Fi·na·le: fəˈnalē, fəˈnälē/noun – The last part of a piece of music, a performance, or a public event, especially when particularly dramatic or exciting.
As always, I really liked this episode of our show but dramatic and exciting? Hmmmmmm. I don’t know…. maybe it’s because last weeks episode was so incredibly dramatic and well done, pretty much anything that followed wouldn’t be quite up to that caliber. Oh, there were plenty of things to love in this one, don’t get me wrong, but it kind of felt more like a regular weekly episode rather than a finale. There just wasn’t the high drama I was expecting from having a huge Russian submarine floating off Waikiki Beach.
The one thing I was happiest about with this episode was that we only had one case! Heaven be praised, they do exist! This meant the entire team worked on this case together.
And I especially loved Steve and Danny partnering throughout. Give me an entire episode of Steve and Danny together working a case, or doing just about anything, and all is right with my world.
A Russian submarine off Waikiki Beach. We’ve had some crazy stuff on this show. Giant claws, crashing planes on Kalakaua Avenue, lifting cabins with helicopters, Steve jumping off high overpasses onto the tops of speeding trucks below, just to name a few. When H50 does a premiere or a finale, they love to go big, and this was about the biggest we’ve ever gone. I like the idea of finales being over the top, it’s what makes them so much fun.
And there was fun with this one as well. It was pretty impressive watching that sub rise from the water with the Rainbow Tower of the Hilton Hawaiian Village in the background. That was some awesome CGI right there!
Steve trying to communicate via semaphore flags really did look like he was trying to land a plane. It was hysterical.
As were the reactions of the entire team, Danny in particular. You would think they’d all be used Steve by now. 😊 Of course, he’s not going to wait for the bureaucrats and the politicians to get their ducks in a row. I had to laugh at the line about the President trying to get in touch with Putin! Wouldn’t he just have to roll over in bed to do that??? Sorry… I digress….. 😉
Danny yelling out, “Steve… Steve! He wanted me to name the restaurant “Steve’s”. I’ll do it now in his memory” was so perfect Danny as was Lou’s “That’s what we love about you Danny. Always thinking positive” response! Of course, they all thought Steve motoring out to personally make contact with the sub was crazy. I loved how every time they spoke to Steve while he was on the sub, everyone kept asking him if he was alright.
There was much speculation when we saw the BTS and promo photos of Steve going on board that sub. Would that be the cliffhanger? Would the sub take off with Steve onboard and we’d be left to wonder when or if Steve would ever make it back? Well, no. It was a bit anticlimactic actually. Steve found out about an attempted mutiny for the purpose of defecting, the murder of the sub’s captain and the escape of the killer onto the shores of Oahu via torpedo tube. Steve was never in any danger.
Maybe it’s just me but I found this case a bit muddled. First off, why did the sub surface off Waikiki in the first place? I mean, I get that Petrov, the killer, forced them to shore but once he was off the ship, why didn’t they just submerge and leave? Did they intend to send officers onshore to try to take him in to custody themselves? Since all the sub did the entire episode was sit there, it seems it’s only purpose was to make a grand CGI entrance.
Petrov’s actions had nothing to do with a defection. He was after the people who killed his parents, something he witnessed, when he was a child. He found them posing as an average couple, the Sterlings (who were actually Russian spies), who he tortured for information before he killed them.
Then he took off for the Russian Consulate after a woman named Monica Shore, who’s number and location he managed to torture out of the Sterlings. Monica and her daughter fled to the Consulate when they, through listening devices place in the Sterling home, realized Petrov was after them.
So, does that mean Monica killed Petrov’s parents alone, or were the Sterlings involved as well? Petrov knew they were spies. Did he only find out who and where they were after he was stationed on that submarine? Seems like an awful lot of trouble to go through to hijack a nuclear submarine for revenge. The Sterlings and Monica had been on Oahu a long time. Did he have to go after them right that very second and risk an international incident? Seems a bit unhinged to me. But, I guess watching your parents murdered in front of you when you’re 9 years old does that to a person. Too bad the Batman persona was already spoken for.
