Summer in Philadelphia is brutal. August especially. Around 98° with high humidity is mostly the norm. And, unfortunately, I’m of an age where I remember all too clearly what it was like when no one had air conditioning. Movie theaters used to have huge neon signs which screamed “WE HAVE AIR CONDITIONING”. They were packed the entire summer no matter what movie was playing.
Trying to sleep at night was a nightmare. Laying on top of the bed sheets in the middle of the night feeling yourself slowly melting into a gooey puddle, repeatedly flipping the pillow over desperately trying to find the cool side. Filling the tub with cold water and going for a 2am dunk just trying to survive the night. And the days? Oh my God! It was exhausting torture for weeks. Remember back then, cars didn’t have AC either. I honestly don’t know how we ever survived it. I guess it can be chalked up to being young or just not knowing any different.
In this episode, a heat wave has hit Hawaii and with the power going out all over the island, everyone is thrown back to the dark ages of oppressive heat. A heat that makes people cranky, irritable, opportunistic and down right mean. This episode had a little bit of everything.
Right off the bat, reading the synopsis of this episode I found myself groaning. Four separate story lines and none of them related except for the common thread of the heat wave. You know how I feel about episodes with more than one (two at the most) stories going on and this one had four!
But wonder of wonders, I found that I really enjoyed this episode a hell of a lot more than I expected to. I love it when the writers mix things up a bit. This episode was a complete departure from the norm, watching everyone deal with the heat in their own way. The four separate stories were nicely put together and gave everyone a good amount of screen time. Yes, a filler episode, but a filler episode with a lot going for it and a hell of a lot of fun.
It also helps to remember that while this was Episode 3 of the season, it was the first episode filmed after the summer hiatus when everyone returned to work on a different schedule. This was a nice relaxing way to get everyone back in the groove of filming after not working together for months and the four smaller stories worked well with everyone’s returning schedules. I also liked this calmer and, yes, funnier, episode after the two intense episodes which started the season. I felt like writer Rob Hanning was having a blast thinking up all the weird and funny things that could happen to our team in a heat wave and just went with them all.
Of course, I’m going to have favorite parts and not so favorite parts, even if I did love the entire episode. So, let’s go in reverse order of favorites.
Lou’s one person PGA: We all know of Lou’s love of golf. We’ve seen him on golf courses many times over the years and Lou takes pride in his game. It’s not out of the realm of imagination that Lou would take advantage of the heat wave and a completely empty hoity-toity golf course to play his favorite game in peace and at his own pace. But even Dog, who was supposed to play the round with Lou, was intelligent enough to stay ice bound and lemonade supplied at home like a sane human being. But Lou is not to be deterred and, of course, as fate would have it, plays the best round of golf of his life.
Of course, Chi can tackle absolutely anything in a script and make it gold and watching him in full-on joyful exhilaration was a hoot to watch. But, for all the fun of watching Lou have the time of his life, he really does come off as very self-serving in this story. I can understand the excitement of the best golf game ever, but the cost of that game could have been horrendous.
Of course, it was played for laughs but dragging the poor caddy around 18 holes of golf in, what really is life threatening heat, just so he can be witness to your golf greatness, is a pretty crappy thing to do. I mean, seriously Lou? I know you ended up carrying the clubs yourself, but have you never heard of a golf cart with a sun shade? Or an umbrella? Or even a bottle of cold water?
And after all that time in the blazing sun, a sun which fried the poor caddy into delirium, your skin is none the worse for wear? Hate to break it to people but, even if not as noticeable, black people can get sunburn too.
Kamekona totally loses his mind: Something has happened to our big, lovable lug. He’s just not being very lovable these days. Where’s the guy who shut down the shrimp truck and took it to feed firefighters attacking that huge fire in the Season 8 opener? Or the guy who donated a huge chuck of money to anonymously build a community center for the keiki? Now, he’s invested in Steve and Danny’s restaurant as a “silent” partner yet expects to name the restaurant after himself.
