Getting better with each episode
I was surprised the other day when I heard a nationally syndicated entertainment reporter say that he thought the writing for Hawaii Five-0 was getting worse. I’m not sure if he’s watching the same program as the rest of us, but the Elwood Reid written episode “Ma Ke Kahakai” had it all…action, humor, emotion, and all the good stuff that goes along with it.
There were a couple of edge of the seat moments, and I’m sure a lot of people gasped when McG took a fall down the cliff, and also when Danny and Chin took a flying leap off the pier onto the boat pulling away. The bantering was toned down but fit the scenes perfectly: “Eat another doughnut!”.
An underlying theme is the role of fathers in the show. McG opened to Danny about John being a great father. Compare that to victim Jack Leung (Joji Yoshida) who wanted to provide a better life for his son and grandson by taking on a second job, and resisting the temptation to make easy money running drugs. This is a far contrast from the elder Rutherford who’s misguided love for his son drives him to murder himself.
But I think the episode struck a perfect balance of advancing the story line with the procedural aspect of the episode. Their aunt in failing health, Chin and Kono go to an impromptu family reunion. There Kono finally finds out that her sick aunt might have something to do with the money disappearing from the evidence room and Chin’s dismissal from the HPD. In the corner of her eye she sees Chin in a heated confrontation with her uncle about money. As they drive back to HQ, Kono pulls over and finally confronts Chin about the money. While the scene completely revolves around Chin, Grace Park totally made the scene happen. Grace had a lot of range to work with in that scene, and hands down, this in my opinion was the strongest scene in the series so far. It captures the cousins wrestling with another moral dilemma…does one choose family over duty…or duty over family? Chin believes in loyalty to family which is why he took the fall for his uncle, to save his aunty from the pain and humiliation. Kono chooses duty, and insists that Chin comes clean after their aunty passes. I would imagine that they would be on the same page, and that the two of them would protect their family first. But in “Kai E’e”, Kono tells Chin that taking responsibility for the missing $10 million was “the right thing to do”. Little nuances like this show Kono to be the moral compass of the group, reflecting her idealistic youth, fresh from the police academy. What would you choose? The end was especially bittersweet, with the friends joking at the Tropic’s bar, but Chin and Kono finding out their aunty has passed away. Ultimately, Kono laid it down to Chin to come clean after their aunt passes…will he do so? And how does his fiancée Malia fit into this?
Lost, Hawaii Five-0 and location
Kaaawa Valley, Kualoa Ranch, Hawaii Five-0. Photo: vidcap from CBS
Steve and Danny are not Sawyer and Jack. They are not running from the Others, or a Smoke Monster. But they’re hiking through beautiful Ka’a’awa Valley, home of Kualoa Ranch, which also served as Oceanic 815 survivor’s golf course and frequent stomping ground. I’ve talked about how gorgeous the show makes Hawaii look, and the cinematography hasn’t been this great since “Palekaiko” with both episodes framing our Five-0 heroes within the immensity of Hawaii’s outdoors. If you haven’t booked a flight here yet, you really ought to. CBS.com is currently featuring a websiode series called “Hawaii Undiscovered” which tracks Hawaiian adventures featured in the series.
Hawaiian music
The episode showcased two local groups, “Ho’onu’a” and “Hapa”. Ho’onu’a’s “Feel Good Island Music” played in the background when Kamekona picked up McG at the hospital. Hapa got some airtime at the end of the episode, playing their popular song “Olinda Road”. Go check out these local groups, and I’m hoping we hear a lot more Hawaiian music in upcoming episodes.
Hiking with Steve, (not) brought to you by Mastercard
Roll of duct tape…$4.99
50 feet of rope…$99
Extra tight butt harness…$49.99
Slim fit Combat Cargo Capri Hiking Pants from Old Navy…$9.99
Red checkered picnic blanket (not shown on camera)…$9.99
Getting bro love? …Priceless
I ❤ you, Steve.
Photos: CBS, vidcaps from CBS and Sewn Natural.
And now, Things We Learned About Hawaii From Hawaii Five-0, Episode 20, “Ma Ke Kahakai”
1) “Ki’i pohaku” (“images in stone”, or petroglyphs), are rock images carved into stone by the ancient Hawaiians during the pre-Western contact times. They were not a written language, but pictographs of daily life. The petroglyphs shown in last night’s episode I believe was a mock up, but it showed a turtle (“honu”), warriors, and an image which has been interpreted as a mother birthing a child (below the turtle).
Danny and Steve at the petroglyphs, Hawaii Five-0. Photo: CBS
2) Chin says to the drug dealer, “The dealer comes after you, chops you into little poke and feeds you to the sand sharks.” Poke (pronounced poh-keh) is cubed raw fish (tuna, “ahi” in Hawaiian) that can be served in a variety of ways. Don’t let the fact that it’s raw detract you…it’s ono [delicious]! At Foodland supermarket, they prepare and season it in a variety of different ways, they’ll let you sample anything they have.
Foodland's poke bowls. Photo: Foodland.com
And on another culinary note, Chin asks Kono if she wants go for a loco moco at Ono Laulau. While I don’t think there’s an Ono Laulau restaurant, I can tell you that a loco moco is the most epic of breakfast meals…two scoops of rice topped with a hamburger patty, an egg, and gravy all over everything. It truly is the breakfast of Hawaiian champions.
Loco moco. Someone get me a defibrillator, I'm going in! Photo: su-lin
3) We have no professional teams, hence McG has never been to a professional baseball game. That being said, we have a God given right to cheer for any team that happens to be popular at the time. There’s a period when everyone was a Dallas Comboy fan, everyone was a Chicago Bulls fan…you get the idea.
Did you notice…?
I loved Chef Morimoto…he played it perfectly. Regarding Danny holding the fish: “Yes. Good size.”
“Ma Ke Kahakai” means “shore”.
Renee Nobriga (Sandrine the waitress) was Miss Hawaii 2010.
Hawaii Five-0 UNDERCOVER 
Wow! That sure was a mouthful! I think this is your longest review so far! 🙂 The Mastercard-bromance bit was hilarious! I did think it kind of odd that though McGarrett was the jock type in high school, played football, etc, but hasn’t ever been to a professional baseball game. Hmm, sounds like the next “McDanno” (I COIN THIS!) date! 😉
One thing I thought was a little bit off was Kamekona’s role in the episode. He picked up Steve from the hospital, but that was it, aside from cracking a few jokes at the Hilton. Wish he could have had a bigger role than that!
And while sometimes I have a hard time with Grace’s acting compared to the rest of the stars in the cast, I thought she nailed this episode! When Kono started crying, that was gut wrenching for me. Character/Plot development, YAY.
But aside from that, this is one of my favorite episodes yet!! The scenery, the acting, the humor, the character development, the justice– it was all there and all perfect! I LOVE THE SHOW SO MUCH.
A lot of the reviewers and critics are loving the episode!
Forgot to mention some other things:
– Danny’s car was absent in this episode, a first! GASP!
– Alex’s Australian accent slip outside the Rutherford house
– The Waiola shave ice autograph on Steve’s cast, LOL
– Poke is one of the most delicious things in the entire world
– Anyone else recognize the Fisherman’s son as Hiro’s friend from Heroes?
Good catches, I neglected to mention James Kyson-Lee (Ando) from Heroes 🙂
Thnaks knew I’d seen the fishermans son somewhere before.
The accent was that at the end when they arrested the guy?
No, the accent was when Steve and Danno were knocking on the Rutherford’s house, and Steve was saying “Steve McGarrett, five o” etc
No Danny’s car because 1) there was a lot of car talk between Kono and Chin so more car talk between Chin and Danny would have been hard to fit in and wasn’t necessary. And 2) Steve can’t drive the stick with his broken left arm! And Steve MUST drive, God forbid, so they used his truck which, obviously, must be automatic. Steve was already annoyed that he had to rely on Kamekona to pick him up from the hospital he wasn’t about to NOT drive to confront a suspect! Like Danny said…control issues.
AOL’s accent also showed up in the beginning when he says “My father was a great cop”
Great blog, as usual Officer. Thanks for the Hawaiian language lesson again. That loco moto looks amazing and I don’t even care for eggs! I could get over it!
First off, I agree with you Bob and it’s not as if anyone hasn’t already noticed but I have to say it too — Hawaii is absolutely stunning! We’ve seen it numerous times, in different settings around the island but when Steve and Danny were hiking up that ridge … yes, stunning was the word that kept popping into my head. The two of them looked so tiny against that majestic view it took my breath away. I keep wondering how many people have booked their next vacation to Hawaii because of this show.
Steve and Danny sure have come a long way from the day they pulled guns on each other in the McGarrett garage and Danny felt it necessary to show his dislike for Steve with a well placed right cross to the jaw. They have in the intervening months truly become brothers. Of course there was the usual bickering as they climbed but Steve wanted to share with Danny one of his favorite places, a special place he went with his father. When they stopped to appreciate the scenery you could feel how much the place means to Steve, the memories he has of his father and the times they spent together before “everything changed”. He chose to share that with Danny and only Danny. I also can’t imagine Danny agreeing to go hiking with anyone besides Steve either. It was also nice to see that Steve has not kept the WoFat situation to himself but has included Danny and that Danny is concerned that possibly WoFat is using the retrieved evidence to lure Steve to him even though Kaye thinks someone else is behind it. So, obviously, even though we’re not seeing her Steve and Jenna are working together or at least communicating.
Then Steve gets hurt. Please tell me how he gets hit in the face with a boulder, falls about 20 feet landing on solid rock on his back, bounces and flips over, slides to the ledge and dangles there unconscious but ONLY broke his arm?!?!? Is this man made of steel?? The rest of us would be crumpled into a quivering mess looking for Percocet!!! But not our Steve. He gets himself up, sends Danny for help and starts the friggin’ investigation right there! He even manages to splint his own broken arm (and tell the truth, that arm looked AWFUL!!!) with sticks and duct tape. What is it with men and duct tape? They really DO use that stuff for EVERYTHING don’t they???
It is so cool how easily the writers and Alex and Scott are able to infuse comedy into the most stressful and dramatic situations with such little effort and it doesn’t diminish the feel of the situation one bit. It is truly remarkable. We have seen it before, of course, but that scene on the mountain really showed it. The bickering as they climbed. The way they both kept telling each other to be careful. Steve telling Danny he wasn’t going to catch his ass if he fell and Danny telling Steve to eat another donut as he pulled him up from the ledge. It was wonderful. And, man, Danny is STRONG! Not only did he keep up with Steve as they were heading out but he ran all the way up to the summit so he could call for help then practically pulled Steve up from that ledge alone, as Steve only had one good arm. As Steve is being lifted into the chopper he calls down to Danny “Thanks brother” and Danny hand signed “I love you”. All together now…. Awwwwwwww. Yes, they’ve come a long way from that day in the garage!
But I keep wondering what the purpose is of Steve getting hurt? It doesn’t promote the story in any way. I can’t believe it was done just for that Awwwwwwww factor. It doesn’t seem to slow him down any either. He still took down Rutherford with one arm. It’s convenient that he broke his left arm and not his right but I still ask myself, why? Is it just to show that, contrary to popular belief, Steve is not indestructible? Is it to show that the team can manage to function without him? I mean, without their fearless leader the others were able to have larger roles in the investigation. Danny became the de-facto leader and did a fine job with it. Chin became “second in command” and his “Really? Watch!” when Groves told him he couldn’t search without a warrant was priceless. And Kono was forced to do what each of them has had to do as a rookie, make her first solo death notification. It was also the first time we got to see Danny and Chin together in an interrogation and they worked extremely well together but that really wasn’t a surprise. No matter who is in the pairing it always works. Steve and Danny or Steve and Chin or Danny and Kono or Kono and Chin and now Danny and Chin…this team just WORKS!!!
