There have been some pretty monumental episodes of H50 over the years and sometimes, after such episodes, there’s a bit of a letdown. The adrenaline high of the week before sometimes makes the subsequent episode seem less than ideal. There’s also the annoying tendency of not having much, if any, continuity with the events which made the previous episode so monumental in the first place. I went into this week’s episode expecting to feel a bit disappointed. Boy was I wrong! I really enjoyed this one a lot. More than I thought I would. Oh… how I love pleasant surprises!
Even though this was a two story episode, one where neither story had any connection to the other, the writers (Chi McBride and Matt Wheeler) really did a good job giving us two very interesting and captivating stories while at the same time, not shying away from showing the full impact of what happened in last week’s episode.
Grover Family Dynamics: I absolutely adore Chi McBride and think he’s a fantastic actor and while I’ve enjoyed many aspects of the episodes which center around Grover and/or his family, it’s really not one of my favorite story themes. I was completely done with the Clay Maxwell story years before it finally ended and while I like the dynamic between Lou and his brother Percy, I’m not in any rush to see him again. So, when I heard this was going to be, yet another story connected to Lou’s family, I wasn’t overly excited about it.
But, I must say, I really enjoyed this story a lot and that’s all due to Nia Holloway as Siobhan. I thought she did an awesome job. Here Siobhan was, being given the opportunity of a lifetime and yet she was sullen, unenthusiastic and, at times, downright angry. Nia played her perfectly. Of course, her true feelings were telegraphed very early on when all she seemed really interested in was visiting her Uncle Lou’s job. Everyone thought they knew what she should do with her life. Everyone assumed that just because she had a natural talent on the basketball court, that was the direction her life should take. No one ever bothered to ask her what she wanted from her life.
Metta World Peace joined a long line of former and current athletes who have made cameo appearances in H50. Most of the time we’ve had former NFL players make small “can I have your autograph” type of appearances so it was nice, this time, for an athlete to actually play a larger part. It was fun watching Siobhan go up against him. I am curious to know why Lou owed him a favor, but we’ll never find out, of course.
It was great to see Michelle Hurd again as Renee. It’s always a joy whenever she’s in an episode. She and Chi have such a wonderful natural chemistry it always seems like they are married in real life. This is the relationship that works on this show. Love, honesty, mutual respect, loyalty… what a perfect couple they are. It would be so nice if Steve and Danny were able to find this kind of relationship for themselves too.
Like I said before, it was no surprise when Siobhan finally told Lou she wanted to be a cop just like him nor the fact that the “trouble” she’d gotten into in Chicago was all due to her trying to do the right thing and protect a friend. It’s exactly the type of thing Lou would have done.
And I really loved the flashback to when she was five years old and Lou rescued her from the room where her mother had ODed. It’s so sad to think just how often cops have to do such things every day in this country. How it’s up to them to get a child out of there and, as Siobhan said, make them feel safe. How much more tragic it must be when you actually know the family and already love the child? That scene was so well done.
Crime of the week: I really enjoyed the partner pairs for this case. Junior, Adam and Eddie in the jungle; Steve, Tani and Quinn on the street. I really love how they keep putting Tani and Quinn together as partners. These two work so well together, in a “Steve and Danny” type of way. Each of them have many of the same characteristics as Steve and Danny and we’ve seen how wonderfully that’s worked for over 10 years now. I really love their partnership.
I do wonder though, who was supposed to be in charge at HQ that day? I mean, Danny is away, Lou has the day off with Siobhan and no one expected Steve to show up for work after what happened. I suppose that would leave Tani in charge, if you consider tenure. Of herself, Junior, Adam and Quinn, she’s been on the team the longest. Of course, they are all quite capable of handling cases on their own.
I also really love how Eddie seems to be utilized more this season. He really needs to start being listed in the Press Releases as “main cast” because he’s been in almost every episode this season so far. I know I’m not the only one who worries whenever he’s out in the field and we just know gunfire is about to erupt all around them at any moment. My first instinct is always… “someone better cover Eddie”! But, of course, Eddie is a 100% team player. He even managed to take on one of the bad guys himself, giving Steve the opening he needed to take him down. Damn but I love that dog!