Like Lou, Kame doesn’t come off looking too good in this episode. First, while Steve and Danny are frantically trying to save their food stores in a power outage with coolers full if ice, Kame shows up to take that ice for his shave ice stand. It’s obvious he views the restaurant as another extension of his businesses. Shave ice, shrimp truck, chopper tours, Italian restaurant. Perfectly OK to rob Peter to pay Paul. In a heat wave, that currency is ice with no regard to Steve and Danny’s inventory.
Now, we all know Kame tends to view life monetarily, so it’s no surprise that he’d look forward to a heat wave for all the extra money he’d make with his shave ice. And while we’ve seen him repeatedly play loose with his discounts, we’ve never seen him out and out price gouge his customers. I think I could have, maybe, understood a slight increase. I mean, all those extra customers probably meant more staff on duty to handle the extra load. So, maybe an increase from $5.00 to $5.50 or maybe $6.00 could have been understood but triple??? Why didn’t he just listen to Flippa who was adamant it was not a good idea!
And, for the love of God, Kame, don’t change the price right in front of a hot and irritable mob who have already been waiting in the heat for God knows how long. Do you have a death wish?
But he gets his just deserts. The mob revolts, topples over the truck and pretty much trashes the entire area around it. You would think the “Oracle of Oahu” would have seen that coming. Or the fact that one of his competitors is doing the right (and probably much more profitable thing) and having a two-for-one sale. You know I adore the big guy with the heart of gold. Let’s hope it was just the unbearable heat that got to Kame’s sense of decency and he sees the error of his ways. That supply and demand doesn’t mean gouge your customers for all you can while you can.
Jerry saves the day: This story was pretty small, but it was very cute. Jerry did the right thing when he stepped in to stop that guy from stealing the ice from another man who had legally purchased it. Maybe hitting him over the head with a glass bottle wasn’t the smartest thing (I mean, he could have really hurt the guy) but he did the right thing to step in.
After being cuffed (and how cool is it that Jerry has cuffs on hand?) the man reveals he needs the ice because his wife has gone into premature labor and the doctor told him to keep her cool. Of course, the other man feels horrible since all he wanted the ice for is margaritas, but when he offers the ice to the man, it has, predictably in such heat, all melted.
Jerry uses his head and has the convenience store manager clear out one of his refrigerator sections. Then Jerry, the store manager, the husband and even the guy he fought over the ice with, band together to bring the man’s wife to the store to let her cool off in the fridge. It was an ingenious idea and, once again, proves that Jerry can not only think fast on his feet, but has a heart of gold.
Steve and Danny: You know, of course, that I am going to love all the Steve and Danny time in this episode. As the only ones on the team who are actually working a case, they spend the entire episode together. This is my heaven!
Watching the wet t-shirt contest going on at the restaurant as they try to save their inventory in the power outage was golden. I couldn’t help but laugh at Steve teasing Danny over the bottle of water Danny was using to “water yourself like a plant” because if you’ve ever seen behind-the-scenes of photos of Alex on set, he lugs around a huge bottle of water all day long.
And I loved the give and take between them over which order the fish should be stored in the chests full of ice. But, just like burying money in the back yard, taking fish out of a commercial freezer is not a bright idea. As in the first case, Danny is 100% correct here as well.
Everyone knows, when the power goes out in the house, a full freezer will keep the temperature for approximately 48 hours if the door remains closed. And that’s just a household freezer. A huge commercial job is probably even better. That ice in the chests would melt a lot sooner than 48 hours. But as usual, there is Danny, ranting and raving aside, doing exactly as Steve says.
Actually, this could be a reason why Kami wasn’t concerned about taking all the ice. He knows the food is safe in the freezer for at least 2 days and he probably figured the power would be back by then. Shave ice was the more immediate need.
The crime of the week was pretty brutal considering how generally lighthearted the rest of the episode was. It was pretty jarring to see our perp, Allison Ross, gun down two cops and a guy passing by on a motorcycle in cold blood as well as beating two other men to a pulp in her rampage.
I do have one question. How on earth did she go from her hands being cuffed behind her back to being cuffed in front in order to take the officer’s service revolver from his hand? I re-watched that sequence numerous times and there was no maneuver to bring her cuffed hands forward. They were simply just there when she needed them to be.