But the story did give us one hell of an awesome fight scene between Steve and Petrov at the Consulate. Damn, this one was particularly brutal. TV/movie fight scenes always fascinate me. I’ve never witnessed a full-on brawl in my life, so I’ve often wondered if men really fight like this in real life. I mean, it seems like any one of those punches would lay a person out immediately, or at least break a couple of bones in their hands and end the fight right there. Let alone the repeated head shots, kicks to the body and flipping someone violently onto their back. And that fall from a second story window? Seriously? At least they allowed Steve to look totally exhausted once he was able to knock Petrov out, even if he was back on his feet about 5 seconds later. That’s our SuperSEAL ♥
The story also gave us some great one liners and funny scenes, not to mention several references to the Pilot episode. I was going to list them all but, thanks to the wonderful talents of Lisa (@alohaspaceman) I didn’t need to. These were simply golden…..
As was the Boris and Natasha reference. Do I have to admit how old it made me feel that I not only knew exactly who Danny was referring to but that I remember rushing home from school as a child to watch Rocky and Bullwinkle on TV?
I also really got a kick out of Junior’s flustered embarrassment when Tani called him on his alleged ability to read body language when both he and Lou notice something is obviously bugging her. “Do you study other people’s bodies or just mine?” 😊😊 Saved by the bell is right! 😊😊
There was also the scene between Tani and “Uncle” Lou! I really love it how Steve, Danny and Lou refer to Tani and Junior as “the kids” so it seems only fair that they get to pull the age card on them as well sometimes. Well, Junior would never do it, of course. He’s much to deferential. But Tani is a hoot. I love her spunk and her sense of humor. This scene was simply wonderful. I adore these two together!
It was also really great to have Jerry back for the finale. We haven’t seen him since he crashed that van a couple of episodes ago. Seems he’s been in the hospital all this time and shouldn’t even be back to work yet. I suppose no one should have been surprised that there was no way Jerry was gonna let a Russian sub get away without him in the office to check it out.
Anyway, the case ends as an “all’s well that ends well”, of course. The team finds Monica hold up with the Consulate staff in a safe room at the Consulate and arrest her. I do wonder what kind of safe room doesn’t even have a lock on the door, but whatever. The authorities, along with Five-0, also go to several other locations and shut down sleeper agents all over the island.
And the closure of the case, also gave us the opportunity to have another fantastic slow-motion team strut like the one we had way back in Season 2! Yeah, I know it’s corny for sure, but I loved it all the same.
So, no danger for Steve or the team that will carry over into the new season. No recurrence of sickness for us to worry over Steve about all summer. No new bad guys entering the scene for us to wonder about over hiatus. No new plots or threats to our team. Our cliffhanger for this summer is somewhat different.
Tani was preoccupied during the case by what she found at Adam’s apartment last episode. The gloves and gun in the junk drawer. She finally takes Junior into her confidence and shows him what she found. She tells him the gun matches the one that killed Noriko.
I’m curious to know how she knows this. It’s easy enough to see if the gun matches the make and caliber of the gun that killed Noriko but in order to know for sure that it’s the gun, they’d have to check the ballistics, right? Wouldn’t it taint evidence if Tani removed the gun or one of the bullets to have it tested? Wouldn’t it render the evidence useless because it was “tampered with”? And who would check the ballistics for her without asking where, how and why?
There is also the question of whether Tani should tell Steve and the team what she found. Junior is right, she has to tell him but Tani is torn. Adam saved Koa’s life. Is this how she repays him? But I agree with Junior. She has to tell Steve. After all, Adam is Ohana and there is no way Steve and the team will turn their backs on him. The sooner Tani tells Steve what she found the sooner the team can start to work to figure out who’s trying to frame him.
And, finally, something that makes me incredibly happy. The restaurant is still a go and something we’re going to see continue into Season 9. I love that the guys have called in Kamekona and his considerable experience to help them out. The looks on their faces when he handed them those contracts not to mention when they opened those cases full of money were priceless. Kamekona has already proved his worth. He got them their liquor license in the blink of an eye and already had workers on-site and working. Kame knows how to get things done.
But it seems that, unlike Crime Clean, Kamekona isn’t content to be a silent partner in this endeavor. I wonder what changed his mind. At the beginning of the episode, he said if the restaurant went under, he didn’t want anyone to know he was involved. The fact that he now does want his name attached to it, must mean he sees the potential there for it to be a big success. There is no other reason why he’d be willing to attach his “brand” to it.
