Friday, October 21, 2016

Aloha to Hawaii Five O - He Moho Hou (New Player)


Third Time's A Charm ...

... the third episode of this season's Hawaii Five O finally delivered the mana (power) of this series.  In fact, the episode featured three story lines - the ongoing hunt for the "chess" killer, the crime of the week, and a heartwarming reunion between Kono and her surfing mentor.

Kono dominated this episode. During the crime of the week, she popped up in an unexpected way to save the day. But it is her chance encounter with Rosey Valera - a fellow surfer who often bested Kono on the teen circuit - that added warmth to show. Viewers were treated to a flashback of Rosey on the winner's stand and Kono looking up to her, in second place, with envy. That koa bowl given to surfing champions no longer seems important as Kono discovers Rosey is a disabled veteran living in a tent city.  The producers boldly address a growing problem with returning veterans - their physical and emotional wounds. Rosey asks Kono to respect that she has to "do this" on her own ... but Kono extracts a promise from Rosey.  In the closing scene, we see that promise - Rosey goes surfing with Kono on a modified board.  As they surf together in the present, the producers inserted a flashback with them surfing together as teens to the song, TOUCH THE SKY from the Christian group Hillsong United (link).  I was crying during the closing credits.

Kudos to Grace Park for hitting a home run in this episode.


I assumed the producers used CGI to project Rosey without legs. Oh, was I wrong.  Rosey was portrayed by Kanya Sesser. From Abilities.com (link),

Sesser was born in Pak Chong, Thailand and abandoned at the tender age of one week on the steps of a Buddhist temple. The monks cared for her until she was two-years-old when she went from foster home to foster home.

All that changed when she was six and adopted by an Oregonian couple who brought her to America.

Since then, her life has been a celebration of ability. She skateboards. She surfs. She breakdances. She skis. She races. She models sportswear and lingerie. She acts. She has played every adaptive sport and is gunning to qualify for the Mono-ski competition at the 2018 Paralympics in PyeongChang, South Korea.

But, whatever you do, don’t tell her that she has a disability.

“When I look at life, there’s no disability,” said Sesser. “I don’t see that as being a disability because even though I have no legs, there’s nothing I can’t do. I’m blessed for what I have so that’s all that matters.”



Bonus trivia - when Kono looks for Rosey in the tent camp, she passes by "Aunty" cooking Spam on the grill.  The aunty is Helen Kuoha-Torco, the Tahitian dancer who swayed her hips in the opening credits of the original series.  

Watch the episode from CBS.com at this link.


I am giving away a book choice from my convention stash. To enter the giveaway,

1. Leave a comment about Aunty on the grill - what do you like to cook over the coals?

2. Due to shipping costs, this giveaway is open to US residents only.

3. Comments are open through Sunday, October 23, 10 pm in Baltimore.  I'll post the winner on Monday, October 24.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Surfing lessons on the North Shore



19 comments:

  1. I like to cook turkey kebabs with a home-made mango marinade.

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  2. We only have a gas grill!!!! Hot Dogs on the grill!

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  3. We grill everything we can during the summer. Corn, steaks, whole chickens, burgers and dogs and much more. It really enjoyed this post and shall refer this to my daughter who is an amputee.

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  4. We like chicken and burgers on the grill 😊

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  5. We like chicken and burgers on the grill 😊

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  6. We have both gas & charcoal grills. We do our steaks on charcoal.... pretty much everything else goes on the gas grill.

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  7. I love grilling in the summer but unfortunately that is coming to an end. Although I do all kinds of meats, my favorite thing to do is veggies. I have a metal container that lets me do a nice variety such as broccoli, cauliflower, onions and peppers or asparagus - almost anything you can think of.

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  8. oh wow, sounds like an awesome episode! cant wait to watch it. I was hoping they would get better! That is cool they used an actor with actual disabilities.
    As for grilling, I love chicken. MMMMm..

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  9. cool trivia about "Aunty." I only watched the original series when I was a kid.

    My mom did make Spam a lot when I was a kid. Fried, baked, even into a sandwich spread with hard boiled eggs.

    I love a good burger or steak on the grill.

    denise

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  10. What a wonderful show that must have been. Sounds great. I love cheeseburgers and grilled shrimp off the grill.
    Carol L
    Lucky4750 (at) aol (dot) com

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  11. What a wonderful show that must have been. Sounds great. I love cheeseburgers and grilled shrimp off the grill.
    Carol L
    Lucky4750 (at) aol (dot) com

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  12. Love, love to grill all year long. My hubby grills the best steak. But, I will definitely try spam.

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  13. Confession time--I have never grilled anything ever. But I love grilled food-my brother in law makes great grilled shrimp.

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  14. Cheeseburger on the grill - yum!

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  15. Never grilled anything in my life. Love grilled food.

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