I had no idea that DEA agent Richie Gormican was played by Jesse Johnson, son of Don Johnson. I tweeted during the episode “Is anyone else getting a real “Sonny Crockett” vibe from this guy or is it just me?”. It was then someone told me it was Jesse, Don’s son. It was a real “duh” moment because, of course he is! I must have been blind not to realize it immediately. The resemblance is uncanny! What wasn’t hard to miss was the fact that the agent was sleazy from the get-go. It was no surprise he ended up being in on the drug deal from the beginning. It was even more obvious when I looked at the clock once the case was “wrapped up” and saw there was still 20 minutes left in the hour.
I really like the connection to the Cullen case though. Cullen told Steve there’s more going on than Steve suspects. Here we have more proof of that. Whatever is going on, it must need to be heavily bankrolled and I’m sure the money from the sale of all that heroin was earmarked for it. Someone big is running this operation. Let’s, for now, just call him Mr. Big for want of a better title.
Cullen screwed up by not killing Steve. Mr. Big eliminated him. Bishop was Cullen’s right-hand man. He allowed the heroin to fall into the hands of the authorities. Once it was certain Bishop would survive his injuries from the gunfight in the jungle, Mr. Big had him eliminated too. Gormican, probably sent in by Mr. Big to make sure the heroin arrived where it was intended to go, has been caught and the heroin ceased again. Who wants to bet we get word fairly soon that some horrendous misfortune has befallen him in lockup and he’s dead too?
There’s also the question of Gormican himself. How did he know about Doris? That mission was totally classified. So classified that when Steve brought the bodies of Lucia and Doris back to DC, Junior and the SEALs were nowhere in site lest the CIA know he’d defied orders and not gone in alone. But Gormican knew about the OP and about Doris’s death and that she was his mother. Would a DEA agent have access to that classified information? Would a DEA agent know the true identity of a CIA operative? Would he know that “Shelbourne” is Doris?
Mr. Big, obviously compromised Gormican into service. Steve was genuinely touched by Gormican’s sympathy over Doris’s death. Did Mr. Big furnish him with the information he would need to insinuate himself into Steve’s trust? And if he did, does that mean that Mr. Big is CIA? Peter Lenkov did say a while back that our new Big Bad was someone connected to the past. Who could it be? Ohhhhh speculation is such fun!
And then there’s continuity: There was continuity all over this episode. Lou mentioned very early on in the season that he and Renee were looking for a new home, wanting to downsize after Samantha and Will both left for college. And here we see them in their new awesome digs with the most spectacular view.
Then there was the Bishop and Cullen connection which connects us back to that storyline, also from the earlier episodes of the season.
And then there’s Steve! From the first moment he was on the screen to the last, this man was an open wound. The forlorn, dejected man sitting on the edge of his bed, ignoring his phone and lost in his misery was totally heartbreaking. We’ve never seen Steve like this before.
Oh, we’ve seen him trying to process loss before, but we’ve never seen it projected over an entire episode before. He is struggling to come to terms with so many things. The death of Doris, naturally, but also his guilt over what part he played in bringing about her death. He’s questioning himself over whether she’d still be alive if he’d left Mexico when she told him to. He knows it’s not his fault; that Doris made her choices in life and there was really no other way this could have ended. But there’s always that nagging voice that says, “if I’d left her to her own devises, she’d still be alive”. All this would crush a lesser man.
Of course, we didn’t hear any of this. Didn’t see any of it either. All we did see was Alex’s performance and, as usual, the man is awe inspiring. You could feel the weight Steve was carrying all day. He told the team he needed to work, and you could literally see how much he needed it. Alex moved with a heaviness about him that gave Steve an exhausted presence as he went about his day trying his best to concentrate on things other than Doris. But, every time he was alone, his mind and his body went right back to those dark places.
I know we’ve said it a zillion times but, as always, Alex was able, with just his eyes and body language, to convey a multitude of emotions and pages of dialog without ever uttering a word. God, I wish he could be recognized more for his amazing talent.