Finally we get the truth behind Chin, the stolen money and his dismissal from the force. We always knew Chin was protecting someone and speculation ran wild on who it might be. I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised that he was protecting someone in his family. This show, from the very beginning, from the moment Steve’s cell phone rang in that Humvee, has been about family. Family always comes first. When Rachel and Grace were in danger, when Matt was in trouble, Steve didn’t hesitate to send Danny to his family. Danny did the same for Chin and Kono. That Chin took the fall for his uncle to protect his ill aunt does not seem out of character for him. From the size of the family and the fact that they were ALL there for Auntie’s final moments shows how important family is for them all. Makes me wonder how they could have turned their backs on Chin no matter what they thought he’d done.
I’m also a little confused with Kono. She was very upset that Chin lied about the money and that he took the fall for it. But why? Ok, I understand Chin is her favorite cousin and it truly hurts her to see him suffer for something he didn’t do but why doesn’t she understand the reason for it? Was it right? NO. He’s a cop, should he have told the truth? YES. But the family, his uncle and, more importantly, his aunt meant more to him. You would think Kono, coming from that family, would understand that. Besides, she DID THE SAME THING!!! Uncle took money from the asset forfeiture locker to save his wife’s life, knowing what would happen if he was caught. Kono and the others took money from the asset forfeiture locker to save Chin’s life, knowing what would happen if they were caught. Family comes first. This team has become a family. Even Chin said it. “I’ve found a home with 5-0”. All I can think of is that when the team thought Steve was being called on the carpet by the Governor they were all there to back him up, to take an equal share of the consequences. No one did that for Chin.
Some other favorite moments:
Kamekona picking Steve up from the hospital with a jeep full of ice because there was “a sale”! Did you notice that Steve looked really annoyed? Not because of the ice, I think he was annoyed that he had to ask someone else for help. He had to call Kamekona to pick him up because Danny was busy with the investigation (without him!) and he couldn’t drive himself. Danny is right, Steve has control issues!
When Danny and Chin went to the dock to find Groves and they had to take off after the boat. I know that jump was done by the stunt team but, boy, can Scott and Daniel RUN!!!
I have often wondered if Daniel gets flash backs to LOST whenever he and Alex have to go traipsing through the jungle but last night I really got a kick out of hearing Chin utter the immortal words “Whatever happened, happened”!!!
Steve making Danny go through the crate of fish because “I can’t get my cast wet” and Danny getting him back by wiping his hand all over Steve’s shirt! What really makes it funny is that Danny’s hands weren’t even dirty. He took off the black rubber glove before he wiped his hand on Steve’s shirt!
It took Danny and Steve about 5 seconds standing outside of Rutherford’s house to figure out he was making a run for it.
The last scene at the restaurant was pure H50 magic. Steve actually almost flirting with the waitress, Danny getting pissed off because Steve was going to let her sign his cast but he wouldn’t let Danny sign it (he was probably terrified of what Danny would write! LOL) and Kamekona making a sling out of a table cloth to get some attention from the waitress himself. I love that they include Kamekona in these scenes. He is such a wonderful addition.
All in all, another enjoyable episode, as if there was ever any doubt. And the best part? “Stay tuned for scenes from our next episode”. No re-run next week! YIPPEE!!
Linda, I’m glad you mentioned Kono’s scene with (I guess I’ll always call him Ando), telling him his dad was dead. At first I thought she was over the top with the tearing up, but yeah, she’s new at this, and she didn’t look just sad, but embarrassed, like she just wants to get this over with but has to do it. And she has a lot to think about.
And Steve getting hurt? Of course I don’t know why the writers worked it out the way they did, but I like it when something unexpected and real-world happens to characters. It seems like characters never fall downstairs, get paper cuts, or get their skirt caught in the car door unless it’s part of a plot.
Hmm, now I’m thinking about it, he’s still got the cast next week, maybe it figures in there somehow too.
Lotsa good points!
Oh yeah, forgot to mention – duct tape is a gift from the universe, especially for people – men and women alike – who haven’t got many clues. No home should be without it. (And don’t get the cheap stuff either, it don’t stick so good.) (In desperate situations you can use gaffer tape but it don’t stick so good either.) (And it don’t work as well as masking tape as a substitute for waxing your legs.)
I have always heard: If if moves and it shouldn’t….duct tape it
If it doesn’t move and it should……….WD-40 it. Nuff said!
Duct tape: the handy(wo)man’s secret weapon.
“If the women don’t find you handsome, they’ll at least find you handy.” – Red Green
It is also a much lighter and more compact replacement for fiberglass canoe repair kits when you are canoe tripping.
Regarding the leg waxing, yes it is much superior to masking tape, although the glue residue can sometimes be annoying to remove. In that vein, the ONLY thing so far I have found duct tape is NOT useful for is for muzzling a dog; masking tape is far superior for that. I prefer Vet Wrap, though, because it is more flexible and comfortable than masking tape and comes in prettier colours.
Sorry, I digress.
Did you notice that we were given another demo of the impact resistance of the iPhone? You can fall off a cliff with one in your pocket and it will still work. That was probably the reason they had Steve fall off the cliff – simply a crass product replacement. Although it was worth it for the I ❤ U banter.
This blog is a priceless resource for useful information. I never thought of muzzling a dog with masking tape. Thanks, Merry!
Linda, I have decided you are a closet college professor making lesson plans for your English 4100 class entitled the Mythology of Hawaii 5-0 Version 2.0 for next Fall! You are using this blog as a sounding board! There is absolutely nothing to add to your review – you’ve covered all the bases admirably. Throwing my humble attempt of a review out the window. Whoosh—there it goes!! (P.S. It was fantastic- I enjoy reading you so much)
Oh, and Merry Blue? Your comment about the vet wrap? I’m sure you know it comes in pretty colors – red, green, yellow, orange, etc. It comes in very handy to “decorate” plain white casts – you know, make the cast match the outfit of the day? When my 10-year-old broke her arm sledding one winter, her dad wrapped her cast in very pretty Christmas red vet wrap to match her red dress for the Christmas concert! She was a very happy camper ( probably one of the reasons she’s in fashion school right now!)
Is it to show that the team can manage to function without him? I mean, without their fearless leader the others were able to have larger roles in the investigation?
I think you’ve hit it. I think they want to show that Danny has leadership credentials in Steve’s absence. This whole episode was a setup for the finale and S2 – establishing family and team bonds, taking Steve out of the picture albeit temporarily, all the teaser talk about Wo Fat etc. I’m betting Steve will spend some time next season away from the team a la Jethro Gibbs in the Hiatus episodes.
I was thinking that too. Although we’ve seen it growing all along, this episode really cememted the bond between the team. I have a feeling the upcoming episode where Danny ends up in the hospital will do that even further, especially between Danny and Steve which will make the “breakup”, whatever that may be, even more shocking. The writers are setting us up for a big cliffhanger come May. Bring them as close as you can before you rip them apart! Oh…it’s going to be a loooonnnngggg summer!!!
Actually, it was more like 8 seconds before kicking the door^^. Steve just wanted an excuse to do that !
Lynnette…PLEASE post your review! Who cares if you repeat things. I love to read what you write. Besides you catch my mistakes. Please……
All good points. Danny directed the team while Steve was in the hospital, but in that interrogation scene, it seemed Danny and Chin were equals. Regarding Kono, I really think she’s the moral compass of the group and will do what she thinks is right, even if it means selling her family short. She helped to steal the $10 mil out of necessity, but when it came to taking responsibility (and punishment) she was ready to do that too. Likewise, if she were around when the Uncle stole the money, she would have seen the need for it, but would want the Uncle to take responsibility for it as well after he was caught.
I agree with all of that but in THAT moment, all her anger and frustration was aimed at Chin. She reacted in the moment and lashed out and the only person available to her at that moment. I think the biggest disappointment in all of this to Kono is or will be her uncle. Not for what he did but for the fact that he went along with the rest of the family in cutting off Chin. The rest of the family didn’t know what really happened so they backed away. Kono didn’t know what really happened but she stuck with Chin anyway. Uncle, knowing what Chin did for him STILL followed the family and cut Chin off. That, to me, and probably to Kono is really unforgivable. But Chin will forgive because that’s just his nature. Maybe it’s a generational thing. Chin is older, more traditional in family ideals and values. Kono is younger, more idealistic and probably more practical! It was a great scene between them. One that really showed the acting chops of boths of them!! Great, great scene!
It’s not unusual for Chin to ask the questions during interrogations, even when Steve is there. He interrogated Sang Min in the pilot (though the “sorry boss” after hitting Sang Min clearly set some boundaries), and he interrogated the CEO with a dead mistress in ep. 19 Na Me’e Laua Na Paio (with the baseball bat, remember ?). In this last one in particular, he had the same leading attitude as in Monday’s ep. 20.
I’ve often wondered how Chin feels regarding his place within the team. He’s clearly older than the rest of them, Steve and Danno are the same age, and Kono is the youngest. Kono has pretty much everything to learn from all of them, she’s the rookie. But Chin is already a ‘mature’ cop : he has as much experience as Danny, more than Steve as far as police work is concerned, but Steve knows other tricks and he’s still only in third place in chain of command.
Though he must be glad he’s back in the field, it must still be frustrating, right !
Nice catch of “Whatever happened, happened”, Linda. I am just now watching this episode, having DVRed it last night. When I heard Chin say “Whatever happened, happened”, I had to see if anyone else caught it. I am not sure many did. One review I read quoted Chin as having said “Whatever happened is in the past”. Totally missed it I guess. Maybe he was LOST.
Anyway…nice catch!
Ha! As soon as the words were out of his mouth I was like “YES!” It was so cool. I don’t know how he was able to do it with a straight face. I suppose because it was such a serious moment but I’m sure Daniel did a double take when he got the script! I think the writers did it on purpose just for us LOST fans! LOL
My thoughts exactly.
I truly believe I look forward to your reviews & the comments almost…..ALMOST as much as I look forward to new H50 eppys! Your observations make me go back & look for all these really neat, understated, hidden moments that you bring so clearly into focus! Thanks so much for all you do!
Mahalo Caro, always good to hear that you got something out of the recap 🙂
Hawaii five-0 never fails to lose its “charm” factor when it comes to family and friends the “writers” and “cast” always find a way to tug at our heart strings throughout the first season and I love them all the more for it, not just H50.
Last night was a hectic evening thanks to Daniel’s super speed tweet, I never tweeted so fast in my life but it was a fun bonding experience. I learnt something new about Alex that he really enjoys sushi and that he was perfectly prepared to break his arm for the show, “silly boy” for even thinking it, no matter how dedicated you are, its really painful,but faking it was easily convincing.
