Hawaii 5-0 - season 2 thread (1 Viewer)

[WaveCrest]

Read today (on TV/film etc. news website Digital Spy) that the second season will premiere in the UK (on Sky 1) on New Year's Day.

 

[Nelson Au]

I hope Joe White is working for the side of good and still protecting McGarrett. Unless he's the man in black still.
Ultimately, this little subplot kind of bugs me. It's like an itch you can't scratch. It's there and in order for it to keep working, they can only feed the audience little bits at a time. Like Niles Crane's Maris on Frasier or George's wife on Cheers, you should keep it unseen.
Or like Castle and Kate or on Moonlighting, the leads can't fall in love, or it's over.

 

[WaveCrest]

The season opener was a pretty good episode. Some small criticisms aside, I quite enjoyed it.



Even though I'd read on here that Jenna Kaye had a secret, I wasn't expecting that to be her in the car when Wo Fat got into it. Made you think back to some scenes in the first season (McGarrett waiting for her in the restaurant, and the photos in her hotel/motel room of items from the toolkit box).

Seemed a bit too easy how Wo Fat just walked out of the prison (and it felt like a cop show cliche, with what happened to Victor Hess) without being stopped.

Regarding the camera footage showing McGarrett's father in the Governor's office with her and Wo Fat - was his father working undercover at this point and wasn't corrupt? Around halfway through this episode, when McGarrett, his mentor and Danno were at the old man's house on Mount Tantalus (*), McGarrett and Danno are told that McGarrett's father was carrying out an investigation into police corruption. Was this bad writing that they didn't think his father wasn't working with or for Wo Fat at that point?

Despite the ending of this episode, the meetup scene at the ice cream hut was funny. Hopefully, the McGarrett and Danno discussion scenes in the car return this season.

The escape from the prison was done very well (the rapid-style editing does grate at times), with echoes of "24". Liked how the plan was revealed, with Danno and Chin Ho questionning Victor Hess, intercut with McGarrett in the ambulance. Thought McGarrett's mentor came up with the plan to get him out of the prison.

Just wish the show would come up with more of it's own ideas, rather than try to imitate "24" (the mole storylines did get repetitive after a few seasons).

(*) This made me think of the original series' fifth season episode "Death Wish on Tantalus Mountain".

 

[DaveHof]

Wow, that was some world-class product placement in tonight's episode. All they missed was a Jared cameo and Grace Park singing the "Five dollar foot-long" jingle.

 

[todd s]

Wow, that was some world-class product placement in tonight's episode. All they missed was a Jared cameo and Grace Park singing the "Five dollar foot-long" jingle.

That was on par with "Chuck's" over the top Subway product placement. But, at least with "Chuck" I can see it. Since it was a way to keep the show on. H5-0 is a pretty high ranked show. I am surprised they allowed them to do some a way over the top placement. Let's hope this doesn't continue.

 

[Robert Watson]

Last night's episode was excellent.

 

[WaveCrest]

The second episode "Taken" was quite good. It was all going well until towards the end when it got disappointing. Not a fan of Bruce Davison, but he was wasted in his role. Some beautiful scenery though in the second half when McGarrett, Danno and Lori headed to Maui.

The following episode however, was nearly excellent. If this episode was shown in the cinema, the parachute scene would be worth the price of admission. Would Kono's scene with the ex-cop have been as effective if he hadn't been played by William Baldwin, someone not as familiar? Don't know, but the scene was one of the episode's highlights, and Kono's sub-plot is promising.

So far this season the quality has been more consistent. Particularly looking forward to the next episode "Treasure", with Patty Duke and Peter Fonda guest starring.

 

[WaveCrest]

The episode "Treasure" was probably worth the wait. Disappointed by Peter Fonda's small role (although the writer(s) at least didn't go the route of an early Season 1 episode with Jevin Sorbo guest starring). Thought Five-0 were going to search for the galleon, but this plot thread was ditched. The main story ended mostly satisfactory. It was great though to see a couple of guest stars from the original series, Patty Duke and Don Stroud (haven't seen the episode she appeared in, Season 5's "Thanks for the Honeymoon").

 

[ChristopherG]

Originally Posted by DaveHof /t/314916/hawaii-5-0-season-2-thread/30#post_3888323
Wow, that was some world-class product placement in tonight's episode. All they missed was a Jared cameo and Grace Park singing the "Five dollar foot-long" jingle.

I just got around to watching this courtesy of the DVR...wow that really left me with a really bad opinion of this show. Like Todd said it seems that H50 would be above this sort of take you out of the moment completely commercial for the fast food place. I sincerely hope this isn't a trend.

 

[Matt Hough]

Because DVRs and Tivos are more widespread now and growing each year, more commercials get skipped over than ever before, and companies are aggressively looking for product placement opportunities within shows. I think we'll see a lot more of it spreading to lots of series in the years ahead.

 

[AlexF]

I don't mind it that much if either:
a) it's not obtrusive (the cars in Bones, for example), or
b) pokes fun at the idea (Subway in Chuck).
I didn't mind the H50 reference, especially when he was talking about losing weight with the low calorie subs. Then noted that he was eating 5 of them.

