S05.E20: ʻIke Hānau (Instinct)

[BW Manilowe]

When Grover's oldest and closest friend tells him he witnessed his wife fall off a cliff to her death, Grover's gut instinct tells him that this was no accident. Also, Danny and Dr. Shaw get trapped in an elevator with a dead body in need of processing.

Original Airdate: April 3, 2015

SOURCE: http://cbspressexpress.com/cbs-entertainment/shows/hawaii-five-0/releases/view?id=42157

[bmoore4026]

Daaaaaaaaamn!  Chi McBride brought his A Game tonight.

[benteen]

Daaaaaaaaamn!  Chi McBride brought his A Game tonight.

 

Yeah, he was terrific.  I like when Hawaii Five-O do their "smaller" more personal cases.  Like the Pearl Harbor episode.

[Artsda]

That was a great episode.

[anna0852]

Has Scott had some sort of falling out with the cast? There seems to be a trend with Danny having separate storylines a lot.

 

Very interesting having McGarrett be the one to try to talk Grover down. Nice role reversal.

Edited April 4, 2015 by anna0852

[Oconnellaboo]

Terrific episode, even with the interruption of Danny's superfluous B story. Honestly, this was the producers shoehorning Scott in at its worst.

Chi has been such a great addition to the cast - charisma, power, and real acting chops. He makes everyone around him bring their A game, and they deliver.

[Doctor Whom]

Tremendous episode. It would have been even better without the useless Danno b-story.  It's actually kind of annoying seing him shoehored into episodes.  Seriously, if this show gets renewed, they should just let Scott Caan go.

Edited April 4, 2015 by Doctor Whom

[dwmarch]

I thought Danno had some great chemistry with Dr. Shaw. Doug Stanhope has a great bit about how intimacy is so much more than sex and what could be more intimate than being stuck in an elevator?

 

Minor nitpicking: they weren't in the elevator for very long before it stopped. But Pua somehow manages to find them. Did he walk up the stairs to every single floor calling out their names? Or did the elevator make it all the way to the ground floor but just wouldn't open?

 

I found very little tension in the questions about whether or not Grover's instincts were correct. This is 5-0, of course he's not going to make a mistake based on his turbulent emotions!

 

And of course his friend did it. He had an Android phone! Android phones have the "slide to unlock" screen. The Windows phones that Grover and the rest of 5-0 carry slide up to unlock.

[Roselle]

A great showcase for Chi McBride's acting talents, so, good for him, his agent will be thrilled I'm sure, but otherwise a terrible, boring, really-who-cares-all-that-much, episode. The Danno in an elevator business and the lack of any other cast members' involvement was just painful. :(

[Brian Cronin]

Is it at all possible that Caan's scenes were filmed in Los Angeles? 

[Mittengirl]

Brian, I figure that Caan's scenes were filmed in LA, except possibly the ones at the golf course and the ones with Pua.

Of course, none of the other cast members had much to do in this episode, either. I think other than Chi they all could have filmed their scenes in about half a day.

Has Danny mentioned Amber since the episode where her ex tried to kill them? It seems like they are trying to get something going with Dr. Shaw and Danny.

I am getting a strong whiff of "don't care" from the whole cast and TPtB as to whether or not they get renewed. Like they can barely be bothered to get a show together.

So we finally meet Mrs. Grover. Now all that is left is for the son to show up before the series ends.

Edited April 4, 2015 by Mittengirl

[Brian Cronin]

You definitely could see this as Chi McBride's audition reel if the show is not renewed. 

[Roselle]

I am getting a strong whiff of "don't care" from the whole cast and TPtB as to whether or not they get renewed. Like they can barely be bothered to get a show together.

 

 

Yes!

If they couldn't fill the longer quota of episodes this season with good stuff, the stuff that the audience want and have followed and supported the show for, why bother.  Kinda makes a fan feel unappreciated doesn't it?

[MissLucas]

One of the best episodes in a long time - Chi McBride really showed his acting chops. And we got to see Grover's wife - I was having doubts she even existed. I did not mind that we barely got a glimpse of the rest of the main cast as this was McBride's episode and he owned it.

But the B-plot with Danny was jarring, yep I also wondered if the scenes were filmed in LA - and for all that is holy please do not get Danny involved with Dr. Shaw! I like Amanda Setton and think she could bring a lot to the table so I don't want to see her character get wasted as another girlfriend Danny ultimately won't commit to.