After a hectic hour of tweeting I had to watch the entire episode without interruption. Wow that hike up the mountain “Kuoaloa Mountain Range, O’ahu” (my favorite spot on the whole island, DDK), Steve was right, it was a spectacular view on a vast scale so beautifully peaceful with no one but them around. We now learn that Steve received another one of those mysterious envelopes again, similar to the last and again missing contents from his father’s toolbox…who is doing this and why? (No, DDK, it was not from the “Publishers Clearing House – tweet”)
I agree with Danny someone wants to point Steve in the direction of Wofat, could that someone be Jenna or is it really a lure by someone other than Wofat to get Steve to open the investigation. There are several people that would urge Steve to re-open his father’s investigation ie: Mamo(?) since he was a witness, could this be something Steve’s father would want him to do? So few people he could trust, but how did he find all the missing stuff that was taken out of the toolbox? It always goes back to Wofat, the only person who would have them but why return them, piece by piece – it doesn’t add up!! Are the answers waiting for us in the final episode in season 1? I shudder with fear and dread because Wofat’s playing a deadly game with Steve, I don’t like it not one little bit.
Up in the mountains, Steve is reminded of his dad of the very few father and son time together. Even tho Wofat taunted him about not digging into his family’s past, it did hurt and Steve did confide in Danny since he now knows about Wofat!! Steve believed his father was a good man with fierce loyalty, I want to believe that for Steve just hope whatever Wofat said will not come back to bite. I believed all along that Steve needed to re-open his father’s old case files and do some hunting of his own, navy intelligence style to get the answers his father was desperate to find before he died. I also think Steve should study Wofat using whatever ‘intelligence clout’ he has to do a more thorough background check on Wofat with Catherine’s help, the only friend I know he can trust not so much Jenna, think she has her own agenda.
Meanwhile, Danny good naturedly followed Steve on a hike but like every adventure with Steve there is always a dead body to stumble upon on another gorgeous day of fun in this case lying below the ledge after observing the interesting history lesson and ancient petroglyph on the rock face. How could he possibly see the body that far away from where they were standing, maybe “x-ray vision” and a keen nose for trouble.
On the way down Steve finds the body of a man who has been dead for some time so on the way up he loses his footing, as he struggles to climb up with poor Danny holding on for dear life but then the stupid rock gave way which hits him on the head and he fell backwards landing painfully at the bottom with head dangling over the edge of the cliff. (That’s gotta hurt – DDK tweets, my friend innocently asked me if that was a real boulder, hee hee)
Danny became a hero for all of us as he quickly called Steve which eventually woke him up after a few minutes and managed to pull himself away from the edge of the cliff long enough to sit up. Danny to his credit never swore, he just waited for Steve to gain conscience long enough to make the brave climb up to the top to call for help since the cell phone service was incognito, he calls Chin and Kono once he was in range at HQ waiting for news of their ailing aunt.
Thank goodness Danny was able to reach Chin and Chin moved into swift H50 super action tracking their location, calling for “army evac” – work done, Danny races back to the injured Steve.
Meanwhile invincible super seal was busy making a splint for his injured arm, is there nothing to slow this man down? He then took notes on his cell recorder examined the bullet fragment and retrieved fish scales with his knife on the victim’s body and bagged the evidence with just one hand.
Help arrived on time (hooray for Chin) and Danny for climbing down to Steve to unsnag the rope and then climbed back up to pull Steve up to safety and this time the team effort worked, Chin, Steve and Dano, hooray!! Need I remind everyone that we “heart” these guys – really cute coming from Dano!! (I think Danny can hoist him, LOOK AT THOSE GUNS! – DDK tweet).
Crime scene just like every other case on H50 – starting as strange, interesting persons of interesting, and diabolical plot unexplicably fun to watch but in tonight’s ep really enjoyed seeing Chin and Dano partner one another and love how Chin takes the lead interrogates “Sal Groves” with a bruise on his eye, reminds me of a drunken sailor, but whoa searching boat w/out search warrant, my man (full immunity and means) really come in handy when you need to speed things up and wow Chin and Dano combo, need more of that brah!! Even without Steve, you really don’t want to mess with officer Chin Ho Kelly if you don’t answer his questions. He doesn’t have much patience for excuses either.
Hawaii Five-0 very much a family affair as indicated time and time again and in the scene learning the truth what Chin was hiding all along came as no big surprise. He was protecting a family member – haven’t we learnt the real “heart” of these three fine men of Five-0 what family means to them and they do it honorably. The Chin/Kono scenes are just awe inspiring and emotionally heart wrenching, brought me to tears.
Ah Kamkona comes to Steve’s rescue, “where’s the wheelchair and cute nurse?”…lol!! What with all the bags of ice, gotta kill two birds with one stone brah run some errands, “big sale on ice”, and then pick Steve up along the way who must have been waiting for his ride for quite a while. So funny!! A much needed humorous scene to break between the tragic family visit of auntie Mele and the car scene with Chin and Kono. Long awaited confession which troubled and devestated Kono when she learns the awful truth!! I couldn’t love Chin more for doing what he did, the sacrifice to protect one’s family, the most vulnerable, the elderly, the unspoken H50 motto – “family” comes first. “I finally found a home with Five-0” – oh Chin that made me cry.
The karaoke scene is hilarious at Chef Marioto’s – along with Dano having to play with the fishes as he examines them for evidence – “ooh, what’s that smell?” – Kono “sashimi special” – Steve. Even scenes with Steve’s absence, we barely felt his absence until he came strolling back into HQ where Kono greeted with a happy “howzit” boss.
Not so honorable is the SOB Donald Rutherford who helped his miserable excuse of a son Jordan Rutherford to escape justice after killing a woman and then killed Jack Leung to cover up his son’s escape. He killed a father who took an extra job to help his son Sean and family who were far more worthy than he’s cowardly son.
Donald Rutherford made a stupid mistake in pointing the gun at ninja McGarrett and his partner because the two of them understand each other very well because as Danny talks he distracts Donald from Steve, with arm in cast, he was ready to rip that gun and kick his ass on the ground!! Whoopee Five-0 wins the day!!
In conclusion Kono learns a valuable lesson about family, she even told Sean’s son that his grandfather is a hero, as she hugged the boy teary eyed because her hero was waiting in the car. Now its up to her to understand that she needs to keep Chin’s secret a little longer until uncle passes, only then will Chin reveal the truth that will set him free but till then its Chin’s decision and his burden to bear, cos that’s what heroes do.
Val, I’m going to risk the goodwill of the posters here, and say something that I wish sounded kinder. Val, I saw this episode. Most of us on this page have. Knowing your opinion on various points is cool, but I get tired of reading down and down and down the page to find something I don’t already know. Others have done this a bit, too, you’re not the first. (In fact for previous episodes there were several identical comments from between 5 and 11 people.) Please don’t hate me, I don’t mean to be insulting.
Val has a unique perspective on this show. She is very passionate about it, as we all are, and tends to write from her heart, again, as we all do. If she tends to over state things, it is from a love of the writing, acting and overall workmanship of this show. Ok, she can be a bit long winded, but SO AM I! We all suffer from that from time to time and it’s not like those of us that suffer from the “don’t know when to stop” disease don’t know we have it.
My review was over 1500 words and Bob affectionately wrote me on FB that he was going to have to devote an hour and a half to reading it! That’s what happens when you love a show, are writing about it, and have almost 24 hours between broadcast and blog to write, read, edit, re-write, read, re-edit, etc. etc.
Val is a sweetie and I like the way she writes. So it takes a little time. I’m only at work anyway 😉
Textbook, I am sure you spoke with the best of intentions, and since I know Val, I know she is not taking your comment as an insult – she’s endured a whole lot worse. Just watch what you write, she can dish it out, too – (that’s the voice of experience talking!!)
The point I’d like to make here, is that I think the comments (or reviews, as they have become) are as in depth and complete ( and lonnnnnnnnnnnnng) because this is the one place where we can do that! This is a testament to Undercover’s blog that we – the truly wordy people of H5-0-dom, are welcome to come here and spill our heart and love for this show without being chastised or told we have a 200 word limit, or whatever! Most of us have come to know each other through our writing, we can recognize each other’s writing style – some of us are creative writers whether we know it or not – some of us are just sarcastic goof offs (looking in the mirror here!) But Undercover allows us to be who we are on this page, and I think that’s why we SO look forward to the day-after 5-0 as much as we do the day of 5-0!
So, even though it may require us to scroll down pretty far to get to comments we want to read, we do have the option to skip over those we don’t have time for. And everyone gets a chance to see their own comments on the “printed page.”
BTW, Undercover! You’d solve my problem if you’d get that darn “return to top” button!
send wordpress your recommenation, I’m at their mercy 😉
There’s an app for that !Sorry 😉 No, there should be an arrow on the keybord that’ll get you all the way up (usually pointing to the left top corner of the key). And there should aslo be an ‘end’ key, that gets you to the bottom.Cecile! Thanks so much (Undercover, you’re finally off the hook!) Always wondered what those pretty little keys did! I hate to play around with something I don’t understand cause I usually break things that way! LOL
One thing, that I don’t like in any show, movie. is when the things that are shown are unrealistic. When on earth, if someone got hit by a stone in the head not get unconscious for a long time, even that, could have a big sacar in his/ her head. Also, if someone falls from that height you have to have broke some bone for sure. There is not could, might. IT IS. So, what is Steve, a no known superhero? Why not shows us something realistic? Better if Steve get unconscious for a long time until he wakes up at the hospital or helicopter, if you think being in the hospital, could be a lot of waste of time. And with some broke ribs. I know, I know if he is one of the main characters can’t be out of the screen. But, it could be great if he do something being hurts. Not something like rambo, as he use to do.
And also. hahaha! how was that, that the carpet was on the floor, if the old man was inside? who put the carpet in its place?
Those things are hard enough to do it good? They have lots of money, why do something like that? they are not doing university homework.
I noticed the carpet neatly covering the door in the floor and wondered about that oversight as well. I wondered if there was another entrance to the basement. I enjoy reading this blog every week. Thank you, Officer 808.
mahalo Beth!
Noticed the carpet, as well! Somebody in the editing dept. missed that one!
Here’s another one I’m wondering about. At the restaurant, Danny found the fish with the bullet still in it, Steve pulled it out, and said that the bullet must have passed through the victim and lodged in the fish. Sooooo, how did the fish scales get into the bullet wound of the dead guy if the bullet passed through him before entering the fish? Anyone got a logical explanation?
@Lynette : The fisherman might have been knocked down or kept down and leaning on the fish when he was shot, or the fish was hunged and the fisherman standing right in from and propelled against it, so when the bullet when through him, then into the fish, the scales transfered to the closest body, the fisherman’s.
That lifts another question : how didn’t anyone before noticed the bullet hole in the fish ? The fishes weren’t packed when he was killed, and the killer didn’t notice the fish also took the bullet (he would have gotten rid of it too), so with Leung dead, his son probably packed the fishes, how come he didn’t notice the bullet ?
I’m going to ignore my own question of how come there was no blood on the boat and on the fish by assuming the killer cleaned everything, and the show spared us with yet another scene of magical black light. But if the killer cleaned the fish, wouldn’t he have seen the bullet hole ? Lol I hate thinking too much about that !
Good point about the fish but what confuses me is the crime scene itself – the victim spies Rutherford sneaking on the plane to escape, father follows Leung back to the fishing boat then kills him – but then how did the body get moved from the boat back to the plane and then get dumped into the mountains?
Wouldn’t it have been simpler to just kill him at the airport hanger and dump the body after instead of killing him at the fishing boat?
Speaking of production goofs (hole in the fish), the pirate episode had a big one too : in the scene in the hangar where the kids are held, Steve only planted explosives in the bag he gave the girl, yet fireworks are seen at 3 differents places…
Actually, Steve got bonked on the jaw by the boulder. Some guys have an iron jaw. It was landing that knocked him wonky for a minute. Good point on that rug, though! Hmm…
What’s up! Hya thanks for answering me!
