Millions of people tuned into last night’s season finale of CBS’s “Hawaii Five-0” — and to mixed reviews.
Fans had a lot to say about the finale, ranging from all-out praise for the show’s cliffhangers and plot twists to unabashed criticism for, well, the show’s cliffhangers and plot twists.
The episode, titled “Oia‘i‘o” (or “trust”), featured every TV plot twist you could think of: wrongful arrest, cold-blooded murder, surprise pregnancy, loyalty shifts, an arsenal of semi-automatic weapons in the possession of the shave ice stand owner. The only thing missing was Grace Park in a bikini.
It was a little much for me, actually. I like being shocked and awed like any other TV-obsessed American. But I didn’t care for the loose plot development leading up to these twists, some of which seem a bit far-fetched and overly convenient. (Even Scott Caan, clearly the fan favorite on the show, thinks some scenes are a bit contrived.)
But there’s no doubt the show offers enough action, humor and “carguments” between Det. Steve McGarrett and Danny “Danno” Williams to garner it a second season. (The show averages 11.9 million viewers every week.)
But Season 2 better be good. And fans are going to have high expectations. They don’t want shallow or emotional storylines. (Folks already didn’t like Danno and his ex-wife getting back together.) They want action, high-speed car chases, gun fights, A-list guest stars, ninjas, female wrestlers and a better wardrobe for Park.
Anyone have suggestions?
18 Comments
Last night’s show was interesting in many ways, over the top in a few others, but it was all entertaining. As for Grace in a bikini that is not really a big deal to me. Grace is a very cool person and looks great regardless of how she is dressed because of that. I personally dig how she looks in a t-shirt and jeans.
Blowing someone up and knocking off a governor is an interesting bit for a TV show to include especially given it does not happen very often in this country. By the end of the show you had to wonder what was left in it for anyone involved. Romance flew back to the mainland, likely safer all things considered. Grace is in jail as is Steve. Chen is back with HPD. That leaves Danno and the new chick to figure out what is going on. Hard to guess what will happen next. Maybe Steve’s girlfriend with the Navy will come to the rescue?
The one scene that did not work for me was the planting of fingerprint evidence. Pretty sure that is still almost impossible to do or it would no longer be admissible as evidence. as for semi-automatic weapons with your shave ice, I could see that. You never know what some people are up to these days. Sort of like when Kelly Preston got shot at Charlie Sheen’s house. Why would he have a loaded gun in his pants in the first place… at home no less. Doesn’t fit does it. But it happened… so maybe the local shave ice guy likes collecting guns. Have a friend who built a carbon fiber room in his basement as part of a self contained safe zone. Loads of weapons in there… it was a shock to see but he is convinced the world is coming to an end. Interesting for an architect, lawyer, MBA to be that way. You just never know.
Love the show, like the action, can’t imagine where it is going with a dead governor but it should be interesting.
Thanks for the review and inventory on what happened! LOL! I think the details are too convenient to force a plot that needs more than an hour to resolve. But then again, that might be why we tune in: to see what crazy storyline the writers came up with this week. (Or at least that’s why I tune in!)
It’ll be interesting to see how the writers wrap up these loose ends. Because, lemme tell you, they’re loose.
The show had the feel this year that it was written by guys who felt they would not get more than a single season… actually more like they were surprised it made it to being picked up for the whole first and weren’t ready to write a full season. The final show seemed it was supposed to generate a lot of loose ends so in the break they could pick and choose what to do with it.
There are a lot of directions they can take with this and that may be because not everyone may want to come back next year. My guess is the writers will study audience feedback and then try to figure out where it will go next.
One thing is for sure, most everything that happened can be sorted out quickly. The one thing that happened that can’t is the break in at the police evidence room. With Chen on the inside it will be interesting to see how that will play out.
I watch because I get to see glimpses of home. And on occasion they get the local flavor right and it feels good. The storytelling is way out in left field but it is interesting.
CAT,
Can’t you just see it? The governor is really McGarrett’s mother…an affair with with his father when he was HPD and she was a defense attorney. Danno gets implicated in an adultery suit by his ex-wife’s husband and is forced to declare bankruptcy and live on the sidewalk near Old Stadium Park. Kono is set to jail and becomes a target for corrections officer advances. Chin becomes a police captain and has nothing to do with the 5-0 guys as he gets implicated in some overtime pay scam. McGarrett is sent to prison to wait out the trial which takes forever due to the backlog. He is 58 by the time his trial comes up. Meantime, he gets prison tats and runs the haole gang in the joint. The haole gang is small due to lack of convicts. He runs drugs and guns in the big house and puts a contract on Wo Fat who happens to be his supply source. Then it is revealed that Wo Fat is really related to Chin Ho…they have the same mother who happened to be a Fat Ho.