The story sure kept Steve and Danny on the run for the whole episode. A story of prison escape, identity theft and half a million in bank theft, it ended pretty anti-climatically when Allison died while trapped in an elevator turned oven when the power goes out as she tries to escape yet again.
The best thing about this story was, of course, the fact that Steve and Danny worked it entirely on their own. I especially loved it because, as I said before, this was the first episode filmed after the summer hiatus and Alex and Scott don’t miss a single beat. They were absolutely perfect throughout. Their friendship and their partnership is as strong as ever. Like I said before……. this is my heaven!
ReyRei ROCKS: These two were absolutely the best part of this episode, from beginning to end. Tani on her way to the office stuck in traffic was hysterical. Oh, Tani, I sympathize with you girl. Nothing more frustrating than sitting in non-moving traffic with some jerk honking his horn behind you like, what? You can leap-frog over all the cars in front of you?? And tell me, was I the only one who thought she was about to get out of the car and go all Kono on the guy behind her? 🤣🤣
Finding Junior using her office to “finish up some paperwork” has to be one of the funniest scenes we’ve had on this show in ages. I don’t know what was better. Junior’s face as he had to admit that he was a tad under-dressed or Tani’s reaction to his naked butt in her chair.
It makes me wonder though. Does Junior even have an office? It’s obvious that Tani inherited Kono’s office while Lou probably inherited Chin’s. We went years without ever seeing Lou in an office (actually, have we ever seen him in Chin’s old office??) so I guess Junior is the man without a country now. The few times we’ve seen him coming out of an office, it’s been Tani’s.
It makes sense that Steve would delegate the helping of HPD to the kids. They only just recently did their mandatory “uniform day” so why not? It also afforded them the opportunity to stay cool in the AC in Tani’s car. It’s funny, as I was watching, I was thinking how funny it was that Junior was driving. It was funny how, not a moment later, Tani is telling Junior not to get used to driving her car.
The cargument that ensued was hysterical. Junior points out how Steve always drives the Camaro and she accuses him of being “McGarrett Jr.”. It’s very telling that Junior finds being compared to Steve a great compliment, but the best part is Tani’s full-on-perfect impression of Danny. Please, please please, tell me Tani’s car has a dash cam and Steve and Danny get to see those imitations someday! I’d pay big money to see that! 🤣🤣
Between trying to talk down a shotgun toting home owner hell bent to teach a bunch of overheated teenagers trespassing in his pool a lesson and Tani’s stolen car, these two bonded more tightly then ever. Junior opens up about how his sister died and we can see how affected Tani is by that. She’s not usually lost for words but the palpable pain in Junior’s voice leaves her speechless. I think Junior just appreciated finally having someone he can let a little of that pain escape with.
They really were Steve and Danny Junior in this episode. Kvetching in the car at each other, being there when one needs to talk and giving each other grief over ice cream choices. It’s so wonderful watching the slow buildup of their friendship. When they find Tani’s car with a dead battery they do the only thing left after walking miles and miles in the scorching heat. They shed their clothes and head for the water.
Watching them splash around like a couple of goofy kids was a hoot. Come on….. admit it… you thought they were going to kiss too! They came sooooooo close. This is one ship that looks more than inevitable.
The perfect ending: Finally, the day comes to an end. Tani and Junior are frolicking in the surf while Steve, Danny and Lou converge on Kamekona’s wrecked site. Lou is still brimming over with excitement for his golf game. I can totally feel Danny’s reaction to Lou’s excitement. Who wants to hear about your perfect 110° golf game when you’ve been running all over Oahu and climbing several stories of buildings with no elevators and no AC? I get ornery when I’m overheated too.
Courtesy of @alohaspaceman
When the skies open and the rains finally begin to fall, it was perfect. Not a soul runs for cover. Everyone simply stops, looks to the heavens and lets the refreshing relief wash over them.
Courtesy of @alohaspaceman
Yeah, adding “Singing in the Rain” was a bit corny but personally, as it’s one of my most favorite movies ever, I loved it. Unless Moses supposes erroneously, of course! 😉. (Mahalo @drittokaren ♥)
That’s it for this week my friends. I really loved this episode even with the few things I didn’t care for. It was really a lot of fun and after the first two heavy episodes and what looks to be some heavy stuff on the way, it was a nice little breather for us to enjoy. I loved it.
