S06.E11: Kuleana (Sense of Responsibility)

[BW Manilowe]

While McGarrett and Danny attend a couples retreat in Maui to work on their partnership issues, Kamekona's dangerous past comes back to haunt him.

Original Airdate: January 8, 2016

SOURCE: http://cbspressexpress.com/cbs-entertainment/shows/hawaii-five-0/releases/view?id=44181

Edited January 6, 2016 by BW Manilowe

[dwmarch]

Other than Kono in leather pants, this episode was pretty meh. I think there's some good stuff to explore in Kamekona's past and some potential in the conflicts between Steve and Danny. But mashing them both together in the same episode didn't work for me.

 

Halawa continues to be a cartoon jail. Gabriel can now walk in there as he pleases while Adam is stuck inside. Come on Adam, you used to be a gangster! You must have some buddies on the inside who can help you with this tragic misunderstanding! Especially since Adam now knows that Gabriel made a power play against three major gangs. There should be a lineup of people waiting to go after Gabriel right now and who better to lead them than Adam? It's not as though the gates and towers of Halawa have ever stopped anybody from doing anything nefarious.

[spinner33]

Not gonna lie -- this episode was a disappointment.  The Kamekona storyline was the most interesting by far.  I felt for him most of all. 

 

Could not care less about Kono and Adam and Gabriel and all that.  They are trying to hard to make this Adam vs Gabriel clash dramatic, and it's just coming across as lame.  Sad to see Kono, one of the core four characters, is basically only there for decoration.  What the hell?  She should take out Gabriel on her own with one long-distance shot, and be done with it.

 

Worst of all was the Steve and Danny storyline.  It was like neither actor was invested in what was going on.  There was no chemistry between them at all, zero, nada, nothing.  What the hell was going on there?  They used to have so much on-screen chemistry, and now it's like they can barely stand to look at one another and be in the same room together.  Being a loving partner (whether in work or in marriage) was played for humor, when it could have been something very meaningful.   Just a big disappointment.   I guess the writers thought they were being funny.  It fell very flat for me. 

[preeya]

Not gonna lie -- this episode was a disappointment.  The Kamekona storyline was the most interesting by far.  I felt for him most of all. 

 

Could not care less about Kono and Adam and Gabriel and all that.  They are trying to hard to make this Adam vs Gabriel clash dramatic, and it's just coming across as lame.  Sad to see Kono, one of the core four characters, is basically only there for decoration.  What the hell?  She should take out Gabriel on her own with one long-distance shot, and be done with it.

 

Worst of all was the Steve and Danny storyline.  It was like neither actor was invested in what was going on.  There was no chemistry between them at all, zero, nada, nothing.  What the hell was going on there?  They used to have so much on-screen chemistry, and now it's like they can barely stand to look at one another and be in the same room together.  Being a loving partner (whether in work or in marriage) was played for humor, when it could have been something very meaningful.   Just a big disappointment.   I guess the writers thought they were being funny.  It fell very flat for me. 

In total agreement. I think the shark has been jumped.

Edited January 9, 2016 by preeya

[UncleChuck]

So...

For everyone who has been posting forever that we should get MORE Steve/Danno banter and bickering--I hope you're happy. 

 

What I would like is a courtroom scene where the defense attorney cross-examines Kono on her credibility with evidence by getting her to admit that she not only began a relationship with a gangster but then married into the biggest crime family on the island.  And the jury should believe her because...why?

[spinner33]

There's such a big difference between a witty dialogue exchange, and bs bickering. This was smirky bs. Half-assed effort at most.

I agree about Kono. Hate to see her reduced to such a meaningless position.

Do they need new writers? Do they need a shake-up in the cast?

[spinner33]

Completely agree!  These boys have bickered before, but this just fell flat for me.  So emotionless.  And petty.   

 

That poor woman was only there as the No-Homo Plot Device.  She looked embarrassed.  Everyone looked embarrassed.    

