There are certain things about Hawaii Five-0 that are, for the most part, a given.  Throughout any season there will be gun battles and explosions, action and adventure.  There will be touching moments and Ohana moments and eventually, somewhere along the line, Danny will be exasperated with Steve.

There is also another given.  If a script is written, whether it be alone or in collaboration with another writer, by Zoe Robyn there will be humor.  A lot of fantastic humor.  There will also be moments that melt you into a warm puddle.  The kind of moments that reminds us all that H50 isn’t just a show about crime stoppers but a show with a huge heart and a very good sense of humor.

Zoe knocked it out of the park with this one.  An episode chock full of heart and an over abundance of humor.  What a great way to spend a damp and chilly Friday night.  Spending an hour alternating between laughter, breath holding, and “awwww”ing.  It was such fun!

Twenty-three episodes into the season with just two to go, this episode was clearly designed to give Alex a breather week.  Last week Danny had the day off and this week it’s Steve’s turn.  Having Mary visiting and Steve taking a couple of days off to be with his sister was a perfect break for Alex.  But, unlike when Scott gets a down week, we still get to see a lot of Steve on screen even if he’s not doing anything physically demanding.  Not only that, but we got to see Alex’s comedic side which is always a wonderful treat.   The last two episodes of the season promise to be high octane and edge-of-the-seat stressful, so we’ll have plenty of opportunity to see our SuperSEAL in action. This was a wonderful calm before that storm.

Ok…yeah… there was a crime of the week but, honestly, I can’t say I remember it much.  I was having too much fun with the interactions between the characters, again.. the humor was off the charts… to pay too much attention to what the actual crime was.  Seriously, it was so secondary to everything else.  And the Steve and Mary scenes were just too perfect for mere words.

So, I’m not even going to go into this week’s “crimes”.  Let’s just talk about a couple my favorite highlights….. (of course feel free, as always, to add your own favorites in the comments 😘😘)

The opening scene:  Pure perfection!  Jumping right into “prom etiquette” between Danny and Lou was wonderful.  I loved the back and forth between the two of them over the picture taking ritual and at whose house it should take place.  Sorry Lou, going to have to go with Danny on this one.  It’s nice to know that Grace and Will’s relationship is still going strong.  Honestly, other than Lou and Renee, Grace and Will are the longest sustained relationship on this show. 🤣🤣  The facial expressions from Junior, Tani and Adam while this was going on was totally priceless.

It only got better when the discussion transitioned into Tani and Junior’s wedding non-date. It really is hysterical how Danny, Lou and Adam go totally “high school” with the idea of the two of them going out together. Oh yeah… sure… totally platonic.  You keep telling yourself that Tani.  Just don’t look at Junior’s face every time you say it because the sad puppy dog face he’s wearing will tell you immediately that no matter how many times you say it, he 100% does not feel the same way!

Photo credit: @alohaspaceman on Twitter and IG

But then, the scene gets even better with the arrival of Steve and Mary.  God, I love it when Mary comes home. If we must have a once a year appearance of a recurring character I wish it could always be her.  Hell, I wish she’s move back to Oahu permanently.  She, at least, has a valid reason for being there.  We wouldn’t have to see her all the time since, of course Taryn wouldn’t be available all the time, but we would know she’s there and it would provide acceptable reasons for an Alex light episode when needed.  Steve taking Joanie to the zoo or maybe off seeing her in a school play or something. And we could see them both from time to time whenever Taryn was available.  God, I’d love that.  Alex and Taryn have such an easy-going affection for each other it translates so beautifully to their characters on screen, it’s a joy to watch them together.

I also really loved the good-natured ribbing Mary was giving Steve after she met Junior and Tani.  Steve saying how young and hip they both are and Mary countering with how they’ll help Steve keep in touch and, as an added bonus, make him look old!  🤣🤣 And, how cute is it that Steve remembers all of Mary’s favorite foods, stocks the freezer with her favorite ice cream and goes all disappointed and hurt when she doesn’t want to stay with him??