See you next week! Have a great week. Aloha. Malama Pono!
All screen caps are mine unless otherwise noted.
Hawaii Five-0 Kool-Aid 
Wow, Linda you did it again, nailed it, great review ! I loved this one as well BC once in a while I like slower and more of the personal storylines. This had action but at a slower pace. The one thing that really well sorta shocked me was Kamakona price gouging. That seemed so out of character for him after he changed his life for the good after jail. This was the first bad thing we’ve seen him do and I hope we don’t in the future. We’ve seen them all do bad for the greater cause of good in the long term but never for self serving profit. I loved Steve’s answer to him though, “you deserved what you got” LoL I totally agree! As always Thank,you for your hard work on these reviews, you are very much appreciated ❤️
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Thanks so much Susan! This one was easy to write. It was such fun and flowed so easily on screen, it flowed just as easily on my keyboard.
I agree about Kame. Like I said, I just hope it was the heat that made him lose his mind like that. Karma is a bitch after all. I hope it helps him learn his lesson! LOL
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Fantastic review! I,too, can relate to a heat wave situation-we here in Ga had one just a couple of weeks ago and it was horrible. That being said,this was a great episode,even with the COTW,which was a little strange. I couldn’t understand how Allison’s hands got from the back to the front,either. Lou playing golf in the heat was crazy,but I was happy for his accomplishment. However, he would have been smarter to join Dog in his ice bath. Jerry does have a heart of gold-one of the things I love about him and in this case,the guy who tried to take the ice for drinks was a good guy,too-I think Jerry may have inspired him! Loved Steve & Danny’s argument over how to keep the food during the heat wave-Danny, as you said, was 100% correct that the freezer would keep the food for at least 48 hours,yet he does exactly what Steve tells him to do and puts it in coolers. I do think the heat got to Kame-couldn’t believe he would intentionally gouge people,especially in front of them. Hope he listens to Flippa next time! Tani & Junior,what can I say-their cargument was so like the ones we’ve seen with Danny & Steve,which were hilarious. I sense their relationship is moving towards the next level. I do wish there were some way for Danny & Steve to see the kids’ acting like them-I can only imagine their reactions! Looking forward to the next episode already!
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Thanks Rhonda! A friend of mine on Twitter suggested that a better use for Lou could have been to have him stationed at HQ. No one was there, all day. Lou could have been there to help with the background check on Allison but, even more fun, he could have been rubbing it in all day to everyone sweating their asses off that he was back in HQ, comfortably soaking up all the cool while they all battled the heat! LOL
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Bravo Linda! Your review once again, was great. I really liked Lou’s story line. It would make sense that he’d choose today to play golf, since Murphy’s law says that the day he’d choose would be so hot. Dog was right to relax, and Lou could have joined him. I SO thought (and was hoping) that Tani would jump out of the car and punch out the guy’s window. Plus, I really thought they’d kiss. I guess they’re just warming up. The Mcdanno part was, and always will be the best part. Of course Steve wouldn’t stop to “water himself like a plant”, since we’ve seen and heard that he can go without water for a while. He does still look hot, even when sweaty😘😊😘. Next week’s episode looks so good, so I am glad they’ve given us a few light ones to warm up to the next ones. I loved Steve’s smile when he mentioned to Lou that he’s seen him play golf😎 he must have been remembering when he humiliated Lou on the course 4 years ago. Thank you for this, and can’t wait to see/read the next one!
PS. I have noticed over the years that Lou’s never had an office. So, if they still haven’t given him one in 9 years, Junior sure isn’t gonna get one soon!
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I willing to bet that Lou has Chin’s old office. It would just make sense. By order of seniority Lou is the longest serving team member after Steve and Danny. Tani, of course, came next so she got Kono’s office. They’ve just never seen fit to give us a scene that takes place in Lou’s office but I’m positive he has Chin’s. Poor Junior is delegated to be a floater. But he’ll have company in that regard soon. Once Adam joins the team he’s not going to have an office either! LOL
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True! But, SEALS can adapt to any arrangement😊
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I agree the episode was fine, cute and it was light enough (after 2 intense ones) with a common thread.