With a little help from his friends: I was very impressed with the way the writers made sure the horrible events of last week weren’t just brushed aside after that opening scene and that Steve struggled with the fallout throughout the entire episode. I really hope they continue to address it in subsequent episodes. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t want to see a despondent Steve as a long-term thing, but it would be great if we can see him going through the healing process over time. But, I have no doubt he will heal because he is a strong man and because he has his Ohana.
Right from the beginning, they all have his back. Adam, Tani and Quinn tell Steve they can take care of the crime scene, that he need not be there. Of course, he doesn’t listen. Later, Adam and Junior discuss his well being while they’re walking through the jungle. Adam is concerned that Steve might not be able to process everything on his own. Junior agrees but says the best they can do is keep an eye on him and be there for him when he needs them.
But it’s Quinn who makes the first gesture. At first I really thought it should have been Junior. After all, he was there when it all went down and would understand best but that’s the rub right there. Junior was there. Steve doesn’t need to relive it; he needs to deal with it. He’s questioning what he did, what Junior and the SEALs did with him.
He’s questioning whether he’s lost his edge. He didn’t get Doris out of Mexico and he didn’t realize Gormican couldn’t be trusted. Quinn pointing out that taking out multiple bad guys and stopping a ton of drugs from hitting the streets really makes for a pretty good day was something Steve needed to hear, even if he wasn’t prepared at first to process it.
But who he really needed was Danny. Of course, it was Danny. Even from afar, Danny is the one person Steve can always count on. He’s never let Steve down. I loved how, by the end of the day, on his last thread, he reached out to Danny, who’d been calling and texting him pretty much non-stop. That was so good to see. These two will always support each other, through everything.
Fighting tears, his voice cracking, he admits to Danny how he’s hurting, how he misses Doris. He’s made the first steps in his recovery. First with Quinn and more substantially with Danny. “I just miss her, Danny”.
But what or who is he missing? Is he missing Doris or is he missing the loving mother he lost when he was 15? Is he missing her or is he missing the closely held dream that, as long as she was still out there somewhere, she might walk through the door again someday? And what if she did? She wouldn’t be the mother he lost almost 30 years ago. That person… his mother…. ceased to exist when that car blew up.
Photo Credit: @alohaspaceman on Twitter and Instagram
Once again, he didn’t need to say any of this. Alex portrayed it all in his body language, his eyes and those five little words.
I have to say I am absolutely loving this season so far. Of the eight episodes we’ve had, only one hasn’t impressed me. I hope the rest of the season continues at this pretty high bar.
Have a great week everyone. See ya next week. Aloha. Malama Pono
All screen caps are mine unless otherwise noted.
Hawaii Five-0 Kool-Aid 
I thought this episode was great, as you Linda, I was expecting a let down, but was very pleased. I liked both story lines. I was very pleased that they just did not let Steve go on as if nothing happened. I believe since he said in the last episode that he kept dreaming of his mother before he left to go find her may have been a subconscious warning of what was coming. I am sure he misses the women who left him when he was 15, and even though Doris made some really bad choices, there was probably a thought in his mind if he could ever get her back home to stay, things may go back, (or at least Doris could make up a little bit for all that she did to her family). At least in his mind there would have been a shot, after all she was his mother and the love for your mother is usually unbreakable. She is gone now so there is no more hope. The flash backs that have done over other episodes showed her as a normal housewife, at least for the first 15 years of his life, it was normal.
So I am very happy that we see how this affects him, and if anyone can express feelings its Alex.
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100% agree!!!
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Another great review, Linda! I,too, am glad that Steve was allowed to grieve and not act as if nothing happened,although he did recover quickly from his physical wound!I really appreciated the way the team rallied around him, being concerned that he might have returned to work too soon,but at the same time, understanding that he needed to be at work to get his mind off his recent loss. When I saw Ritchie, I knew he looked familiar,but I couldn’t figure out why until I saw some thing about it on Twitter and when I read that he was Don Johnson’s son,I thought”Of course, the resemblance is obvious! He’s the spitting image of Don”! When he smiled, you could see it for sure! You’re right about all the questions about Mr. Big-who on earth could he be? I hope we don’t have to wait until season’s end to find out! I loved Lou’s story with Siobhan-she is one tough girl and I think she will make a fine cop someday! Have to wonder, though, what her father would think of that. I always love it when the team gets together after a case is solved,and this time was no exception. Quinn was the right person to be with Steve at that moment-like you said, he didn’t need to relive it and Junior being there would have brought it all back. I believe Steve misses the mother he knew at 15,but for all practical purposes, she died in that car bombing years ago. Looking forward to next week’s episode!
