Ha'i'ole (19 Sep. 2011)

McGarrett escapes from prison and sets out for revenge on Wo Fat, with the help of his now-disbanded Five-0 team and the man who trained him in the Navy.

Director:

Steve Boyum

Writers:

Alex Kurtzman (developer), Roberto Orci (developer),

Stars:

Alex O'Loughlin, Scott Caan, Daniel Dae Kim

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Alex O'Loughlin	...	Steve McGarrett
Scott Caan	...	Danny 'Danno' Williams
Daniel Dae Kim	...	Chin Ho Kelly
Grace Park	...	Kono Kalakaua
Masi Oka	...	Dr. Max Bergman
William Sadler	...	Jack McGarrett
James Marsters	...	Victor Hesse
Larisa Oleynik	...	Jenna Kaye
Taylor Wily	...	Kamekona
Erik Passoja	...	Warden
Mark Dacascos	...	Wo Fat
Richard T. Jones	...	Lieutenant Governor Denning
Terry O'Quinn	...	Joe White
Melvin Andres	...	Sheriff (as Melvin R. Andres Jr.)
Jay Freis	...	Buyer Kurt Hoeff

Storyline

Steve McGarrett has been arrested and jailed as sole suspect for governor Jameson's murder, on security tape, in fact being set up by Wo fat himself. Hitman Victor Hesse, father McGarret's murderer, stabs him during exercise, but as a ploy to enable Steve's escape, fearing Wo fat will dispose of all 'loose ends' lethally. Lieutenant Governor Denning, acting, mandates I.A. to clean up, which includes suspending Kono. Danny and Chin keep working within the police, ultimately joined by Steve to clear him and prove Wo Fat's guilt, meanwhile discovering a convoluted plot of crimes centered on dirty bomb-grade nuclear material with a surprising purpose.

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Plot Keywords:

escape | nuclear material | jail | prisoner transport | security video | 

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 September 2011 (USA)

Filming Locations:

O'ahu, Hawaii, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

K/O Paper Products, 101st Street Productions, CBS Productions

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16:9 HD

Did You Know?

Trivia

Dr. Bergman's daily driven vehicle is an early 1970s Volkswagen Type 181 sport utility vehicle, sold in the USA as The Thing between the 1973/74 model years - it was discontinued in the USA after the 1975 model year due to DOT safety regulations due to its classification as a passenger car as opposed to a Sport Utility Vehicle (the 181 is the ancestor of the Crossover Utility Vehicle using a passenger car platform e.g. a Toyota Highlander or Dodge Caliber). The VW Type 181 was produced initially for the West German military between 1969-1983 for NATO forces, with civilian sales commencing during the 1971 model year; low demand for the civilian market in the UK and USA forced VW to move production to Mexico in the early 1970s where it was sold locally - its known use is for a resort vehicle used in Mexican resorts like the Las Brisas in Acapulco.

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Goofs

The HPD police vehicle that McGarrett commandeers after walking out of a gas station restroom has a floor shifter, which a real 2000-present Chevrolet Impala with the 9C1 police package does not have in real life. The police-spec Impala has the gear shifter on the steering column.

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Quotes

Lt. Governor Sam Denning: Commander McGarrett, you have my sincerest apologies for everything you've been through.
Steve McGarrett: With all due respect, sir, I don't need your apologies. What I need you to do is re-instate my Five-O Task Force so we can go after this son-of-a-bitch right here.
Lt. Governor Sam Denning: ...Well no doubt, that Five-O had an impact on crime. So as Lt. Governor I'll grant your request.
Steve McGarrett: All right! Thank you, sir.
Lt. Governor Sam Denning: But there are conditioins.
Danny 'Danno' Williams: What conditions?
Lt. Governor Sam Denning: Governor Jameson gave you full immunity to basically run roughshod over every...
[...]

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Connections

References The Muppet Show (1976)

User Reviews

Refreshing production, magnetic guests, convincing acting, weak character development, out of breath predictable story, jarring shooting, zero creativity, not intriguing

Terry O'Quinn (Lost) as a guest star was the only excuse I needed to give this premiere a chance. Indeed I'm not into police procedural shows because of their slow pace, déjà vu concepts and often disappointing episodic stories. However I can only admit that its exotic and colorful settings can only refresh the spirit. It's specially true considering the production couldn't be more immersive. From the dynamic filming to the outdoor scenes CBS can be proud. Even car and boat scenes are flawless so delivering so much quality action on a TV budget is impressive. Moreover beside O'Quinn actors like James Marsters (Spike) and William Sadler (Roswell) were also part of the adventure.

As for the main characters they're one of the show weakness in my opinion. First Masi Oka (Heroes) plays Max Bergman, an other geek who brings some comic relief. Don't get be wrong I liked him but wish they asked him to perform out of his comfort zone to surprise the audience. Second Grace Park was under used in this episode even if I suppose her beauty and talent were better exploited in season 1. Third Alex O'Loughlin's performance was exciting and Scott Caan also did a good job but I found their characters interaction was cliché and boring. Steve and Danny aren't engaging and none of their "bro" jokes made me laugh. It's specially disappointing considering the story is driven by them and that the actors are energetic and convincing in their respective roles. Fourth and not least Daniel Dae Kim (Lost) was the only character that really grew on me but it's probably because I was getting desperate.

O'Quinn's character reminded me of the colonel in First Blood. He was confident and brought the maturity required to make the young team more believable. But sadly the story that was captivating at first thanks to a edgy twist quickly became predictable and even silly at times. Kono's arc (Park) was written by the book and you should be able to anticipate its events. As for the last part it was well produced but the random shooting was ridiculous. What a lazy way to wrap up a premiere when at the beginning Steve's side (O'Loughlin) was reminiscent of Prison Break and Hit-man !

In fact the most disappointing element was probably the absence of creativity. Compared to CSI : NY it lacked these jaw dropping sequences that make you beg for more. Even the cliffhanger shouldn't invite you to stay for an other session. The bad guy has potential despite its one dimensional profile but in the end I just didn't care about his fate or the few arcs opened to intrigue the viewers. I remember pointing out similar issues for Castle but at least in its early episodes the show had a charming factor that made it almost irresistible. To sum things up Hawaii Five-0 didn't feel like a re-imagining of the original but more like a remake stuck in a different space and time.