Yeah, it looks like it’s coming together but, seriously, “Kamekona’s Italian Restaurant” just doesn’t flow. I hope the writers don’t try to go there because there really isn’t any way the restaurant should bear Kame’s name. Danny may hem and haw, rant and protest, but he ultimately understands the sentiment behind Steve’s request.
“…..because then, if we’re not together, we’ll still… you know… we’re still gonna…. we’ll be together still”.
Such a touching and heartfelt sentiment I can’t believe Danny would ever consider not honoring that request. It’s a testament to their friendship. Of course, when Steve made that request, he was thinking about a time when Danny would retire and leave Five-0 and they wouldn’t be together everyday anymore. It was Steve’s desire to have them always be together symbolically through the name of the restaurant.
But then Danny surprised Steve by asking him to be part of his dream, making it their dream together. So in a way, the symbolism of “Steve’s” was no longer needed. Once retirement came, they wouldn’t be separated, but running the restaurant together, just as they’d run Five-0 together.
So perhaps it doesn’t have to be “Steve’s” but really, as much as I love the big guy and thrilled he’s taking the reigns to make this project a reality, it can’t be “Kamekona’s” either. If, it turns out the restaurant doesn’t end up being “Steve’s”, can we at least have it be “McDanno’s”? After all, Kame (and the rest of us) have already laid out money on the shirts! 😊 😊 😊
And so, we come to the end of another successful season of Hawaii Five-0. What a wonderful year this has been. From a beginning where we were nervous about unexpected changes to the end where we’ve welcomed and grown to love the newest members of our Ohana. We’ve had some fantastic stories, we had laughs and tears and fears and everything else all over the spectrum.
Thank you to Alex O’Loughlin, Scott Caan, Chi McBride, Meaghan Rath, Beulah Koale, Jorge Garcia, Ian Anthony Dale, Dennis Chun, Taylor Wily, Kimee Balmilero, and of course Eddie, along with the entire remaining cast and the best crew in the business for a fantastic season. Thank you to Peter Lenkov and all the incredible H50 Writers for all the wonderful stories that filled this great season.
I hope they all enjoy their hiatus with everyone in their lives who they love and who make them happy. I look forward to seeing them all again come September for another wonderful year of Hawaii Five-0.
With all my heart….Mahalo nui loa. Aloha. Malama Pono
All screencaps are mine unless otherwise noted.
Hawaii Five-0 Kool-Aid 
Great wrap up, Linda …. you’re right, after last week’s gut wrenching 60 minutes, almost any follow-up finale would have been pale by comparison. This was an enjoyable episode, with Five-0 taking on a possibly world shaking event, right there at Waikiki.
I don’t know what scene might have been appropriate in the little “previously, on Hawaii Five-0” opening tease … but the “Adam thread” as it stands now is somewhat boring to me. Ian Anthony Dale has done much with a rather strained story line in Season 8. But the whole angle seems minor, when compared with all that Five-0 has tangled with this season. Here in the first 90 seconds we get a full tableau of the Adam situation, then for the next 50+ minutes we get a completely different feature story, then thru Tani & Junior, we get a final tease in the Adam-Kono house. Was THIS a cliffhanger? Surely that wasn’t the goal of PL & company … (right?) I know I will not lose a minute of sleep considering the implications of THAT for the next four months …
l’ll share a secret with all my Ohana — I’d be happy to find out in September that Adam has left the Islands, to rejoin his Wife in the States — and that he has chosen their Marriage and HER task force to be with …
I hope Season 9 brings us another year of great episodes, with another set of appearances by Harry, Frank Bama, an ever-more relevant Jerry, and my guy Mr. Joe White. Every time HE shows, we know THAT IT’S ON … Much love to all of UUUUU !
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you so much for the comment Dan. There’s not a word of it that I can disagree with. I adore Ian and I’ve always loved Adam, but I’ve made no secret that his story line this season felt totally flat. You’re right…. they summed up the entire season long story in the first 90 seconds. Unfortunately, yeah… that looks to be the cliffhanger for the season. Again, I adore Ian but like you, I wouldn’t cry if Adam chose to be with Kono on the mainland and not return to Hawaii at all. I’d miss Ian but I would not miss this story.
