S06.E13: Umia Ka Hanu (Hold The Breath)

[BW Manilowe]

While Grover travels to Chicago to finally get a confession from Clay Maxwell about killing his wife, Chin and Kono are held at gunpoint by two killers who have no idea they are cops. Mykelti Williamson returns as Clay Maxwell.

Original Airdate: January 22, 2016

SOURCE: http://cbspressexpress.com/cbs-entertainment/shows/hawaii-five-0/releases/view?id=44335

[dwmarch]

I was sure Kono was going to get the drop on the dopey brother when the other one led Chin away. I guess she was tired from all that surfing.

 

At least now I know what happened to Kono's leather skirt. Clay stole it and brought it back to Chicago for his mistress. Of all the dastardly things the guy has done that really takes the cake.

 

The Chin and Kono kidnapping did not even bother with a plot. The bad guys and the dead cop didn't get names and there was no discussion of why this was going on beyond "mind your own business". Since both bad guys were shot dead at the end it looks like we won't be getting a follow-up unless they actually were Gabriel goons.

 

Got to love Chin and that sensitivity. "Hey Kono, you look really happy right now. Let me immediately remind you of that awful ongoing situation in your life!"

 

Apparently 5-0 has some guards looking out for Adam in Halawa. Good thing those guards are ethical and won't do favors for interested outsiders... wait a minute.

 

Does 5-0's means and immunity follow them as long as they're within the United States? I know it doesn't follow them to Colombia. But Grover is entirely willing to chance that his wanton property destruction, dual kidnapping, assaults, threats and helping himself to the pizza will just be forgiven because he found some evidence that he immediately tainted by handling it. All he's got is an insanity defense. "Well, I hang out with Steve McGarrett a lot and he's crazy and it kind of rubbed off on me." Actual detective work would have avoided all of this. When Grover stops doing his Wreck-It-Ralph impersonation and actually stops to think for a minute he figures it out right away!

[blackwing]

I don't know what to make of this episode.  Seemed like complete filler with throwaway lines about Aunt Deb and Adam to let us know this was still in the continuity.

 

I know Grover is upset about the death of his former friend's wife, but trying to torture/browbeat a confession out of the guy?  Doesn't make sense.  How about doing things the correct way, telling Internal Affairs to watch him?  Or if the money was really an issue, the FBI?

 

The Chin/Kono plot just seemed so stupid.  Why is it that Steve and Danny were on actual roads, while Chin cuts through grass and dirt and winds up lost?  I would think since 5-0 regularly goes all over the islands and to what would be considered remote places, that they would have satellite phones.  This plot was so dumb because we all know that nothing was going to happen to either Chin or Kono.  

 

Also, it really bothered me that Chin's car appeared to have no seat belts.  I know it's an old car, and perhaps it had lap belts only, but it really didn't look like it did.  I was cringing when Kono leaned back and put her feet up on the window.  One bump in the road, losing control of the car, and she's paralyzed.

[threebluestars]

If the lights on Chin's car didn't give away they were cops, then their total lack of reaction to dead bodies and guns would've done it. Any normal human would've been shocked, screamed etc when confronted with a dead guy in a trunk or being held up at gunpoint. They were so cool about it if I was the baddie I would've been immediately suspicious.

 

Although I liked tying up the friend/dead wife story, I really hated the way they did it. They made Grover really unlikable.

[Vermicious Knid]

Well, that was dumb. Grover has definitely been hanging around Steve too long since he's totally bought into the crazy vigilantism. And of course he was right, because 5-O is always right. But the money only proves he stole it, not that he murdered his wife. I also would have reminded the girlfriend she was the other woman while he was lying to his wife so no, he wasn't a good man to begin with.

 

Both A and B plot were lame. But Danny was there.

[laredhead]

I also thought the entire episode was sort of like raiding the refrigerator and putting all the leftovers or odd things into one episode.  No evident reason for the Kono/Chin predicament unless it will be addressed in a later episode.  Maybe they should have just skipped a week and let the writers refresh their creativity cells.

[Clanstarling]

I was sure Kono was going to get the drop on the dopey brother when the other one led Chin away. I guess she was tired from all that surfing.

 

Got to love Chin and that sensitivity. "Hey Kono, you look really happy right now. Let me immediately remind you of that awful ongoing situation in your life!"

 

Apparently 5-0 has some guards looking out for Adam in Halawa. Good thing those guards are ethical and won't do favors for interested outsiders... wait a minute.