“Actually, Steve got bonked on the jaw by the boulder” I just watch it agian, and you are totally right, but still in is silly that his jaw is intact! come one! if someone hit you hard there, probably it will dislocated your jaw, then that big rock.. will drop some tooth! hehehehe
And also, one another thing is, when Danno took the pic of the man laying on the mountain, the shot looked close in his cellphone, the frist time they showed us. Then, when Danno sent it to Kno the shot was very wide.. how was that?! then,were were Steve? If the place was very short.
About the carpet, once he got the hatch open, he could always have put the carpet back on it, then go down the stairs, close the hatch, and by the divine powers of gravity, carpet is back covering the hatch ! Ok maybe it should not have been as well placed as shown, but still, not impossible !
From Schindler’s List: One scene showed Jews hiding in a trapdoor in the middle of the living room. When they went in and closed the trap door, they pulled a mechanism that drew the rug back over the trap door perfectly in place.
I wouldn’t look too far into this ladies, it’s a styrofoam boulder. No one gets their jaw broken from that 😉
Extra tight butt harness= priceless 😉
Good “catch” about the bullet passing through the victim and then into the fish instead of visa versa. I found it curious that there were so many fish scales in the baggie that Chin had. There didn’t appear to be that many on the victim. Questions: How and why was Chin on the rescue helicopter? When did they all have time to change their clothes? McGarrett in different clothes when picked up by Kamekona at the hospital, same day or different day, he isn’t carrying any belongings. Danny had to hike all the way back to the vehicle to get back to town and then go home to change and Chin had to get back to Five-0 HQ from the the air rescue. How is that they arrived together?
Glad Danny has quite a wardrobe of shirts and ties! He changed his clothes 3 times in one day!
that’s the magic of Hollywood 🙂
“Ma Ke Kahakai” means of the shore or along the shoreline.
the writers missed a bet; Steve should have corrected Danno in his disrespectful labeling of petroglyphs as grafitti. They were expressions of the Hawaiians at the time. and as such, being basically the only written form of expression, and as they are usually concentrated many in one area, the general area is sacred to locals. as are the petroglyphs themselves.
Officer 808, just want to say how much I love reading your review for last night’s episode – geez who would think that the writing was getting worse, there’s no pleasing some but all our blogs and comments have proven them wrong. I love your attention to detail. “Eat another donut” – I thought I heard Danny say that but wasn’t too sure if I heard it correctly. Thanks for confirming because it was really funny.
You truly find a way to keep us all informed of the island and let me tell you from my personal perspective, since the show, your blog and Wendie’s have thoroughly made us see the island’s grace and beauty through your eyes and its not just the beauty of the island the cultural experience in your words have made Hawaii paradise for so many of us. H50 theme motto might be all about family and friends, well ironically that beloved theme is catchy like a virus because all of us have come together in friendship loving H50 and their friendship blending them with ours and that friendship is growing steadily in numbers.
Your work here on this undercover page has not gone unappreciated. Bob you and Wendie – we “heart” you too for all that you do for the show and for all of us living abroad. H50 feels really close to our hearts because of you and Wendie and all the other fabulous Five-0 pages out there, lets not forget their contribution and love they bring to all of us for the show.
Our friendship here extends to our beloved cast, Alex, Scott, Daniel and Grace and even the elusive executive producer, Peter Lenkov has not been able to resist our charm and friendship as he found us as we have found him and the other executives and they are reminded every day of the week how much we love, and admire their work and how can they not not resist sharing their friendship with us with more and more of what they do with photo clips, tweets, and how many of us have complained about seeing so many spoilers out there – how many shows out there can truly share the same joy that we feel each week.
Can any of us truly wish we were some place else? This is paradise for us and one of these days definite plans to visit beautiful Hawaii is in shorter order for many of us and its not just to catch the filming and seeing the cast in action – its to visit and to meet our friends and to visit all the fun places that you have spoilt us all with…and the delicicious looking eating places…yum yum yum!!
Your humor and comment with photos above are just an added bonus for us each week, so thorough entertaining. It never stops us from loving the show does it!!
Mahalo and thank you Bob so much for such a fabulous fun site and for being part of all this adventure and lettting us share it with you. Its just awesome broh!!
Ditto! (was that short enough?) LOL 😉
My sentiments, too!
thanks so much Val, I truly appreciate it 🙂
Ditto to Linda 😉
“We have no professional teams, hence McG has never been to a professional baseball game. ” Well small keed time we all went to da termite palace to see our own professional team, the Hawaii Islanders. At least we all were led to believe the Islanders were a pro team. They began in 1961 and played here thru til ’87. So Steve had many chances to see a pro team play here in Hawai’i.
“One thing, that I don’t like in any show, movie is when the things that are shown are unrealistic.”
that darned TV. We aren’t looking for entertaining escapist fare! We want dry, exacting to life like standards documentaries!
(If we wanted and demanded “realistic”, we would not have any semblance of any Hawaii 5-0 in any form to enjoy weekly, for a major crime is not committed in our islands each and every week)
Great views of Kbay from the Kualoa ‘oawa, and Pali!
The coloration is less severe than before. Easier on the eyes.
It is true. the eps are getting better each week.
Well…the Islanders were a minor league team, not quite the same caliber as the MLB, so I’ll stick with my original contention.
The vivid blues and greens are always easier on the eyes than the yellows, like CSI Miami.
Those CSI: Miami yellows drive me bananas. (Heh. I kill me). 😉 Yeah, it’s a stylistic choice, but the only times you’re going to get that yellow-toned light? Sunset or if a forest fire’s put a lot of particulates into the air — or there’s dust aplenty blowing over from the Sahara.
I grit my teeth whenever I see it; throws me out of the story like one of the more simian nightclub bouncers energetically clearing the floor of riff-raff. I live roughly 180 miles ESE of Miami in Nassau — same weather, same sunlight conditions — and daytime sunlight is bright, clear white light. Late, late afternoon or maybe very, very early morning are about the only times, barring weird atmospherics, that you’ll ever see anything resembling that preposterous yellow. Bah!
That said… I loved how lush and verdant Kaaawa Valley looked in Monday’s episode. Love, too, how it represents the pure, pristine, unchanging — and stunningly beautiful — heart of Oahu for Steve; something his father shared with him in his childhood, seemingly the only thing in his life that hasn’t changed or been taken away from him, something that can’t be twisted or corrupted by the likes of Wo Fat and his cretinous, murderous stooges.
Says a lot about the friendship and brotherhood Steve and Danny have built that Steve wanted to share something that deeply, personally significant to him with Danny — and it says a lot that for all his snark and wisecracking, Danny seemed to get the significance of what was being shared with him.
I think as the season’s progressed that Danny’s come to realize just how much has been taken from Steve — his mother, his home and family when he and his sister were shipped off, his father… even in some ways his sense of self and purpose, in that something he sees as a defining moment in the course his life’s taken — his mother’s death starting him on the path that led to Annapolis, the SEALs, Naval Intelligence — was the result not of a senseless accident, but of cold, calculated murder. Steve’s sharing something with him that has remained sure as bedrock, and I think Steve’s come to count on Danny as being a similar source of sure and unwavering support — solid as bedrock underfoot.
I looked up and read Rudyard Kipling’s “the Thousandth Man” — http://www.readbookonline.net/readOnLine/8727/ — shortly after I started watching H50 and was struck by how much of Steve and Danny’s friendship I see described in those words.
“One man in a thousand, Solomon says,
Will stick more close than a brother.
And it’s worth while seeking him half your days
If you find him before the other.
Nine hundred and ninety-nine depend
On what the world sees in you,
But the Thousandth Man will stand your friend
With the whole round world agin you.”
Of course, odds are this friendship is going to be sorely tested and a least temporarily damaged as the season finale unfolds, which I’ll admit to being more than a little apprehensive about. We’ll see!
Chin… man, oh man, he and Steve are so much alike in their willingness to sacrifice themselves to protect their loved ones — Chin to protect his aunt and uncle, Steve to protect the family he’s found in his 5-0 team. They’re both honorable men, men to whom Family means something vitally important. Neither expected nor requested that anyone stand with them, and Steve seemed surprised to see Danny, Chin, and Kono come to stand with him in Jameson’s office; all for one and one for all. (I think that’s when Steve really got that these three people had become his family, and he theirs). Chin had to go it alone, and I think knowing this is part of what hurts and angers Kono so much. Not that she didn’t stand by him in any case, but had she known, she’d’ve shared the burden with him in some more direct way.
I think Scott Caan was onto something when he said if he had his way, they’d do an episode with no case whatsoever, just time spent exploring who these four people are. This episode is probably the closest they’ve come to date to a wholly character-driven storyline, and it’s given us some of the best work they’ve done to date. Gotta love that. 🙂
Heck, I’ll be the first to admit to a pretty healthy dose of bias where this show’s concerned — I really like these actors and love the work they’re doing to bring these characters to life; you can throw Star Wars-grade effects and Oscar-worthy writing at me ’til the cows come home, and if I don’t like the characters (and yes, the actors playing them)? If I don’t find them sympathetic and appealing in some way, if I don’t want to spend an hour each week in their company, so to speak? Toodles. Away with ye!
Much as I like Nathan Fillion (loved “Firefly” and “Serenity), and much as I enjoy “Castle,” I enjoy H50 more. This cast? This is “lightning in a bottle” casting chemistry on par with Original Recipe Star Trek. They had me at “Ohana.” 🙂
well said my friend 🙂
I’m with you on this one Bert, the show is really well cast, and H50 is different from the other shows, it’s refreshing. Unlike Castle, NCIS, and Bones, where the chemistry is filled with sexual tension, and unlike CSI where there is pretty much no personnal stuff, H50 is all about family and friendship. Though Bones and maybe NCIS deals with that a lot too, in H50 we get to see it. On other shows, it’s one scene in the end, and quickly cut. I like Bones and Castle a lot, but they’re too much alike.
The fact that we have only 4 major characters helps, I think, they all get their fair share of background. That’s why I’m not convinced adding a 5th character is a good thing…
And thanks for sharing the Kipling’s poem, it’s beautiful, and definitely fits what we have here !
Hey, Cecile —
Yeah, that Kipling poem… I remembered the general theme of it, sitting there watching H50, so Googled it and read it through. Really struck me how much and how well it applied to Steve and Danny, to the friendship they were building cargument by cargument.
Wow, so bad…”the Kipling poem” or “Kipling’s poem” not both at the same time ! My mum would slap my wrist if she saw that…By the way, I take this opportunity to apologize for everytime I’ve butchered the English language and made weird sentences ^^
Nice review, well done!
Thank you, Sir! 🙂
that was weird. lower third announces Kaneohe bay, but then we are in a house. not in Kbay.
Chin Ho’s exilement and accompanying stink eye he gets from erryone as depicted in this series is not at all realistic, you wanna talk about realism. And doesn’t anyone hemo da shoes when they enter a house on this show?!
More non realism; Shave ice braddah would not honk. at all. especially three times. No local does that.
Uncle walks in; I need to talk to you.
eh. aunty’s about to kick the bucket.
Try wait, ah!?
The Hilton Hawaiian Village scene was fun. But kinda goofy when da wahine announces tonite’s musical guests: Hapa !and everyone oohs and aahs. But they were standing there the whole time! It aint no surprise!