[BooksRule]

Good episode.  I liked meeting Grover's wife.  I agree that there was no real suspense about the case.  I did like that the case wasn't wrapped up all neatly at the end.  His friend still might get away with it if he is found not guilty at a trial, but at least Grover did everything he could.  I could have done without the dramatic swelling music every time Grover had a 'big dramatic' scene, but he acted them well.  Finally, what kind of salary is he bringing in that they can afford such a nice house (even with the peeling paint on the porch).  Maybe it's a rental?

Edited April 4, 2015 by BooksRule

[BW Manilowe]

Brian, I figure that Caan's scenes were filmed in LA, except possibly the ones at the golf course and the ones with Pua.

Of course, none of the other cast members had much to do in this episode, either. I think other than Chi they all could have filmed their scenes in about half a day.

Has Danny mentioned Amber since the episode where her ex tried to kill them? It seems like they are trying to get something going with Dr. Shaw and Danny.

I am getting a strong whiff of "don't care" from the whole cast and TPtB as to whether or not they get renewed. Like they can barely be bothered to get a show together.

So we finally meet Mrs. Grover. Now all that is left is for the son to show up before the series ends.

We've met Mrs. Grover before last night. She was in the S4 ep (the season finale?) where the Grovers' daughter, Samantha, was kidnapped by Nick Jonas' computer hacker character, Ian Wright. But, as I remember, she was in that ep much more briefly than in this week's ep; her 1st ep was almost more like a cameo appearance than a substantial part.

Edited April 4, 2015 by BW Manilowe

[non sequitur]

Too bad I don't watch this show for Chi McBride. 

[ganesh]

I like the actor, though he had a better role in Human Target, but eh for this episode. I'm kind of over the cop "I know he did it and I'm going to prove it." It's a cheap trope and really not worthy of the actor. 

[bmoore4026]

Tremendous episode. It would have been even better without the useless Danno b-story.  It's actually kind of annoying seing him shoehored into episodes.  Seriously, if this show gets renewed, they should just let Scott Caan go.

 

I think they may have to keep Danno because of the Classic Hawaii Five-0 legacy.  But if they recast him, there's a chance rating will fall faster than usual.  Unless they recast the character with either Dylan Bruno from Numbers or his brother Chris from The Dead Zone....or both.  Sexy, sexy men, the Bruno Brothers

[Raja]

Did I hear Mykelti (Bubba) Williamson's Clay talk about crab, lobster, and crayfish and specifically avoiding saying shrimp at the dinner scene?

[Clanstarling]

Minor nitpicking: they weren't in the elevator for very long before it stopped. But Pua somehow manages to find them. Did he walk up the stairs to every single floor calling out their names? Or did the elevator make it all the way to the ground floor but just wouldn't open?

That was a service elevator they were on, not the main tenant and customer elevator. I noticed it in particular because the room they entered from was a janitorial type closet (buckets, supplies, etc.)

Edited April 5, 2015 by clanstarling

[ByaNose]

Isn't it true the whole cast wants the show to end? I thought I read they all want to go back to the LA or NYC or Oregon. Apprently, living & working in paradise isn't what it's cracked up to be. I had always gotten the impression that it was Cann who wanted to bolt the most but I think most of the cast does, too.

[Maverick]

 Caan's always been vocal about not liking Hawaii and commuting and it's showed in his work/screentime for several years.  Even his chemistry with AOL is basically gone at this point and I consider him a detriment to the show.  Grace Park has also seemed checked out for for some time and it seems like she's wanted to move home to Vancouver since at least her maternity leave (and had rumors swirling about not getting along with the cast before then).  I thought AOL had pretty much made Hawaii his home and like it there, but maybe he's getting tired of the role.  Which, given the success of his shows prior to this, he should be playing it for all it's worth.  DDK has been living in Hawaii since Lost so I don't think he has a problem with it.  If he does want out I would guess it's more about screentime/storylines than location.

[Vixenstud]

First time watcher of the show, loves me some Chi McBride err' since Hoodlum and What's Love Got To Do With It....Michelle Hurd's (Grover's wife) hair is sick, that's how I want mine!

 

Felt for Grover at the end as he realized not only was his friend dead but so was his 25 year friendship with her guilty husband.