 

I'm going to have to lump Peter Lenkov in with Erica Messer, those showrunners who cannot be trusted.  Peter is busy trolling the McDanno fans this week, but he'll be trolling the het-girl fans in a couple weeks with his Valentine episode. 

[MissLucas]

So who was paying for Danny and Steve's de-luxe counseling trip? HPD i.e. the people of Hawaii? That whole plot with all the blathering about soaps and pillows felt like a giant ad by whatever hotel chain is sponsoring the show.

 

The Kamekona plot was good. Although little brother was an ass, apparently all the brains in the family went to big brother. The less is said about Kono, Adam and Gabriel the better.

[betsyboo]

The Kamekona plot was good. Although little brother was an ass, apparently all the brains in the family went to big brother. The less is said about Kono, Adam and Gabriel the better.

^^ Yes.

I really liked the Kamekona flashbacks. And the actor playing young K nailed it. I don't know that I knew that K had a brother. (Did we?) That actor playing the brother in the final scene looked like the Rock's TBT pic.

Edited January 10, 2016 by betsyboo

[fishcakes]

I liked the Kamekona plot, but the brother was written so inconsistently that the ending was stupid. He wouldn't snitch on Levi to the police because he considered Levi family, but he did snitch on Kamekona to Levi even though Kamekona is his actual family. Then he's going to kill Kamekona, but one "I love you," and he's like, "oh I did not realize that. In that case, I will save your life and kill Levi instead." Baby bro is a tad on the slow side, I think.

[snarkylady]

Danny has time to watch a movie on a flight from Oahu to Maui?  Should be a 30-40 minute flight at most.  Maybe I missed something, I wasn't paying close attention.

 

Also, I don't think the resort they supposedly stayed at is on Maui.  It looked like the Kahala Hotel which is on Oahu.  It looked gorgeous and it would seem to me that they would want the publicity but maybe they were embarrassed to be associated with this particular episode. 

 

All in all I have no interest in watching the show but since Carol Burnett is on next week I'll likely tune in just for her. 

[MissLucas]

Danny has time to watch a movie on a flight from Oahu to Maui?  Should be a 30-40 minute flight at most.  Maybe I missed something, I wasn't paying close attention.

The poor lady caught between Danny and Steve mentioned something along the lines that this was going to be the longest 45 minutes flight of her life. No idea how Danny wanted to watch a movie in that time or why poor lady wanted to go on a date with Steve after being exposed to their odd-couple shtick.

[ByaNose]

All in all, not a bad episode. We have the usual great chemistry of O & Cann. Then we have a pretty good B storyline. Finally, there is the eye candy of Ian & Sean in prison. So, now that Steve has felt Danny up will they finally get it on? LOL!!!

[MsJamieDornan]

"Also, I don't think the resort they supposedly stayed at is on Maui. It looked like the Kahala Hotel which is on Oahu. It looked gorgeous and it would seem to me that they would want the publicity but maybe they were embarrassed to be associated with this particular episode"

______

It was the Kahala,,I would know it anywhere. Have been lucky enough to stay there several times.

Edited January 10, 2016 by MsJamieDornan

[Brian Cronin]

I was shocked that Levi didn't somehow become one of the top mobsters on the island within a week, Gabriel-style. 

Edited January 10, 2016 by Brian Cronin

[BW Manilowe]

Other than Kono in leather pants, this episode was pretty meh. I think there's some good stuff to explore in Kamekona's past and some potential in the conflicts between Steve and Danny. But mashing them both together in the same episode didn't work for me.

Halawa continues to be a cartoon jail. Gabriel can now walk in there as he pleases while Adam is stuck inside. Come on Adam, you used to be a gangster! You must have some buddies on the inside who can help you with this tragic misunderstanding! Especially since Adam now knows that Gabriel made a power play against three major gangs. There should be a lineup of people waiting to go after Gabriel right now and who better to lead them than Adam? It's not as though the gates and towers of Halawa have ever stopped anybody from doing anything nefarious.

