I watch Hawaii Five-0. I love Hawaii Five-0. That much is a non-negotiable reality. And as a person who loves this show I have found myself saying something many, many times over the years.
It’s only a TV show. It’s not real.
The fact that something is over the top, the fact that it’s something that would never happen or be allowed in real life doesn’t really bother me all that much. It’s make believe… a fantasy. Exploding nuclear bombs off the coast. Steve being beaten to just this side of death and having nothing but a tiny scar the next week. Giant claws picking up armored trucks. I shake my head, give a little chuckle and move on. There’s a reason why it’s called “fiction”.
It’s only a TV show. It’s not real.
Then there is an episode like this one. I have to admit… this one threw me for a bit of a loop. Because, even make believe needs to have a basis in reality and I have to admit, the moment the episode ended I found myself sitting there not really knowing what to think.
As usual, this episode had two different story lines, and this week, they had nothing to do with each other. Personally, I prefer it when the two story lines somehow interconnect during the episode but this week that was just impossible. This time they didn’t even both occur on Oahu!
Each week I can easily say that I whole heartedly enjoyed that week’s offering. This episode is no different, I did enjoy it, but this one won’t go down as a real favorite for me. Oh, there were some great Ohana moments with the entire team, with Steve and Danny and with Chin and Kono but there was also just too much in this one that had me scratching my head and wondering if I missed something. Even after I watched it a second time, there were still things that just didn’t make sense.
Ok…let’s start with the elephant in the room…. what the hell got into Lou Grover? Now, please, don’t get me wrong. Chi McBride was magnificent. The man had me totally riveted to my seat. Damn…. but that man can act! It was an outstanding performance.
Lou has believed Clay killed Diane for months. He went to Chicago right after Diane was killed to try to prove that Clay had done it and failed when Clay’s friends put up that “blue wall” and wouldn’t even talk to him. He finally came to the realization that he was probably never going to prove Clay killed Diane and even though that would always eat at him, he’d be content as long as Clay was in jail, even if it was because of something else.
So there Lou is, cleaning out his gutters one day, when he remembers a bust five years ago where Clay found two bags filled with cash. It wasn’t until later, when the serial numbers were checked that it became apparent there were three bags, not two. Lou, now convinced Clay took that money, is determined to find it and finally send Clay to jail.
Everything up to this point made sense to me. Lou is a man of justice and Diane was a dear friend. But from the moment Lou laid into Clay from behind and injected him to knock him out, I was uncomfortable. Lou has always been intense. He’s always worn his emotions quite clearly. Several times we’ve seen him out and out bawling over events that have occurred. But what turned Lou into this person? This person, who was, at times, almost unrecognizable? This, even for me, was a bit too over the top and where it didn’t make sense. It’s one thing to be passionate about something, to be consumed by something. But this behavior was bordering on unstable.
As a good friend of mine pointed out to me, over the years, we’ve seen our heroes do things outside the law in the name of justice or even revenge. But even in this fictional world there is a price to pay. For instance, Chin and Danny both suffered retribution for things they did. No, neither had to answer to the law as they would have in the real world but Chin ended up almost killed in Halawa and Danny almost killed in Colombia so even if they weren’t prosecuted as they would have been in the real world they did suffer for their actions.
Breaking and entering. Physical assault. Kidnapping two people, one of which was totally innocent of doing anything wrong. Destruction of private property. With two very alive victims who, I’m sure, are perfectly ready to press charges regardless their own guilt. Fantasy or not. Fiction or not. I just can’t see how this isn’t going to come back and bite Lou in the ass. He wasn’t just a man out for justice. He seemed almost unglued. A raging bull on a rampage.
And then there’s whatever happened in Philly. Whatever it was, Lou was not one bit pleased when Clay brought it up. Peter Lenkov tweeted that we’re going to find out what happened in Philly in Episode 6.19. Clay was part of whatever it was so it might be safe to assume we’ll see him again, if not in real time then maybe in flashbacks. I’m really hoping that whatever brought about Lou’s totally over the top actions in this episode, is directly related to what’s going to happen in 6.19. Maybe bringing down Clay for Diane’s murder and the stolen money are all part of a bigger picture.
I have no idea, of course. But this episode was written by Eric Guggenheim and Peter Lenkov and there is no one who knows these characters better than Peter. No one who knows exactly where they have come from and where he wants them to go. In the hands of another writer, one not familiar with the characters as much, this could be just an aberration. But in Peter’s hands, I have to feel there’s a logical reason down the road for what we saw from Lou here.