I can’t wait for next season!
Hey, you should be a writer on the show! I love where this is going! 🙂
Hello Cat, now we have to wait a whole season to find out what happened….
I’d love to know what Scott Caan thinks of the Rachel/Danno fiasco. I have a feeling his opinion wouldn’t differ too much from most of the fan reaction I’ve been reading … and it ain’t been kind.
I also have faith they’ll wrap this up fairly quickly in the season 2 premiere. We know McGarrett’s fingerprints were planted in Laura’s house, and that’ll be easy to clear up. As far as the evidence of him shooting the Governor? No gun powder residue on his gloves or clothes, he’s got a stun gun burn, and please tell me there’s no security cameras or recording devices in the Governor’s mansion after the *insane* amount of security she had? I think not.
I think Chin’s gonna go to bat for McGarrett and is going to work this case with every piece of evidence he can get his hands on. No way he turns on Steve now.
I too would like to know what Scott Caan thinks of the Danno/Rachel reunion. In some ways, it seemed like he was ‘phoning it in’ during those scenes. Not as much fire/sparkle was when he is interacting with the members of 5-0 on a case. How can they ever move forward from this storyline?
The sheer number of critical plot developments in a single episode makes me wonder if the show hasn’t already jumped the proverbial shark. Too much, too soon, too quick. The writers, I think, are rushing things along and, as a result, much of it feels contrived.
As you say, the show will have to tie things up quickly next season (without it turning into a completely different beast) and I fear that will likely feel too convenient or contrived as well.
I’m still a huge fan of the show. But let’s hope the writers don’t spoil a good thing with their questionable judgement in credibility and pacing.
Hilarious – the comments are as good as the show, please keep posting, good laughs.
I am a simple viewer, do not take the show seriously, do enjoy the scenery (did not realize Honolulu was that beautiful, colorful and green), and just watch for the action and hope the show keeps going for Hawaii’s sake.
I don’t analyse and digest the plots and just take them as they are.
Do wish that I had the day off when they blew up that red car in downtown Honolulu, as that would have been interesting to witness.
Again to commentators, keep comments coming as you guys are better writers then the actual writers.
hilorain
did you just coin a new word “carguments” ?
Hi Cat! imo: woulda been better to have this as a 2 part last 2 episodes season ender, with just one big continuing storyline. i.e. wo fat escapes on the plane that has Dan-0’s ex,or something like that. They have way too many cliffhangers and unresolved storylines to be carried over for all of us to wait till next season.That’s just dam rude.Like asking a g/f to for her hand in marriage and she’ll get back with the answer in several months.I’m thinking the writers have been watching too much NYPD Blue where every character has a sub-plot going on along with the actual murder du jour.But they didnt have all these stories as major season-ending cliffhangers. Anyways….all these stories have been done already, and sadly the writers arent even adding anything new or exciting to the same old same old. Even sadder…..i can remember all the shows ,characters,and plots that H50 has recycled from. i.e. again,…in just about every major crime show that ever was made at one point or another a major star has been wrongly accused of murder. All thats left for the writers to do is bring in an “evil-twin” of one of the 5-0’s and they will have then jumped the shark…at way to early of an age. (if you ever watch some of the orginal Hawaii 5-0,then The Rockford Files, and then Magnum PI. you will see that the magnum show “borrowed” many,many storylines from the first two.Tom Selleck was a running character on Rockford.Rockford,being one of the all time great detective/cop shows ever.) Thanks.
I’d like to see more local actors in recurring/important roles (and not just as scenery). that was my first thought when Kelly Hu’s character got atomized.
Sucks that they didn’t develop the Chin Ho/Laura Hills romance further first. Would’ve been great to see Kelly Hu on more future eps, but maybe they were wary of “A Mann’s World” being picked up. Hopefully for Kelly, AMW gets picked up by another network.
H5-0 lost its way several episodes ago. I don’t even watch every week. I watch four or five in a row after the DVR starts to run out of space. Monday at 9pm is CASTLE-time!
I watch the show for the Hawaiian scenery and character actors. Don’t pay much attention to the plots, which are generally way over the top. I mean, does every international terrorist really have a cell in Honolulu?
When they doll her up, Park looks beautiful.
But, other than that, she looks like a little boy.
Lost interest in the show after about 4-5 episodes. Characters have no depth what so ever!!!