Sorry if this is being pedantic, or nitpicky, or whatever, but I don't believe Adam was ever a gangster. His late father, Hiro, & his late brother, Michael (the ex-con who, as soon as he got outta prison & flew home to Hawaii, stole Kono's gun & killed a few people with it & tried to frame Kono for it, then to kill her when that didn't work--prompting Adam to kill him in self-defense & then him & Kono to go on the run from Michael's allies in the Yakuza, who might want retribution on either or both of them for the death [& this was really the show's way of writing Grace Park out during her maternity leave in S4]), were the ones actually in the Yakuza. Hiro may have even run it at 1 point. But I always understood Adam to be the "good" son/brother, not an active part of his father & brother's Yakuza activities. I don't think he had any real involvement with the Yakuza until he stepped in to try & legitimize the family's businesses after his father Hiro died. I thought he also said something to Kono, in the ep where his brother Michael comes home from prison & wreaks havoc on Adam & Kono's relationship because she's a cop (& trouble for his Yakuza dealings), about having gone to law school (whether or not he actively practiced law before ending up in Halawa).

ByaNose: I'm with you. I thoroughly enjoyed this ep--which makes 2 of us. And actually more. The Friday overnight ratings, posted yesterday (Saturday) showed the ep got a season high audience of 9.25 million viewers (& the Live + ... DVR ratings will probably raise that at least some), 1.3 demo, 5 share. So it couldn't have been that horrible an ep.

I'm looking forward to next week's ep with Carol Burnett's Aunt Deb. But I'll be sorry to see that storyline come to an end, whenever it does.

[ByaNose]

Why wouldn't they just say it's Kahala and not Maui. Was it really that important to the story? I checked their website and the hotel shows the two Dolphins. I wonder if they are the same ones? LOL!!!

[Roselle]

Snarkylady: "Danny has time to watch a movie on a flight from Oahu to Maui?  Should be a 30-40 minute flight at most."  (sorry, this site doesn't seem to be allowing its usual quote facility right now)

This was alluded to in the show - it was part of Steve's criticism of Danny on the flight, that, quite apart from his choice of film, he wouldn't be able to see the whole thing anyway. Danny also acknowledged it but said (along the lines of) that he would rather watch even a small part of the film if it meant he could put headphones on and not listen to Steve's nagging control issues.

I'm amongst the, apparently, few people that enjoyed the Danny/Steve stuff - thought AOL seemed to be having a ball with the comedy and that SC did an extremely credible job with grumpy/cynical/justifiably jaded. I agree with another up-thread comment that the artisan soap appreciation conversation was clearly unscripted and really quite cute.

Personally, I could have done without any of the other story lines

[Raja]

 

 

While McGarrett and Danny attend a couples retreat in Maui to work on their partnership issues, Kamekona's dangerous past comes back to haunt him.

Original Airdate: January 8, 2016

Steve and Danny was supposed to be the A story? They had half of a great episode but as often on the CBS crime shows the comic relief just doesn't work for me

[Clanstarling]

I liked the Kamekona plot, but the brother was written so inconsistently that the ending was stupid. He wouldn't snitch on Levi to the police because he considered Levi family, but he did snitch on Kamekona to Levi even though Kamekona is his actual family. Then he's going to kill Kamekona, but one "I love you," and he's like, "oh I did not realize that. In that case, I will save your life and kill Levi instead." Baby bro is a tad on the slow side, I think.

Fishcakes, I don't know why, but when I read that I heard Danno's voice.

Edited January 11, 2016 by clanstarling

[ChelseaNH]

I'm now trying to come up with the most ignominious fate for Gabriel.  Choking to death on a Girl Scout cookie is currently the front-runner.

[betsyboo]

I'm now trying to come up with the most ignominious fate for Gabriel.  Choking to death on a Girl Scout cookie is currently the front-runner.

