S06.E18: Kanaka Hahai (The Hunter)

[BW Manilowe]

When a man is found left for dead drifting off the coast of Oahu, Five-0 uncovers a deadly slave trade operating aboard an illegal fishing vessel. Also, while Danny is out with his children, his car is stolen so he commandeers a bus to chase down the thieves.

Original Airdate: April 1, 2016

SOURCE: http://cbspressexpress.com/cbs-entertainment/shows/hawaii-five-0/releases/view?id=44801

[dwmarch]

There were certain plot elements in this episode that were only touched on. One of the slaves was a drug dealer who had been on death row. The other was a family man. They asked the question of how he got mixed up in all of this but never answered it. And those guys who stole Danno's car and then robbed a place? They were from dial-a-mook. No motivation, no goals, just guns and attitude.

 

Why is Abby so surprised to be welcomed by 5-0? Half the team is disgraced cops and the other half aren't cops at all!

 

It's too bad Abby gave up her investigation at the beginning of this episode because she would have had some good stuff by the end. We've got some straight up torture, with the dunking of the captain (who wasn't even the guy they were after!). We've got Danno with a bunch of reckless endangerment, letting his patrol car and weapon get stolen. Then he commandeers a bus and endangers all of those passengers, including both of his children. He gets the bus (Mamo's pride and joy!) all shot to shit and he banged it into a tree backing it up. I am certain he does not have the class of license necessary to drive it. He left his badge behind (or it was stolen as well) but still kept acting as a police officer even though he couldn't prove it. And then he chases the bad guys into someone's house and drags a civilian along so they can see if an arrow to the knee is as effective in Hawaii as it is in Skyrim. The best part is that if he hadn't dragged that guy along he would have either gotten himself lost or shot! Instead he shoots a suspect in the ass with an arrow and then pulls it out in a manner that would get him sued in the real world. The other suspect gets murdered, which does tend to happen when you shoot at cops but the crime that started this chain of events was a car theft.

 

I also find myself wondering how far offshore 5-0's authority extends. Since we've seen it extend all the way to Colombia the answer to that would seem to rely on the needs of the plot. Last but not least, Abby littered. That badge and wallet will probably never break down and has now become a permanent part of the Hawaiian landscape. Shameful display all around.

[Raja]

From the start with the previously on bit it felt like a season one episode. Commander McGarrett hires a disgraced (in her own mind) ex cop. Kamokona back in his role as confidential informant. The creative enhanced interrogation, not just lock them in the dungeon and beat on them that Chicago PD has picked up on and also does.

 

Given the previously on and watching the episode. I was thinking didn't we just get a farewell to Sang Min episode and they seem to be going back to that syndicate well. A ghost ship with a slave who the Thai government said they executed was screaming spies to me. And that first season human trafficing ring was linked to Wo Fat, The cost of labor in this case isn't so high that  all this effort to sell discount fish to Hawaiians didn't seem to meet any logical risk versus reward scenario. But then three Hawaiians were to about to be kidnapped to replenish the losses in crew made me say "oh come on"

 

The B story Danny alone. I am thinking that Scott just doesn't like the rest of the cast, even when he is there he is not there. The hunter deputizing himself reminded me of Simon and Simon of all things, maybe because I have seen an episode recently  but in that case Lt Brown made the push to use them. Grace sure is growing fast just from her last appearance. I'm getting old.

Edited April 2, 2016 by Raja

[kili]

There were certain plot elements in this episode that were only touched on. One of the slaves was a drug dealer who had been on death row. The other was a family man. They asked the question of how he got mixed up in all of this but never answered it.

There was a two minute montage over which the surviving victim explained it. The two became friends while they were slaves on the ship for several years. They bonded over their experience and each helped keep the other one grounded. Then, they came up with an escape plan together.  They didn't spell out the exact steps each got on the ship, but they gave us enough information to easily conclude that the guy who died was sold into slavery by the Thai prison (instead of executing him) and the other guy got kidnapped and sold into slavery by somebody like Graham (the slave trader who they arrested and who was supposed to be supplying three new slaves. Periodically, the boat would need new slaves). 

