#H50 Review: 8.23 – Ka Hana A Ka Makua, O Ka Hana No Ia A Keiki (What Parents Will Do, Children Will Do)

Courtesy of @SurfBelle2

Dear KoolAid friends:  This past weekend was a total nightmare.  Friday night was wonderful, of course, because we got a fantastic new H50 episode but the rest!  Give me strength.  I already knew I had a full day of family obligations on Saturday.  Obligations, as in, “this is the last thing I want to be doing with my Saturday”, type of obligations.  Then, I get a text from my boss telling me I needed to go to work on Sunday. Yes…Sunday, because they waited until the very last minute to do something that must be done in the next two weeks, even though they’ve known about it for months!  So that blew my whole weekend entirely to hell.  By the time I got home from work on Sunday, I couldn’t even think straight.

So, I’m sorry, this review is so incredibly late.  I know you’ve heard me say that before but I don’t think I’ve ever not managed to get a review posted, at least, by the end of the weekend.  I only just got to re-watch the episode so I could get the screen shots early Monday morning.  I’m just going to hit the highlights of what I really liked about this episode and open the discussion for you guys to carry on.  I hope you all liked the episode as much as I did but I’m guessing by the time I finally get this posted you’ll be all talked out! 😉😉

Praise be to God…. a ONE-story episode:  Yes, Virginia, there really is such a thing and it is a thing of beauty.  I know I’m not the only one who noticed just how awesome an episode can be when they concentrate on one solid story.  But, there were kind of two stories.  A closer look at Junior during his unrelenting search to find his missing friend and a case of two murders.

But this is the way an episode should be written.  Because Junior’s missing friend is the daughter of one of the murder victims, the two themes being both sides of the same story, not just two stories running parallel with no connection to each other.

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It was wonderful to see the contributions from the whole team trying to solve the murders and find Junior’s friend with great interpersonal connections between all the team members, but especially between Steve and Danny.  Of course, when you have a story written by Peter Lenkov (with Matt Wheeler) you always know you’re going to get a great team story because no one knows these characters better than Peter, especially when it’s an episode with a huge amount of…..

McDanno:  If you’re a McDanno fan, and you probably are if you’re a follower of this blog 😊, you loved this episode as much as I did.  It was wonderful to see Steve and Danny together, almost constantly, from start to finish.  The interplay between them was fantastic.  They worked the entire episode on the case together.  It felt wonderfully like a Season One episode.  They went to the crime scene together, the morgue together, went to visit contacts together, stood side by side in HQ, bounced ideas off each other in the car!  It was wonderful and I loved every minute of it.

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And the banter between them was totally on point. They picked at each other, of course, like great friends always do but from the very first scene all the way through to the end it was light, and it was fun, and it was perfect.  I hope more than anything we can keep this going forward and into Season 9.  Regardless of how much time either character or actor is in an episode, when they are together, this is how they should always be.  This is the relationship that drew millions of viewers to the show from the very beginning and it’s still the relationship that keeps them coming back for more.  These two are simply perfection.

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The Way of the Dragon is through Jersey:  Oh man…. was this scene a hell of a lot of fun or what?!?!  James Hong, as Mr. Leung, was golden.  I feel like I’ve grown up seeing Mr. Hong in dozens of my favorite shows over the years so it was a blast to see him in H50.  This scene reminded me of way back in Season 1, when Steve and Danny went to see the Kapu about a case.  “On this island, Danny, there’s an easy way to do things and a hard way.  Talking to Kawika first is the easy way”.  Seems like it’s the same with Mr. Leung.

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It was a bit weird how Mr. Leung was making his grandson and his sparring  partner fight with the Bruce Lee/Chuck Norris movie on in the background.  I mean, is trying to mimic the exact same moves in a movie really going to make him a better fighter?

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And Mr. Leung’s reaction to Danny was hysterical.  As if sending Danny into a “time out” at the back of the club wasn’t funny enough, making him fight his grandson as a payback for information was inspired.

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Of course, the best thing about this scene was the opportunity to enjoy an extended view of a shirtless Danny (be still my heart ❤️) but the dialog between Steve and Danny was spot on as well.  Steve tells Danny to lose but, of course, that’s just not the way Danny works.  “Don’t hit the kid!”  “What do you want me to do, bite him?” 🤣🤣 Jersey boys don’t just take a beating without putting up a fight.