I enjoy this! ^^  Perhaps he trips and falls and his belt buckle pierces his spleen? Or he falls awkwardly on a ballpoint pen, puncturing his lung? While I love the optics of yours, maybe it needs to be bloody...? ooooh, maybe he drowns in the bathtub!

[Mittengirl]

Gabriel slips on a "wet" spot on the men's room floor and hits his head on the urinal. Or someone puts a urinal cake in that releases poison gas when wizzed on. Because his storyline is dragging the show down the crapper.

[blackwing]

I am one of the few that have never enjoyed the Steve and Danny bickering.  I think it's overdone, and I don't find anything cute or witty about it at all.  So how fun was it to have an entire episode of it, complete with "oh we're not gay" sexual undertones.  So tired and cloying.  I was waiting for the lady to announce that the next activity was going to be nude massages, and then watch Steve and Danny bicker over who had to touch whose butt first.  

 

Adam/Gabriel:  zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

 

Kamekona storyline was decent.  Good way to get him more involved in the storyline as opposed to the usual cartoonish way they use him.

 

Best thing of the ep for me was the lack of Jerry Garcia.  And new San Francisco lady, who was said to have had to go back to SF for something.  

[BW Manilowe]

I am one of the few that have never enjoyed the Steve and Danny bickering. I think it's overdone, and I don't find anything cute or witty about it at all. So how fun was it to have an entire episode of it, complete with "oh we're not gay" sexual undertones. So tired and cloying. I was waiting for the lady to announce that the next activity was going to be nude massages, and then watch Steve and Danny bicker over who had to touch whose butt first.

Adam/Gabriel: zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Kamekona storyline was decent. Good way to get him more involved in the storyline as opposed to the usual cartoonish way they use him.

Best thing of the ep for me was the lack of Jerry Garcia. And new San Francisco lady, who was said to have had to go back to SF for something.

Abby's coming back, sooner rather than later, though. As I already said elsewhere, she's in Ep 214, I think it is, which I think is also supposed to be the Valentine's Day-related ep (& all 3 of the actresses [sarah Carter, Lili Simmons, Julie Benz] playing Steve, Danny & Chin's love interests/apparent love interests, respectively, will be in that episode).

And she posted this Tweet from the Hawaiian Airlines Terminal/Concourse at LAX airport earlier today, saying she was commuting back to Hawaii to do another H50 ep. So she's apparently in whatever ep they're shooting this week, which is Ep 518-ish, or so, I think.

https://mobile.twitter.com/juliebenz/status/686576101716549632?p=v

So, sorry to say, they haven't gotten rid of her yet. Which is honestly OK by me since I don't have a problem with her or her storyline.

And, by the way, just as I predicted, the final Friday ratings (released today) did bump up the ep's numbers, once "Live + Same Day" figures were added. It got bumped up to 9.41 Million viewers (from 9.25 Million) & 1.4 in the Demo (from 1.3). So, apparently, a lot of people either still like the McDanno bromance, or the way the show's going, in general.

[JessDVD]

Isn't Gabriel supposed to be some huge Wo Fat-esque criminal mastermind? And he can just waltz into Halawa without any law enforcement professionals (something you'd think Halawa would have a couple of) noticing? I just don't understand this plotline.

 

I thought that Adam being safely in the aforementioned Halawa would have him on the screen less but sadly this is not the case. I'm ready to skip to the part where Adam and Gabriel both drown in an unfortunate yachting accident or something. Gored by a rabid water buffalo. Anything.

 

I think marriage counseling saves marriages but I can't imagine that particular 'style' of counseling has a high success rate although I think those scenes were all there for the lulz so maybe just never mind.

[Raja]

Isn't Gabriel supposed to be some huge Wo Fat-esque criminal mastermind? And he can just waltz into Halawa without any law enforcement professionals (something you'd think Halawa would have a couple of) noticing? I just don't understand this plotline.

 

 

Wo Fat was also able to pull off that trick. But I think only McGarret wanted him at that point not the state of Hawaii

[Clanstarling]

I got the distinct impression the prison guard who pointed Adam to the booth was paid off.