The greiving mother at the airport and in TV is on the local shows and commercials often. and Olelo channels; some math show…
That’s the every Friday evening fireworks show seen.
s’funny. when you wanna replay it on CBS.com another show pops up, not the one just watched.
Also for those that wanna see more Hawaii, there is a mini show on CBS.com on the H50 pages called Undiscovered Hawaii. with some goofy mainlander host who mispronounces placenames awfully. . they need a local host. But still it’s good for stuff you don’t see often if yer not here.
Hey, BB, izziss how you talk all the time? Or just for making the mainlanders smile? Is fun!
This is something I posted earlier elsewhere:
Once again, I loved the episode without being able to understand exactly why. This show is so strange to me, because they’ve got a formula that throws my brain into a tizzy. It may very well be that it (my brain) is so focused on Alex that the episode goes by without it (my brain) consciously registering what I saw. But that’s not all. What they do is complicated. They put together a whole story with multiple threads that weave together, and I believe there’s a subliminal theme. I’d have to go back over all the episodes with a notebook and spreadsheet to work it all out, but I don’t wanna. This has me amazed every week – the episode ends, and I feel as though my brain has had a workout. I’ve never reacted to a show like this in my life.
…it was wonderful that Danny and Steve were out exploring together, absolutely heartwarming. And Steve wasn’t giving Danny too much grief for not having outdoor skills. (BTW, who knew there were petroglyphs in Hawaii? How cool! Yet another reason for wanting to go.) I love that they’re friends.
———————
Loco moco…shudder.
Fantastic Chef Morimoto fishy scene. Another writer’s concoction out of nowhere in this universe.
Somewhere else an observation was made about the fish scales in the wound and the bullet in the fish being impossible. Anybody else got ideas about that? It’s kinda pointless to wonder though, I guess. It’s come and gone. Maybe that’s the kind of thing that (TV? radio?) reporter cares about.
Hooray for Ando! Wonderful to see him again, very pleased when his name came up in the credits.
“Loco moco…shudder. ”
wait; raw fish is coo witchoo but rice, hamburger and gravy turns ya off?
Nuh-UH. I don’t eat any dead critters.
Great review. Being in Australia couldnt watch in real time but could place the scenes Daniel was tweeting about once I got to see it. I didnt pick up the drop in accent, dont know whether I would being an aussie myself but am gonna go back and have a listen. I too wish they would give more time to Kamekona. He’s a standout in every scene.
Its TV, people, things are allowed to be stretched. We have all named Steve ourselves at some stage whether it be Aquaman, Super Seal etc. My husband walked in as Steve was fixing his arm and said “he going Mcgyver?” Cracked me up. And of course the ” I love you” scene had me going for the rewind button.
The fifth character of this series was shown beautifully last night and I put my hand up saying yes the series has made us want to visit Hawaii as our next holiday desttination. Roll on 2012..
OH and I look forward to every review as much as the eps. Your awesome Thanks
Officer Bob… just have to stop by and say LOVE your review as always!!!
One other thing that I really liked and it was the first time we’d seen it was the team functioning without Steve… We’ve always known (assumed) that Danny was second in command so to speak but what I liked is there was no looking around, what do we do, who’s in charge blah, blah… it was clear that in Steve’s absence that Danny was calling the shots. As I said we “knew” that was the chain of command but it was nice to finally see it.
Loved this epi. It may be my #1 (so far). The writing was terrific AND we got to have the main 4 shuffled up again. Danny and Chin got to take some strong lead roles in this one, saving the day.
The Poke looks delicious. Loco moco – not so much! Hawaii looked so gorgeous in this episode I almost cried. I must get there – soon.
We hike here in upstate NY, but generally we don’t run the whole way like Steve and Danno did, LOL. I thought they might address how in the world Steve got Danno to hike in the first place, but they didn’t – it doesn’t seem like something he would be up for. Alex looked really young in the opening scenes, at least before he started all the bleeding. As for Linda’s comment about why have Steve be hurt – I think that it gives the character a lot more depth, and opens up the rest of the cast to show how much concern they have for each other. Because Steve is so stoic and all about the business at hand, and the fact that he is the only one of the 4 to not have any family around to develop a personal side, the injury allowed the viewers to see how the 5-0 team has become his “family”.
OK, so Chin was covering for Uncle Keiko. It just dawned on me to wonder why Chin would have kept the blueprints of the tunnel to the evidence locker under the floor by his nightstand(Han ‘a’a Makehewa)? Why not destroy them to truly protect Uncle? At least it wasn’t Sr. McG who took the $200k. So, does Uncle step up and clear Chin Ho?
Good point on Steve being the only one of the 4 not to have family around.
Also – thanks for clueing me in on the “have another donut” comment. However, my favorite Danno line was “Not mine! Not Miiiiine!” when mimicing Sal Groves. I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the ad-libbing in this show.
Haha, that was another one of my favorite lines too!! The humor Danny brings to each interrogation scene in the scenes is awesome
Or, in short, Danny is awesome 😉
Good review!
Loved this episode. Seriously loved it, like I would pantomime a heart and point at it.
It hit on every good thing about the show – the team, the humor, the action, the deeper character stuff, and the beauty of Hawaii. I think they’ve really found their groove and it’s totally working, at least for me!
What happened, happened – oh how I would have loved to see DDK’s reaction at reading that line in the script!
I’m hoping that DDK ad-libbed the “happened” on his own!
“who knew there were petroglyphs in Hawaii?” well, I am sorry I am not able to give you all their names but I assure you they most likely number in the hundreds of thousands.
“BB, izziss how you talk all the time? Or just for making the mainlanders smile?” My sole purpose in life is to entertain the mainlander.
🙂 Now I gotta go read up on Hawaiian petroglyphs. That kinda thing is big deal for me. Like Easter Island. Ancient stuff. Cool.
The petroglyphs in the ep were all painted on by the set decorators/prop master; you noticed a light area framing the petroglyphs, that is not how they look in reality, but visual poetic license is taken so viewers can see them prominently, they will stand out in the quick cuts as we glimpse them. They are painted on in watercolor so they are not permanent. defacing any rock permanently is frowned upon here. so they did it pono, of course. Yes. Rapa Nui is fascinating too. Doing a DVD documentary on it based on a decades old archaeological expedition and never before seen Moai pictures. In fact there exists much intriguing cross over in the iconography of Peru/easter island/polynesia/ The Maori… they realistically could make a fascinating episode tying in all these elements together. Imagine the team breaking a murder/smuggling ring with international/Polynesian connections that tie in ancient and modern elements with maybe a priceless ki’i akua or rock carving artifact as the McGuffin!
great observations 🙂
“Chin asks Kono if she wants go for a loco moco at Ono Laulau.” with all the actual local spots mentioned lately and product placements, they coulda said a real names, hah? or maybe some inside jokes such as: “eh tita. like to Ono Helena’s fo da kine? – Eh cuz. like hele on down to Yamada’s fo some ono loco moco o wot?
Ossifer, are you gonna translate for us?
hello, tough girl, would you care to visit the eatery known as Ono Helena’s with me so that we may partake of their particular offerings ?
Hey there cousin, would you happen to have any inclination to walk in a forward manner with me towards a favorite eatery known as Yamada’s so we may perchance imbibe in their particular brand of our delicious favorite national dish of Hawai’i or would you instead prefer something diametrically opposite?
lool I hope you stick around Braddah, it could be fun !
LOL – thanks for the Pidgin => Kings English translation!
I don’t know what is funnier, the pidgin or the translation. seriously lmao!!!!
Auuuh, thengyew vurry mush.
Much obliged.
Thanks once again Officer for extending awesome H50 time on two or three days (no sarcasm here, it makes the waiting til next episode much shorter !)
I won’t state the obvious (Grace was finally allowed to show us her skills ; Danny and Steve were cool and funny…), I only have a few remarks to say about this ep. :
– Running UP a moutain ? Are you crazy, people ?! Hiking and enjoying the view, yes please, but running to it…I was tired just watching them !
– After feeding us with shirtless Steve and shirtless Danno the first half of the season, they now want to make sure we see the rest of it. Today’s was all about calves, biceps and tight butt pants ! Oh well, if you insist, we’ll watch that too 😉
– In the same vein, that dock to ship leap was awesome ! I might have rewound a couple of times to watch it again, it reminded me of hidden gap bonuses on Tony Hawk pro skater games ! Kuddos to the stuntmen, really cool.
– I’m having mixed feelings about the money theft. I’m glad it’s not linked to Wo Fat (as far as we know….maybe there’s more to it than what we learned), because I was getting the feeling that eveything that had happened to Steve and Chin the past 15 years was all fitting in a big twisted scheme, and I don’t like that idea. It’s too easy to say ‘everything is part of the plan’. But at the same time, is anyone else is disappointed about the resolution of Chin’s secret ? His Uncle took the money to save his wife, and that’s it ? I guess we’ve been building up theories about Chin covering for Jack McG. for so long I actually started taking them for granted !! Rookie mistake !
– I felt very very angry at Chin’s uncle. I get that most of his family disowned him after behind kicked off, but why did his uncle played that game too ? Kono did stay in contact with Chin (and she didn’t know the truth), why not Uncle ? It feels extremely ungrateful considering what Chin did for him. The man ruined his life, his career, and he refuses to see Chin…
Officer, you asked about how Malia fits in all this. From what we’ve been told a couple of month ago, Chin broke up with her, to protect her from being exposed to the same pariah label he’s been tagged with. Maybe her family is very close to Chin’s family, and them staying together would have meant that Malia would have had to be estranged from her family, and knowing how hurtful it is, Chin didn’t allow it ?
– As for the secret enveloppe dropper, I have no idea who’s doing it, and why. I must say I’m totally lost on this one. I don’t think it’s Wo Fat trying to lure Steve. He made it clear at the noodle restaurant that Steve should’nt go any further (even if none of us expect Steve to actually step down), so why would he tease him like that ? And if Kaye has the tape recorder, doesn’t the CIA also have the rest of the toolbox contents ? Anyone has any ideas ?
Cécile, about everything being part of a big twisted scheme, you’re right, that’s been strange. Too much like Lost. (Not artistically speaking but in terms of mind games.) On the envelope drops, you have an excellent point about why it oughtn’t to be Wo Fat. But unless there’s still a mystery adversary, doesn’t that only leave Jenna Kaye? That seems like a stretch, because we’d have to discover that she’s smarter and meaner than she seems. I don’t want that. Phooey.
I also tend to agree about the resolution of Chin/uncle/money equation. A little bit of a letdown – but there’s still drama to come out of it, if Uncle is going to come clean and clear Chin.
About Malia, though, somewhere else I read that she may have been too close as a doctor for Chin and Uncle to risk her finding out about the black-market organ transfer. Still not clear. (But that did make me wonder, if you can get a black-market organ, how do you get a doctor to do the transplant?)
Well, on Off the Map, a doctor was the one brokering the deal, LOL.
I didn’t make the Malia being a Dr/ Chin Ho protecting her from the scandal connection. Thanks!
I wondered about that too. Good thinking about protecting Malia from the scandal, but maybe she was actually involved, and she’s the one who performed the surgery. I’m not sure, she’s an oncologist, right ? Could she have transplanted the kidney ?
Good one, Bob.
aloha Robin!
Okay, here is my gut reaction.
1.) First and foremost, great episode like usual.
2.) Loved the opening scene with Steve and Danny on the ridge looking at the view. Even though I felt so sorry for Steve as you could just see the heartbreak in his eyes that he’ll never get to experience that view with his Dad again.