 

The other suspect gets murdered, which does tend to happen when you shoot at cops but the crime that started this chain of events was a car theft.

The crime that started all this was the gas station robbery. It is common for thieves to steal get-away cars in advance of robberies because driving your own car to a robbery is just asking to get caught (the car theft is just prepping for the real crime). During that robbery, they shot people (we heard gunshots and somebody on the bus mentioned that people had gotten shot). The suspects were armed and injuring people (possibly killing them) prior to Danno getting involved. They had already marked themselves as very dangerous criminals before Danno decided to follow them (which was risky, but wouldn't have been less so if the bus driver hadn't been quite so enthusiastic - that's what happens when you get help from people who have never watched police shows). They then repeatedly try to shoot at Danno, increasing their dangerous offender level. He told the guy to put down the gun, the guy had already demonstrated that he was willing to shoot at Danno,  so Danno was totally justified in shooting him. It doesn't get much more justified than that. 

 

We've got Danno with a bunch of reckless endangerment, letting his patrol car and weapon get stolen.

It's not like he left the car unlocked with the cars in the ignition and his weapon sitting on the driver's seat in a rough part of town. Police cars aren't magical, they are cars. If a car thief can steal a car, they can steal a police car. We don't require that police officers constantly stay with their vehicles to guard them at all times. They are allowed to eat lunch and go to the bathroom. The weapon was securely locked in a gun case in the trunk. Danno may have done some questionable things, but getting his car stolen was not reckless endangerment.

 

I want to see the boar hunter again. He was fun.

[buckboard]

The Dannie plot was completely ridiculous.

He puts a bus full of people at risk by following his stolen car, which now contains armed criminals who have just shot up a store they were robbing. So he proceeds to follow the robbers, with no gun, no phone contact and a bus loaded with civilians, including his own children

He wants the driver to follow the car - at a distance. Surely a bus driving along rural roads wouldn't be noticed by a car ahead of it, even if the bus driver hadn't gone onto a dirt road, right? It was a miracle no one on the bus was shut by the robbers. I could go on and on about how stupid and dangerous his conduct was, but it wasn't really out of the ordinary for the way 5-0 operates.

[illdoc]

Let's see...(1) 30 miles out from Oahu would be international waters, no? 5-0 has no jurisdiction. It was also nice of the slavers to let the guy have wood and a knife to carve with. How long did they say he had been gone that his daughter had to be introduced to him??

(2) This conversation (slightly paraphrased): Person A: "One guy is dead from a gunshot wound. The other guy had a gun." Person B: "We don't think he's the shooter?" Person A: "The gun is a different caliber".  I'm thinking, "yes, he is the shooter. how nice of him to bring his victim to shore and the murder weapon as well rather than abandoning both in the middle of the ocean." How stupid are the people in 5-0???

(3) Gracie: "Why don't we call Uncle Steve (about the stolen car)?"  Danny: "Because then I'd have to share scenes with him and I'm not doing that this week" (you know that's what he wanted to say).

Remind me again why I'm watching this.

[Raja]

They said the Reyes, I think that was his name was kidnapped when his wife was very pregnant if we are to judge by the flashback picture

[MissLucas]

Let's focus on the positive: I liked Danny's hunting partner - he had a great voice. And I liked the smile on Chin's face in the elevator. And Jerry's catalogue of ghost-ships.

 

Poor Grace, puberty has turned her into a robot... seriously what was up with the actress - she delivered all lines in the same flat monotonous voice. And add me to the list of people starting to wonder if Caan does not just dislike Hawaii but also his teammates. Or is the reason that he gets so many plots separated from the team due to shooting logistics (i.e. they can shoot faster with one of the main characters on set)?

Edited April 2, 2016 by MissLucas

[kili]

Let's see...(1) 30 miles out from Oahu would be international waters, no? 5-0 has no jurisdiction

If he's between the islands, then the US still has jurisdiction. If he's not, they could at least arrest him for fishing illegally as they are within the US economic zone which extends out 200 miles (though the coast guard should probably be doing the arresting). Once they bring him back to land for that, then they can arrest him for having people kidnapped to be slaves.