Now onto the second story in this episode. When Chin loses his way on the service roads heading back to HQ, he and Kono stumble upon a couple of guys digging a large hole out in the middle of nowhere. I suppose it could just have been two guys who found the perfect spot for their imu pit but it turns out they are killers in the process of digging a grave for their victim.
Now, I have no problem with Chin and Kono being taken off guard. In that situation it was totally understandable. Chin tried his best to get the drop on the one killer but his big stick was no match against his gun. And Kono was standing down in the pit she was digging a fair distance from the second guy. There really wasn’t a way for her to get a drop on him no matter that she’s a bad ass when she needs to be.
But it just felt very disjointed to me. Perhaps it’s because there really wasn’t any actual “crime of the week” in this episode. These guys are burying the guy they killed, who turns out to be a cop, who was “putting his nose in other people’s business”. Who was the cop? Why did they kill him? Who were those guys anyway? I guess I’ve just become so used to a definitive crime of the week, with a beginning, a convoluted middle and an end that this just felt weird to me. Not bad, just weird.
But this is Five-0 so there are always things I am going to absolutely love, even in an episode that’s not a favorite. In this episode, it was the abundance of wonderful Ohana moments that helped make it very enjoyable for me.
• Who didn’t love the team out for a morning of North Shore surfing? I thought it was so funny how Danny was teasing Steve about being a wave hog and Chin and Kono backing him up. I also loved the Side Street wager between Steve and Chin to see who could get back to HQ quicker. I don’t know what was funnier. The look on Steve’s face when Chin called him a haole or when Danny said Steve would be breaking all the rules of the bet Steve himself just laid down. And please, any time we get all three of our guys shirtless at the same time is enough to make any episode awesome! Culminating when Steve totally “Bo and Luked” the Camaro, this scene was pure gold beginning to end.
• It’s always fun, after an episode where Danny was absent, to have a good old-fashioned cargument between Steve and Danny to show that all is right with the world. Steve hiding the speedometer from Danny’s view with his hand so he can’t prove that he’s speeding, as he’s weaving in and out of traffic was just too funny as was Steve telling Danny to relax and enjoy the view. “What view… I have jet stream… there’s no view”.
• So first we had a surfgument, then a cargument and finally the most hysterical argument we’ve ever had on this show… a peegument! What a mental picture! Danny peeing out the window, as the Camaro speeds down the road, with Steve holding the back of his pants! God I love these goofs so much!
• And while Steve and Danny are being… well… Steve and Danny in their car, Kono and Chin are having a wonderful conversation of their own in theirs. I loved how happy Chin was when he noticed how relaxed and “hauʻoli” Kono was in that moment. Yes, she’s still missing and worried about Adam something terrible but Chin reminds her that there are guards looking out for him and a third of his time is over so he’ll be home in a year. But it is still a year away. I can’t help feeling sorry for Kono every minute.
• “And speaking of significant others, what’s up with you and Abby?” Could these two have been more adorably “high school” here? Chin’s blushing face totally giving away his attempt to play it cool especially when Kono informed him that he’s not fooling a soul since “everyone knows”! This scene was a pure joy!
• I also really liked how Steve’s spidey senses were tingling when Chin and Kono were so late and he couldn’t get through to them on their phones. It was really interesting how it was Danny who was trying to be the positive one for a change. Saying maybe the car just broke down and they were somewhere without a phone signal, but not discounting Steve’s worry and suggesting they go out and look for them. It was Danny who was sure they would find them, Danny who told Steve that “doom and gloom” didn’t suit him and Danny who understood why Steve’s first thought was that Gabriel might have something to do with them being missing. Giving what Steve has been through with WoFat, it was a natural assumption. But Danny kept telling Steve that he could be jumping to conclusions and to just stay positive. Who knows? Maybe that little counseling trip to Maui did a bit of good after all and Danny is really trying not to be so negative all the time.
• “Winner winner Side Street Dinner”. I don’t care what anyone says, I am just loving this carefree version of Steve we’ve been getting lately. No one loves badass SEAL as much as I do, but watching Steve having a good time, being comfortable to show his lighter side and just having fun is refreshing.
I’m loving this guy who tries to sneak out of seminars and goes out for late night drinks and some fun. This guy who plays in the waves with his friends and makes silly challenges for free beer and wings. I’m loving how his vocabulary is suddenly sprinkled with fun, new words he probably learned from Gracie.
It’s almost as if some huge weight has been lifted off of him and he’s finally free to enjoy life. I don’t see it as being out of character. I see it as the character he was always meant to be. So yeah, he’s texting girls with “deets” and noting that traffic is “jacked”. So what?