The other cliffhanger isn’t really a cliff hanger at all. It seems pretty obvious that the restaurant is going to survive and the only question is what it’s name will be. Hardly an earth shattering. But that’s ok. I really don’t mind that there’s no heart rendering cliff hanger. I don’t mind that I don’t have to stress over the next 4 months over who’s living or dying, who may or may not leave or what tragic event is right around the corner. I kind of like that I can sit back with great memories of the season past and happy anticipation of the new season to come without all the stresses of “what if’s”.
LikeLike
Great review,as usual! While this was a good episode, it was not what I would have expected for a season finale, even though the COTW was resolved with great team work! That Russian sub looked like a great big black whale to me! Glad to see Kame giving the guys help-and money-to get the restaurant going! Look forward to its grand opening sometime next season. I am hoping we will see more of Eddie next season-was sorry he was not in the season finale. The team definitely needed Jerry to work the magic table for sure in order to find out about the murders and what led to them. As for the “cliffhanger”, I do agree that Tani needs to tell Steve about the gun and gloves. I know she owes Adam for saving Koa’s life, but that fact alone should tell her that Adam is not a murderer! The sooner the team knows about those items, the sooner they can find out who is setting Adam up and why! Looking forward to season 9 already! Thanks for all your great reviews this season and look forward to more of them come September!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I was thinking about Eddie too. It would have been fantastic for him to be in the finale but honestly, there wasn’t any reason for him to be at HQ and we had no scenes at Casa McG.
I also wish we would have gotten word on Duke’s hearing but I guess we’ll hear what retribution will come from Duke’s actions next season.
LikeLike
Even though this was a “suspend reality” episode, I liked it for the fact that in some way, every team member’s personality was highlighted. It really conveyed the feeling of ohana. And it helped that they were all working on the same case.
I also loved the fight. I knew it was going to be good because Petrov was played by Dennis Keiffer, who is a kickboxing champ. Even though I saw Alex’s stunt guy doing the hard falls, I’m sure Alex and Dennis had a blast with all of the grappling and MA moves. And having Danny look down and ask Steve if he’s good was perfect. Loved that whole scene.
For me, nothing could top last week’s show, but I enjoyed this one and like you, Linda, I’m breathing easy at not having to worry about a cliffhanger.
Hope you all have a wonderful summer!
LikeLiked by 1 person
That fight was downright brutal and yeah, Alex’s double handled all the hard falls, Alex still did a hell of a lot of that fight. He was the one getting slammed against the walls and bookcases and taking the falls to the floor. While it makes me happy that Alex is feeling well enough to engage in these fight scenes, it does bother me that certain so-called Alex fans want him to do even more of this kind of stuff. They want to see their SuperSEAL practically every episode. While I loved this fight and was happy Alex felt he could do it, I don’t want to see him doing this every episode. If it means we get less of this hard core, let’s slam Steve against walls, type of stuff so we get to keep Alex longer… I’m ok with that.
LikeLiked by 2 people
That was one badass epic fight Alex kicked ass so proud of him
LikeLike
I can’t believe another season has come and gone! Thanks for all the wonderful blogs over the seasons Linda!! Your hard work is greatly appreciated!
I really liked the episode but didn’t love it. At least this cgi was a helluva lot better than their 2 previous attempts and more believable, I thought last weeks episode should have been the finale. The team working together along with the cute quips and one liners were its savings grace.
I’m right there with you that the restaurant should not be named after Kamekona. But I did get a big chuckle out of him telling Steve and Danny he needs his suitcases back but they can keep the money! And I really hope Nahele gets more than 15 seconds of screen time next season.
I know I’m in the minority but that fight scene was way to brutal (and unrealistic) for me. Knowing many cops I’ve asked them about these fight scenes and the majority just snort and laugh and say not in the real world. One said they should’ve been used in the old Timex commercials “takes a licking and keeps on ticking”. If his tone wasn’t so sarcastic it would’ve been cute. I guess the suspension of reality will continue. I was also a bit confused by Danny’s lackluster reaction to it. He’s usually a lot more animated and upset about Steve’s beatings. Maybe 8 seasons in he’s finally became jaded enough to ignore them. As long as Steve responds somehow he’s ok with it. The slo-mo team strut of a job well done made up for a lot the meh’ness.