 

Does 5-0's means and immunity follow them as long as they're within the United States? I know it doesn't follow them to Colombia. But Grover is entirely willing to chance that his wanton property destruction, dual kidnapping, assaults, threats and helping himself to the pizza will just be forgiven because he found some evidence that he immediately tainted by handling it. All he's got is an insanity defense. "Well, I hang out with Steve McGarrett a lot and he's crazy and it kind of rubbed off on me." Actual detective work would have avoided all of this. When Grover stops doing his Wreck-It-Ralph impersonation and actually stops to think for a minute he figures it out right away!

I was actually pretty bummed that Kono and Chin had to be rescued. The perfect opportunity seemed to be when Chin and the big brother were gone. They missed a lot of opportunities with the story telling. For example, I thought it was interesting the bad guys thought they were a couple, and that somehow their actual relationship would come into play.

Chin knows how to be a buzzkill, doesn't he?

I love that you put helping himself to pizza on the same level as Grover's other crimes.

 

The lack of seatbelts bothered me too - but then Chin rides his motorcycle without a helmet - so it's at least consistent. Irritating, but consistent.

 

The show was way too disjointed, but I did enjoy the first scene with the four of them having fun and teasing each other. I thought it had some of the old magic.

Edited January 23, 2016 by clanstarling

[BW Manilowe]

I don't know what to make of this episode. Seemed like complete filler with throwaway lines about Aunt Deb and Adam to let us know this was still in the continuity.

I know Grover is upset about the death of his former friend's wife, but trying to torture/browbeat a confession out of the guy? Doesn't make sense. How about doing things the correct way, telling Internal Affairs to watch him? Or if the money was really an issue, the FBI?

The Chin/Kono plot just seemed so stupid. Why is it that Steve and Danny were on actual roads, while Chin cuts through grass and dirt and winds up lost? I would think since 5-0 regularly goes all over the islands and to what would be considered remote places, that they would have satellite phones. This plot was so dumb because we all know that nothing was going to happen to either Chin or Kono.

Also, it really bothered me that Chin's car appeared to have no seat belts. I know it's an old car, and perhaps it had lap belts only, but it really didn't look like it did. I was cringing when Kono leaned back and put her feet up on the window. One bump in the road, losing control of the car, and she's paralyzed.

Steve & Danny were having a competition with Chin & Kono as to the fastest way to get back to town, specifically to Iolani Palace, from the North Shore, with the loser paying for All-You-Can-Eat Wings & Beer at Side Street (a real Honolulu restaurant which has been mentioned in previous episodes, & which has been frequented by show staffers like Lenkov when they're in town). Steve thought he could get there faster by using Highway 83 (which, according to the post-ep blog I read every week in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser--written by a Hawaii native--is Kamehameha Highway headed toward the Windward side of the island); Chin thought a faster way was by cutting through the coffee fields in Waialua/service roads/old cane haul roads used by the plantation trucks to haul sugar cane on the North Shore. That's what Steve & Danny were doing on real roads & Chin & Kono were doing in the middle of nowhere.

[BW Manilowe]

Well, that was dumb. Grover has definitely been hanging around Steve too long since he's totally bought into the crazy vigilantism. And of course he was right, because 5-O is always right. But the money only proves he stole it, not that he murdered his wife. I also would have reminded the girlfriend she was the other woman while he was lying to his wife so no, he wasn't a good man to begin with.

Both A and B plot were lame. But Danny was there.

And Grover explained he'd changed course, if you will, in the middle of things at his ex-friend Clay's house. He said he realized, especially after his last trip to Chicago when he couldn't get anything out of his old colleagues at the Chicago PD about what Clay had been up to (he came back from Chicago, with a suitcase full of Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza--I think they actually said/it was supposed to have been from Lou Malnati's, a real Chicago restaurant known for their pizza--at the beginning of the [s5, I think] ep involving the murder of the Elvis impersonator at the Elvis Convention), that he couldn't "get" Clay on the murder of his wife, despite his gut feeling about it, the evidence was thin to non-existent, but he knew Clay had done other stuff, like taking some of the cash from a drug bust, which Grover was eventually able to prove since the money was hidden in a rusted out & patched over part of Clay's old car--which was lovingly parked in Clay's garage while Clay's new car sat in the driveway, exposed to the Chicago elements & who knows what else. Grover was at the point where he didn't care if he sent Clay to prison for killing his wife, as long as he could send him to prison for something else he'd take that. And Grover ended up being able to do that--like I said, & they said in the ep, he knew Clay had stolen some drug money during a bust & was eventually able to find it in Clay's house. So he got to at least send him to prison for something.

