Hawaii Five-O (TV Series) Will the Real Mr. Winkler Please Die? (1973) User Reviews

Fascinating

[VetteRanger · 8/10 · 17 January 2023]

Episode after episode I marvel at Jack Lord's acting. His expressions are natural and the changes come along at natural and sometimes amusing times. In this episode, I was particularly struck and his expression and reaction when Mark Leonard revealed who he really was. Jack Lord's expression of amusement held in check along with a bit of accusation was marvelous.

The story itself was dramatic, with a former spy with a photographic memory blackmailed into setting up an assassination attempt on another defector. Nehemiah Persoff was convincing and sympathetic as a man who simply wanted out of the business, and Malachi Throne relentless and chilling as a spy and assassin sent to terminate the defector.

An espionage episode again, this time focused on European origins...

[bonzodog-75273 · 28 August 2017]

I pretty much agree with the previous reviewer about the plot. Pretty convoluted, and the end scenes are very poorly handled. Very lazy. I think, however, that not enough credit went to the actors. This episode was very well acted, with Persoff (as always) and Throne both in particularly good form.

A rather convoluted plot and a poor ending make this one of the lesser espionage episodes

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 18 January 2011]

It's odd, but "Hawaii Five-O" did a HUGE number of episodes involving espionage--and not the just Wo Fat shows. Apparently, Hawaii is the epicenter of spies...and I am afraid to even consider going there on vacation (plus don't get me started about all the mobsters on the islands!!)! However, despite being odd and somewhat silly, most of these particular shows were wonderfully entertaining--so, provided you can suspend disbelief, they are worth seeking. However, of these shows, "Will the Real Mr. Winkler Please Die?" is definitely among the poorer ones--mostly because the plot is too convoluted and because of problems with the ending.

The show begins with a guy (Nehemiah Persoff) accidentally walking into the path of a TV news crew. He freaks out and begins swinging when the obnoxious reporter tries to prevent him from running away from the camera. The cops arrest him for disorderly conduct and when they question him, he gives them a phony name. When this is discovered, he makes up a story about being in the witness protection program. When this, too, is discovered to be a phony, he tells them he's a top East German agent who is a wanted man. This, too, turns out to be a phony as well--and at this point I was feeling annoyed. There were just too many twists about the name and it seemed like a great way to waste a very good guest star.

The bottom line is that all this is part of a plan to locate a Russian defector (Mark Lenard) and kill him. This plot seemed very clumsy. Even clumsier was the ending when Lenard takes WAY too unnecessary a risk to have the big confrontation scene (particularly as two evil marksmen are standing nearby with high-powered rifles). Didn't the writer stop to think whether any of this made much sense?! Regardless, the acting was nice and it was enjoyable...if brainless.