[BW Manilowe]

Caan's always been vocal about not liking Hawaii and commuting and it's showed in his work/screentime for several years. Even his chemistry with AOL is basically gone at this point and I consider him a detriment to the show. Grace Park has also seemed checked out for for some time and it seems like she's wanted to move home to Vancouver since at least her maternity leave (and had rumors swirling about not getting along with the cast before then). I thought AOL had pretty much made Hawaii his home and like it there, but maybe he's getting tired of the role. Which, given the success of his shows prior to this, he should be playing it for all it's worth. DDK has been living in Hawaii since Lost so I don't think he has a problem with it. If he does want out I would guess it's more about screentime/storylines than location.

I doubt Alex wants to move back to the Mainland (at least maybe not as desperately as some of the others in the cast).

His wife Malia, whom he just married last April (I think their 1st anniversary is either April 16th or 18th, or somewhere in that neighborhood), has family, her swimwear design/modeling/surfing career, & other roots set down there, & their son, Lion, (who, I think, turns 3 in October) was also born in Honolulu.

And the 3 sons they have between them (his, hers, & theirs) are in anywhere from Preschool/Early Elementary School to High School age in Honolulu; Alex's eldest son (from a previous relationship) attends High School level classes at a Private School in Honolulu.

So, even if he might be itching to move on from the show, I think Alex will probably be staying in Honolulu for the foreseeable future once his commitment to the show is over.

[jhlipton]

I did like that the case wasn't wrapped up all neatly at the end.  His friend still might get away with it if he is found not guilty at a trial, but at least Grover did everything he could.

 

There's still no evidence the friend got away with anything.  Of course, Grover's "instinct" was right, he's 5-0 now so it will be.

 

Danno spent the entire time in an elevator with a brand-new character nobody cares about, 

 

I care.  I'd much rather see her than Jerry or the shrimp guy.

 

I enjoyed Setton and Danno in the elevator a lot more than the main  plot.

[HurricaneVal]

Mrs. Grover is gorgeous.

 

I kind of thought this was a nice bookend to the Danno-centric Meka episode where he was arguing for his friend's innocence when all signs pointed otherwise.  In this episode, Grover is arguing for his friend's guilt when all signs pointed otherwise. 

 

Sure, we didn't get to see the rest of the team, but this was a Grover-centric episode, so because of that we're going to see much more Grover, and much less of the team.  We've also had other character-centric episodes were that character is featured, and the others just have token screen time.  I think the issue here is that we all love the chemistry of the original core team so much that it is difficult to see that chemistry break down or messed with.  Grover also seems to be something of a polarizing character.  Most of us seem to love Chi McBride the actor, but are unhappy with the way he's been shoe-horned into the team and how his character messes with the usual "core four" pairings.

 

Sigh.  I'm ready for a good Steve/Danno cargument followed up by a companionable beach chair sunset scene, yanno?

[ComeWhatMay]

Maverick & SweetTooth, in a word, yes.

Chi did a marvelous job as I knew he would & from an interview Chi gave before the episode I know Chi appreciated the dramatic showcase on what he described -- accurately, I felt -- as an action-adventure show. Chi seems to have known what he signed up for with this show & is going with it. Something I appreciate in light of other cast members -- namely Caan & Park -- who give me the impression they believe they were somehow bamboozled:) You don't have to take roles you are offered, but I suppose they wanted the cash, exposure, whatever at the time.

DDK makes his home in Hawaii &, as I recall, was happy to get the gig because it allowed him to work & stay in Hawaii. It's home to AOL now too as noted above, but I do recall an interview AOL gave a while back in which he seemed a bit restless with the role. The writers could help there even in the context of an action-adventure show by allowing AOL to flex his acting muscles with character growth. When Steve cried at the sight of those no doubt horrible pictures, I was shocked in a good way.

If Caan & Park are there, don't want to be & are vocal in their own ways about it, it would certainly contribute to overall negativity on the set & could be affecting everyone else's attitudes & be where that "whiff of don't care" I smell too is coming from... Take Caan & Park out of the equation & you could have a whole other set & show next season. A team of Steve, Chin & Grover interacting & solving cases? I would at least give it a go.