 

[ChristopherG]

The thing about for me is that it took me right out of the show - the whole point of watching is to be immersed in the story. Granted it was only for a couple moments, but still...

 

[WaveCrest]

Wasn't too surprised that the crossover appearance of Kensi Blye (Daniela Ruah) was only one scene. Based on McGarrett's question which he asked her, am hoping she appears again later in the season, but in a more substantial guest star appearance. Didn't care too much about the resolution of the A-plot with the murder case, or the fight contest McGarrett was taking part in (Annie Wersching, who was great in "24", was wasted in her guest star role). It was the ongoing mytharc about McGarrett's father and Wo Fat which provided the best moments of the episode "The Good Fight".

Next week...the Halloween episode with Robert Englund guest starring.

 

[Matt Hough]

There is going to be a major crossover event with the two shows at some point this season. Might be May sweeps before it happens.

 

[WaveCrest]

This sounds very promising, and if it's being filmed towards or at the end of the season, that would make sense (obvious reason being logistics). Even though it's a spin-off and some things have to be different, it's a pity NCIS: Los Angeles doesn't do the same grey, preview flash screens which NCIS does. Actually that sounds better, a three-part crossover with the two NCIS shows.

That aside, that should be a good team up of McGarrett and Callen (assuming Chris O'Donnell appears on the Hawaii Five-0 part of this crossover, and Callen takes a trip to Hawaii).

 

[todd s]

Am I the only one that thought they handled the whole Danno & his wife situation? During the last few episodes of last season. They showed them reconnecting and then finding out she is pregnant and they are going to be together. Cut, to this season. And she's back with the ex and the baby is her current husbands. Yes, we got some insight into how he felt last night. That he was still willing to be with her...even if the baby wasn't his. I don't know. Maybe, I am old fashion. But, I would have liked them together. Its so rare that you see many of these procedural dramas where the characters are married. I know they do it sometimes so they can "hook" characters up. It just seemed kinda off forced how they ended them.

 

[Matt Hough]

I felt the denouement was way too rushed last night. You had all this excellent dramatic build-up to the final confrontations, and then Steve and the team come storming in while the ex-cop sat in the car impotently? Didn't buy that for a second, and we don't even get to see Danno torturing a confession out of his former partner so he'd know where to find Grace. Far too much shorthard to be effective dramatically.

 

[Jeffery_H]

I felt the denouement was way too rushed last night. You had all this excellent dramatic build-up to the final confrontations, and then Steve and the team come storming in while the ex-cop sat in the car impotently? Didn't buy that for a second, and we don't even get to see Danno torturing a confession out of his former partner so he'd know where to find Grace. Far too much shorthard to be effective dramatically.

I would agree, but H5O has always been very lame in the real life situations. Like this episode, most people with an IQ above 80 would know something was wrong with the officer that showed up at the tennis court to get Grace. First, the tennis instructor is the one solely responsible for her. You don't let anyone, even a government official take a child without verifying the facts. Even an idiot would have said no to confirm the situation. All he had to do was two things: one, call on his cell phone to the police station and have them confirm Grace's Dad was in fact shot, the location of the hospital and ask if an officer had been sent to pick her up along with a description of that officer; two, he still should've said OK I will follow you to the hospital with Grace in MY car.
Also, if the guy was that upset and knew his life was over and his sole purpose was to hurt Danno as payback, you would not have a happy ending at all. That would've turned a lot of people off, but realistic.
There were several other faults with the writing of this show and ones prior they have done. It plays VERY lose and is highly unrealistic in most everything they do. It's fun and I do enjoy some of them quite a bit, but you won't find any realism at all.

 

[todd s]

Not defending how the episode resolved. The only thing I can think regarding him telling Danno where his daughter was...Is that maybe, he realized he was done and even with all that anger he couldn't let her die. He was a cop and a family man so he had some "good" left in him. Also, if he really wanted to hurt Danno and didn't give a crap about the kid...He could have killed her right off the bat. But, he just didn't have the heart to do it.

 

[Nelson Au]

I just saw this episode and agree, when it ended I thought, that's it? It was pretty quick. There were episodes I recall of the original H50 with similarly goofy endings.
On the Danno and ex-wife situation from last season building up to what looked like a reconciliation, I agree, what the heck! The new season starts with McGarrett breaking out of prison and Danno grumbling his ex is back with her hubby again. Something whacked happened with the writers over the summer. I felt it would have been a very nice change from the original series that Danno is a family man.
I knew Danno was going to shot the guy in the shoulder and put 2 rounds in the ground. So what does this mean now, Danno's ex will stay with the guy, or will her feelings resurface? Maybe the guy has had enough with Danno and decides to leave her.
About the new baby, I thought it was Danno's. I thought they strongly eluded to that.
And Steve and Lori.....hooking up? Looks like the writers are trying to still make that work. And what happened to Kono and Che Fong? That fizzle out too? I'm expecting to see Chin's new wife be killed in a future episode, probably by Wo Fat! No one in 5-0 can have a wife or boy friend.