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It’s a decent fight. if not a long one.  Of course, Mr. Leung’s grandson has all the moves, all the flips and kicks and spins.  He manages to land a few good blows to Danny but Danny’s no slouch either.  He bobs and weaves and manages to take his opponent down quite easily.  I loved it how he was being all encouraging to the kid too.  “You’re doing really good, ok.  Back up… take a breath…”.  🤣🤣

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Steve is beside himself thinking Danny has really offended their host, but it’s quite the opposite. While Danny is quick to assure Mr. Leung that he meant no disrespect, Mr. Leung assures him that he is quite impressed and the only disrespect would have been if he hadn’t fought back.

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I loved this scene so much, especially since both Alex and Scott are very active in Jiu jitsu training and it was a hell of a lot of fun watching Scott’s moves.  As you can tell by the fact that I couldn’t stop with the screen grabs! 🤣🤣

Eddie:  If shirtless Danny was my favorite scene, Eddie and Steve at the Vet was a very close second.  Eddie is pure perfection.  No matter what the scene is, his facial expressions, the way he looks at whoever is speaking to him or even just speaking in general and the wonderful whimpers and snuffles he makes in reaction are priceless.  I’ve always been impressed with how handlers manage to get their dogs to “act” in scenes as well as they do, and Eddie is a natural.  And, he’s the perfect straight man to the comedy that is Steve and Danny, and pretty much anyone who’s on screen with him.  God, I love that dog! 🐶❤️

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This was a funny little scene and perfect for the beginning of the episode.  It was so cute that the Vet was concerned over Steve’s little cough and insisted on giving him a quick once over.  A little restaurant reference here, a suggestion that golf is relaxing there and the hysterical arrival of Danny into the room was perfect.  It feels like years since Danny’s had the opportunity to call Steve an animal and this was just too good to pass up.  It was hysterical.

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COTW:  I really liked this story.  It was scary as hell watching Cammy and her mother Mei Lin running from the men who murdered Boston mobster, Tommy Boyle and incredibly heartbreaking to see Mei Lin sacrifice herself so Cammy could escape.  Thanks to Noelani the team finds out that the same gun killed Mei and Boyle, so they know that Boyle’s supposed suicide is, in actuality, also a murder.

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This was another great episode for Beulah and for Junior.  Cammy is the best friend of Layla, Junior’s ex.  She had called him a few weeks before to ask him out to lunch.  The last thing Junior wanted to do was talk about his ex leaving him or “what happened in Iraq”, so he let the call go to voice mail thinking he’d call her back when he was ready.  So when she called him again, he didn’t pick up for the same reason.

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The scene between Junior and Tani in the car was wonderful.  Tani trying her best to convince Junior that Mei’s death wasn’t his fault and he agonizing over not being there for Cammy when she called for help.  What if, by ignoring her call, she ends up dead too?

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Watching Junior go full-on McGarrett on the guy staking out Cammy’s apartment was fantastic.  Danny’s remark that Steve is rubbing off on him was perfect but then again, Junior is a SEAL too.  I don’t think he really needs Steve to rub off on him too much.  He’s tough as nails all on his own.

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Watching the whole team come together to work this case was wonderful.  Except for Jerry, the whole team had a hand in finding Cammy and solving the murders of Boyle and Mei.

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That it ended up being Boyle’s ass-hole of a son wasn’t a huge surprise and the take down at the rail yard with Tani and Junior was awesome.  It was nice to see the kids front and center in the big gun fight of the night and damn, Junior can fight like hell too!

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I know there will be those who will be worried that Tani and Junior being the only ones involved in this take down is an omen for a future when Steve and Danny take a back seat to the kids.  I’m not too concerned about that, at least not yet.  Considering the promo for next weeks episode has Steve going full on SuperSEAL to save Joe White, I don’t think he’s ready for a rocking chair just yet.

Is it possible that we’ll be seeing more of the physically demanding scenes going to Junior and Tani?  I’m sure we will.  While I don’t believe Steve’s assertion that he’s over the hill, I can see him (for Alex’s sake) letting the kids take some of the rough housing off his hands.  Some… not all… not yet.

That’s all I have time for this week. Sorry, again, for the lateness of this review. Hopefully next weekend won’t be a total bust for me again.  Please, fell free to bring up any and all of the wonderful moments I missed in this review in the comments below.  I look forward to hearing all your thoughts.  I know there is a ton that I missed.