[ChelseaNH]

I would miss Kono more than Danny -- he's mostly Mr. Complainy Guy at this point, so whatever -- but I miss the team dynamic more.  The thing that hooked me during Season 1 was the ridiculous chemistry among the cast.

[ByaNose]

Most actors seem to burn out after Season 5. Most networks try to push them to about Season 7. Granted, these actors make a boat load of money and hate doing their shows by year 5 wether they're living in Hawaii or LA. They become miserable and it usually shows up on screen. I don't think H50 has been renewed yet. I guess CBS will start with AOL & Cann to gage their interest and go on down the list. I personally have only liked the first year or two when it was the core 4. After that and too many atrempts of hooking up AOL/McGarett with a love interest lost me. The oringal H50 never needed to have all the personal stories and did just fine and ran a long, long time. That said, I do enjoying taping it and watching it on Saturday mornings. It's great mindless entertainment.

[Doctor Whom]

I agree with others on this board regarding the chemistry between the leads and how the show has suffered since they started breaking up the team.  But they started doing that in season two, and I;ve never heard any explanation from the producers as to why they felt they had to do that.

[Babalu]

I don't know that Grover has anything he can use against Clay, but I know little about the law. If he didn't have a warrant to search the contents (including deleted contents) of Clays's phone, can any of that - and anything he learns as a result of that - be admissible? Even if he did get a warrant later, I don't think he had one when Renee took the phone.

This episode was kind of eerie because a lot of hikers have been killed, injured, or lost on O'ahu during the past several weeks.

[benteen]

It was indicated in an article about the episode by one of the producers I believe that this case isn't over.

 

Chi McBride is awesome and I think they've actually done a good job of working him into the show.  His character works, unlike the various female characters they've tried to fit in over the years.  While nothing can replace Steve and Danno, I think the Steve/Grover interplay is strong and he can definitely fill that void left behind.  The difference in the Steve/Grover relationship is that they are both alpha males.

Edited April 7, 2015 by benteen

[BW Manilowe]

Most actors seem to burn out after Season 5. Most networks try to push them to about Season 7. Granted, these actors make a boat load of money and hate doing their shows by year 5 wether they're living in Hawaii or LA. They become miserable and it usually shows up on screen. I don't think H50 has been renewed yet. I guess CBS will start with AOL & Cann to gage their interest and go on down the list. I personally have only liked the first year or two when it was the core 4. After that and too many atrempts of hooking up AOL/McGarett with a love interest lost me. The oringal H50 never needed to have all the personal stories and did just fine and ran a long, long time. That said, I do enjoying taping it and watching it on Saturday mornings. It's great mindless entertainment.

As someone on my Twitter feed pointed out a few hours ago, it's not just H50 which hasn't been renewed yet. *None* of the "veteran" dramas on CBS's schedule (those with more than their 1st, or maybe 2nd, season under their belt--Blue Bloods, Elementary, etc.--at least 90-95% of CBS's drama programming) have been renewed yet.

Although I don't think CSI: Cyber's fate, or the fate of 1-2 other freshman dramas on CBS's schedule have been decided either (Scorpion, Madam Secretary, & NCIS: New Orleans--all 1st season dramas on CBS's schedule--were renewed earlier this year for the 2015-16 TV Season).

[Kel Varnsen]

Tremendous episode. It would have been even better without the useless Danno b-story.  It's actually kind of annoying seing him shoehored into episodes.  Seriously, if this show gets renewed, they should just let Scott Caan go.

I am thinking the same thing. There is probably thousands of actors who would love to take over his role (or a similar one). The fact that it is in Hawaii is probably even better for a lot of people. If we can't have episodes where Danny is part of the group then giving him his own, totally useless B-plots seems more annoying than him not being there at all. I mean when was the last time Steve even said book-em Danno? So why even try to keep him on?

[ComeWhatMay]

Most actors seem to burn out after Season 5. Most networks try to push them to about Season 7. Granted, these actors make a boat load of money and hate doing their shows by year 5 wether they're living in Hawaii or LA. They become miserable and it usually shows up on screen. I don't think H50 has been renewed yet. I guess CBS will start with AOL & Cann to gage their interest and go on down the list. I personally have only liked the first year or two when it was the core 4. After that and too many atrempts of hooking up AOL/McGarett with a love interest lost me. The oringal H50 never needed to have all the personal stories and did just fine and ran a long, long time. That said, I do enjoying taping it and watching it on Saturday mornings. It's great mindless entertainment.