Edited January 23, 2016 by BW Manilowe

[SoapDoc]

 

Although I liked tying up the friend/dead wife story, I really hated the way they did it. They made Grover really unlikable.

 

Agreed. He tore up the house, and tied up and terrorized a woman that -- as far as he knows and said -- was not involved on planning of either crime.  I wasn't happy with his tying up his friend either but that could get hand-waved a little better than all the other drama he was inflicting on the house. Why couldn't Grover look for the money while his fiend was at work? I could have told him that the guy was not going to confess to murder before he went in. Better planning would have been more fun to watch. Break in during the day, look for the money, and wait until he comes home to have IA bust him. Sadly, Grover was just as bad a criminal even if he had "good" intentions.  I had a difficult time with his story line last night.

 

I also thought Kono and Chin would have saved themselves as well. I guess I was disappointed in the overall show last night as well.

[Clanstarling]

I didn't care for the Grover plot line this week. I didn't like seeing him act like a crazy guy. He's always seemed more the calm collected type to me (though I could be forgetting - I don't retain a lot of the history of this show). I wonder if they'll handwave it, or if there will be charges.

 

Also, I'm not from Chicago - so I don't know the Hyde Park area - but that house looked awfully nice for them to discuss it as if it were some kind of ghetto neighborhood. From what (admittedly) little I saw, it looked like a good neighborhood, especially if he was comfortable leaving his nice car outside.

[ganesh]

This show. You never know what you're going to get, but largely, it will be nuts. 

 

Of all things what stuck with me was, "What are you going to when she goes back to SF?" Maybe ask her? Maybe nothing and move on? Does it have to be a big deal?

Do adults actually say "hooking up?"

 

I think the whole Chicago plot was way OOC. I could see a background plot where Grover does get him for stealing evidence that might get resolved over 2,3 episodes. This was a little much.

Edited January 23, 2016 by ganesh

[laserlady]

And Grover explained he'd changed course, if you will, in the middle of things at his ex-friend Clay's house. He said he realized, especially after his last trip to Chicago when he couldn't get anything out of his old colleagues at the Chicago PD about what Clay had been up to (he came back from Chicago, with a suitcase full of Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza--I think they actually said/it was supposed to have been from Lou Malnati's, a real Chicago restaurant known for their pizza--at the beginning of the [s5, I think] ep involving the murder of the Elvis impersonator at the Elvis Convention), that he couldn't "get" Clay on the murder of his wife, despite his gut feeling about it, the evidence was thin to non-existent, but he knew Clay had done other stuff, like taking some of the cash from a drug bust, which Grover was eventually able to prove since the money was hidden in a rusted out & patched over part of Clay's old car--which was lovingly parked in Clay's garage while Clay's new car sat in the driveway, exposed to the Chicago elements & who knows what else. Grover was at the point where he didn't care if he sent Clay to prison for killing his wife, as long as he could send him to prison for something else he'd take that. And Grover ended up being able to do that--like I said, & they said in the ep, he knew Clay had stolen some drug money during a bust & was eventually able to find it in Clay's house. So he got to at least send him to prison for something.

 

Actually, this was one of the many, many things that bothered me about the Grover storyline last night.  If this was remotely like reality, at least, Clay wouldn't go to prison because none of that evidence is going to be admissible in court.  And even if a judge would permit the introduction of evidence obtained from a highly illegal search like that, who would a jury really believe -- a calm, very convincing, apparently upstanding police officer without a spot on his record, or a guy who comes across as an unhinged lunatic and insists that he found a pile of money hidden in the side of an ancient car after he kidnapped his friend and an innocent woman, then destroyed his friend's house and vehicle with a sledgehammer?  Grover was also involved in the drug raid that resulted in the money being stolen, and a good defense attorney could easily make the jury at least question whether Grover himself stole the money and planted it in his friend's car.  Also, Grover's credibility would further be called into question by all of the felony convictions that he ought to (and likely would) receive as a result of his criminal conduct in this episode. 

 

Relatedly, Grover's whole plan of forcing a confession out of Clay was all very stupid from a legal standpoint, since a coerced confession like that would suppressed and never go to a jury.  (Theoretically, Grover could perjure himself in an attempt to convince a judge that there was no coercion involved, but he'd have to lie more convincingly than Clay told the truth, and there would be enough physical evidence to back Clay up that I just don't see a judge buying whatever crazy story Grover came up with to explain how he got the confession.)  I don't play an attorney on TV, but I am one in real life, and I've worked on enough criminal cases to be very annoyed by lazy, stupid writing like this.