Just two episodes to go to the end of the season and the long summer hiatus.  God, I really hate the sound of that.

I hope you all have a fantastic week.  Aloha.  Malama Pono

Almost all of the screen grabs above are mine but this week I did supplement a few from the  Hawaii Five-0 (Verified account) – @HawaiiFive0CBS, just to save a bit of time.  Also thanks to @SurfeBelle2 and @alohaspaceman for their fantastic collages!  They are always so incredibly fantastic!

Courtesy of @alohaspaceman1

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26 thoughts on “#H50 Review: 8.23 – Ka Hana A Ka Makua, O Ka Hana No Ia A Keiki (What Parents Will Do, Children Will Do)”

  1. Carole says:

    This sounds like a great episode – Meanwhile I’ve been able to watch a few season 1 & 6 episodes……and I can attest to the fact that Danny ranting in Japanese is so darn funny I could barely stop laughing……still bummed i’m missing new ones, but i’ll get caught up asap.

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  2. Don’t apologize for being late with a perfect review of a perfect episode, Linda. And thank you for all those screen grabs from everyone! I have nothing much to add except for one additional line that I loved from Mr. Leung…when Steve assumes he wants HIM to spar with his grandson and Mr. Leung says no, the one with the big mouth. Omygosh, how perfect was that? I also hope this is what we see more of in Season 9, the dedicated one story episode utilizing the team so beautifully. This kind of story shows why #H50 clicked so beautifully in the first place. More, please, Mr. Lenkov. 🙂

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    • You know, of course, I’m not a huge fan of multiple story episodes but if they are necessary, I can deal with two. Fantastic single story episodes with a fully fleshed out story that includes the entire team are my favorite. My second favorite are two story episodes where both stories dovetail into one throughout the episode, because, again, it means pretty much the entire team will be involved. Those will always be my favorite.

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  3. Susan Schoppe says:

    To have been so busy you did a great job on the review. Eddie is always a favorite of mine as well and yes, he is always on target with his expressions. I too have wondered how trainers get their animals to actually act! I loved also the fact that Steve & Danny were together on the case like the old days as well. A highlight for me was seeing Danny show his fighting skills, loved that, but what made it perfect was Steve freking out that Danny was not losing. Best scene for me.
    I hope your week is much better Linda, thanks for the review.

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  4. Nancy13 says:

    I loved this episode as there was one story & all the team was involved. I liked the “old time” friendly banter between Steve & Danny. This is one I will watch again afew times.

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  5. I loved the episode. Grandfather has been in a lot of movies,show, etc. I didn’t even know he was stil alive. I loved that they all worked together. Did anyone notice has a scar on his should and I notice from your screen shots, it looks like a scar on the other shoulder. Now the question is, will Cammy come between Tani and Junior for a little bit. Grandfather knew Danny would not throw the fight and Steve knew that too. Danny was unknown to the Grandfather and Gf decided to test Danny to see if he could be trusted.

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  6. Brooklyngirl says:

    It was a very good episode – a single storyline always works best. And lot’s of seasons 1&2 feels to it – the unity, the banter, the cohesiveness. Gives the entire team a chance to shine and they all shone brightly, especially Junior and Tani! It’s a little bittersweet watching the passing of the baton to the “kids” but as long as Alex remains healthy I say let the kids do the heavy lifting when needed. Like you said, we’ll still get superSEAL, there’s no way Alex will give up the action that easily!!

    The fight scene was priceless. Shirtless Danny! Swoon …. Wax on, wax off!!

    Eddie continually steals the show. How I wish I was that “vet” to shoosh Steve (but for oh so very different reasons! 😈😈)

    Even though we have ONLY 2 episodes to go I don’t want this season to end – it’s been one of the best!! And, Is. It. September. Yet??

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    • Of all the changes we’ve had in this show, adding Eddie to the cast is THE best decision TPTB ever made. He’s a perfect companion for Steve, he’s a fantastic “actor” and he’s just so damn cute. I just love that dog so much!

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  7. I loved this episode due to Steve and Danny — they are back on track, the guys we know and love. Good stuff. Thank you Peter Lenkov!

    I loved the vet scene, especially when the doctor put his finger over Steve’s mouth. You could see Steve hated that, but he took a breath and went with it. Why would Eddie still have stitches after all these months?