 

I think your statement about actors is very much applicable to just about any modern workplace. Employees in general tend to have wanderlust by year five if not before. This show is unique to me in that certain natives seemed restless from the get go. The original also ran in a time when people in general approached work differently. A lot of people perched someplace, sought to move up the ladder & run out the clock with a gold watch at the end:) By year five & even before, actors also tend to forget the feeling of the dry spell they may have had before landing the gig. David Caruso (NYPD Blue) is the person I always think of...

I was never a Catherine -- taking Borth out of the equation -- or Lori fan as both felt too heavy-handed/obvious to me. I would have broken it down with Danny as the divorced dad, Chin as happily married (Killing Malia -- WTF! Still not over it...), Kono living the single life -- it has its merits -- until eventually hooking up with Adam (the actors & chemistry have been on point in that one from my pov) & Steve as the player, as that can be quite entertaining to watch, until the right woman came along -- even it was at the end of the show -- rather than trying to plant him with somebody that would inevitably incur the wrath of some section of the fan base as love interests of leads that are clearly set out as that often do. 

 

Clearly, I have not agreed with the writers' choices almost since the beginning & found some choices downright strange to say the least -- such as moving away from the proven formula of original team interaction that was a hallmark of season one, my favorite. That's probably where behind the scenes stuff we are & are not privy to comes in as I can't imagine the show willingly departed from what worked, but maybe they did. No way to know. I suppose I would hate to see CBS drop the axe on everyone if its just certain castmembers who really want out. Especially if its two people who never seemed thrilled to be there to begin with...

Needless to say, I will be very interested to see what happens with the current CBS Friday lineup come upfronts -- I'm a Blue Bloods fan too.

Edited April 7, 2015 by ComeWhatMay

[Vermicious Knid]

I haven't commented on the last five or six episodes but holy nyquil, this was the worst episode of the entire series. The rest of the cast gets sidelined while we waste time with Grover angsting and waffling, Danny has a completely separate storyline where he doesn't have to interact with any of the other main characters, and did you notice none of them even tried to call him, not even a tossed off line about him investigating another case? Oh, and a stuck elevator that doesn't have an alarm or an emergency phone. Even service elevators have those. And if it doesn't that hotel is criminally out of code.

 

Lazy, boring writing. If this isn't the last season next year will definitely be.

[Mittengirl]

Why was Danny even investigating the murder this week? When he arrived at the crime scene, I don't recall there being any mention of anything particularly unusual about the case. As it turned out, the businessman was murdered by his partner for financial reasons. Not exactly out of the ordinary. Seems like a something the "regular" police could handle. So why was a member of "the governor's elite task force" called in?

[Kel Varnsen]

Oh, and a stuck elevator that doesn't have an alarm or an emergency phone. Even service elevators have those. And if it doesn't that hotel is criminally out of code.

 

Lazy, boring writing. If this isn't the last season next year will definitely be.

Stuck in the elevator is such a lame old TV trope. That kind of storyline was probably dated when the original Hawaii Five-0 was on. Although I guess that Danny should just be happy that the coroner wasn't pregnant. 

 

Why was Danny even investigating the murder this week? When he arrived at the crime scene, I don't recall there being any mention of anything particularly unusual about the case. As it turned out, the businessman was murdered by his partner for financial reasons. Not exactly out of the ordinary. Seems like a something the "regular" police could handle. So why was a member of "the governor's elite task force" called in?

I have noticed that a lot lately. Although I guess when Five-0 can solve most really high profile cases in an afternoon they probably have more than enough time to help out with your average run of the mill murder.

[Mittengirl]

If real life elevators were as unreliable as those in TV world, no one would ever use them.

And the writers had to throw in the line that the escape hatch was sealed from the other side, because they could hear viewers everywhere saying "Just go out the top".

[Bishop]

A great showcase for Chi McBride's acting talents, so, good for him, his agent will be thrilled I'm sure, but otherwise a terrible, boring, really-who-cares-all-that-much, episode. The Danno in an elevator business and the lack of any other cast members' involvement was just painful. :(

I agree it was a showcase for Chi, and he did a great job.  Especially his two scenes:  one explaining to the Five O crew why he was suspicious of Clay and then the interrogation room scene with Clay later on.  Excellent work.

