There are certain signs of spring and the oncoming summer which occur every year. It starts in early February with Ground Hog Day. Then Spring Training opens and the cherry blossoms spring to life in Washington DC. We see our first robins, the crocuses start to peek out of the rapidly thawing ground, the swallows return to Capistrano. All certain signs that spring is here and summer is approaching. It’s the same with Five-0. Each year, around this time, we’re all dreading the approaching end of the season and we see the signs that it’s coming whether we like it or not.

One of the sure signs that we’re coming to the end of the season is the setup of the stories which will fuel the season ending cliffhangers and sometimes those setups occur in episodes which some people feel leave a bit to be desired.

There were a few folks on social media who really didn’t like this episode at all. That’s their right, of course. But you guys know me. I am ridiculously easy to please when it comes to Five-0 and I did like this episode. It was exactly what I expected it to be, a fun, light, breather of an episode that sets us up for the thrill ride to finale. A filler episode, if you will, before the intensity of the last four episodes.

Now I’m not so Kool-Aided out that I don’t see the logic some folks have with regard to filler episodes. I’ve seen folks complain they are not necessary, that if you can’t fill 25 episodes with strong content you shouldn’t have a 25 episode season. There are also those, and I DO agree with them on this one especially, who say that an episode like 5.18 – Pono Kaulike (Justice For All) where you had both Chin and Danny in dire straits, had more than enough available and untapped content to fill 2 episodes and if that were done, there wouldn’t be a need for a filler episode this late in the season.

But I like the change of pace episodes. I like when they change things up and do something that’s not the usual crime of the week. I really enjoyed the Grover centric episode last week and I liked this one as well. When there’s an episode like this, when things veer a bit off course and even the guys themselves have a bit of fun with the strangeness of it all, it reminds me that while I love the guns and the explosions, the car chases and the mayhem of a great crime of the week, what has always brought me back to this show is the camaraderie between the characters and the pure fun that Five-0 can be. This episode was fun.

There are people out there who are religiously attached to particular characters and/or elements of the show. They may be Alex/Steve fans and feel the entire show must constantly revolve around him. Or they may hate Danny and are thrilled when he’s not there. Some don’t want to see Pua while others can’t live without carguments. Whatever it is, I’m not faulting anyone for the things they like or dislike. I can only speak for myself. I adore the Steve and Danny brotherhood over and above all else. And while I love their brotherhood as well as many other individual aspects of the show and dislike a few as well, for me, it’s not one thing or one character or one element that makes this show my favorite. It is the show as a whole which means I’m able to find something to like in pretty much every single episode because I’m not fixated on one particular thing I’m looking for or hating on. Again, I am NOT criticizing anyone for their preferences or the things they dislike. I’m only speaking for myself here. For me…this episode was pure fun and by the end we had the beginnings of a great setup for the cliffhangers leading to and in the finale.

I have to admit I was a bit concerned when I heard the episode would have an Elvis theme. Not because I thought the episode wouldn’t be good but because of the inevitable storm of protest I knew would descend on social media. I could have won money betting on the number of “shark” sightings I was going to find on Twitter in the days before and after the episode. Well, those “shark” sightings are there, as I knew they would be, and, honestly, I don’t really care. If this episode wasn’t a favorite of yours, that’s ok. It honestly isn’t a favorite of mine either. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t find lots to like about it anyway.

• I like when an episode starts with “previously on Hawaii Five-0”. For those who complain the show lacks continuity, those words are a sure sign that what we’re about to see is a direct correlation to something we’ve seen in the past.

• The idea of an Elvis convention in Hawaii was inspired. Elvis and Hawaii go together like peanut butter and banana sandwiches. Elvis filmed several movies in Hawaii, owned real estate and performed there numerous times, most notably his “Elvis, Aloha from Hawaii” concert in 1973. So while some people may have thought an Elvis inspired episode was a silly idea, I thought it was great and very appropriate.

    

   

• I LOVE how Max and Jerry have formed their own little geek brotherhood. Jerry is going to dress like Elvis so, of course, Max must go as Colonel Parker! I just love these two together!

   

• I’m very happy they included the bit about Lou going to Chicago to try to find proof that Clay murdered Diane in the last episode. I thought for sure we’d be asked to conveniently forget that Lou threatened to do just that. Except he said he was going to go to Chicago while Clay cooled his heels in a cell. That didn’t happen, obviously, since it seems Clay beat Lou home and talked his friends into backing up his story before Lou could get there. I did enjoy the fact that Lou managed to fly all the way home from Chicago with 10 deep dish pizzas in his luggage! ROFL Now that’s dedication to hometown cuisine!

   

• I loved how we got our first glimpse of Gabriel outside of HQ. Not only did his appearance and disappearance feel almost surreal, I loved how Chin tried to find him while looking through all the banyan trees. When I was there I spent a long time walking through those trees. They are magnificent.

   

   

• The entire set up with Gabriel was done really well. I liked the way Chin and Kono discussed what Gabriel is capable of and how Chin assured Kono that whatever Gabriel was up to, they’d be ready for it. You just know that won’t be true in the long run.