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Your review is spot on. I wasn’t expecting much more than a heavy Lou/filler. After last week and with all the filming out of sequence I feared they would do as they often have – act like nothing happened. This was a nice surprise. Lou’s story was interesting and Steve’s Ohana was there for him each in their own way. Alex did a fantastic job and as usual he didn’t need tons of dialog – his face, his movement said it all. TCOTW had them busy and I admit I’m a bit confused about the mystery baddie – ranking my brain for some past loose end they will cycle back to. Steve was obviously a tad off his game and working extra hard to stay focused…….kept wishing Danny was there, thinking he should be there and thanks TPTB for making that happen at the end. I swear I thought Steve said he missed Danny, but then I realized he was talking about Doris. ….I kinda like where my mind was at, but of course right now Steve is struggling. I hope they continue to acknowledge that. One small gripe – did I see Danny’s car in chase. ………really!
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I like how they’re showing Steve a “tad off his game”. I know there are the fans who want a full scale PTSD story for Steve but that’s really not practical. A true PTSD story would have Steve suffering and dealing with such things as flashbacks etc, for months. I for one don’t want to see that. But this being “a tad off” is good. It shows that he IS dealing with something, that he IS struggling with it but it’s not a story that will over take everything else. Steve is still Steve, still going about his job and interacting with his friends.
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Like everyone else, I was so glad Steve’s emotions were out there for us to see. Alex just rocks it when angst is called for!
I’ve posed this question before on a different venue but never got a reply…I keep thinking about the car bomb that supposedly killed Doris. If Doris arranged it so she could fake her death, who was in the car? I mean, there must have been a body, or at least body parts, for them to assume she was dead. Did Doris kill someone by luring them into her car? It’s a very uncomfortable thought. Has anyone else thought about that?
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That’s a question that’s never been addressed. As far as I can remember, no one has ever even asked the question. I don’t recall Steve or any other character ever saying “wait a minute.. if Doris wasn’t in that car, who was?” It’s just one of those plot points that never came up or was addressed.
We also don’t know who helped Doris arrange her “death”. We know that Joe White was aware she was alive by the time we met him in Season 2, and while there is speculation he was in on her “death”, there’s never been any proof of that.
I tend to think Doris arranged it with her CIA operative contacts. They’d have no problem finding a body to place in that car and be able to whisk Doris away from the scene before HPD showed up. We’ve seen any number of alphabet agencies do similar things on this show. My personal belief if the Joe didn’t help her “die” because my heart just can’t believe he’d willing do that to John and the kids he considered family. I tend to think Doris contacted Joe after the fact because she wanted him to keep her updated on the kids. So Joe knew very early on that she wasn’t dead, but I pray he wasn’t involved in her “death”.
Of course, John is dead… Joe is dead… Doris is dead…. there’s probably no way we’ll ever find out for sure how it happened. At this point, I don’t even thing the writers know. LOL
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I’m with you, can’t believe that Joe would do that to the McGarrett family. I guess no one needed to do DNA tests on the body in the car because they were certain it was Doris, so they (the CIA) got away with it. Anyway, RIP Doris and let’s hope Steve can LIP (live in peace) now!
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I loved the episode. I kept thinking I should know the DEA guy. I read your review and there was, a young Don Johnson. Is Melanie G his mother or someone else? Anyways I liked how they had Steve struggling with his mother’s death. Bonnie is a tough girl, I think she could be in future H50. I really like Steve talking to Danny at the end. When the DEA guy said something about Quinn, all I could think of was, Dude you should hear Danny. I love Eddie getting into mix. In a future episode I read that Danny moves in with Steve, will Mr. Pickles come too?