 

That being said, I don't like that the show keeps moving further and further away from what made me love it in the first place:  Steve and Danny and then the FIve O team original four.  If the show comes back for a season six, they have to fix this problem.  There are too  many Steve/Grover scenes instead of Danny/Steve, and I'm sorry, but I miss that relationship a LOT.  Scott needs to just deal with one last season in Hawaii since I think it might be one final season after this one.  Then again, it could run for the full seven that the cast was contracted to do. 

 

One weak point in the story was that Grover was so eager to believe his friend of 25+ years was a killer.  Normally, when you discover that your long-time friend might be a killer, it devastates you.  You are shocked!  Grover wasn't shocked, and for me, I couldn't help but wonder "Has he always hated this guy?"  That's how it felt.  They didn't seem like best friends at all.  All I could think of was "What if that had been Steve or Danny?"  They would have fought tooth and nail NOT to believe it. 

Edited April 22, 2015 by Bishop

[kassygreene]

Stuck in the elevator is such a lame old TV trope. That kind of storyline was probably dated when the original Hawaii Five-0 was on. Although I guess that Danny should just be happy that the coroner wasn't pregnant. 

 

I have noticed that a lot lately. Although I guess when Five-0 can solve most really high profile cases in an afternoon they probably have more than enough time to help out with your average run of the mill murder.

Here's a thing about freight elevators - they get a lot of wear and tear.  The generally nightmarish movers who moved me in to a high-rise late in the last century managed to break the freight elevator halfway through the move-in, so they had to use the only other elevator, which made my new neighbors just luuuuurve me.  The freight elevator in my last high-rise once took me from 3 to 16 at high speed, even though I had pressed the down button and was heading for the third sub-basement (as soon as the doors opened I got out and walked down those 19 floors).  And since the alarm wasn't working, and the emergency phone wasn't working, and with all that steel the cell service wasn't available, being stuck (on a Saturday, which was established earlier) meant being stuck until they were missed.  I knew that once Pua finished and went downstairs and saw the Coroner's van he'd backtrack and find them, and that's what happened.  They got stuck because the elevator was in violation of safety laws; they were found after a reasonable time, and they avoided the tired cliches of Trapped In An Elevator.

 

As to the elite task force slumming, back in the days when my skill set qualified me as a B-plus level genius (with appropriate levels of arrogance to match), I was part of an elite technical team.  We were cherry-picked out of the greater technical center to provide the same service about two orders of magnitude faster than had become the norm, and even though we were warned not to be to arrogant, we were, just a little.  We also smiled all the time, because we had a workload balanced to our staffing level.  The other teams hated us because we liked our jobs.  As other factors came in to play, our elite service became easier to do across the board, and our arrogance increased, and in the end the group was folded back into the greater support center, and (I am told - I was gone by then) they were not loved.  It feels good to be on an elite team.  Once you have demonstrated A Thing Can Be Done, other managers figure out how to do it, and you are No Longer Special.

 

But mostly this is Show Logistics.  In that first year the four principals were working very long weeks pretty much every week, and not really having the time (for Caan and Park at least) to get back to the mainland, or for AOL to visit family in Oz, or for DDK to do the stuff he seems to do all over the world.  Hawaii is a long way from everywhere.  Having detached segments is much easier on the shooting schedule (Stargate SG-1 perfected this scheduling in season 7 - I think Amanda Tapping mentioned that she once went about a month without seeing any of her co-stars).

 

I hope for season 6.  I hope Danny stays; I'm ambivalent on Kono, but I've been ambivalent on Park for a long time.  If it ends this year, it ends.  I'll have the DVDs, and I'm still catching up on the first series (just to watch it, my god WASPs were still gawds-on-earth in the 70s), and I'm trying to do a Magnum re-watch without buying anything...

 

 I'm not really worried, because as someone else pointed out somewhere (this thread? long day), CBS hasn't renewed any veteran series yet. not even NCIS.