The boys are back! Love the kvetching and moaning and working in unison like a well oiled machine! It was hilarious watching the “kids” rag on them. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery!
I wasn’t crazy about Kamekona – aside from trying to figure what he had on his head he’s becoming a very loud and extremely annoying “silent” partner and the price gouging was pretty par for the course with him. I think he needs to start showing the good heart again because this new Kamekona is not likable at all.
Even Jerry was annoying last. Breaking a glass bottle over someone’s head! Seriously stupid. Give someone a badge and stupidity sets in. But he did redeem himself at the end.
I love Lou but why wasn’t he called into work like the other 4? At least we were saved watching all 18 holes! That poor caddy.
Junior was the star of this episode but Steve definitely wins the wet T-shirt contest hands down. And the ending was the savings of this episode (and I still can’t figure how Tani runs into the water wearing white but the close up of her in the water and it’s blue huh?? I’m confused enough that she lost her yellow print bikini top!)
All’s well that ends well and I loved the choice of Singing In the Rain to end the episode! It’s a favorite of mine as well!
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ROFL is Tani’s underwear like that internet dress? Do you see white or do you see blue??? I saw blue the whole way.
As for the bikini top, I just think she changed. Simple as that. Steve and Danny changed into their “work” clothes from what they were wearing at the restaurant before they went to the scene of the crime. I’m sure both Tani and Junior have extra clothes in their HQ lockers so they too changed before heading out to help HPD. It makes sense since neither one of them thought they were going to be working that day they needed to change.
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I’m just glad that Junior had time to put his pants on!
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🤣🤣🤣🤣
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Nice review. It was a fun episode. However, there was a huge missed opportunity. When “the kids” were imitating their mentors, I thought for sure Junior would say “book ’em, Danno.” That would have been the best.
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🤣🤣🤣🤣
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I give it an 8/10 there!
Really glad they are no longer bickering Danny and Steve
Steve can adapt as a Navy Seal. He fears nothing.
Plus that Lou playing golf in hot weather. While everybody was suffering. Including that of his Caddy Gary. Poor Gary! Love Lou though
Tani and Junior really have chemistry. And really the HQ was also hot. But crime never stops. Junior hopefully will not have that of control issues like Steve does.
More character plot than that of crime of the week thing.
Jerry helping out a baby and a man who proved his wife was indeed pregnant.
Ice does sell and glad the man who was buying the ice understood and was not a total jerk.
Keep them up Linda.
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Cute episode with the writers giving us their take on wacky weather everyone seems to be dealing with. Saw a few comments about Hawaii never getting that hot which is true, but with all the storms this year the humidity could make it feel that hot for sure…….who cars about a few extra degrees – it gave us wet tee-shirt Steve and some funny moments with the kids along with more Danny actually being a detective. Love seeing Steve & Danny working together instead of bickering…..even when they disagree the tone is softer this season. I did feel a bit sorry for Lou’s caddy. Surely he could have grabbed a hat and how come Lou wasn’t looking all hot and sweaty? Loving the “kids” more and more……and Jerry has a kind heart even if he did screw up a bit , he made it right in the end. Kame…..hmmm, bit surprised he’d try to take advantage like that. On to the next one – have a great week everyone!
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I agree with you 100% Who cares if the writers stretched the facts a bit for dramatic affect? Only those who get their only joy out of life by being insufferable know it all’s. I’m sure they all ran to Google to double check the weather history so they could bitch and bemoan the horrible writing. They are always looking for something to complain about, no matter how small or insignificant. There is nothing more annoying than insufferable know it all’s. But you know what? They don’t know it all because, obviously, they have no comprehension of the concept of literary license or that such a thing as fiction exists.
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This week the writers sorta took their foot off the pedal, after two intense episodes. But I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed the entire hour. I could comment on much that happened, but all of you have covered and critiqued it well.
What stood out for me was how HOTTTT Tani was, from beginning to end. She was as attractive as always, while in the bumper-to-bumper traffic …… but then when she stepped into her office to find Junior cooling off, MY TEMPERATURE shot sky high. She was knockout sweaty sexy the rest of the way. I shall review the episode, to make sure I didn’t miss any angles !