And seriously, Grover came across as a sociopath in this episode.  The whole thing where he calmly walks his son through a math problem before turning around to beat Clay up some more was really quite chilling, in a very bad way, especially since he and Clay were supposed to have been the best of friends for years before this.  Maybe it does make sense after all that he can so easily suspect his best friend of murder, since they're both apparently sociopaths who can turn on someone they've been close to for years without a hint of remorse.

[ganesh]

Look at you, applying reason. 

 

Two kids through college and still have some left over for retirement? On $250K! Hahahahahahahahahaha!

Edited January 24, 2016 by ganesh

[Kel Varnsen]

 

Got to love Chin and that sensitivity. "Hey Kono, you look really happy right now. Let me immediately remind you of that awful ongoing situation in your life!"

 

I always think episodes like this are kind of weird. It would have been hilarious if Chin had said something like "I hope you don't mind that we drove all the way to the other side of the Island to go surfing for the day when Gabriel is still on the loose".

If the lights on Chin's car didn't give away they were cops, then their total lack of reaction to dead bodies and guns would've done it. Any normal human would've been shocked, screamed etc when confronted with a dead guy in a trunk or being held up at gunpoint. They were so cool about it if I was the baddie I would've been immediately suspicious.

I am curious if anyone would know. Would an unmarked police car like Chin's have a police radio in it?

Actually, this was one of the many, many things that bothered me about the Grover storyline last night.  If this was remotely like reality, at least, Clay wouldn't go to prison because none of that evidence is going to be admissible in court.  And even if a judge would permit the introduction of evidence obtained from a highly illegal search like that, who would a jury really believe -- a calm, very convincing, apparently upstanding police officer without a spot on his record, or a guy who comes across as an unhinged lunatic and insists that he found a pile of money hidden in the side of an ancient car after he kidnapped his friend and an innocent woman, then destroyed his friend's house and vehicle with a sledgehammer?  Grover was also involved in the drug raid that resulted in the money being stolen, and a good defense attorney could easily make the jury at least question whether Grover himself stole the money and planted it in his friend's car.  Also, Grover's credibility would further be called into question by all of the felony convictions that he ought to (and likely would) receive as a result of his criminal conduct in this episode. 

 

Yea the whole time I was wondering how the hell he would sell this in court. Like you said even the crappiest lawyer would look at the guys relationship with Grover and how Grover was pretty obsessed with pinning the wife's murder on him (even without evidence) and present that to a jury. If I was on the jury that, plus the fact that grover held him and the girlfriend hostage and tore the house apart would be pretty good reasonable doubt that it was a frame up. Plus wasn't grover fired from HPD for some messed up McGarret shit?

 

Look at you, applying reason. 

 

Two kids through college and still have some left over for retirement? On $250K! Hahahahahahahahahaha!

As a Canadian my response to that his Holy Shit.

[ganesh]

It depends where you want to go to college. Two kids going to private colleges, forget it. An elite private college is 20-40K per year. 

 

There's plenty of public universities where state residents can get high quality education for 10K per year. But you have to be a state resident, or you pay out of state tuition for the first year and then you're a resident for the rest.  

[Raja]

 

I am curious if anyone would know. Would an unmarked police car like Chin's have a police radio in it?

 

Come to think of it although three fifths of the 5-0 Task Force are technically HPD officers I can't recall them using radios since we are well into the cell phone era

[dwmarch]

I love that you put helping himself to pizza on the same level as Grover's other crimes.

 

I got in trouble for it once, I see no reason why Grover shouldn't.

[jhlipton]

When LeAnn (how Closed Captioning spelled it) came back to the house, if I was Clay, I would have yelled then asked Grober if he was actually going to do what he accused Clay of.

LeAnn has no reason NOT to charge Grover with kidnapping and assault.

I still maintain that Mrs Maxwell's death was an accident. Clay made far more good points than Grover, who had nothing more than a gut feeling.

============================

Kono and Chin's plot was so stoooopid. I guess we should be grateful that Chin should any activity. (It would have at least been funny if, when Brothet Junior went to fondle Kono, he had to search for any boobage.)

[fishcakes]

Here's what a dweeb I am. The thing that bothered me most about the episode wasn't the kidnapping and torture or Chin and Kono's laidback attitude about their imminent death (though I did tear up a little when they held hands at the end). It was Grover's kid's algebra problem being 4k = 16. Since when is k an algebraic variable? I've consulted Professor Google and apparently it is, but damn it, if x, y, and sometimes z were good enough for me, then they should be good enough for everyone. Kids today are so spoiled. They even have more variables than we had.