Edited April 22, 2015 by kassygreene

[BW Manilowe]

Here's a thing about freight elevators - they get a lot of wear and tear. The generally nightmarish movers who moved me in to a high-rise late in the last century managed to break the freight elevator halfway through the move-in, so they had to use the only other elevator, which made my new neighbors just luuuuurve me. The freight elevator in my last high-rise once took me from 3 to 16 at high speed, even though I had pressed the down button and was heading for the third sub-basement (as soon as the doors opened I got out and walked down those 19 floors). And since the alarm wasn't working, and the emergency phone wasn't working, and with all that steel the cell service wasn't available, being stuck (on a Saturday, which was established earlier) meant being stuck until they were missed. I knew that once Pua finished and went downstairs and saw the Coroner's van he'd backtrack and find them, and that's what happened. They got stuck because the elevator was in violation of safety laws; they were found after a reasonable time, and they avoided the tired cliches of Trapped In An Elevator.

As to the elite task force slumming, back in the days when my skill set qualified me as a B-plus level genius (with appropriate levels of arrogance to match), I was part of an elite technical team. We were cherry-picked out of the greater technical center to provide the same service about two orders of magnitude faster than had become the norm, and even though we were warned not to be to arrogant, we were, just a little. We also smiled all the time, because we had a workload balanced to our staffing level. The other teams hated us because we liked our jobs. As other factors came in to play, our elite service became easier to do across the board, and our arrogance increased, and in the end the group was folded back into the greater support center, and (I am told - I was gone by then) they were not loved. It feels good to be on an elite team. Once you have demonstrated A Thing Can Be Done, other managers figure out how to do it, and you are No Longer Special.

But mostly this is Show Logistics. In that first year the four principals were working very long weeks pretty much every week, and not really having the time (for Caan and Park at least) to get back to the mainland, or for AOL to visit family in Oz, or for DDK to do the stuff he seems to do all over the world. Hawaii is a long way from everywhere. Having detached segments is much easier on the shooting schedule (Stargate SG-1 perfected this scheduling in season 7 - I think Amanda Tapping mentioned that she once went about a month without seeing any of her co-stars).

I hope for season 6. I hope Danny stays; I'm ambivalent on Kono, but I've been ambivalent on Park for a long time. If it ends this year, it ends. I'll have the DVDs, and I'm still catching up on the first series (just to watch it, my god WASPs were still gawds-on-earth in the 70s), and I'm trying to do a Magnum re-watch without buying anything...

I'm not really worried, because as someone else pointed out somewhere (this thread? long day), CBS hasn't renewed any veteran series yet. not even NCIS.

Even though CBS hasn't yet said so, it's beginning to look more & more like we'll probably get our Season 6--even if it might be a "shortened" season or not begin airing until midseason. My Twitter got a Tweet on Tuesday/Tuesday night, which was a kind of "roundup" of the most current cancellation predictions (made in the last couple of days or so), from all the "cancellation prediction" sites, of the networks' "bubble" shows--which include both H50 & Blue Bloods for CBS this Fall (2015).

I forget how many sites were mentioned, something like 10 or less, but I think all but 2 or 3 now said renewal for S6 seemed pretty certain--although most of the 2 or 3 who begged to differ, & maybe another 1 or so, I think, predicted the show *will* be renewed for S6 but will get an order for fewer episodes than a normal full season, &/or not air until midseason/something new/else fails, & then call it quits. Guess we'll see.

Whenever someone's Tweeted Peter Lenkov about it, he's been saying not to worry about the renewal... & not even bringing up the idea of a shortened season or a midseason premiere. He's acting as if everything's "status quo" & we'll get S6, with at least the "normal" amount of eps--which, on a drama, can normally be anywhere from 22 (which we had in S4) to 24 (S1 & S3) or 25 (S5); we had 23 eps in S2, & would've had 24 except they apparently cancelled 1 S2 ep after Alex had to take his unexpected, but necessary, medical leave towards the end of S2--& with the season premiere in the Fall like it's always been.

In fact Peter Lenkov's so sure of an S6/may already know we're getting 1, a Set Visit & lunch with him, presumably for sometime during S6, went up for bids on 1 of those charity auction sites, which normally deal in "celebrity/athlete" type experiences to benefit charities, or whatever, in the last day or 2. It would be pretty embarrassing if they couldn't fulfill that 'cause the show got cancelled before they could.