Unlike some people, I don’t see the addition of a couple of new words to his vocabulary and a willingness to finally ease up a bit and live a happy life as proof that there is something wrong with him or that he’s so “distraught” he’s becoming unrecognizable or worse, unstable. Personally, I think freedom looks good on him and if this is what “distraught” looks like, I wish he’d been distraught a lot sooner.
So there you have it. Another week and another pretty good episode. And while it won’t go down as a favorite for me, there was still plenty to make it a really enjoyable week. Now we have two Fridays off until 6.14 and the Valentine’s episode. Can’t wait to see what they have in store for that one! Have a wonderful week my friends.
Aloha… Malama Pono
Hawaii Five-0 Kool-Aid 
Good review! Have to admit that I was shocked to see Lou go all “Psycho”on Clay-that was not like him at all! He was determined to prove Clay’s guilt in Diane’s death and didn’t really care what he had to do to prove it! Just wish we could have seen the police arrive at the house-it would have been something to see Lou try to explain the busted walls and what he did to that clunker of a car,which had the money from the Philly assignment in it! To top it all off,Clay had the gaul to try and bribe Lou with the money-did he think Lou was that stupid? As for the other story,the beginning was funny,hilarious even-Of course,Steve was going to break the rules he had set himself! As for Kono & Chin’s situation,it left a lot of unanswered questions,like who was the cop,and what did he see that got him killed? Glad Steve & Danny got there in time,thanks to Steve’s instincts that something was wrong when he couldn’t get them on their phones. Not a favorite episode for me,but not a bad one,either!
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OMG Rhonda! I’m with you. The moment Clay opened his mouth after Lou found the money I knew what he was going to say. “Are you NUTS” I literally screamed at my TV! Still can’t believe he had the nerve to even propose it!
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I really loved this show. We saw the other sides to the team. Kono finally smiling and digging at Chin about Abby. Lou going nuts and making me wonder if he wasn’t off his rocker. Steve was hilarious, the bet about the steaks, his driving on that road and passing cars..the ommmmm moment with this fingers together in the office and Danny peeing in the bottle and having to get it out of the car after. I noticed the past 3 weeks the show has been up in ratings, I think it’s due to the writers showing the nice, warm side to the characters. This week aka last night it says it was a 10 plus before adjustment. Hoping we get them to sign on for a Season 7 if it’s offered by CBS. Love your review Linda…think you are dead on about Steve and the deets etc. He is finally enjoying life and not being a stuffed ‘do it my way’ stuffed shirt. Even his facial expressions are more prominent. Until next week, I read it’s a Valentines one and they all tell about bad dates and Steve gets a black eye. hmmm can’t wait for your write up on that one. lol
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Yes there was plenty to like here. All the warm and fun Ohana moments are what saved this episode for me. The Chin and Kono in the jungle part just felt like filler and I have no idea where this is leading with Lou. Only time will tell!
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I liked this episode even though I was a bit afraid of Lou at times. He did seem to become unhinged. I’m hoping that the upcoming episode will clear up this very strange behavior. Though, I’ll give him credit. When he called in to have Clay picked up he made sure to say he needed a rep. Good thinking. It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out.
It’s funny that people feel Steve is distraught and that’s the reason for the change in his character. I disagree completely. He’s not distraught. He’s happy! An albatross has been lifted from around his neck and he’s free to explore all the good things life has to offer. He’s also safe, loved and comfortable with his team, his family, his ohana.
Kono calling Chin out about Abby was absolutely priceless! And of course, seeing the 3 hunks shirtless and playful was the cherry on top! I was just glad Steve’s spidey sense kicked in and all’s well that ends well.
Stay safe and warm with this crazy weather!
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I completely agree. There are those who feel Steve is “not himself” and acting completely out of character. I saw someone actually suggest he’s on drugs because he’s so depressed that Catherine is gone. *eyeroll*
I think it’s the total opposite. He’s finally come to terms with the fact that she’s gone. He will always have feelings for her. He will always want her to be safe and happy. But she’s not the top thing on this mind anymore. She made the choice to leave. She made the choice to break his heart. He’s making a choice to go on with his life and be happy. Good for him!
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Glad to know you have power to bring us a review. The show starting with snow – weird considering what’s happening there….Thank you for taking the time – sure the weather is distracting. Hope everyone is safe. How much snow do you have?
This hour went really fast – they seemed to run out of time. Much as I like Lou (and Chi as an actor) I would have liked less of him ripping Clay’s house apart and more of the core four – I have no idea where it’s going – Lou is in 6×13, but is this why Steve and Danny take a trip to the east coast at some point – to help Lou with the fallout? Guess we have to wait and see. Chi did a great job, but it was……unnerving to see him flip back and forth and he really did seem to be on the edge of losing it completely.