I do know that Tani needs to come clean with Steve about her find. I’m just hoping that this storyline won’t continue for much longer in the new season because like another storyline that keeps on popping up, this horse is dead, very smelly and needs to be buried ASAP. If there’s a new baddie in town, I say bring ‘em on and enough of this cloak and dagger stuff. How long can one man pay for the sins of his father?
Friday nights just won’t be the same the next few months without the anticipation of new episodes to look forward to but at least July will roll around soon enough and the drought of no new pictures or information will end. Till then, enjoy your summer!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I also loved the fact that the team was all working together on this case. This cast is so awesome together. Danny and Lou’s one liners were perfect. And I can’t stress how much I love Tani. I especially love when she is with Lou. And Junior is pretty awesome as well. But my favorite will always be when Steve and Danny are together during a whole episode. Our boys were together in this one and that always makes me happy. I am so glad they are on the right track with their restaurant. I can’t wait to see it up and running next season. Let’s hope there are no more setbacks. Thank you for all the great reviews, Linda. I can’t wait for us to be back next season. Oh and I did love the whole team walking together at the end. They are perfect. Thank you, Mr. Lenkov.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great review and I love your blog so glad I came across it. Look forward to H50 in September and seeing my badass Alex I have been a longtime fan of his since 2009.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ok, first I really shouldn’t have laughed at your President/Putin comment, but it really was funny. I was thinking more like speed dial, but yours was funnier. I love you reviews.
I enjoyed the simple season ender. I’m starting to hate big cliffhangers. It seems like now it’s a hit or miss on if the shows will be renewed. It always bothers me to invest in a show and have it end on a cliffhanger only to be cancelled.
As I have since episode 1 of season 1 I enjoyed the McDanno moments. I love the new team dynamics. I really like the new bonding between the two newbies and their relationship with the mature adults. It was great to see Nahele and I love the idea of Kamekona expanding his enterprise by investing in Steve and Danny’s dream. They are still working their regular jobs and will need his input and resources. Even if they no longer fully own the restaurant to break even on what they’ve already put into the restaurant would be a plus.
In the end it’s best for Tani to listen to Junior and go to Steve. I truly believe Adam is being set up and if they have to use him less next season that is fine. I would have appreciated them incorporating his character in the business aspects of the restaurant since if I can recall he was originally the legitimate side of his father’s business dealings.
I definitely want to see Duke next season and even more Eddie. I really think the new additions have reinvigorated the show. I also like that Steve is finally coming to terms that he’s not as young as he used to be and that he is actually feeling it. There’s not as much action and the show is still interesting to me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m glad you found the President/Putin comment amusing. I typed it, they went to delete it (because I try to never interject politics onto this page) but I got such a chuckle out of it myself I just left it in. LOL
I’m starting to hate big cliffhangers myself, to tell you the truth. It seems that every show these days feels the need to either kill off a beloved character or put them in dire, life threatening circumstances that make the viewers squirm and worry all summer. I’m sorry… but if you have to terrify your viewers in order to guarantee they’ll return to your show in September, maybe you’re show isn’t has fantastic as you think it is. That’s just my opinion, of course and many will disagree but that’s ok. I don’t need to see my favorite characters on the brink of death or departure to bring me back to Five-0 year after year.
I also agree the concept of “we’ll write a huge cliffhanger so the network will have to bring us back” is ludicrous. Two of my favorite shows, Scorpion and Lucifer had huge cliffhangers in the season finales, now both are cancelled and the viewers are left in limbo forever. Not cool… not cool at all.
LikeLike
Yeah as really it was a so so season. And really not the best episode there.
As really think that Kameonka is going to take the lead and knows how to run a restaurant or a mini-one with the shrimp truck
And that Tani may have to tell Steve after he gave her a chance but then again Adam helping out her brother after nearly dying of drugs. She is put in a rock and a hard place.
That of in the Russian thing duh was not smart. And Five 0 would not arrest them. More like FBI or State Department. Long story over on the protocol thing. But Russian authorities would have jurisdiction over on this as well.
It was like a mini cliffhanger. But hope for a better season 9. Me thinks Adam is not really bad but wants the team to think he is. In order to figure things out.
Episode 6/10
Season 8 7/10 Hit or miss
LikeLike