high school junior or senior during the time, making him older than 16. He also mentions spending Christmases with a single dad, which would have to be after his mom dies.
What do y’all think? The only I can fill in the gap in my own mind is that they were both sent away but Steve begged to come back, but Mary Ann stayed away, resenting her father for his long — but that’s kind of cheesy, no?
So thank you for letting me take up so much space with my questions. And I would love to hear any thoughts you have!
I agree with some of what you are saying. As to Steve’s house: yes it IS his father’s house. The entire downstairs is the same from the location of the desk where the toolbox was located to the wall that Steve was repairing in the Xmas episode. The episode synopsis was just wrong. There was never an apartment. And, yes, Steve’s bed is different from the one he shared with Catherine but the location of the bed is the same, in front of the bedroom window. Don’t know why the writer’s felt the need to change it.
I also don’t know why the writers decided to make Mary Ann live somewhere else. I suppose they wanted Mary Ann somewhere else so they could write a scene with Steve going all ninja on the burglers. If Mary Ann was living at the house then they would have kidnapped her and stolen the box at the same time. There is no way they could have done that with Steve in the house so she had to be somewhere else. This way was more believable.
Sorry, I didn’t notice the addresses so I can’t answer about that.
As to the timeline, I agree 100%, they do not add up. The writers need to remember how obcessed people get over this kind of stuff. Maybe Daniel should remind them from his LOST days how fans analyze these shows. John put both his kids on seperate planes to the mainland 18 years ago and they have not seen each other since because Mary Ann said she hadn’t seen Steve since their mother’s funeral. But obviously they have spoken at least once, 10 years ago. But if Steve was sent away from Hawaii at age 16 how was he able to break all of Chin’s high school football records? He broke ALL his records as a sophmore? I suppose it’s possible but not really probable!
Timeline’s always a problem in TV shows, I had the same issue about Steve being quaterback in Hawaii, and being sent away when his mom died at 16. I suppose Steve, Mary and their father could have at least seen each other at Christmas, on the mainland, but the writers probably wanted to emphasize the family drama. I guess this one’s to be filed under continuity goof…
Mary Ann moving out after a few month isn’t a weird thing. We’ve seen with Catherine that privacy isn’t really possible in this house. Steve and Mary are not super close siblings, I’m sure they have extremely different ways of life, and Mary having her own place was the natural solution for it (and if we ask ourselves why is Mary mouving out and not Steve, let’s say because it was easier for everybody !).
As for the adresses, Bob said somewhere here that 404 was McGarett’s adress in the original series, and we’ve seen that 2727 was ‘our’ Steve’s adress. So 404 was either a former adress of the McGaretts or hiding place.
This episode was just full of stuff to think about. Here is another one. What do you make of the look McGarrett had after he met Wo Fat? After he told Wo Fat to go home from the golf course, as Steve was walking away, he had a look on his face that I’ve been trying to read. Part of me thinks it was just his instincts kicking in. You know, when you just get a feeling about something that makes you think something just isn’t right. But another part of me wonders if, in all the stuff from the tool box, there wasn’t some mention of Wo Fat that Steve saw but doesn’t realize he saw. Does that make sense? Like when you know you’ve seen something before but you just can’t place it. What do you guys think?
I chalked it up to something about Wo Fat just not sitting right with Steve; I guess that would be his instincts kicking in. But I like what you’re suggesting, that there was something in the box that Steve saw that referenced Wo Fat that is sitting just under his consciousness, just out of reach and he just can’t put his finger on it… yet.
I’m sure McG just recognized the name Wo Fat and put two and two together. Where he recognized the name from? I’m sure that he is getting regular updates on all visitors of Victor Hesse. It would be stupid not to follow up on the future contacts of Victor. So I’m sure he knows the name from that.
excellent, excellent point. The prison would have a log of that. Unless of course Wo Fat has fake ID, which is not out of the realm of possibility.
To respond:
@Linda – I think the only reason for Mary Ann to live away was for her to be kidnapped pretty easily 🙂
@MyMcG: Yes Steve is living in his Dad’s house. Mary rented the house in “Kaimuki” at some point.
2727 Piikoi is given in Po’ipu as the home address. No explanation for 404 Piikoi, other than the fact that it was the “old” McG address in the original series. John McGarrett may have temporarily moved/hid.
I would say that they haven’t seen each other for 18 years, hadn’t talked (on the phone) for 10.
Overanalysis- Steve was ahead of his class and graduated at an old sixteen or young seventeen.
The bed- Steve and Catherine must have overworked and broke the old bed. No one’s really used it since Steve left the house, and the old bed just couldn’t take it anymore.