3.) Loved that for once Danny got to rescue Steve. The only thing that would have made it better is if we would have gotten some good old fashion Danny razzing about how he had to save the Super Seal. Also, would have liked to have seen some razzing about Steve having never been to a Pro baseball game especially in light of Danny being a Yankee fan. Of course, there is always future episodes for that. 😉
4.) Gotta give kudos to Grace and Daniel as they hit it out of the park ( yes I am with Danny in being a baseball fan, having grown up in the city with the first pro baseball team) with their storyline. Finding out that the uncle took the money and Chin took the fall fit perfectly with Chin’s loyalty to his family. Also, I don’t think we have to worry about the rumored offer that Chin is suppose to receive in an upcoming episode to return to HPD. He knows who his family is and where he belongs and said as much in the car.
Also, loved that we are starting to see some of the realities of being a cop starting to hit home with Kono, especially that the world may not be as black and white as she would like it to be in light of what her uncle did for her aunt. I’m really looking forward to seeing how Kono’s character grows next season from a rookie to a more seasoned cop.
5.). Lastly, but not leastly does anyone else think that not only is WoFat responsible for sending the evidence back to McGarrett piece by piece, but also for replacing the 10 million dollars?
I think that WoFat is not only trying to mess with Steve’s mind, by let him know that I know every move you make, but he is also using these things to keep McGarrett off-balance and study how Steve reacts so that when they do face off WoFat will know his opponent well. Of course, some my speculation is based off an interview that Co-executive producer Paul Zbyszewski gave where he stated:
“as far as McGarrett’s tape recorder goes, “We always envisioned that Kaye recovered it from a CIA raid on one of Wo Fat’s safe houses,” he explains. “Then, after listening to the personal recordings of John McGarrett, she realized he was onto something. So Kaye came to Hawaii in the hopes that she’d find other evidence that might help her locate our legendary ‘big bad.’” Finally, how did Wo Fat know about the meeting at the noodle house? Responds Zbyszewski with a laugh: “He’s Wo Fat!””
I mean why would the tape recorder have been left behind in a safe house unless WoFat wanted it to be discovered. Why not destroy the evidence the moment that you got your hands on it, why risk someone finding it. Unless, you want to mess with Steve psyche and the reason for that maybe as simple as looking back to the pilot episode from the original series.
I don’t I know how many of you have actually seen the 2 hour pilot episode from the original series that introduced WoFat for the first time, but in it WoFat had come up with a unique way to psychologically torture CIA agents, so that they would spill secrets about the US. As such, McGarrett went undercover as a CIA agent, got himself captured by WoFat and endured the torture, but didn’t break before being rescued by the rest of the Five-0 gang while WoFat escaped and thereby setting up the 12 season rivalry between the two. So I wonder if the Lenkov and company aren’t having the updated WoFat play these psychological warfare games (don’t investigate, but I am going to send you evidence that is going to tempt you) as nod back to the original.
Plus, I wonder if WoFat might not have played a part in obtaining the black market kidney for the aunt and hence how he would have know about not only the money, but Chin’s connection to it.
Well, these are just my thoughts. Anybody else have any ideas?
Di @ hawaii-five-0.proboards.com
PS – I am not old enough to have watched the original when it was on,but I have been watching it on DVD, I have say while it is different in character from the current version, is definitely worth watching, as you can see where TPTB might have gotten some of their ideas from.
5.). Lastly, but not leastly does anyone else think that not only is WoFat responsible for sending the evidence back to McGarrett piece by piece, but also for replacing the 10 million dollars?
Yes, I’ve always thought that. I think he is masterminding a big cat and mouse game.
Lots of interesting thoughts here – I wondered about what Danny said up in the mountains that maybe Wofat is luring Steve into his trap – but if Wofat is supposed to be like the original psycho genius – then in a twisted way it really does make sense that he is the one planting all the evidence around. Steve mentioned something about a “matchbook” didn’t quite clearly pick that up but I don’t recall that as being part of the stuff that was in the toolbox. He also didn’t get all the stuff back so its more than likely Wofat’s really deliberately messing with Steve – he also knows a lot about Jenna too since she’s investigating the death of her fiance so maybe Wofat sent the tape recorder to her to string them both along. At the noodle place “know the man who’s trying to know you” – it could very well be Wofat behind all the games.
Secondly I really like what you said about Chin now that we know he’s secret – does he get his old job back – because Kono told the truth about what their uncle did or did the uncle come forward to clear Chin’s name. I can’t see Chin wanting to leave Five-0 to go back to his old job after everything he’d been through. Wofat’s quite a big mystery….just wish we knew more about what he is up to!!
mahalo Di 🙂
Great review Officer!! I concur that this episode was extremely well done as to the story line and procedural aspects, it seemed to flow much better than a couple of the more recent ones where you felt like you were watching two seperate shows. I don’t know who would say the writing is getting worse, must be smoking pakololo.
@ Textbook and @ BigBraddah ha ha ha! I knew someone was going to ask Officer Bob to translate the pidgin! Love the pidgin. Or as Danno does…Eye, draws a big heart… well, you get it!
It was a bit of a letdown the Chin, money thing. The scenes with Kono tho were oustanding.
Agree with Cecile, love that the podcast and the blog can make the days between the next episode not be so long and dreary. Thanks Officer Bob!!
Well, okay… here’s the deal. I HAD a TERRIFIC review sitting in Word just waiting for the Undercover blog to come on and get us all started rolling! Then the TAXMAN called.! Come to town, NOW! Oops, what’d we do wrong this time? Anywho, that was yesterday – and no way to get my review posted until today. Then I read everyone else’s reviews, and what the hec – I have nothing new to add! But, after reading it over today, I might as well post it. (Linda, I really didn’t throw it out the window, after all.)
So, read it if you want, or hit that elusive “return to top” button! I’m warning you, though, it’s 1,133 words!
Let me just say this right off the bat – I HEART YOU ALL! Undoubtedly the newest phrase to go into the New H5-0 lexicon dictionary! Not only that, but it will be the most beloved of all new terms from Season One, unless they’ve got some more great emoticons in the final 4 eps!
Did we have fun last night, or what! Mr. Undercover, if my lasso could have stretched from Montana to Honolulu last night, you would have been on the receiving end of a choke down with that “THEY’RE AMPUTATING STEVE’S ARM tweet! Since I was sitting there staring at a computer screen because the episode was not on yet for me, I came near to throwing my computer up in the air when I jumped a mile. I’m so glad YOU had fun with that!
Who knew DDK had such a sense of humor and quick wit, to boot? It was definitely fun, although hard to follow all the tweets at once and it was a good thing I wasn’t watching the episode, too. I know most people had to rewatch to get it all! His tweet about whether he and Scott would have more scenes together? “I hope so, he’s a good kisser.” WOW! Just wow!
The episode itself is really very straight forward – there is not going to be a lot of debate or disagreement on this one. No big new mysteries to answer. In fact, one mystery was solved tonight. We now know who took the $200,000 out of the locker, and why. I have to say, this scenario played out as I expected, although the theory only came to me this past week. It came to me that Chin and Kono’s family business is police work as much, if not more, than Steve’s family business. The only reason I could see why Chin would give up his life’s work and the respect of his police family was FOR his own family. I don’t know how he found out it was Uncle who took the money, but being the very good investigator that he is, I’m sure it didn’t take him long to figure out Auntie couldn’t have gotten that life-saving kidney through normal channels. I think it stinks that Uncle let Chin take the fall and lose everything that mattered to him for three years, but I guess it was important enough.
Kono is so upset with Chin! She can’t understand it either. You may wonder why it was okay for her to steal the $10million to save Chin’s life, but it wasn’t okay for Chin to keep quiet about Uncle taking the $200,000? Obviously Kono saw it as the only way to save Chin’s life, which it was, and they all thought it was going back to the evidence locker after Hesse was caught. And Kono is young and idealistic. She has idolized Chin – he’s why she became a cop, and the people she has put on a pedestal can do no wrong. Also, they do have different personalities. Chin is so Zen – like. “What happened, happened.” (Not being a Lost fan, I had absolutely no idea this was a Lost reference until reading posts here!) I have finally found myself a home – here, with 5-0.” He’s just so “let it go – let the anger just flow out of you.” Very mellow. Kono , on the other hand, needs to take some instruction in how to let things go! She’s, intense, driven , loyal – and good with the roundhouse kick! She’ll come around, in fact, she made a good start by having to be the one to tell the son that his dad was dead, and later, to explain that what the father had done, he had done to protect his family. Experience in real life situations will lead Kono down the path of acceptance and forgiveness, eventually.
Now for Steve and Danny. Wow! What a relationship! The whole hike experience, so impressive! They finally discuss the differences in their life experiences. Steve’s Dad taking him hiking to the petroglyphs every year. Danny going to the Yankees games. Steve admitting he’d never been to a professional ball game. Steve telling Danny in a few years he can bring Grace to see the carvings, Danny laughingly telling Steve Grace would rather want to get a mani/pedi! Steve is finally opening up to Danny – telling him look at the scenery – it hasn’t changed in all the years, lots of other things have, but not the scenery. That’s kind of heart-wrenching, don’t you think? Then Steve starts talking about his Dad’s case, another item returned from the Champ box. Notice the mention of Kaye? She’s around, just in the background at the moment. At least Steve is talking to Danny about the case.
Then, THE FALL! That was pretty intense! And who would have thought Danny could hoof it up the mountainside that fast to call out for help? Oh, and here’s just a slight digression to my feminine side – DID YOU SEE THE ARMS ON HIM? Okay, got that out, feel better.
Everyone is talking about the adlibbing on this episode. Yeah, it was awesome. Sorry, using that adjective a lot today! Danny’s “I heart you” actually blew me away. Finally! Finally, he let’s Steve know he cares for him, as a brother, of course. He’s showing Steve he knows what he’s done for him in the past, with Grace, with Rachel, with Matt, and he appreciates Steve’s friendship. And that had to have been an adlib- what writer in his right mind would ask Scott Caan to do that?
There’s lots of other adlibs throughout the show, and I think the whole episode really allowed the actors to incorporate their own personalities into their characters.
I just want to finish by saying:
I Do NOT know of any show on television that has established this much camaraderie and love between the main characters in the first season. Really, numbers-wise, we’re only 3/4 of the way through S1 before this episode aired. Who does this? How do they know each other’s characters so well already? I’m wondering just a little if the fact that they are filming on Hawaii, not Hollywood, they spend 14 hours a day together, they are not distracted much by outside influences, as well as the fact that they are all pretty much of an age, so lots of similar experiences, etc. to draw from. The writers and producers seem to lead the actors down the given path, and then the actors take over and make it their own. Awesome! And I don’t care how many times I use that adjective – it works!
TAXES? Oh, bad timing! Sorry. Lousy reason to miss the important things in life.
Mmmm…that last paragraph, man, absolutely they’re awesome. As little as I like to watch behind-the-scenes filming itself, don’t you want to watch them do all their work (including the writers) and study them intensely, and see how it works? Are we right about all this, or are we just in love?
I gotta give an appreciation to Lady Diana, who transcribed all DDK’s tweets on the Reboot forum, it was hilarious! “He’s a good kisser” was a LOL.
I didn’t actually pay attention to Scott’s arms, satisfactory though they may be. It’s Alex’s that have had me mesmerized all along. Another of Ossifer’s acquaintances used to post “arm porn” pictures, I miss them. Big, strong, tough. Been used for something other than holding a drink. Oh, dear….