Meanwhile other things went unanswered – the rescue wrapped up way too quickly. I bet there’s more footage – why have SC at the location if he has no dialog? Would have been nice to see them finally get to dinner and celibrate too. I totally agree with how great the caruments were – they were back to more teasing and sans the snippy edge – so nice to see the boys getting back on track. For me they could have made the whole episode around the core four. Steve & Danny on road trip, trekking around rural Oahu looking for Chin & Kono. I would have been a happy camper. I also really like the way Steve is relaxing and just having fun. It’seems like he’s turned the page and moving on. Your thoughts are spot on. Until next time stay safe and warm
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We ended up with just under 2 feet of snow. Luckily we didn’t lose power and everyone is safe and sound.
I’m still not 100% sure the guys are going back east in an episode. Not sure if Peter mentioned it as an idea or a plan. If it was an idea, it may or may not happen. But if it does, the guys would be going to Jersey, not Chicago or even Philly so it probably won’t have anything to do with Lou. Of course, Philly is just over the Bridge from Jersey so…who knows? 😉
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I have to kind of agree about Lou’s actions in the episode. I was not to impressed either and I noticed that Peter Lenkov was one of the writers. You know sometimes I think he does these type of episodes to showcase the actor’s talents. We have been hearing a lot about actors getting burnt out playing the same role all the time and wanting to do other projects. Tony Dinozzo leaving NCIS, and I heard Mike and Molly’s star actress wants to do movies. That may be why our boy Scott gets to do 5 less episodes year and thank God he does. I’m hoping it keeps him around 4ever, or as long as the show is on. But I really wish that it would have been toned down a bit with Lou. With Chin and Danno it was more of a spur of the moment decision and it was under duress. But this went on for so long with Lou and the injection was obviously planned. And what he did to the girlfriend was very cruel. They said that there was an episode down the road where they delve into Grover’s past. Maybe more will be explained then. I have to think Mr. Lenkov is not done with this. Peter always has a plan. It may take awhile to see what the plan is, but I am hoping eventually we will. Yes, I enjoyed all the team bonding in this episode. They are the best team on television and it is great to sometimes see them just hanging out. I loved how Kono was teasing Chin about Abby. She was so relaxed and happy in this episode, hanging her feet out the window. I know it is just a show but given all her problems with Adam lately it was good to see her happy and smiling. Did I mention how I love these characters? And she is really happy for Chin after his loss. What can I say about Steve. It is just cute lately how Danno is the adult and Steve is the big goof. I loved how Danny was so quick to say that they should go out and look for their teammates as he knew Steve was worried. These two are great partners. They always know what the other needs. I am going to miss the new episodes but what a wonderful Valentines Day gift.
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I agree. Peter does like to highlight the talents of his cast but I have to believe he has a plan here. This episode was totally saved for my by all the Ohana moments throughout the entire thing. I know exactly how you feel. I love all these characters so much too.
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I really loved seeing the team at the beach and just enjoying down time together. The throw-down was perfect. McGarrett loves a challenge. I do wish they had saved 2 minutes at the close of the episode to show them at Side Street, bonding over the knowledge that Chin and Kono’s situation could have turned out much differently. Maybe Steve could have put a crowbar in his wallet and treated them all. That would have been a nice touch.
I agree that this lighter side of Steve is great and that it is a logical transition for him. He’s enjoying life more. And maybe Deb’s death has helped him to be less serious all the time.
As for the Grover story, I think he was way too out of control. When I saw that he was drugging Clay with a syringe, well, it was no different from when Wo Fat kidnapped Steve and drugged him in the 100th ep. Of course Grover’s motivation was more noble than Wo Fat’s, but it was still unsettling to me.
(some of this is the same review I put on Wendy’s blog, so forgive the repetition.)
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I totally agree. I would have loved for the episode to end with the gang at Side Street and who knows, maybe there will be a deleted scene on the next DVD. LOL IF they actually did film a scene like that, there really wasn’t sufficient time to show it.
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Are deleted scenes on the dvds? I didn’t know that. I watch the episodes on Netflix.
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Great review, Linda. I have to agree that Lou’s actions were over the top. I could have done without any of that. The core four were great in that opening scene. They are all gorgeous specimens to be sure. I was expecting Chin and Kono to get themselves out of the situation and Steve and Danny to get there right after. I loved all the scenes between Steve and Danny, it was like old times. A two week wait for the next knew episode seems so long, but I’m sure we’ll all survive.