 

I was surprised to see Gabriel's reflection in the window though - in a previous scene (episode?) with Kono, it seemed pretty clear that they were not filming at the same time. So my guess was Dale filmed a number of them at the same time.

 

I've already forgotten a lot of details, but it kind of bothered me that Chin had no issue with using Kamekona as a CI again, and putting him in danger. That "once your CI, he's always your CI" line seemed awful cold in relation to Kamekona, who has been portrayed as being part of the extended family - not business.

[Vermicious Knid]

Danny and Steve having to go for couples counseling would have been funny the first few seasons. Remember the guys razzing them during the basketball game about being married? Now it just felt flat and stale. I agree, the bickering was just annoying and had no underlying warmth. They did show a same sex couple also at the counseling but they didn't say anything. Small steps? Watching Kamekona's story just made me worry about Taylor Wily's health based on his weight.

 

Gabriel is everywhere! He corrupts everything! How long before they show him holding the Governor's leash, or would that be too close to the plot with the original governor played by Jean Smart?

[MissLucas]

I think marriage counseling saves marriages but I can't imagine that particular 'style' of counseling has a high success rate although I think those scenes were all there for the lulz so maybe just never mind.

Haven't we seen Danny and Steve in counseling sessions before? Complete with other couples eye-rolling at their quarreling all the time and occasionally taking sides? Or was that part of an undercover op? Either way all those scenes had a heavy déja-vu going on. I don't mind bromance bickering as an under-current to investigative work they're doing but as the whole point of a B-plot it gets tiring.

[BW Manilowe]

Haven't we seen Danny and Steve in counseling sessions before? Complete with other couples eye-rolling at their quarreling all the time and occasionally taking sides? Or was that part of an undercover op? Either way all those scenes had a heavy déja-vu going on. I don't mind bromance bickering as an under-current to investigative work they're doing but as the whole point of a B-plot it gets tiring.

In the S5 premiere they were having a mandatory session, just the 2 of them, with a counselor at the beginning of the ep, about their relationship as work partners.

Then, in the S5 ep where they were on the stakeout (aka the ep Daniel Dae Kim directed), they had a workbook of some kind they were supposed to do, while they were on the stakeout, as part of apparently further counseling they were undergoing connected to their relationship as work partners.

And then there was the "Couples Counseling" retreat in this ep, which was actually meant for married couples but they somehow ended up registered for it, & the session leader (& I guess the HPD counselor or other counselor they were seeing) apparently agreed to sign off on their attending her retreat & count it towards the counseling they were supposed to be getting. The counselor actually mentioned that in the ep.

Those are the 3 instances I remember of Steve & Danny in counseling connected to their work partners relationship that we've seen on the show. And the only instance that involved others besides the counselor was in this ep. It's been a recurring storyline for the characters since, literally, the beginning of S5.

Edited January 14, 2016 by BW Manilowe

[HurricaneVal]

I do ordinarily love the Steve/Danno bickering and carguments, and I am one of the fans who has been clamoring for them, but I have to say that with this episode it did seem to be dialed up to 11.  I get it, the couples counseling thing was supposed to be the funny B-story for the episode and OK if it doesn't follow canon, but it came out kind of cartoon-y and mean spirited.  Almost like Scott and Alex were sniping at each other for real, or that Steve and Danny really can't stand each other anymore.  Sometimes I wonder if Scott Caan hasn't internalized and amplified the Danny character's obnoxiousness and hatred for all things Hawaiian.  I mean, the Danny we know should have appreciated the ruse of this mandatory counseling session to finance a mini-vacation at a fantastic resort.  That sort of thing is something that someone like Danny should be all enthusiastic about--getting something for nothing while putting one over on the yayhoos forcing them into this counseling in the first place.  Instead, he's sourpussing all over the place because:  Hawaii.  And Steve.