Not to mention, about a week or so ago Masi Oka (Dr. Max Bergman) announced he'd be appearing as Hiro (the role he was known for before Max on H50) in the Heroes Reborn reboot of Heroes. And he thanked his bosses at *both* H50/CBS & Heroes Reborn/NBC for working things out so he could do *both* shows at the same time (assuming they're both shooting simultaneously, at some point... & I know H50 was still finishing the S5 Finale, which I think includes Masi/Max, while Heroes Reborn was beginning stuff like taking cast promotional pics [which Masi couldn't be in since he was still in Hawaii], if not actual filming, during the same week recently).

If I can find that link to all the "cancellation predictor" sites again I'll post it. Not sure I can though, 'cause I don't remember which Twitter account posted it.

Edited April 23, 2015 by BW Manilowe

[Bishop]

I agree BW.  I think H50 is heading for a season six, and I don't think it will be a shortened season.  Say what you want about the show, but the Friday night dramas are consistent with their numbers, and if you add in DVR use, it's good.  I recall reading an article from a producer who stated that they still have all the rental offices set to go and have not been shut down.  I believe the original H50 contract was for seven years.  I can see the show going for the full seven.  By then, I think everyone will be ready to move on, and I'm okay with that.   I need my closure between Steve and Doris before the show ends.  That's a MUST.

[John Potts]

Bishop They didn't seem like best friends at all.  All I could think of was "What if that had been Steve or Danny?"  They would have fought tooth and nail NOT to believe it.

 

 

Yeah, but that would men that a member of the team is wrong in their suspicions and that is something that just cannot be! Seriously, in any series I want the cast to be (occasionally) wrong, because nobody's right all the time (I believe that Perry Mason - somewhat before my time! - had Perry lose one case a season to maintain tension on any given case). In fact, I've read studies that show that people who are convinced they can spot when people are ling are no better at it than anyone else, they're just better at convincing themselves they're right, which makes the gang's certainty abut any given person even more questionable (particularly when Steve is gong Jack Bauer on a suspect).

 

I thought the scenes in the elevator were well done.

[Writing Wrongs]

I am finally catching up on this season before the next one starts. I was wondering if something was up with all the missing or partial Danny screentime. I kept with this show because I liked the banter and chemistry between McGarrett and Danny. I kind of hate that they made Jorge and Masi regulars. For me a little of them goes a long way.

[BW Manilowe]

I am finally catching up on this season before the next one starts. I was wondering if something was up with all the missing or partial Danny screentime. I kept with this show because I liked the banter and chemistry between McGarrett and Danny. I kind of hate that they made Jorge and Masi regulars. For me a little of them goes a long way.

If you missed it (I can't tell by your post wording), here's an explanation as to why Scott Caan/Danny is now Missing In Action from some episodes each season. I posted the link in the Media thread about a month ago. The explanation's at the beginning of the linked article.

Basically Scott's apparently chosen/been allowed by CBS/the showrunners to commute back & forth from LA the last few seasons (I think since about S3, maybe only since S4), instead of being based in Honolulu during shooting like Alex, Daniel (both of whom now live there full-time with their wives & children) & Grace, since he prefers LA to Hawaii & has always been open about that.

He's also been allowed to do (he says) 5 eps less, per season, than Alex (specifically) so he can spend more time with his family (which is also based in LA), which is apparently especially important (as it should be, in my opinion) now that he & his girlfriend are the parents of a 14-month-old daughter. Not for nothing but he's also close to his Dad, legendary actor James Caan, who's in his early 70's & also lives in LA (his mother died of Cancer at the beginning of S3).

http://communityvoices.post-gazette.com/arts-entertainment-living/tuned-in/item/39426-tv-q-a-hawaii-five-0-pennsylvania-ems-tests-and-weather-on-local-news

I don't really hate they made Jorge & Masi regulars (& they're really only regulars in name/probably perks & pay only--neither appears in every episode each season, which real "regulars" in a TV season usually do... unless you're Scott). I like their characters' "quirkiness". Plus Masi plays the Medical Examiner, so his character has a legitimate function in the show since they deal with a lot of dead bodies. And both actors' (& characters') presence helps take some of the workload off of Alex, Scott (even with the extra 5 eps he has off per season), Grace & Daniel, who said in the earlier seasons that the workload, even with the 4 of them to share it, was pretty heavy.

[jaytee1812]

I love this episode Chi McBride brought his A game, and Michelle Hurd was great.

I didn't need there to be tension about whether the guy was guilty. But I did like the rest of Five-0 playing devil's advocate.