Photo credit: @alohaspaceman on Twitter and IG

We also got a great update on Joanie (damn.. six-years-old already? Where does the time go?!?!?) found out Mary is allergic to cats and, best confirmation of all, Junior is indeed still living at Steve’s.  For some reason, hearing that makes me exceptionally happy.  The good-natured ribbing all around that table made this scene one of the best Ohana scenes we’ve ever had.  Honestly, if it had lasted the entire episode I could have been content.

Lou and Tani:  I absolutely love the interaction between these two.  I have from the very first time Lou began to realize he really liked her (when she full out punched Duclair in the face in her first episode), to his reaction when she called him “Uncle” and pretty much every moment in between.  Not satisfied with teasing her about the wedding the day before, Lou starts again the very next morning.  Their banter is absolutely golden and Tani’s comment about Lou and his eyebrows was hilariously spot on.  Alex might be the king of presenting pages of dialog with only his facial expressions, but Lou’s eyebrows come in a very close second, that’s for damn sure! 🤣🤣

Photo credit: @alohaspaceman on Twitter and IG

But I couldn’t help but get the warm fuzzies with how Lou goes all “papa bear” with her.  “I see how that boy looks at you….. just be careful”.  Of course, we know Lou is not afraid that Junior will ever hurt Tani.  It’s the other way around actually.  Lou doesn’t want Tani to inadvertently hurt Junior.  He might be a tough Navy SEAL but Lou is 100% right. Beneath that exterior beats the heart of a romantic puppy.

Danny gets to drive his own car:  It’s so funny how, on the rare occasions when it happens, people find it necessary to make a comment about Danny getting to drive his own car.  It’s so easy to lambast Danny for this constant complaint until you realize everyone sees he’s 100% right.

Photo credit: @alohaspaceman on Twitter and IG

But how awesome is it that even when they are not in the same car, Steve and Danny are able to still have a cargument?  I really love all the Mr. Pickles mentions too.  For some reason, it also makes me ridiculously happy to know he’s also still at Steve’s house.  🤣🤣

I also really enjoyed seeing Danny heading up an investigation.  It’s been so long since the writers have remembered that Danny is Steve’s second-in-command and totally capable of heading up the team in Steve’s absence.  As much as I don’t like it when Steve’s away from the team, I can’t help but be thrilled to see Danny in charge.

Steve and Mary:  Like I said above, I love it whenever Mary is in town.  They are simply priceless together and their relationship is incredibly believable.  Considering the amount of time they’ve spent apart for a majority of their lives, it’s wonderful how they’ve been able to reconnect and be so close.

And as different as they both are, they are also incredibly similar. From the very beginning, when we first met Mary, the McGarrett detective genes were evident.  When she found the Champ box, photographed all the evidence inside and attempted to figure out what it all meant, she proved then she was a McGarrett through and through.  Nothing has changed in the last nine years.  Just like her brother, she wasn’t going to let a mystery lay unsolved.  Wasn’t going to allow suspicious activity to remain uninvestigated.  Wasn’t, for one minute, going to let it go.  Exactly what Steve would have done.

But the best part of their relationship is the way Steve is always there to back her up.  Yeah, at the beginning Steve was pretty much just humoring her but he did go with her to confront the neighbor, Ben Miller, for trying to get her thrown out of the rental.  Arriving with malasadas in hand is a wonderful idea and watching Steve eat is always a joy! 🤣🤣

Photo credit: @alohaspaceman on Twitter and IG

I love the scene between Steve, Mary and the little boy. So, their “informant” turns out to be a kid who just wanted to get his drone back from the mean man who kept it after it crashed into his yard.  But his asking Steve if he’s ever heard of CIA black sites and asking if he was willing to take the risk of hearing “sensitive information that could get us all murdered” was hysterical.  Even Steve was impressed, especially when the kid, Blake, shows them the photos the drone took of what he, Blake (and Mary) believe are Miller’s nighttime shenanigans.  Steve McGarrett in miniature! 🤣🤣

Photo credit: @alohaspaceman on Twitter and IG

Of course, Mary being Mary, she just had to go snooping in Miller’s house not only to try to get the Blake’s drone back but to confirm her suspicions that Miller’s up to no good.  In one of the best conversations ever, Mary admits the reason she didn’t want to stay with Steve at Casa McG was because she’d reconnected with an old boyfriend and had hoped they could spend her short vacation together.  But that didn’t happen because the guy “ghosted” her.  And it looks like her suspicions that Miller was running a meth lab are way off even if her logic was quite sound.  Rain boots in case of spilled chemicals, cat litter to absorb the chemicals, going outside to smoke so the lit cigarettes don’t ignite fumes.  It all added up.