“The only reason I could see why Chin would give up his life’s work and the respect of his police family was FOR his own family.” Well, um, yeah… (Hand smack to forehead) We could have seen that earlier. You’re right again.
I’d like so much to see the whole process, from first draft to final script to what we see on screen, what’s the producers’ involvement in the writing process,…It’d be a cool thing if they did that for 1 episode on the DVDs : have a sense of how it all evolves, the ad-libs and all. I hope they pack the DVD with a ton of extras/bonus.
YOU SEE!!!!!! I told you your reviews are awesome! (oops!) 😉 Thank you so much for retrieving it from the open window!
I like the last paragraph too. The fact that they are isolated in Hawaii, away from the glitz and distractions of LA, probably is a good reason they have all bonded so well. It can’t help to transfer to the screen. Good observation, babe!
Hey Lynette – great review!!! Glad you eventually posted it up. Just couldn’t stop laughing at all your comments and the lasso bit – oh I couldn’t agree with you more when I read that tweet – awwww – how could he even suggest something sooo horrible, poor McSteve. But that night I’m glad you joined the group – it was confusing but it was fun!!
I agree with you and Linda that the charm and grace of the island truly finds a way to bring people closer together and look how quickly Alex and Scott fell in love with the island and the culture – its really gorgeous. One of these days we really need to do a group visit and see for ourselves – all the treasure that O’ahu has to offer not just the other islands. Maybe we can understand how easy it is for the cast to get along so well. Have to wonder if Scott would ever think about moving to Hawaii too in the future or would he still prefer to live in L.A.?
yeah I wonder if Danny’s “I heart you” was impromptu.
“Or, in short, Danny is awesome”
Now, now. He wears elevator sneakers as it is, give him some slack.
Listened to yer Mike Buck thang. Cool stuff. Aside form the interruption of a heavy metal song and Mike’s slurred sentences, I loved the interview. You a regular on his show now?
Incidentally, the petroglyphs seen in the ep are not as seen in life; more artistic license; These are too high. Hawaiians carved their imagery on smooth pãhoehoe lava, cliff faces at body level, or smooth interior cliff walls and along trails the ancients traversed. It took quite a bit of effort to carve and chisel the ki’i, they would not have done any above about a 6 foot height. No handy ladders in Old Hawai’i.
Holy one word answers batman. I simply can’t compete so my review is simple. Awesomeness! !!!!!
First of all let me tell you how absolutely awesome your blog is. Thank you so much for giving us such a fun place to exchange our thoughts about Hawaii Five-0. Your recaps of the episodes are always a joy to read, but this one gets the grand price. Your best yet. And very fitting for one of the best episodes so far.
Your “hiking with Steve” that was just priceless. So funny.
With that said let’s go straight to the episode.
That shot at the beginning, wow that is really breathtakingly beautiful. Someone wondered about how many people are going to Hawaii be course of the beauty seen on the show? Well I can tell you, my next bigger vacation in 2012 is going to be Hawaii. The plans are already in motion and I can’t wait to see it for myself.
What I liked most about the very beginning, besides from the landscape, was how McGarrett opened up to Danny. How he talked about his father, how much emotion he revealed. That is very rare and I think it should be treasured, be course we won’t see it that often. I think even Danny was a little bit shocked about that much emotion from McG.
When Danny said “maybe Wo Fat wanna lure you”, did he want to imply anything by that? Is he questioning McGarrett sen. in any way or even Steve? Could this be part of the big earth shattering break in the team? Danny voicing something along that line to Steve and breaking the trust and friendship? Wow where did that come from, I did not just form that thought it just came out. Let’s not go there, that is dangerous territory. 🙂
Who in their right mind would RUN up a hill? Well yeah OK, we’re talking Steve and Danny here, so of course they would do things not the normal way. No normal person would see some newly broken twigs and instantly know that there is something wrong, like a dead body at the foot of the cliff. (Does that count as a cliff?) Well anyway, I understand that McG is probably prepared for almost anything with his backpack and all. So no wonder that he got climbing gear with him. But what I was wondering, why did he have no harness for Danny? Did he want to climb alone on their trip? I mean wouldn’t it be logical to bring gear for the both of them?
Absolutely loved the whole climbing action. OK it was not very realistic. But who cares. The going down was really good, and very well done by Alex I might add. But the going up? Don’t get me started on that. You do not let your partner grab the slack like that. That was just ridiculous. No way anyone can hold on to the rope if one falls down. That is just plain stupid and was an accident in the making. BUT this is a TV show and not a documentary about the proper safety of climbing so I’m not complaining at all, since this gave us a really great fall of McGarrett.
OK the boulder to the face was maybe a bit much and the stunt-man was clearly visible (not such a great shot). But some people are complaining about McGarrett falling that deep and crashing really hard to the ground and not getting hurt more badly. Well let me tell you something. First I think he is pretty badly bruised, but we don’t need to see that, it’s a given and that is what your imagination and fan fiction is for. And secondly, more importantly, it is not unrealistic to walk away from a fall like that. A good friend of mine fell from a roof. He fell a bit more than 30 feet (10 meters) to the concrete floor. He walked away with just one broken rib, some bruising and abrasions. Nothing else. Since that day he is celebrating two birthdays. That is why I’m not questioning Steve’s fall, something like that happens. Of course most people would have sustained serious injuries, like fractured hip, pelvic, skull or even spinal injuries, broken shoulder and such. But McGarrett is not like most people. Just like my friend he didn’t die like any other probably would have.
Of course there is still the question why did they write an episode where he got hurt like that. Not that I’m complaining, but I’m asking myself. I think they did it to show us, that he is very much human. He makes a mistake – he gets hurt. Simple as that. And of course it shows us how very close Steve and Danny already are. The closer they get, the more devastating any break would be.
My favorite scene of this part? Steve fixing his arm with just duct tape and some branches. All done before the pain really sets in.
I broke my arm many years back while playing volleyball of all things. It takes some time for the pain to register, but when it does? Wow it really hurts. Again some people are complaining that Steve gets the “wrong” kind of cast. Well it all depends on where the brake was. Mine was pretty close to the wrist so I only got a cast like Steve. But if the brake is more to the elbow, well than your elbow gets included in the cast. You need the next stable bone to stabilize a broken bone without an operation. But again, this is TV and how could Steve run around and solve crimes if he could not bend his arm? So just imagine the brake was pretty low on the forearm. Isn’t it fantastic what seems important enough to think about so lengthly and even write about it? Oh well.
So back to the show. Danny again running up that hill. OK this time he really had a reason to do that. To get help as quickly as possible. BTW, with always prepared and all, why didn’t Steve have a satellite phone in his back back? If I were head of Five-0 I would have one on my field trip. Just wondering.
Something made me laugh, Danny was just getting back and got Steve up the Hill, when the chopper arrived WITH Chin on board. First, how long did it take Danny to get back to Steve, did he take the scenic route? And how the heck did Chin get on that chopper. He told Danny from the office that the medivec is on its way. I don’t think that they stopped by HQ to pick up Chin. So how the heck did he get on the medivec?
Personally I think the whole rescue was cut a bit short, but it gave us the most amazing and cute scene with Danny’s “I heart your” sign. These two are the team of the decade. I dare say couple of the decade, they are so brilliant together.
Almost 12 minutes into the show and the crime solving begins. I liked it how the dove right into it. Shipped Steve of to the hospital got a change of cloth and get to the crime solving right away. That was great. Just one question. What day was it? I thought with Steve and Danny not working it would be Saturday or Sunday, but why would Kono and Chin be at the office on the weekend, if not on a case. If they were on a case, than Steve and Danny would not be out hiking. I guess I do think too much about those things.
Yes I agree that Danny is clearly the second in command. But I guess there never was a question about it. Right from the beginning, McGarrett made him his partner, and his second in command. But still it was very nice to see that there is no question on the team about the command structure.
The show has established an amazing team. Everyone works with everyone really great. No matter in what constellation, they are always great together. They just click together.
I really liked that they send Kono to make her first death notification and to interview the victims son. That was a big step for her. You could feel how hard that was for her. Great job by Grace Park. When I saw the son, I knew I saw him before, took a minute to figure out he was with “Max” in Heroes. I thought, yes, please take him down to the morgue. But she didn’t, no meeting with Max.
Please tell me one thing, tell me that the water in the harbor is not that beautiful green-blue? Please not in the harbor. Did you see water in a harbor? I mean a normal harbor. It is not a pretty sight. Please just tell me that the harbor water is not beautiful as well. 😉
I loved the interrogation of that fisher guy. Chin is so cool. That was very McGarrett-like. Loved it.
So now we finally know where that money from the locker went. I can completely understand Chin, why he kept quiet about it. It’s not in his nature to betray his family. What I don’t get is Kono. I’m sorry kid, but the world is not just black and white. “You are a cop, you are supposed to tell the truth.” Excuse me? Was that your evil twin that went with McGarrett to steal (sorry borrow) 10 Mio. from that same locker? Or are you suffering from some form of amnesia? As far as I know she did the very same thing, she also is protecting her Five-0 family. Why doesn’t she see that?
BTW I never thought about the problems about organ donation on an island. That really must be pretty difficult, with not so many people on it. The mainland is pretty far away, probably too far for most organs to get delivered in time. So I imagine the black market is much bigger than on the mainland. Very good to shed some light on to that. Even if it was just in passing.
It was nice to see Kamekona again, even if it was in a short scene to pick up Steve from the hospital. “Big Sale on Ice.” Made Steve wait for him. LOL
Even if Kono, Chin and Kono are very capable of investigating without their boss, I think the investigation really took off after he joined them again. I can’t explained it, it was just like the speed of the episode got faster, more alive. Hard to explain. It was kind of funny to see Steve almost bouncing around. I mean he just came out of the hospital with a cast on and sure a lot of bruises, maybe even a mild concussion. But he is just going like the energizer bunny. Will probably crash hard at night. LOL
The scenes at the restaurant with Danny and the fish are just hilarious. “You will pay for that.” Can’t wait to see Danny’s revenge. That is probably why Steve doesn’t want Steve to write on his cast. I would be scared too about what he would write on it. Maybe Steve should start sleeping with his eyes open.
Here is another thing that really got me laughing. Poor Danny. Even with a cast on, Steve is still driving. 🙂
And he is still kicking some ass. Well OK it was pretty easy with that guy in the cellar. But still. Very nice job boys, you are working perfectly together.
I think it was very nice that they gave Kono the opportunity to tell the son of the victim that they caught the killer.
Really liked the scenes at the airstrip with the parents, great music. H50 is really extremely good with their music-choice and closing scenes. Even if this was not the end of the episode.
That came a bit later, and it was kind of bitter sweet. The friends together as a family, laughing and enjoying each others company. And then getting the news of the death of Chin and Konos aunt. Well that is life for you. Life and death is always very close together. There isn’t one without the other.
This episode is my second favorite of all of them. Right behind the Pilot, which I think was brilliant and perfect.
Wow, this is the longest review or whatever you will call it, I’ve ever written for anything.
And you did a wonderful job, too. All very good points. Isn’t it fun to get this into it? Welcome to the world of the truly verbose! ( I had to look that word up – it means using way too many words in prose to get a point across). Who on this site is guilty as charged? Form a line behind me!!