 

Mostly the episode just made me want deep dish pizza.

[BW Manilowe]

I always think episodes like this are kind of weird. It would have been hilarious if Chin had said something like "I hope you don't mind that we drove all the way to the other side of the Island to go surfing for the day when Gabriel is still on the loose".

I am curious if anyone would know. Would an unmarked police car like Chin's have a police radio in it?

Yea the whole time I was wondering how the hell he would sell this in court. Like you said even the crappiest lawyer would look at the guys relationship with Grover and how Grover was pretty obsessed with pinning the wife's murder on him (even without evidence) and present that to a jury. If I was on the jury that, plus the fact that grover held him and the girlfriend hostage and tore the house apart would be pretty good reasonable doubt that it was a frame up. Plus wasn't grover fired from HPD for some messed up McGarret shit?

As a Canadian my response to that his Holy Shit.

Responding to the bolded. Way back in S1, in the ep with the severed head in the box, there was a radio in whichever car Chin & Kono were driving around in at the beginning of the ep, as I remember (I haven't seen the ep in awhile, but I think it was Kono's Cruze).

They were driving around part of Honolulu that Chin told Kono was part of his "beat" when he was with HPD & a call came over the radio having to do with pursuit of a car for something, which Chin & Kono joined in, acknowledging that over the radio; then the car eventually crashed, causing the trunk to open & the box with the severed head to fall out onto the street/road where the severed head was found by Kono (this was also the ep where we met Chin's ex-fiancée & eventual wife, Malia, who was a Doctor--apparently an Oncologist--who was treating the beheading victim as a Cancer patient).

There was also a voice over of Steve directing a Five-0 chase of a suspect, via a police radio (telling Chin where to go to cut off the guy, I think it was), over a chase scene in another early episode. I think it was in the ep where the daughters of the US Ambassador to the Philippines were kidnapped & 1 was killed, while in Hawaii on vacation, but I'm not positive.

So there were at least 2 instances involving police radios in Five-0 vehicles that I remember. But they seem to only use radios when it's "convenient" or adds something to a scene, or when the writers remember they probably should have/use them; not as a "routine" like in older cop shows, like Starsky & Hutch, where Starsky's & Hutch's cars--which were used for both work & as their personal vehicles, like in Five-0--have the radios in them even when the guys are on their own time & not working.

Edited January 24, 2016 by BW Manilowe

[ganesh]

I still maintain that Mrs Maxwell's death was an accident. Clay made far more good points than Grover, who had nothing more than a gut feeling.

 

That's all you need if you're 5-O.

[jhlipton]

Here's what a dweeb I am. The thing that bothered me most about the episode wasn't the kidnapping and torture or Chin and Kono's laidback attitude about their imminent death (though I did tear up a little when they held hands at the end). It was Grover's kid's algebra problem being 4k = 16. Since when is k an algebraic variable? I've consulted Professor Google and apparently it is, but damn it, if x, y, and sometimes z were good enough for me, then they should be good enough for everyone. Kids today are so spoiled. They even have more variables than we had.

 

 

Often, we would use other letters on occasion (and this is ages ago) if x or y were tuckered, or if we wanted to remind ourselves that we were looking for kangaroos, or if we were solving a physics equation that had k as one of the measures (such is in mpg, you would solve for m or g)  What bothered me more is that you almost never have the variable on  the right side of the equation; the more proper form would be 4k = 16.

 

These dumb-wads can't even get algebra right!

 

That's all you need if you're 5-O.

 

So true.

[Clanstarling]

It depends where you want to go to college. Two kids going to private colleges, forget it. An elite private college is 20-40K per year. 

 

There's plenty of public universities where state residents can get high quality education for 10K per year. But you have to be a state resident, or you pay out of state tuition for the first year and then you're a resident for the rest.  

Having put two kids through a public university in the state of our residence, at approximately that tuition, my experience was the tuition wasn't even half of the expense. 250K wouldn't leave much left over. Something, but not enough to quit work and chill.

[ganesh]

Yeah, we didn't even talk about living expenses, etc. 

 

Mathematically, the variable has to be on the left because it means, "k is assigned the value of 4". I mean 4 = k is technically equivalent, but it's not.

 

Plus if you're coding, the variable clearly has to be on the left, so it's just a good habit to do it that way.