Mary is totally crushed and chalks up both disappointments to her inability to judge people.  I actually really felt for Mary since I’ve always believed I’m a terrible judge of character too.  I tend to always think the best about people until I’m proven wrong and unfortunately, that happens alarmingly frequently.

But Steve won’t allow Mary to feel that way.  He loves her and he trusts her judgment.  One thing I do wish Steve had brought up in that moment is Joanie.  That was a pretty big decision, a huge choice Mary made for her life and it’s worked out beautifully.  If she’s questioning her ability to make good decisions, that’s a perfect example of how wrong she is.

He tells her he’s proud of the fact that she’s “still in the fight…. having a go” which is more than he can say about himself.  She will find the right person one of these days and once that happens, all the effort and disappointments will be worth it.  Steve then notices a basement wall that looks out of place and reveals that Mary’s instincts are bang on accurate.  There it is, an entire meth lab, just like she thought. “Ahhhh Mary?  Tell me again how you’re a bad judge of character!”

Watching the two of them taking down Miller and his wife was priceless.  I loved how she MacGyvered that gas so they could disarm them both and take them down.  But seriously… that gun looked like it outweighed her by about 50 pounds! 🤣🤣

A second Ohana scene… oh YES:  What could be better than not one but two wonderful Ohana scenes in the same episode?  “If it isn’t Miss Nancy Drew and her bad self!” This scene was as fantastic as the first one.  The guys congratulating Mary on cracking a meth case and Danny teasing her about not understanding the concept of a vacation was hysterical. How sweet is it that, Mr. Pickle allergy be damned, she’s going to go home with Steve and enjoy that ice cream!

But, Steve playing the big protective brother was positively hilarious.  I don’t know what was funnier.  Steve trying to grab Mary’s phone away from her so she couldn’t answer it or the guys all chiming in with plausible excuses for the guy ghosting her.  They all reverted back to the high school boys they were in the first scene with Tani and Junior… all excited for Mary and her date.

Of course, just like Steve thought it was Danny’s fault Mary wouldn’t stay at the house because of Mr. Pickles, Steve wants Danny to be fully aware that if this guy hurts his sister it will be all Danny’s fault even though everyone was involved.  Steve telling Mary he wants to see the xray of the guy’s broken leg was hilarious as was my favorite line of the entire scene.  “If he flakes on you again, I’m gonna break his other leg!”  Have I ever told you how much I adore Steve McGarrett?

Tani and Junior:  What can I say about these two? Every week I think I can’t love them more.  Every week I think they can’t possibly get more adorable.  Every week I’m proven wrong.  Here we are another week into the season, they are more adorable than ever and I love them even more.

For a show that totally sucks at writing relationships (unless they’re writing for Lou and Renee) they are doing everything right with these two.  This slow buildup is being done perfectly.  The attraction between these two has been evident from the beginning but having their relationship grow from work companions, to good friends, and now moving into something more is nicely realistic.

Of course, everyone can see it.  Like Lou said… we see how that boy looks at her.  I don’t know.  Maybe she’s scared to mess up what she sees as a wonderful friendship or something.  They’re going to this wedding and she keeps pushing the idea that it’s totally as friends.  Even telling him they should have a code or signal so she can be his “wing woman” in case he sees an attractive woman at the wedding he might be interested in.  It’s so adorable that he’s not interested in that at all.  Open bar, free food and dancing are his only interests.  Tani girl… open your eyes!