• Jerry in this episode was a hoot. His all-consuming knowledge of all things Elvis was invaluable to the case when his “conspiracy radar” picked up some “bad juju”. It was Jerry who first noticed the discrepancy in the Elvis costume the victim was wearing even if the team didn’t really put a lot of faith into what he was saying. Haven’t they learned yet that, for the most part, what Jerry says is usually pretty accurate?

   

    

• The entire team together…..I just LOVE this shot…that is all!

• I often wonder how writers come up with new and inventive ideas for the weekly murder. So I got a real kick out of the fact that the murder this week was committed using a misheard lyric. I had to laugh because we’ve all done it. Sung our favorite songs for decades and never realizing we were singing the wrong words! To have the murder weapon be a direct result of a misheard lyric was definitely a new take on the crime of the week. I also wondered how Alex felt about the way this story line developed. He is no stranger to obsessed certifiably crazy stalker fans, unfortunately.

   

• We’re very used to suspects being arrested on this show and then having the plot do a turn-about and all the things we’ve assumed turn out to be wrong. I may be wrong but I don’t think we’ve ever had a case wrapped up before the ½ hour mark only to have an entirely new case materialize from its ashes. That was a nice twist.

   

• I have stated this before, I love Lou and I am thrilled that he is part of our team. He’s the best #5 we’ve ever had. But, there’s the rub. He’s supposed to be the number FIVE. Why he is partnered with Steve so much these days? I totally understand why it happens when Danny is MIA for whatever reason and it made sense for Steve and Grover to show up together at the crime scene since they were already together from the airport. But after that, when they needed to go talk to the ex-bandmate of the victim, Kaleo, why was it Steve and Grover and not Steve and Danny. And, of course, when Kaleo told them who their killer was, it was Steve and Grover who had her in the blue room. Why? Why couldn’t Grover go talk to the costume shop owner and Danny go with Steve? In the old days Steve would have sent Chin or Kono to the costume shop and he and Danny would go talk to their suspect. It would make sense now to send Grover but he doesn’t. He sends Danny. I’m really not liking that at all. I really miss the partnership of the past but like I said before. The fact that I miss it and wish it were what it once was, doesn’t mean I can’t see what’s still good about the show. I was very happy when the second part of the case began Steve and Danny were together the rest of the way.

   

   

      

   

• There also must have been a deleted scene in there somewhere. When Danny calls Steve to tell him he’s going to go check out the costume store, he gets into the Camaro. Then after the body is stolen from Max, Steve and Grove pull up to the morgue in the Camaro. How on earth did that happen? I guess we have better eyes than whoever edited this episode. LOL

   

• Was anyone else really scared for Max for a moment when those guys showed up at the morgue?

   

   

• Oh…by the way…I’m loving this shot too!

• I really liked seeing Jon Lovitz back as Barry Burns. I like the fact that we were revisiting the stolen diamonds from a couple of episodes ago and having Barry back tied in very nicely with that. I am not a Lovitz fan by a long shot but he plays this part perfectly. And…damn…is that where you get to stay if you’re on house arrest on Oahu? Not too shabby to say the least!

   

   

• And….this one too! LOL

• It was an inspired idea for Ivanovich to try to escape wearing the Elvis costume but thanks to good old Jerry, he didn’t get very far. It’s been a while since we had a good old fashioned shoot out on the show. This one wasn’t as spectacular as some in the past since it was more Ivanovich firing away while the good guys hid behind things but it’s been so quiet the last couple of weeks I just loved seeing some shooting!

   

   

   

   

• As a huge Beatles fan I was laughing hysterically when Jerry brought up that old conspiracy theory that Paul McCartney died back in 1967 and was replaced by look-alike. I’ve been a Beatles fanatic for over 40 years and that old story never fails to make me laugh! Of course they did miss a huge opportunity for a great line during that scene. When Jerry asked Steve if he’d ever listened to Strawberry Fields, that the evidence was all there, that was the perfect spot for Danny to say… “Of course he’s heard Strawberry Fields but he can’t discuss it because it’s classified” ROFL

• It was really great to see the team (even if Chin didn’t make it) out for some Ohana time again after the case was wrapped up. It’s been awhile since we’ve seen them all out relaxing together. And Jerry! OMG….what a great performance. Can’t believe how he absolutely nailed it! We weren’t the only ones pleasantly shocked at how good he turned out to be.

   

   

   

   

• Finally…..that ending with Gabriel and Chin is something we all knew was coming but honestly, I didn’t think we’d see it this soon. We all knew that Gabriel feels Chin now owes him for getting the IA investigation off his case and we also know that Chin has no intention of helping Gabriel in any way, shape or form. But those photos Gabriel left for Chin? What the hell? That was something I did not expect at all. What is Adam up to? Who is that man in the pictures with him? How is Gabriel involved that he even has those pictures? Oh yes….. a fun, light, breather of an episode that sets us up for the thrill ride to finale. Hold on to your hats gang…..this was most definitely the calm before the storm.

   

   

   

   

    That’s it for another week. No new Five-0 next week so we get another bit of a breather before the sprint to the end. Only 3 weeks after next week’s Friday off then the long, hot summer without our favorite show. Not looking forward to that but I just know whatever they have in store for us, whatever cliff hanger they’ve cooked up to drive us crazy with will have us all longing for September again. Have a wonderful 2 weeks my friends.