[Vermicious Knid]

Since Grover isn't a Chicago cop and was acting as a private citizen, it wasn't an illegal search from a legal point of view. Then he called the police and told them to bring IA, so they could see the money and arrest him. But yeah, it could all be thrown out as a frame up. Not to mention the cops really should have also arrested Grover for assault, battery, kidnapping and destruction of property at the very least.

 

They could have done a tiny bit of setup by having the theoretical police radio in the car squawk out a report of a missing police officer. Then it wouldn't have been just nameless murderers dumping a body with Chin playing the Exposition Fairy, "Hey, that's a police officer!"

[Raja]

Since Grover isn't a Chicago cop and was acting as a private citizen, it wasn't an illegal search from a legal point of view. Then he called the police and told them to bring IA, so they could see the money and arrest him. But yeah, it could all be thrown out as a frame up. Not to mention the cops really should have also arrested Grover for assault, battery, kidnapping and destruction of property at the very least.

They could have done a tiny bit of setup by having the theoretical police radio in the car squawk out a report of a missing police officer. Then it wouldn't have been just nameless murderers dumping a body with Chin playing the Exposition Fairy, "Hey, that's a police officer!"

From my Law & Order/Homicide crossover law school Captain Grover being 5-0 would still be considered a cop. However watching Chicago PD's Intelligence squad in action suggest the Illinois courts and State Attorneys don't care about civil rights.

[Jobiska]

The show was way too disjointed, but I did enjoy the first scene with the four of them having fun and teasing each other. I thought it had some of the old magic.

 

Last week and this week were shows my husband and I decided we weren't up to watching...last week for the Aunt Deb death watch and this week because, well, all your comments have made us realize we were correct.

However, we did watch through the first scene, and enjoyed the shirtless Chin and bikini-topped Kono, and the fun banter, so thanks for the confirmation that this was the best part!

I'm sad though...we've never skipped one before except for one last season.  

[ChelseaNH]

I fast-forwarded through most of Grover's scenes.  Turns out I could have fast-forwarded through the whole thing.  Oh, well, the scenery is still nice.

[HurricaneVal]

I love this show, I really do.  I suspend a lot of disbelief for this show--skyhook helicopter prisoner break-outs, atomic bombs, utter disregard for rule of law and logic etc.--but I'm willing to do it because I consider it to be a larger-than-life kind of cartoon-y, superhero show.  With superb eye candy, both in the cast and in the locations.

 

But...this episode just didn't really do it for me.  I get it that Grover is obsessed with his friend's guilt, but I don't buy the Grover we saw in his first season becoming the Grover we saw in this episode.  I get it that characters grow and evolve (or devolve, as the case may be) but this was just too much of a change.  Yes, he's grief stricken over the death of his friend, yes, he thinks his other friend did it, yes, he's grief stricken over thinking that about his friend turning like that, but I still don't see Grover abandoning every principle like that.  Especially when the girlfriend stepped into the house...

 

The Chin and Kono stumbling into the body dump, and then getting pulled in just seemed so....random....but not as bothersome as some felt it was.  I kind of felt like it was a good idea someone had in the writers room, but it wasn't enough to really make an entire episode about, so they stuffed it into this episode.  But in the meanwhile, the writer who originally came up with the idea was unavailable, so the execution just wasn't there.

 

My favorite part of the episode was Steve's giddy glee and satisfaction (even though he clearly cheated) at winning, followed up by his worry and concern.  His "Yeah, lets do that..." with emphatic nod at Danny's suggestion that they go look for their missing teammates was great.  It showed the two sides of Steve's personality:  the gung-ho, crazy, "win at all costs" hyperactive puppy side, and the serious, concerned, guardian with an inflated sense of responsibility side.

 

Oh, who am I kidding.  My favorite part of the episode was the very beginning where they're all fresh from the water in all stages of undress, followed by Steve's "Bo Duke-ing" it into the Camaro--in flip flops no less--and Kono's obvious glee.  THEN my favorite part was Steve's giddy to concerned transition.

[jhlipton]

Yes, he's grief stricken over the death of his friend

 

I've come to the conclusion that Grover was having an affair with Mrs Maxwell.  It would explain why he became unhinged with her death, his obsession that her husband had murdered her, his attitude toward LeAnn..

[ganesh]

I don't think there's any indication that Grover was actually having an affair, but I could roll with that he was in love with her. 

[betsyboo]

I love this show, I really do.  I suspend a lot of disbelief for this show--skyhook helicopter prisoner break-outs, atomic bombs, utter disregard for rule of law and logic etc.--but I'm willing to do it because I consider it to be a larger-than-life kind of cartoon-y, superhero show.  With superb eye candy, both in the cast and in the locations.