(Oh, BTW — re the bad girl being first cuffed behind her back, then cuffed in front of her torso ….Twice I have seen in the movies prisoners who successfully contorted their bodies so they could extend their cuffed wrists beneath their butts, then go into a backward roll, and step thru — this Girl was pretty buffed, SO …) Mahalo !
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Thanks Dan! After I posted this review, a friend pointed out there is an IG post from Paul Lacovara showing the rehearsal between himself and stunt woman Tara Macken where you can see the awesome maneuver that allowed her to move her cuffed hands from back to front. For the love of me, I can’t understand why it was edited out. It would have made what was already a great scene even better.
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This was a fun episode. Tani and Junior were great. I loved the look on Junior’s face when Tani figured out he wasn’t wearing pants. They are a very cute couple. I thought they were going to kiss when they were in the water too. And what can I say about Steve and Danny. I loved them together in this episode. They were together the whole time, weren’t they? This is what makes H50 for me. And Lou was hilarious as usual. But I did feel sorry for his poor caddy. And Kame’s hat was also quite funny. But I didn’t like the price gouging either. Jerry was the hero this episode. I’m glad he ended up helping the pregnant wife of the poor guy he hit over the head. It was a very happy episode for the most part. I loved the rain in the end. Everybody was just relieved. You could see the relief in their expressions. Thank you,Linda, for the great review. I always enjoy reading them.
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Thanks Mary! This one was fun to write! ♥♥
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love your review as always and seeing Alex in that wet t-shirt was so damn sexy and the kevlar and thigh holster and the pic of him looking down when they were in the elevator shaft yummy
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Sorry I’m late, again, to the party! I adore intense, drama-filled, action packed episodes where I’m sitting on the edge of my seat, biting my nails for the whole 43 minutes….but I couldn’t take that much intensity week in and week out. Everyone, including writers and actors, need to change it up every so often and have an unassuming, light-hearted story to clear our heads and get us ready for the next round of drama. This episode fulfilled that purpose.
Of course, I enjoyed it! A lot happened in this ep, though, that probably wouldn’t happen anywhere but on a fictional television show. Having said that, though, the heat wave could certainly happen, and if one believes in global warming, Hawaii could turn into a full time sauna in a few more years! All those jokers bitterly complaining that it never gets that hot in HI might be correct when just looking at the thermometer, but I’ve lived through 10 days of heat wave on Oahu that just about had ME ready to kick some butt – especially when the water main broke under the street in front of the house I was staying at and we had to go down to the beach to use the public showers to cool off and clean up!
There’s no way Lou could have played a full 18 holes in that kind of heat, especially without a cart, and any caddy with half a brain would have just walked away from the crazy man! So that was my least favorite of the storylines. Next would be Jerry’s. It was a typical Jerry side story, but it just wasn’t really needed.
Kamekona doesn’t look like the kind of guy who would get rattled by the heat, but he sure lost his teddy bear persona quickly when the temps skyrocketed! Not my favorite storyline, either. Glad Steve told him off at the end of the ep.
Tani and Junior, now, that was fun! From the beginning, I too, was waiting for Tani to get out of the car and smash the annoying driver’s window. Really glad she didn’t! The whole building up of the ReiRey dynamic in this episode was great, though! They are really solidifying the two of them as partners who not only work together but are learning to trust each other – just as we have seen Steve and Danny do over the previous seasons.
Steve and Danny, together for the whole episode was perfection. Gotta admit this is my favorite part of every H50 episode and when it’s not there, the show is not quite the same for me. Sigh…
I remember, many seasons ago, discussing how cool it would be to have an episode devoted to what the team members would do on a day off. Well, this wasn’t exactly what I expected, but it did begin as a day off, anyway!
Nice review and great screencaps and collages, Linda! Until the next one, thank you!
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Oh wow…. I remember those discussions all those years ago. Wishing for an episode where there was no case and everyone just doing their own thing for a day. You’re right, this wasn’t quite like that but it came pretty close. All your points are ring on base accurate. Could not agree more! ♥♥
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