Aloha to Hawaii Five O: Ua malo'o ka wai (The Water is Dried Up) - TV Review

As I have previously wrote, Hawaii Five O has been hit or miss for me. Last night's episode - Ua malo'o ka wai (The Water is Dried Up) - was a hit for the secondary characters.  The sum of their contributions bypassed the uninspiring crime of the week. From CBS.com,

McGarrett and Five-0 are captured and face certain death after tracking a dangerous nemesis to the Island of Lanai. Also, Grover takes his son to Chicago where he testifies against a dirty cop from his past.

McGarrett and company discover a nefarious group (probably the Yakuza) is smuggling from an isolated beach on the island of Lana'i - the Pineapple Isle (where the Dole Company farmed the delicious fruit). Naturally, McGarrett pilots the helicopter to take Danno, Chin Ho, Kono and himself to catch the Japanese gang that has reeked havoc on the H50 team last season. No journey with McGarrett and Danno cannot be complete without a cargument (car argument now helo argument). Their bickering like a married couple keeps fans like me coming back for more.

The H50 team are caught off guard by the Yakuza and taken by gunpoint to their camp.  The Yakuza lock them up in a jungle jail of sorts as they pack up their operation. Danno expects Steve - a Navy SEAL - to crack open the steel door.  Steve responds he was trained to blow up things, not pick a lock. Ultimately that's what Steve accomplishes ala MacGyver * and the H50 team chases the Yakuza to the beach. Just as our heroes are pinned down when their ammunition runs out, four helicopters from the Honolulu Police Department (HPD) hover over the beach and officers repel down as reinforcements. The H50 team later thanks Jerry - conspiracy theorist turned special consultant - for taking action when their communication link was disabled.  Jerry contacted the one HPD cop he could trust - Duke - to recruit those who he also trusted to serve as the air cavalry.

* H5O Producer Peter Lenkov also rebooted the new MACGYVER which airs just before H5O on Friday nights. 

In fact, McGarrett rewards Jerry with a coveted H50 badge to welcome him as an official member of their team.  It is this moment that makes viewers forget the predictable story line. We first met Jerry when his high school classmate, Chin Ho, asked him to decipher a puzzle related to a murder.  Since then, Jerry has led the H50 team on a merry chase with other conspiracy theories, landing him with a windowless office in the basement of the 'Iolani Palace where the H50 headquarter themselves.  Actor  Jorge Garcia conveys the emotions that the audience is feeling - Jerry finally belongs.

The episode failed to give us a glimpse of Lanai's unique landscape. Alas, the action remained secluded in the jungle then tumbled onto a beach that could have been anywhere in Hawaii. The episode (and series) also underutilized Duke - a character from the original series.  He is simply a fill in when H50 needs HPD assistance.  I would like to see more of actor Dennis Chun (he is the son of Kam Fung Chun who portrayed the original Chin Ho Kelly).

The icing on the episode takes place in Chicago where Grover travels with his son, Will, for a "boys' weekend" to their hometown. Grover is scheduled to testify in court for a previous case he worked as a member of the Chicago Police Department (CPD). He and his son revisit favorite cop hangouts only to find that Grover is no longer welcome after testifying against his corrupt partner.  Grover painfully learns that he can never go home.  Yet he tells his son that he made the right choice, no matter the consequences.  Sensing his father's sadness, Will has room service waiting for Grover when he returns from court with his favorite foods from the Windy City.  It is the emotional connections - Grover and Will, Jerry and Chin Ho, Steve and Danno - that make Hawaii Five O a must see for me on Friday nights.

Learn more about Hawaii Five O, including cast interviews and full episodes, at this link.

For the month of April, I am giving away a box of books from authors attending RT. To enter the giveaway,

1. Leave a comment food you love from Hawaii or Chicago - I love plate lunches from Hawaii.

I would also have joined Grover in the Chicago hotel room since his son ordered a cannoli! 

2. Comments are open through Sunday, April 30, 10 pm in Baltimore.

3. I will be offline from Monday, May 1 - Sunday, May 7.

4. I'll post the winner on Sunday, May 8.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City