 

But...this episode just didn't really do it for me.  I get it that Grover is obsessed with his friend's guilt, but I don't buy the Grover we saw in his first season becoming the Grover we saw in this episode.  I get it that characters grow and evolve (or devolve, as the case may be) but this was just too much of a change.  Yes, he's grief stricken over the death of his friend, yes, he thinks his other friend did it, yes, he's grief stricken over thinking that about his friend turning like that, but I still don't see Grover abandoning every principle like that.  Especially when the girlfriend stepped into the house...

 

The Chin and Kono stumbling into the body dump, and then getting pulled in just seemed so....random....but not as bothersome as some felt it was.  I kind of felt like it was a good idea someone had in the writers room, but it wasn't enough to really make an entire episode about, so they stuffed it into this episode.  But in the meanwhile, the writer who originally came up with the idea was unavailable, so the execution just wasn't there.

 

My favorite part of the episode was Steve's giddy glee and satisfaction (even though he clearly cheated) at winning, followed up by his worry and concern.  His "Yeah, lets do that..." with emphatic nod at Danny's suggestion that they go look for their missing teammates was great.  It showed the two sides of Steve's personality:  the gung-ho, crazy, "win at all costs" hyperactive puppy side, and the serious, concerned, guardian with an inflated sense of responsibility side.

 

Oh, who am I kidding.  My favorite part of the episode was the very beginning where they're all fresh from the water in all stages of undress, followed by Steve's "Bo Duke-ing" it into the Camaro--in flip flops no less--and Kono's obvious glee.  THEN my favorite part was Steve's giddy to concerned transition.

Yes, to every single part of this. ^^

[jhlipton]

Since Grover isn't a Chicago cop and was acting as a private citizen, it wasn't an illegal search from a legal point of view. 

 

 

It certainly was.  Breaking and entering, kidnapping, torture, aggravated assault -- all of these wipe out any result of the search, especially since anything Clayu said was under duress.  In any other universe, Clay would be just fine and Grover would be going away for a long, long time.

 

 

I don't think there's any indication that Grover was actually having an affair, but I could roll with that he was in love with her. 

 

There was no indication that Clay killed his wife either.

[Vermicious Knid]

I should have added breaking and entering to the list of violations. I meant it wasn't an illegal police search because he wasn't acting as a police officer.

[ganesh]

Well, the whole affair with another woman provides a shred of circumstantial evidence that he could have killed his wife. There's zero onscreen that might make one leap to the conclusion that Grover was having an affair. There's enough onscreen to suggest he might have been in love with her. Ergo, more likely, which was my initial point. 

[JessDVD]

That was... interesting. I thought for sure that since the whole time Grover was talking on the phone to Chicago PD, the camera was zoomed in on his face, that it was going to pan back out and show, I don't know, a bunch of cops with guns up at him, or the chair empty with his friend gone, or SOMETHING. but apparently not. Or not yet. 

 

Episodes like that make me wonder if the writers actually thought about how the characters look when saying those lines, and if the directors actually thought about how those lines sound when they're filming. I'm surprised that nobody through the entire production of that, realized that Grover looked completely unhinged the whole time, unless it was on purpose and next week we'll find out that he ran out of sanity meds or this is a way to write him off the show because he actually is a sociopath and is now being committed or something. We're all acquainted with how lunatic the H50 guys are, often, but there is a "too much?" extent and I'd say we are well past the line with this ep.

[jhlipton]

Well, the whole affair with another woman provides a shred of circumstantial evidence that he could have killed his wife. There's zero onscreen that might make one leap to the conclusion that Grover was having an affair. There's enough onscreen to suggest he might have been in love with her. Ergo, more likely, which was my initial point. 

 

Fair enough.  He may not have acted on his love for Mrs Maxwell.   But he definitely made the case very personal.

[Princess Lucky]

Episodes like that make me wonder if the writers actually thought about how the characters look when saying those lines, and if the directors actually thought about how those lines sound when they're filming. I'm surprised that nobody through the entire production of that, realized that Grover looked completely unhinged the whole time, unless it was on purpose and next week we'll find out that he ran out of sanity meds or this is a way to write him off the show because he actually is a sociopath and is now being committed or something. We're all acquainted with how lunatic the H50 guys are, often, but there is a "too much?" extent and I'd say we are well past the line with this ep.

 

This is why I stopped watching this show (though I still check the forum in case there's a good episode, which happens about twice/thrice per season).

