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Hawaii Five-O: Woe to Wo Fat (1980)
A Vulture In Robin's Nest
The final episode after 12 seasons ends with a whimper: another ridiculous plot featuring Steve McGarrett looking foolish in disguise as he attempts to destroy the latest nefarious scheme by arch nemesis Wo Fat. Only Steve is visible in this episode as the other Five-0 cast weren't needed. It is kind of strange to see the mom from "Please Don't Eat the Daisies" going beyond typical family hijinks to combat an international criminal along with Hawaii's most decorated cop. How fitting, too, that the final episode set in Hawaii would feature Wo Fat staying on the property (Robin's Nest) that would become the main stage for Hawaii's next iconic show, Magnum P. I.
Hawaii Five-O: The Golden Noose (1980)
Intruder Alert: Asian Foreigner In Hawaii!
After a great run Hawaii Five-O's descent continues. As another commentator observed, this gimmick of stealing gold is lifted from a "Mission: Impossible" episode. And the scene when a man describes the suspect, an Asian woman--in Hawaii, as looking like a foreigner is ridiculous. The writers and producers also had trouble writing/creating strong women characters for their episodes. The main woman character acts exactly like all the other women characters in these type of espionage shows: they take matters into their own hands, ignore the police, and suddenly become daring undercover cops who nearly get killed but miraculously survive, no harm done. If this were a new series, it probably would have been cancelled mid-season.
Hawaii Five-O: School for Assassins (1980)
Interesting Plot for a Last Season
By the show's end the producers were recycling old plot lines or just producing lame scripts to fulfill the contract for episodes. This episode does have an interesting premise, but as another reviewer noticed, the main character at the start of the episode seems to fizzle out as the story progressed, and the incidental encounter between billionaire Ellington and a beautiful tourist does raise questions that are never answered: after she meets Ellington, she calls Hawaii to alert someone that he is indeed arriving in Hawaii for a clandestine meeting. By all appearances, she seems to be part of a major plot to kill or kidnap him. But this element of the story is never developed and leaves the viewer wondering what the real point of was introducing her with mysterious overtones.
Hawaii Five-O: Labyrinth (1979)
How The Mighty Have Fallen--again!
A perfect example of how far this series had fallen was when the police received a description of the kidnappers: two men wearing ski masks driving a blue or green car. Then Kemo orders the police to send out an APB to track them down! What! Two men wearing ski masks driving around Hawaii in a blue or green car! Good luck finding them. Reviewers are quick to point out how bad the writing had become by the 12th season, which is true, but the main people involved with the production, the producer, director and actors are certainly allowed to voice their objections or concerns about scripts in production, and I have to wonder if they even cared or bothered to correct obvious mistakes in a particular episode.
Hawaii Five-O: Use a Gun, Go to Hell (1979)
Have Gun, Will Travel...To Another Gun User
Yes, this episode does recycle a plot from another episode, but it's still good to see any show that illustrates some of the dangers of careless gun owners. Just minutes before logging onto this site my Yahoo news feed is filled with developing stories of innocent people, including children, being shot to death. Considering the political climate of 2022, this show still has resonance, unlike some of the other politically charged episodes from this era. Good to see Duke getting some more screen time too--I thought he might be completely phased out like some of the other cast members. For the final season, this is one of the better episodes though it still falls short of previous season episodes.
Hawaii Five-O: The Year of the Horse (1979)
Where Did This Come From?
How ironic that Hawaii Five-0's weakest season would end with perhaps its greatest episode! As another viewer mentioned, this episode could easily have been a feature film. I've been watching the entire series chronologically on DVD and this particular episode stands above the rest. Although I do love all the Wo Fat episodes, they do have a slightly adventure comic quality to them; this episode has a gritty feel to it throughout. There may be a few weak scenes that could have been done better, but overall the show is a surprising ending to a forgettable season. This also is Danno's final appearance after eleven years. Steve without Danno will seem like Captain Kirk without Spock.
Hawaii Five-O: The Skyline Killer (1979)
Further Proof of Hawaii Five-0's Descent From Greatness
For many viewers Five-0's peek was season six. From seven onward, the show seemed to steadily decline in quality with recycled plots tricks, veteran cops making rookie mistakes, and just plain sloppy writing. By season eleven the show seemed to fall off a cliff and "The Skyline Killer" has all the worst elements of a rapidly fading hit show. Case in point: in the climatic scaffold scene, they are clearly using a stunt double for Steve who is too heavy and whose hair is too long. Also, in the long shots of this scene the double's dark shirt is unbuttoned, and you can see his white undershirt. For all the close ups in this scene, Steve's dark shirt is buttoned. This is an obvious mistake, and you have to wonder if by this point in the show if all those participating in the production even cared any more about the series' quality. I give this episode two stars only--for the classic theme song, and some great skyline shots of Hawaii.