 

I also think Steve hooking up with the unfortunate eye-rolling sorority girl who had been stuck in the airline seat between Steve and Danny was completely out of character.  The Steve we've seen so far is attracted to fairly low maintenance active and intelligent women, but that overly make-upped (seriously, I could not take my eyes off her totally unflattering black eye shadow), bad hair, artificial sorority girl type just didn't seem like someone Steve would want to hook up with. 

 

There was some really good, small actor-y bits of character moments all through this episode.  The whole Kamekona A-story was fantastic, with lots of callbacks between his shared past with Chin and their current relationship.  Even though the Steve/Danno couples counseling B-story wasn't as good as we'd hoped it would be, it still had its moments.  Scott Caan is very good when he lets his Danny do quiet things in the background, like Danny's plaintive "maybe you don't pay attention to me" in that small voice with the look of quiet hurt on his face when we (including Steve) all found out he was claustrophobic.  In this episode, when they're meeting their unfortunate seatmate, and Steve and the girl are introducing themselves, Danny sticks his hand out, but the girl is ignoring him in favor of Steve and Scott does that little wave and salute with his hand but the look on his face is a sarcastic call back to Danny's "yeah, he's James Bond and I'm the waiter" lament.  For Steve, in that final scene when Steve gets his glass of water, Steve squeezes the lemon wedge into the glass then looks at it, and tosses it carelessly onto the table.  With that bit of business, Alex reminds us that yeah, Steve is sometimes kind of a selfish asshole who likes to take over his environment and doesn't care about making extra work for other people.

 

I also have to agree that the whole artisanal soap and the soft hands and body hair complete with the hand holding and arm stroking was a total adlib shout-out to the shippers out there.  I'm sitting here all tappy-toes waiting for those fanfics to get written...

[Raja]

Did anyone notice that with Captain Grover running the op it went down just as when Lt Commander McGarrett when he, Grover was complaining about the 5-0 cowboys. SWAT team arrives they go in and the guy scampers out the back because nobody thinks to cover the back yard.

Edited January 15, 2016 by Raja

[Jobiska]

Not gonna lie -- this episode was a disappointment.  The Kamekona storyline was the most interesting by far.  I felt for him most of all.

 

Cosign.  I was impressed by Wily's subtle shows of emotion.  

I enjoy the bicker/banter but this episode was a letdown.  Very poorly put together.

Danny is either the tidiest hamburger eater in the world or he previously cut the hamburger in half hoping against hope that Steve would show up and eat it. 

[dialogue approximate]:

Gabriel:  The house is surrounded and if they don't get a phone call from me within 10 minutes....

Adam:  So what do you want?

Gabriel:  [dramatic pause, dramatic pause, dramatic pause]....

I guess what he wants is for them not to get that phone call!

[Clanstarling]

Did anyone notice that with Captain Grover running the op it went down just as when Lt Commander McGarrett when he, Grover was complaining about the 5-0 cowboys. SWAT team arrives they go in and the guy scampers out the back because nobody thinks to cover the back yard.

I saw this happen in real life. I was sitting at the pool in my apartment complex, the cops stormed through the front door of one of the apartments - and the renters fled out the back windows to an open field, which would have been easy to cover.

[Raja]

I saw this happen in real life. I was sitting at the pool in my apartment complex, the cops stormed through the front door of one of the apartments - and the renters fled out the back windows to an open field, which would have been easy to cover.

They should watch Jack Webb's old Adam-12, the first backup to arrive always covered the back and the following police went with Reed & Malloy

[ganesh]

I could barely get through the first scene on the plane. The bickering isn't funny. People who behave like this aren't legit adults.

 

But mashing them both together in the same episode didn't work for me.

 

Yeah, except for contractual obligations, I don't see that this plot was really needed. The main plot with the others was strong enough to carry the full episode. 

Edited January 18, 2016 by ganesh

[Lovecat]

My favorite part of the episode was that Danny's nametag, before he crossed it out and corrected it with a marker, originally said DANNO, since Steve registered them.  Hee!