 

I genuinely think that the writers feel this type of behaviour is "badass". "Cool". "Awesome". Or, at the very least, justified. I disagree, and it had become aggravating to watch episode after episode in which torture was handwaved as "police work". Reading that the writers turned Grover (who seemed sane, funny and laid back from what I remember) into a violent maniac does not surprise me, though it does disappoint me.

[dwmarch]

I genuinely think that the writers feel this type of behaviour is "badass". "Cool". "Awesome". Or, at the very least, justified. I disagree, and it had become aggravating to watch episode after episode in which torture was handwaved as "police work". Reading that the writers turned Grover (who seemed sane, funny and laid back from what I remember) into a violent maniac does not surprise me, though it does disappoint me.

 

Indeed. One of the "it's not a bug, it's a feature" aspects of this show seems to be an idea of look how far these characters will go for justice. Steve infiltrated North Korea looking for Wo Fat. Danny took on a cartel in Colombia. Kono was chased through China. Chin didn't have to leave the island but IIRC he has committed murder to avenge his wife. Even the secondary characters like Jerry and Kamekona have disregarded common sense to right a wrong. Did they tell these stories to Grover, inspiring him to take the law into his own hands? Or did he come up with this idea all on his own? Either way, I'd be surprised if we get a follow-up. And if we do, is it going to be like the follow-up to Danny's indiscretion in which it turns out IA is just trying to steal drugs and blame it on him?

 

At some point there has to be consequences for this team, real consequences. They have been going well beyond their supposed means and immunity for a long time now and there are not enough questions being asked. 5-0 is turning into the thing they're supposed to be fighting against.

[ganesh]

There's not going to be any consequences. That isn't what this show is about. They're always right and they do whatever it takes to get the bad guys. That's it. 

[fishcakes]

Yeah, I enjoy this show, but it's never going to be the classic that the original series was because the original had a strong moral center. Jack Lord's Steve McGarrett didn't torture people to solve cases; he outsmarted them. He didn't need to shoot it out every episode either. Sometimes all he needed was a big plexiglass map, a yardstick, and Chin down at the phone company tracing phone numbers using data punch cards.

[ganesh]

It's basically a Chuck Bronson movie with slicker production and a little more personality.

Edited January 29, 2016 by ganesh

[webruce]

Sorry, been away to long.  Family problems of my own doing. Maybe this was already talked about, but i haven't yet read through them all. Did you see Grover when he had the sledge hammer on his shoulder in the close up, then it was to his side in the shot from next to Clay? Then back to Lou and on his shoulder. Then back to side. I thought that bad editing went out with the hub caps of the 70's that in chase scenes flew off the car and then were back on in the next scene. Also will we know the Police officers name or story that was killed and then what the 2 guys were up to? I did think Chin and Kono would have saved themselves.

 Also glad Grover didn't destroy that Challenger. it maybe rusty but here in NY it is priceless.

Edited February 5, 2016 by webruce

[BW Manilowe]

Sorry, been away to long. Family problems of my own doing. Maybe this was already talked about, but i haven't yet read through them all. Did you see Grover when he had the sledge hammer on his shoulder in the close up, then it was to his side in the shot from next to Clay? Then back to Lou and on his shoulder. Then back to side. I thought that bad editing went out with the hub caps of the 70's that in chase scenes flew off the car and then were back on in the next scene. Also will we know the Police officers name or story that was killed and then what the 2 guys were up to? I did think Chin and Kono would have saved themselves.

Also glad Grover didn't destroy that Challenger. it maybe rusty but here in NY it is priceless.

Peter Lenkov said the stuff in Philadelphia Grover talked about (I assume that's what you mean) will come up in Ep 619--so in about 5-6 weeks or so, if the episodes run straight through between 614, which airs next Friday, & 619.

[John Potts]

Even aside from all the "Five-O can ignore all the rules - coz they're just that awesome!" stuff that we get every week so I'm used to having to ignore (it still bothers me, but I'm used to it), did it strike anyone else that it was a massive ego stroke for Steve? In  race between two native Hawaiian cops, Steve makes it back in five minutes (or whatever) while Chin Ho gets lost. Then they manage to get kidnapped by the bad guys and despite numerous occasions when they had the opportunity to overpower them individually had to wait to be saved for Steve to do his hero act! And I'm sure Steve could torture - sorry "use enhanced interrogation techniques" - far more efficiently than Grover did (am I completely misremembering him - when he was SWAT Commander - saying he was sick of the way Five-O got to ignore all the rules everyone else had to follow? I guess he was just jealous!).