Thank you for teaching me a new word. Just love it. And yes I am guilty as charged. 🙂
I think it was on a weekday. At the end of the episode, they’re at the Hilton Hawaiian, and there were fireworks, which they usually do on Fridays. So from there, that day they brought Rutherford into U.S. custody, and the night before (Thursday), they arrested Rutherford Sr, and did all that investigative-y stuff during the day. SO, the day they were hiking was probably Thursday morning. Woohoo!
Which makes the storyline’s timeline kind of awkward, because that thursday, Kono said her aunt wouldn’t make it through the night, but she ended up passing on friday night instead.
and well done! 🙂
Unfortunately, the harbor’s water isn’t that pretty 😉
And it can kill ya literally! ma-ke, die dead, arready, you fall in with even a tiny scratch on yer skin! Especially near the mouth of the Ala Wai.
Well, not much left to say, thanks to all the earlier posters. 🙂 Hopefully these rather random comments have not been covered in depth already – they are just some things that came to mind while I watched and afterwards during pondering.
1. Thanks Officer, for the food orientation. I had no idea about loco moco. But now I see it in your blog, it reminds me strongly of poutine. I guess every culture has a similar version of comfort food? I’ll go with an order of poke for myself. Or bibimbab.
2. Got my wish to see Danny in the jungle (well, not quite in the depths of the jungle, but close enough). Glad to see that he has some appropriate clothing for it. Did Steve take him shopping first? I was truly impressed by his hill running ability.
3. OK, Hiro did NOT arrange to have the $200K removed to set Chin up and stop his investigation. Big Fail on that theory. 🙂
4. Is Wo Fat returning Champ box article or is it the CIA? Putting together the Paul Z comments that Diana quotes above with the casting call for Jenna that Officer Bob posted back in December (the 6th, I think) in which Jenna is described as a “serious person with a practical joker’s sense of humour”, it might actually be Jenna that’s doing it.
5. The fish scales in the wound. I was really wondering about this, too. The only way I can see the scales getting onto the exit wound in such a tight distribution is if Jack had fallen onto the catch, the bullet went through him and into the fish he was lying on, and the scales were blown back onto his wound. If the fish wasn’t tightly pressed onto Jack’s back the scales would have had a wider spatter pattern. Hey, Max, what’s your take?
6. I found the tone of this episode was a quite bit different from most of the previous ones. Kimmer in particular mentioned improve by the actors, but I actually got the feeling that the actors grabbed the script and ran away with it. Hijacked it, actually. Especially the scene with Steve and Danny at the beginning, and at Morimoto’s restaurant. I don’t know what was slipped into their water bottles, but I have a hard time believing that they were following the scripted text, that was way too much fun. If I’m dissing the writer, I apologize, but…. Anyway, I loved it.
7. Really appreciated the musical score in this ep. iTunes, here I come.
8. So, Steve has climbing gear in the “backpack o’ plenty” (with a salute, thanks, and lol to Bert), but the only first aid item is a roll of duct tape? But I guess he wasn’t bleeding badly enough to dig out the Super Glue. I am beginning to think of Steve’s pack as something akin to Hermionie’s bottomless purse from Deathly Hallows.
Thanks to everyone for the fun posts and Bob for the venue.
RE: Steve’s backpack – did he have to buy another cammo backpack after Hesse threw it in the fire, or does he have multiples???
Lol, I’m sure he has an closet full of them, along with flashlights, Iphones, dark toned t-shirts and cargo pants !
Mayber they’re even pre-loaded, and labelled : “In case I break my arm while hiking” ; “Rescue mission on a boat in Pearl Harbour” ; “Empty : to fill with 10 mil $ stolen from the HPD and to be burnt by my almost archnemesis”…Endless possibilities !
great analysis! 🙂
Just a couple more things I noticed….sorry if they have been mentioned before. I noticed a couple of subtle references to things from previous episodes.
1) I was wrong in my original review. Jenna doesn’t think someone other than WoFat is sending Steve evidence. She does think it’s WoFat playing some kind of game with Steve. When Steve says to Danny “maybe someone is trying to lead me to WoFat” Danny replies “maybe WoFat is trying to lure you”. I’m reminded of the General Pak episode, at the end, when Steve said to Danny “you have good instincts, partner”. Danny DOES have good instincts. If Danny has a feeling about WoFat, I would give it serious consideration Steve.
2) Steve found the dead body over the side of a cliff that was not visible from where they were standing looking at the petroglyphs. Steve turned away from the wall and noticed broken branches on the brush at the rim of the ledge. I’m reminded of the Julie Masters episode where Steve and Chin were tracking the assasins through the jungle and Steve said to Chin “tracking humans …. is a matter of seeing what is out of place in nature and knowing what caused it”
3) Lastly, other than when Danny introduced his brother “Matthew” to “Stephen”, do you notice that the only time Danny calls him “Stephen” is when he is angry or exasperated with him. I think it comes from Danny’s upbringing and his marriage to Rachel. We’ve already seen that Rachel calls him “Daniel”. And I am sure, his mother, like all mothers, called him by his full name when he was in trouble.
I’m sure I’ll come up with more. I’ve only watched the episode 5 times since Monday. A few more viewings are in order!
LOL Linda, 5 times since Monday? I don’t even want to count how many time I will watch till next Monday. 🙂
LOL – good points, Linda – my mother “ruined” Kimberly for me by using it only when I was in trouble. Danny WAS sort of exasperated with Steve and Matt when he introduced them, so it fits.
And I’m tied with you on DVR paybacks so far. I am so afraid for my sanity during summer hiatus.
LOL I hear you Kimmer! My mother did the same to me except that because Linda is as long as Linda gets she really would scream out my ENTIRE name. You know you’re in major trouble when you hear “Linda Maria Grace” bring screamed out the window!
Maybe you’ve noticed, but I haven’t had as much time to post comments and participate in the conversation here as much as I would liked recently – I’ve been very very busy at home and at the office and trying to maintain the work-life balance has been kicking my a$$! But I’ve been reading & loving the blog entries and the ensuing comments. I haven’t had opportunities to write out my responses, but I am reacting to your comments out loud as I read them! Officer Bob – LOVED this entry. As always, lots of great local context, inspired insights and down-right laugh-out-loud moments!
I am STILL reading through all the comments for this episode! Granted, I started reading Wednesday night and there was already 100+ when I started.
Nothing new to add, but one thing I did want to say at the risk of repetition, Sheesh, Chin Ho’s family sure can hold a damn mean grudge. And the stinky stinky stink-eye from the kinfolk at Auntie’s house! Hoo-wee. Some of you have commented on how Uncle Keiko was also part of the cold-shoulder brigade. This really got my blood up. He of all people should’ve been actively campaigning his family on Chin Ho’s behalf to soften them up, not participating in the icy treatment! This whole situation speaks volumes about Kono’s openness, acceptance and big ol’ heart, and about Chin Ho’s sense of honor and duty. So awesome to get this kind of character dimension. Love – love – love!!
Speaking of LOVE – I’ve said it before but it bears repeating, I LOVE Kamekona!
I loved the whole episode, in fact. One of my favorites all season for all the reasons the others have mentioned. And as with the show itself and the characters on H50, I am loving this blog and the community here even more and more as the season goes on! Each one of you has your own personality, your own style, your own take. Thanks for the laughs and the thought provoking, sometimes mind-exploding theories, and once in a while, the moments of sheer amazement and the attention to detail and the incredible recall and the general devotion to this awesome show!
yeah we missed you! 🙂 thanks for your input… great comment about the stinky stink eye. That scene caught the family awkwardness perfectly.
I just learned d H50 jumped ship from CBS to TNT!
Is it a good thing or a bad thing ?
Good! Means syndication! In 2014! So our beloved H5-0 will be around for a very long time! Hoorah!!
neither. so far. time may tell if it remains ok, improves things or deproves things. beside I hear the transfer may not go into effect for quite a while. By then CBS may very well regret selling out this growing cash cow.
Ok, thanks. Yes, I’ve read it was for 2014.
Whoops, I thought it was a good thing! Posted that reply before reading down to yours, Braddah! Just a little touch of over enthusiam, I’m afraid!
what I am surprised about is the traditional format is kaputski; CBS and H50? soup and sandwich since ’68.
Ok..unless I am reading this very wrong it has nothing to do with CBS. CBS will continue to broadcast new episodes while TNT will show the re-runs. If H50 is still producing new episodes in 2014 the show will be on 2 channels at the same time. Everybody Loves Raymond was on for 8 years and for years 4 through 8 it was on CBS and TBS. Again, unless I am reading this very wrong, this is a good thing!
I’m with Linda. I read somewhere that they need five seasons of a show to begin “stripping” it, (running it daily on weekdays) which is why TNT gets it in 2014. CBS will still be producing new shows as long as it remains a hit.
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OMG! this is the best blog ever! I love reading all these comments and observations about the episodes 🙂 I’ve even gone back and read stuff over. Add me to the list of obsessed H50 fans, but without a lick of writing skills, so I’ll be content to just read all of what you all say 🙂 Mahalo!
Aloha Marla, and welcome to the blog, jump in to comment anytime and tell all your friends who are fans to check it out! 🙂 Mahalo nui loa for your kind words!!!
I just love this review as much as I love the episode! I believe everyone received an equal airtime here. Or at least, something like that, in a deeper sense. 🙂
Aloha meikat, thanks for stopping by and your kind words! New recap coming sometime…well when it’s written after tonight episode. 🙂
Big Fan of the Show – Never Cancle it !
Anybody what the name of the backpack is or where i can maby buy it ?
g:)
I feel like the person who’s arrived too late and the audience have left the theatre! Why does that always happen to me – that I find something as good as Hawaii 5 0 so many months after everyone else!
And this is the most wonderful and bestest place to read such complete write-ups on eps! All I did was google: “what does “ma ke kahahai” mean!” I got far more than I bargained for! Read all the comments! What can be added? Nothing to all the enthusiasm for the show!
I love Big Bruddah – he’s like your own version of Kamekona!
It’s clear that there’s lots of discrepancies etc in this ep but with so much to fit into the small time slot, it’d be impossible to think of everything! And sometimes, don’t we just love spotting them afterwards anyway? 😉 My personal favourites are: why does Steve carry a HEAVY reel of duct tape on a mountain hike anyway – a regular first aid kit would have been a more usual thing to carry? And all those fish scales in Danno’s little plastic bag when Steve could hardly have extracted more than four or five?
And Chin Ho’s uncle’s cold shoulder? Might that be more to do with the fact he’s always wanted to come clean and confess that he stole the money and stop this charade that separates Chin Ho from his family but Chin Ho won’t allow it?
Anyway… hope in the future, I can join in these discussions at a more appropriate time and that I haven’t been simply talking to the wind…
I love your cap shots… especially the ones of McG’s cargo pants. The details are exquisite! I loved this episode and by the time he pulled out his role of duct tape… I was a goner. Nothing sexier than a man who carries a fresh role of duct tape with him wherever he goes. Be still my beating heart.
OMG it’s almost time for season 2 to start!!! Counting the days (instead of months and weeks)
Everyone who is going to SOTB – have a great time!
The petroglyphs weren’t real??!! awwww, bugger! =( I just loved them. In fact, I have a small excursion planned to go to authentic petroglyphs near where I live, I’m quite excited about it to tell you the truth. And the Kaaawa Valley? Beyond stunning. Understandable why I hope to live in Hawaii some day! =)
I love the location, the music, the fairly authentic representation of locals and local life, and the comradare. However, the writing on the last few episodes, esp the season finale and the first episode of the new season, has been pathetic. Not the dialogue between the characters, but the situation. Absolutely absurd.