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Jesse Johnson’s parents are Don Johnson and Patti D’Arbanville
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Well, I would have liked it even better if Danny were there but it was still a good episode. I love Quinn and I think she is great. And I loved how Danny was there for Steve at the end. Hawaii 50 are the best actors. They act with their eyes. Steve was really killing it this episode. He is fantastic. My heart was breaking for him. I can’t wait for next week. I’m wondering what happens to Danny’s house. And he’s getting chewed out for drinking too much coffee. Well, I’ll be seeing you next week.
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I enjoyed this episode even though I was expecting another Grover mean-spirited/fight/cry/fest. I have no idea as to who played his niece or if that was even a real basketball player (with a very interesting name)! But I know that Mrs. Grover was back and, like you, their on-screen chemistry is wonderful. Wish she was around more often and has friends for both Steve and Danny.
Aahhh Steve. How my heart broke watching him sitting there processing everything over and over again. Did he do the right thing. Yes. I was worried that Doris’ demise would be at his hand, and that would’ve have killed him. But she orchestrated it herself. Losing sight of everything she gave her life for, dying was her peace. Steve will always miss the mom of his youth. The mom who made him fried boloney sanwiches (yuck, sorry). The happy memories mom, not the one who returned 30 years later. So few are given second chances and even though they had that opportunity, Doris wasn’t capable of returning to her old life. Steve realizes this and even if it may take a while to sink in, he does know that this way the only way out for her. Danny, Junior and the entire team will be there for Steve. Ohana. Always.
We always say it, Alex is very underrated as an actor. Few are capable of making the audience feel every emotion with only a look, his eyes, a movement and no words.
I’m loving this season so far and and am very happy with the direction it’s going. I’m prejudiced for sure, but I think Alex having a hand in producing has a lot to do with it.
Thanks for another great review. Till next time, have a good week.
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I liked the episode a great deal — all of you have voiced the points that I was going to make, so I’ll just skip around a little. First, I gotta say I’m DOWN with the addition of Quinn to the team. She and Tani work well together (ANNND, I like their “tops”,TOO). I enjoyed the story line with Lou and the young girl. She was much better in her dramatic role, than she was as a “basketball superstar”. She never really showed anything that could possibly have impressed Mr. Peace or the UH Coach…. that little snippet on the court badly needed a stunt double (say, a star of similar build from the WNBA). As usual, Eddie was all-world … and Junior & Adam proved their worth.
Can someone give me a little help? I got a bit lost in that final scene in the Hospital.
I must have missed something — background for the murder, anyone ?
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Right before he was killed in the explosion of his house, Cullen told Steve there was more going on than what Steve suspected. Cullen was supposed to kill Steve when he had a bomb placed in the McG garage. Good ‘ol Eddie took care of that!
Cullen screwed up by not killing Steve. He all screwed up when he took the money buried in the jungle and had it planted in Quinn’s house, getting her arrested. Of course, Steve made one call to the Governor and took care of that!
Whoever is controlling all of this killed Cullen. Probably because he screwed up and/or because Steve was getting too close. Bishop, the guy who was murdered in the hospital was Cullen’s right hand man. He screwed up the entire heroine operation. Steve and Five-0 also made the connection between Bishop and Cullen. When Bishop didn’t die from his injuries from the gun battle in the jungle, he was eliminated too, just like Cullen.
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I’m really reaching here and I know it’s going to go over like a lead balloon but the new Big Bad – like her predecessor before her going rogue, turning bad – Catherine?? Just putting it out there (waiting to be smacked down …)
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LOL.. well you know I’m no fan of Catherine but I can’t see it being her. I mean, yeah, she’s Doris 2.0 and I can see her putting her job ahead of her personal life like Doris did. I mean, she’s already done that numerous times but, put an actual hit out on Steve? No.. I can’t see that.
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That’s the part that I have a LITTLE trouble reconciling but you know if the price is right …
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Even Doris never did that, although she didn’t have a bit of remorse over WoFat torturing Steve because of her…. twice.
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LOL, always fun to have a man’s perspective! You like the ladies’ tops, we like the men topLESS! 🙂
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One more quick observation from me – I really liked that Quinn got into the truck with Steve at the end of the episode. She knew that he felt like he’d missed the signs from Gormican, and she knew just what to say to him. I don’t know if the writers are going to make them an item eventually, but if they are, this is the way to start it.
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