I’ve talked before about how many shows these days have
become strong ensemble pieces, probably more so than at any time in television
history. Now please understand, I’m not saying that shows in the past didn’t
have a huge cast line up but that shows now tend to feature all cast members
almost equally and have them relate to one another closer than before. HAWAII
FIVE-O is a perfect example of this. Each member tends to have a storyline that
runs through the entire series. In addition to that, the entire group’s works
as an extended family in many parts due to tragedies of the past that left each
of them without someone. And here, that works for the better.
If you’ve not seen the show (it’s always best to start from
the beginning) then here is the summation I use with each season. Steve
McGarrett (Alex O’Loughlin) is an ex-SEAL who now heads a special task force
that answers only to the Governor in Hawaii. He continues his search into both
the murder of his father and the disappearance of his mother (who we found out
worked for the CIA in an earlier season). His sidekick is Danny “Danno”
Williams (Scott Caan), a transplanted New Jersian who lives on the island with
his daughter. Rounding out the initial team were Chin Ho Kelly (Daniel Dae
Kim), a police officer wrongly accused of corruption and his cousin, new police
academy graduate Kono Kalakaua (Grace Park).
There have been additions to this extended family that
included Catherine Rollins (Michelle Borth) who was a romantic interest and
naval officer involved with McGarrett but who left the series this season. The
hole created by her leaving left an opening to include two new regulars. Lou
Grover (Chi McBride), an ex S.W.A.T. team leader that the force let go in a
previous season and Jerry Ortega (Jorge Garcia), a computer and research whiz
who also happens to be a conspiracy fan. Both of these characters have been in
the series off and on but this year they became full time members.
As I said earlier, all of these characters have been given
storylines that took the entire team through the wringer in one way or another.
This season Grover had a situation where a friend from his past come to the
island with his girlfriend only to have her die an accidental death…or was it
an accident? Discovering whether or not his friend could have come to where he
lives to commit a murder made for an interesting show.
Jerry had his own hands full in several episodes that led to
the discovery of a counterfeiting ring. Suspicious from the start he is unable
to convince the team that an actual crime is being committed. Working on his
own he ends up captured by the counterfeiters and the team must come to his
rescue.
The longest running arc in this season involved Danny and
his brother, a con man who stole money from Columbian drug lord, Marco Reyes.
Holding his brother captive, Reyes demands that Danny return the missing money
or lose his brother. The arc ran through several episodes resulting in both one
taking place in Columbia as the situation came to a head and a second in which
McGarrett and Danny were facing criminal charges for what occurred in Columbia.
This arc was fantastic combining two of the things that make this series what
it is, a high quality of familial emotion and blistering action that had you
gripping the edge of your seat. That’s rare in a television series.
Through all of these episodes you witness the bonding that
takes place between the characters. Whether it’s a hair raising scene that
involves watching one another’s backs or the comedic verbal sparring that takes
place every time McGarrett and Danny get into a car and drive somewhere (one of
my favorite parts of the show), you know that these characters have a deep
rooted love for one another. It may not be the Robertson family sitting down to
pray with each other at the end of every episode but the care and safety that
these characters place in one another makes this a series that is worth
watching from season one on.
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