    I’m one of those who is afraid the badass baton is being passed to Junior. I don’t want to see Steve slow down. His impulsive, intense actions and reactions make the show. He’s our super SEAL who risks himself to save others, while Danny fusses about it. Like you said, I’ll be fine with seeing Junior and Tani take on some of the tough work, but it’s Steve that opens the can of WhoopAss like no one else can. 🙂

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    • Oh I agree 100%. There is nothing better than a full dose of SuperSEAL going all bad ass on a perp. But we do have to face a bit of reality with our fantasy. Alex (and Scott) are past 40 now. They just can’t do everything they could do when they were barely past 30. Scott slowed down the physical stuff awhile ago, now it may be Alex’s turn as well. Of course, like I said.. he’s not ready for a desk yet but that doesn’t mean he needs to be the one to throw his body at every dangerous situation in every episode anymore either. If shuffling a bit of it off to Junior/Beulah means we get to keep Alex and Steve longer, I’m ok with that.

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        • HA! You are sooooooo right! But, it really is more a matter of what they WANT to do, than what they look like they can do. Alex has taken such a beating in this role and we’re lucky as hell he’s healed enough that he’s willing to hang around for another season. His health must be the most important thing and fans who bitch and moan (and I’m NOT talking about anyone on THIS blog) that we need to get Steve back to his Season 1 and Season 2 bad ass SEAL moves in every episode are only thinking of themselves and their own viewing pleasure and not for what best for Alex. Which I find fascinating considering those same people are the ones who profess to love Alex above all and only put up with this “horrendous show” for him. 🙄🙄

          If scaling back Steve’s bodily injury count means we get to keep Alex healthy for himself and his family while still being able to enjoy him on the show, well, that’s a small price to pay in my book.

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  8. I absolutely loved this episode. The McDanno stuff was great. OMG Scott with his shirt off was the most awesome part of this episode. I already watched it again last night. How is his stomach so flat. The whole story was great. I also liked that we had one story. It flowed very nicely and kept me glued right from the start. I hate to see the season end too. Well, here’s to season nine. Living in Minnesota, I hate to wish my summer away but sometimes I find myself doing that because I miss my H50.

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    • I’ve rewatched that scene now about 10 times! Not only is Scott beautiful to look at and the fight fun to watch, it was also plainly obvious that Scott was having a blast filming it. Finally, an “action” scene where he’s in his full element. This isn’t scaling buildings, hiking through jungles or rolling out of cars. With his training and experience in jiu-jitsu, this was a walk in the park. He looked like he was really enjoying himself and that is always fun to see.

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  9. rhondagemini says:

    Another great review,Linda! My favorite scenes were of Steve & Danny with the old man and Danny boxing with his nephew-fantastic! As for the nephew trying to copy the moves of Chuck Norris and Bruce Lee, those two are legends and to try and do what they do is virtually impossible! The COTW was great and I loved Junior going all Steve on the killer’s father and then later the killer himself-very impressive. Looking forward to next week’s show!

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  10. thank you so much for the review , i hope you have a better weekend next weekend, Thanks for all the screen shots,Have to say this was one of the better episodes. Loved the light , not hateful or mean banter between Danny and Steve. Their back!!!! Loved the one episode story line the whole team working together. Eddie is an awesome addition to the cast, I still miss Kono and Chin but Junior and Tani fit in nicely, Steve will always be Steve hard driven with a great heart , and a fearless leader. Looking forward to more nicely written episodes, Thanks so much for an awesome show so looking forward to season 9

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    • I agree… Junior and Tani have fit in quite nicely and I’m not ashamed to say that I’m not missing Chin and Kono at all, even less now that Adam has flown off to be with her on the mainland. Seeing Adam all the time always made me think of Kono, obviously, but now that he’s off island, I don’t think about her at all.

      The same with Chin. Lou is there as the #3 backup, just like Chin. Junior has proven to be a very fine sharp-shooter, just like Chin. With Jerry there is ample “magic table” coverage when the others are in the field. I can honestly say there hasn’t been one moment this season where I said to myself “I wish Chin was in this scene” or “Oh, Chin could have done this better”.