It makes me so happy to see everyone over analyze 😉
Two grown adults, brother and sister, not having seen each other for 18 years, living in the same house – I’m surprised it lasted as long as it did! If the show is kind of following the same time line as when the episodes are aired, then it’s been about 4 months from when Mary Ann first comes to the island until she is kidnapped. That’s long enough to decided to find a place of her own, especially if she had decided to stay in Hawaii. I wonder what she did for a living all these years? How was she affording a nice place on the beach? Maybe inheritance/insurance money?
I’m thinking Steve was sent to the mainland after his mom’s death for the summer, but returned to finish high school – he does talk about being raised by a single dad, so he must have had some experience with it. My take is he left the island for good when he entered the Naval Academy, and he never saw Mary during all that time, but did talk on the phone – once in 10 years. Hmmm… not too good on family communication there, McGarrett clan!
No idea about the McGarrett addresses – I don’t watch that closely!
I think Steve just felt the pure evilness of Wo Fat boring into his back on the golf course. Instinct on overdrive… Maybe the subserviant way Wo Fat said “yes, sir” made Steve stop and take another look. Wo Fat knew who Steve was, but Steve didn’t know diddly about Wo Fat. And it’s not time for the “big fight” yet guys, we gotta bide our time!
excellent take on McG’s high school past. Good call on Wo Fat. He said “Yessir” a little too confidently, which made McG do a double take…. maybe he even *recognized* Wo Fat from somewhere…?
I enjoyed the episode, but all these comments how Alex deserves an Emmy. Please… I think he has a ways to go before that happens. A lot of his acting in my opinion is so forced. He does not come off as natural at all. I have a feeling if he was not so good looking, there would not be this praise on how great of an actor he is !
“DON’T TASE ME BRO!”
well as steveo is ostensibly local, (raised on Oahu they say) he would not say “bro”.
You’ve missed the joke. 🙂
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Florida_Taser_incident
No. I am aware of the allusion. We say it alla time here, because of that famous incident.
“When you live away from Hawaii long enough, you forget how to throw a shaka sign,”
you don’t wanna reference wikipedia on this. that is the haole shaka. which is laffed off da island.
The wikipedia reference was for convenience to educate people on what a shaka is. 🙂
“wonder why in the world Alex is sleeping in a t-shirt?” especially as no one here would do that; it’s too hot and humid. We barely sleep with a sheet.
“I thought Steve was living at his Dad’s old house, ” that cool place is on my beach walk path…
“the first time shows John McGarrett’s address as 404 Piikoi Street”
It is not “Piikoi Street”. It is Pi’ikoi Street. The ‘okina makes it a wholly other word, or a word that does not exist. And in the eps, that is continuity error, the two Pi’ikoi addresses…. and of course everyone knows that was the 60’s Steveo’s home address, but known to us as Records Hawaii address for so long. Steve’s makua kane hale would be no where near Pi’ikoi of course. Or Kaimuki.
As stated before, the series needs a local consultant for placenames, continuity, TITLING! (confunnit! those ep titles are wrong!) and for inflection and lingo and local slang and pidgin.
Within my blog, I’ve dropped using okinas and kahakos to facilitate searches from within the blog and from the internet. I’ll use it if the context requires the proper Hawaiian spelling. As for the show, “Piikoi Street” is written on the post card and I think reflects current everyday use of the Hawaiian language which is to drop the okinas and kahakos in the written form, but to remember them in the spoken language. Regarding 404 and 2727…it may or may not be a continuity error…perhaps John did live at a 404 Piikoi address at some point. I’ve discussed it some here http://50undercover.com/2011/01/01/whats-in-the-champ-box/ . Blaine Kia is the consultant for the show, and he gave KGMB an interview here http://50undercover.com/2010/12/07/wedsnesdays-news-alexs-doggy-episode-14-and-17-spoilers-five-0-dominates-castle-and-a-nod-from-the-five-0-godfather/. If you want to read a breakdown of the Hawaiian titles, Wendie Joy Burbridge does a great job at her blog the Five-0 Redux at honolulupulse.com.
The awkward use of pidgin was a discussion we’ve had ad nauseam on facebook, the blog and my radio conversations with Mike Buck, but I would have to say that it’s gotten better in the second half of the season. Thanks for your input! 🙂
I believe it is our responsibility to train the proletariat to spell Hawaiian words correctly come hell or highwater or software limitations… (apologies for the bad simile, too soon)
Search engines bring up the word if it has an “errant punctuation” I like to assume…
My stance on da shaka is not teach the haole shaka which looks kinda ridiculous and moreso, keep the local shaka private. It’s an acquired thing like naturally speaking pidgin. And not affecting it.
“reflects current everyday use of the Hawaiian language ”
Only among some strata of the populace. (They are also the ones not interested in pronunciation either.) Not the case among the those holding steadfast to culture and tradition. And they number many.
Did not find Wendy’s material. However I find some limitations in the titling as well as current things in eps, consultants should catch.
Mahalo for allowing the input.