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I can only hope that all the stuff with Lou in this episode has a purpose in the future. I really can’t see any other reason for it because Lou still didn’t get Clay to confess to Diane’s murder which is what he was after all along.
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I did enjoy the episode. I kept waiting for Lou to pull out a wire from his shirt. Maybe off screen Lou is working with IA, so that they kept their hands clean and Lou got the guy on something. I noticed Danny had to comb his hair before doing anything. I kept waiting for Chin or Kono to throw sand on the nervous guy, but Steve and Danny showing was great too.
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That’s what I’m hoping Robin. That’s Lou actions are part of a bigger scenario that we don’t know about yet. Only time will tell, I guess!
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Excellent review. I was thankful for your intro about how this is a fictional show…every TV show has episodes that make viewers scratch their heads! I loved the reference to Aunt Deb in the beginning & Chin’s concern for Steve. I was blown away by Chi’s performance and how he knew he was crossing the line but needed to prove himself right for his own sanity. I’m also enjoying the lighthearted Steve who seems to have made a conscious decision to enjoy life despite the losses he’s suffered. He was once again the team protector arriving just in time and not hesitating to pull the trigger in order to save Chin & Kono. I really felt the love between the four core characters in this episode.
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Great Review Linda as always and enjoyed reading everyone’s comments each week – but this episode for me I truly enjoyed the lighter moments – and as for Steve – where on earth has the “fun side been hiding” all these years – there was even a moment where we see a “smirk” on his face which I’ve missed so much – so hopefully we will get to see more of that along with all the “Goof-uments” thoroughly enjoy them all.
As for the Lou Grover moment – that was really over the top but brilliantly intense scene – not my most favorite scene to watch but the acting was great though there was a moment where I really thought the stress of the job was getting to Lou that this was somehow all a bad dream – and he would wake up..and who knew that he had a son as well as a daughter? Honestly, I just didn’t remember so I was confused when he told his son to focus on his homework ih a phone conversation while he was busy tearing up his old friend’s house – just thought that there would be a tinniest moment where he would give a former partner and best friend the “benefit of the doubt” but his cop instinct went completely in “overdrive” – he was absolutely certain that this was murder and that he stole a lot of money!! Why didn’t he get a search warrant instead? Wouldn’t that have saved a lot of time the fact that he did an illegal house search wouldn’t that throw the case out of court or would his friend get a lighter sentence but get out and really go after Lou not just for tearing up the house but tearing up his life?
As fo the moment of “truth” – “Talk about a kick in the “gut” reaction when the lady friend eventually sees the money!! It was a sledge hammer reaction and such a relief that Steve followed his gut to save Kono and Chin to save the day. Wonder what the rest of the team will think of Grover and his actual event of the day when he was supposed to be away on vacation with his family?
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Wow … I don’t know what you need to do to get a search warrant … probably have to give a judge a good reason to think you will find something, but that would remind me of the real life Chicago case of John Gacy, where they almost tore his house down looking for all those bodies. They found 21 or 23 or something like that.
But I went back and rewatched Episode 5×20, the episode when Clay committed the crime. Lou felt responsible in part because he helped to get Diane and Clay together in the first place. Hopefully this does send Clay to prison and turn LeAnn against him too.
I liked the other part of the show, except that it was a little rushed. We saw Steve relying on his Spidey-Sense and going back to find Chin and Kono. We should have seen more of the investigating to find them. For them to shoot the killers just as Chin and Kono were about to be shot seemed a little “out of the blue” for me. Kinda like the one where Kono dropped the shipping container on the bad guys just as they were about to kill Steve, Danny and Chin.
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Loved your review linda I enjoyed the episode but the lou n clay parts I wasn’t feeling didn’t like the ending so hopeing there’s more to this lou n clay story to come loved Steve n dannys banter Steve seems happier some how and loved chin n Kono confo about abby I love action Steve n danno but also love the lighter side to them and I hope we see more of both action and banter x
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Liked the ohana moments from Steve, Danny, Chin & Kono. Mentioning the passing of aunt Deb and how Steve was holding up was really carefull. The tearing down of Clay’s house by Lou was a little bit over the top for me. Even if it is just a show, I don’t think you can just demolish someone’s house like that. And how do you explane this situation to the police ? Well maybe time will tell. Liked your review a lot, until next time.
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I think Season 6 is becoming a favorite of mine. As well as everybody else’s From what I read on the internet. But this episode was pretty sloppy. As just hope Lou is right as Lou is becoming one of my favorite characters on the show.
Another favorite Chin, you would think could take on the cop killers as well as Kono is suppose to be this so called martial arts expert?
Really P.L. and writers got very sloppy!
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