      That gives me no pleasure because I wouldn’t even be watching this show if it weren’t for DDK because I only watched the pilot because I followed him over from LOST. But things change. Family members move away and start new chapters of their lives away from home all the time. That’s life. I’m just thrilled TPTB were able to find two incredibly fine actors and really nice people to join the cast and the on-set Ohana they have there. Going by the BTS photos and videos, Meaghan and Beulah have fit in incredibly well there as well.

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  11. Steve will always do things his way and no matter if you think they are unorthodox but still he gets it done.
    Steve would had hit that martial artist like hit the bodyguard with one shot but Danny showed some fighting skills and maybe he learned from Steve.
    But in the Junior who also showed off his skills and Tani covering him. Really love those two together
    James Hong such a delight. Needs his own show and is nearly ninety years old. Looking good for his age.
    Actually it was great to see one story together instead of three like they have been doing for season 8. Two more shows left! Can’t wait for 8×24!
    Give it 9/10!

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  12. This was another favorite episode of mine for the season. I loved the McDanno moments. I love Alex, but was glad that Scott got a shirtless scene and the fight was great. I enjoyed the light bickering, which is normal for a bunch of single, strongly- opinionated guys. If they weren’t occasionally bickering they would be boring. They make the show fun. For the life of me I cannot understand the Danny annoyance. These people have obviously never spent time around people from the New York/New Jersey area or they come from the area and are in denial. I’m from San Antonio, TX and lived in NJ and NY for almost five years. Scott does a wonderful job portraying New Jersey native Danny.

    I enjoyed seeing James Hong. I had to take a look at IMDB because I could swear I just watched him on an episode of Perry Mason the other day. The man is an ageless legend. I would love to see him again next season.

    I liked the one case of the week. I like how the “kids” are slightly more active and the originals are mentoring them. Junior really seems to be coming into his own slowly, but surely. The dynamic between Junior and Tani is really good, especially considering this is their first season. I can honestly say I’m pleased with this season and the new cast members. I also think that they have made the show fresh and have inspired the older cast members.

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    • “For the life of me I cannot understand the Danny annoyance. These people have obviously never spent time around people from the New York/New Jersey area or they come from the area and are in denial. I’m from San Antonio, TX and lived in NJ and NY for almost five years. Scott does a wonderful job portraying New Jersey native Danny.”

      You know, I have asked myself that same question many times over the years. I grew up in Philadelphia and spent many….many summers at the Jersey shore. My beloved sister-in-law was born and raised there.

      Danny plays a Jersey boy (or a South Philly boy for that matter) perfectly. Full of bluster, bravado, antagonism, sarcasm and pride, he is temperamental and uninhibited, tough and sassy (is that a word to describe a man?? LOL). He knows what he hates, knows what he likes, knows what he wants, knows what he feels and he’s not afraid to say so, damn it.

      He also has a fantastic sense of humor, is protective, loving, and loyal to a fault. He will do anything and everything for the people he loves, even going to the ends of the earth, as he’s done more than once for Steve. Yeah, he has a big mouth. Many from Jersey do but he also has a good and generous heart the size of the entire Jersey Shore!

      I pity anyone who hasn’t had a person like Danny Williams in their life, or at least the opportunity to know someone like him.

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  13. jlopie1 says:

    Well, well, well…I finally got a chance to read this! See, Linda, I’m even slower than you! It’s already the next Friday and another new episode is going to happen tonight!

    Anyway, you know I loved this episode, because it’s exactly my style. Lots of McDanno, great guest star, one single COTW, the kids coming into their own, and …wait for it…EDDIE! (Oh, and shirtless Danny …I could look on that hairy chest for hours, but I digress.)

    It’s really too late to add anything to the mix here, but I did really enjoy this one – especially the amount of McDanno we were blessed with!

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  14. Linda, do you know if Alex and Scott actually signed contracts for S9? I know Alex indicated he would be back if the deal was right, but I haven’t heard either way if he’s returning. I would hate to have an unexpected ending to next week’s episode.

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    • There has been speculation and some proclamations on several TV blogs and articles from the likes of TVLine, TVGuide and Spoiler that both Alex and Scott are returning. But there has been no “official” word from CBS about either of them.

      Next Wednesday, May 16th, is CBS’s day at the Spring Upfronts. That’s where all the networks showcase their new fall shows for advertisers but they also announce to the advertisers the shows that are returning for a new season. We already know H50 has been picked up for Season 9. Hopefully CBS will see fit to also announce who’s returned for that season and hopefully both Alex AND Scott are coming back.

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