HAWAII FIVE-O has from the start been about an inclusive
family of characters who work together for the greater good of the state of
Hawaii as well as the US. As I’ve noted before, CBS seems to have a lock on putting
together ensemble casts and creating this sense of family in most of their
shows. With this one they actually pull in family members from each character
and involve them as well, from cousins Chin Ho Kelly (Daniel Dae Kim) and Kono
Kalakaua (Grace Park) on the team to Danny’s (Scott Caan) daughter. This season
as in the past has had episodes where even those family members were put in
jeopardy at times.
For those needing a refresher course the show is about an
elite crime fighting force known as Five-O and headed by Commander Steve
McGarrett (Alex O’Loughlin). His second in command is Danny Williams,
transferred to the islands following his ex-wife and daughter to remain close
to the child. The original team included Chin and Kono and later on gained Lou
Grover (Chi McBride) from the S.W.A.T. team. This year the team officially
recognized Jerry Ortega, a conspiracy theorist and computer whiz who began as a
character in an earlier episode, to the team.
But the series lost a regular this year as well. Medical
examiner Max Bergman (Masi Oka) was leaving the series. Rather than kill him
off as some series do, they allowed him to leave for greener pastures. The nice
part about this is should he decide to come back (and the series still here God
willing) the opening is there. An entire episode dealt with his departure, a
nice way for an actor to go out gracefully.
The series had other issues to deal with this year as well.
One running story involved an FBI profiler named Alicia Brown (Claire Forlani)
who came on board to help with the search for a serial killer leaving chess
pieces behind with the victims. The story kicked off the season with Brown
coming in later. For fans the best part of this initial episode was seeing the
image of McGarret from the original show on screen with the current Steve. Not
identified as McGarret seeing Jack Lord who portrayed the character in the
original series was amazing to watch, especially since he passed away some time
ago. Thanks to special effects it was a nice homage to that earlier
incarnation.
Each character was provided with their own episode focus
this year and that helped make them a rounded out cast. Rather than focus on
just one we got to know each better through those episodes. It also helped to
bond the characters together closer as if that were possible.
A second running storyline involved a group of sex
traffickers that pushed Kono nearly over the edge. This story was closed with
the last episode which is a good thing since both Park and Dae Kim have decided
to depart the series after this one. Behind the scenes contract disputers are
involved but not the focus here. How this will play out when the series returns
will be interesting to see.
The show is a nice combination of story, action, great
locations and something that makes it stand out from the rest, a generous
portion of humor. For myself every time I witness Danny and Steve driving down
the road together a smile crosses my face knowing that soon they’ll be talking
about something totally off of the case at hand that will result in genuine
laughs.
It’s hard to believe this show’s been on for seven years
now. It remains fresh for me as a viewer and having the series on disc is a
plus, allowing me to go back and watch the cast develop over time while
enjoying the show as well. That makes this season one to add to the collection.
If you haven’t been watching the series, start and then take the time to pick
up previous seasons to catch up.
Click here to order.
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