But she still tries to fight it.  Keeps going on about gender equality and driving duties.  Keeps trying to convince everyone they’re going to the wedding as just friends.  The only one she’s trying to convince is herself.  But, little by little, her resolve begins to crack.

When Junior went over that cliff to help Kira, Tani’s was beside herself with fear.  The entire team was holding their breath as their friend risked his life to help Kira but Tani?  You could literally hear her heart thumping with anxiety.

Maybe she was hoping that Danny would try to stop him but that was a lost cause.  Danny knows better than anyone you will not deter a crazy SEAL from risking his life to help someone.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when Junior was safe. I loved how Eddie was right there to make sure Junior was ok.  He was literally watching EMT with an air of “you better take good care of him if you know what’s good for you! 🤣🤣 (Side note:  Lots of Mr. Pickles mentions and Eddie on the case!  This episode just kept getting better and better) And if Tani’s anxious heart was obvious, her relief that he was ok was palpable.

Danny was so cute with Tani too.  Just like Lou, he tries to get her to see the reality she’s trying so hard to ignore.  “You only get a few people right?  People in life that you care about.  When you get really old, like me, you can count the good ones on one hand.”  Listen to him Tani.  Don’t let this good one get away.

Of course, even with all the talk about just meeting at the wedding, Junior turns up to pick her up anyway.  I absolutely adored Tani’s dress. She looked gorgeous.  If Junior didn’t have stars in his eyes before there was no way he couldn’t have had them then.

Tani last grasp at avoidance crumbled once they’re at the wedding.  Tani doesn’t notice how Junior is having a hard time keeping his eyes off her.  She’s having a blast with their little dance contest (and damn… Junior has the moves!!!) but it’s not until a chance meeting at the refreshment table.  When a very attractive woman goes up to Tani and complements her on how good she and Junior look together, Tani trots out the old “we’re only friends” line.  This makes the woman perk up… hey.. maybe there’s a chance for her.  The look on Tani’s face was devastating.

Finally….. finally … it clicks.  She could lose him.  Someone else could swoop in and become “the one” for him.  Finally reality kicks in.

When she moves toward him as the music slows her resolve is totally gone.  The look they give each other is so sweet, so loving.  I can’t be the only one awwww-ing at my screen and pleading “kiss her… kiss her… kiss her….”.  What a perfect way for this episode to end with the hope that this relationship will move on to yet the next level very soon.

Steve and Danny relationship advise:  I’m of two minds about the little talks Steve and Danny had with Mary and Tani.  While I agree with both of them in what they said to Mary and Tani, the underlying feeling from both of those talks made me uneasy.

Steve tells Mary he’s proud of her because she’s still in the game.  A game his removed himself from.  He’s not happy about that fact.  Danny tells Tani that at his age, there are only so many good ones in his life.  I really don’t like the vibe those remarks give out.

I know all signs point to reunions between Steve and Danny and their atrocious exes. I will be extremely unhappy if either man ends up back with their ex for all the reasons we’ve discussed ad nauseum.  I am still going to hold out what small hope I can that TPTB will come to their senses and realize that both Steve and Danny deserve some happiness and their exes are not the place to find it.

Steve was freaking out over Mary’s date “ghosting” her.  If you think about it, Steve and Danny have essentially been extremely ghosted by their exes. Steve can look back and realize John was ghosted by Doris too.  My fervent wish is for both Steve and Danny to realize they are in a good place with their exes.  There is no animosity between any of them.  They have battled through the lies, deceit and betrayal and somehow managed to emerge on the other side as friends.  It’s a good, safe place to be.  I’d love it if they could both find a soulmate to love and, just as importantly, to trust who will make them happy.  I don’t know if TPTB have any desire to go the extra step to make that happen.  Of course, the McDanno shipper in me has the perfect solution! 😉😉

Well that’s it for this week my friends.  I absolutely loved this episode.  It was fun, it was funny, and it was heartfelt.  A perfect interlude before what’s sure to be a highly stress inducing last two episodes of the season.  We better hold on and hold on tight.

Have a great week.  See you next weekend.  Aloha. Malama Pono

All screen caps are mine unless otherwise noted.