[betsyboo]

 

I want to see the boar hunter again. He was fun.

me too!

[HurricaneVal]

Oh yeah, the boar hunter was great.  The actor had great chemistry with Scott Caan too.  I, too, am starting to wonder if Scott's contractural number of episodes are organized such that he gets a bunch of solo plot lines that can be filmed all at once with a B-unit crew--maybe even in CA rather than Hawaii--so he minimizes his time working for the show.  I get it, he's got a young kid, but hey, it isn't like the kid would have to be pulled out of school to move to Hawaii for half the year.

 

I did like some bad-ass Danny with the bow and arrow, but taking off in the bus was a wee bit ridiculous.  Loved seeing Mamo again!

 

There was one bit of actor-y business that I really liked.  When Steve opened Abby's hotel door to leave and subsequently let Chin in, as Chin walks in, Steve looks right at him with concern in his eyes, like he's weighing how hard this will be for his friend and evaluating Chin's demeanor to see if he's going to be OK or not.  It was a small moment, but it was a good choice by the actor.

[ChelseaNH]

The people back at the gas station had cell phone service so they could call for help, but the people who just passed the gas station on the bus don't have cell service so they can't call for help.  Interesting coverage pattern there.

[kili]

The people back at the gas station had cell phone service so they could call for help, but the people who just passed the gas station on the bus don't have cell service so they can't call for help.  Interesting coverage pattern there.

 

Danny didn't know about the cellphone blackhole when he said that the people at the station could phone for help.  They were passing by and we could see people pulling out their phones, so he just assumed until he asked to borrow Malmo's phone and he found out about it.

 

The station should have a landline (especially if it is in a cell shadow), so the people would still be able to phone for help.

 

I loved the boar hunter parroting a bunch of Danno's earlier comments about cellphones and how annoyed Danno got.  More boar hunter!

 

BTW Danno should have had people text for help. Those will get sent as soon as the phones connect to a cell-tower and take a lot less bandwidth. Trying to call means you have to notice the connection, dial and wait for somebody to pick up. Did anybody get a "Gravity" vibe from the call that Danno got? He is all by himself in a wrecked vehicle needing help and he can only connect to some guy rattling on in another language.

[Clanstarling]

I loved the boar hunter parroting a bunch of Danno's earlier comments about cellphones and how annoyed Danno got.  More boar hunter!

Me too. The actor really popped, didn't he?

I'm not into cars, but it seems like it would be less costly to replace the car than fix all the bullet holes and other damage inflicted during that previous shoot out.

I'm getting tired of 5-0 trying to justify torture. The "you think this is illegal - well, the slave trade you participated in is way worse" (or however that line went) just ticked me off. It's hard for me to think of them as good guys when they use bad guy methods. It was bad enough just having them do it. Having them attempt to verbally justify it is just ham fisted and insulting. It's getting harder to watch, and ruins the good parts of the show for me.

I've already forgotten what Steve said to Grover at HQ, but now we know what a 6 foot+ burly pouting toddler looks like.

Nice to see Jerry and his girl seem to be soul mates.

Edited April 4, 2016 by clanstarling

[ganesh]

Oh, the obligatory throw your badge into the water/well/over cliff. She can't take it any more! She's done! So if Steve says you can be hired, that's it? There's no state law requiring a background check or drug testing. Steve has the sole authority to hire and the governor doesn't have a say. 

[Mittengirl]

It looked like she threw her badge about 20 feet off shore, into about 18 inches of water. Seems pretty likely that someone could come across it pretty easily. So now you have a civilian walking around carrying a police badge. What could possibly go wrong with that?

[Raja]

Oh, the obligatory throw your badge into the water/well/over cliff. She can't take it any more! She's done! So if Steve says you can be hired, that's it? There's no state law requiring a background check or drug testing. Steve has the sole authority to hire and the governor doesn't have a say. 

Yes he did from the start, that was the deal to get him out of the Navy. The replacement for Wo Fat's governor after her death has just put a Homeland Security Agent on 5-0, she quit because she fell in love with Steve and he forced Commander McGarrett to work a routine case with then SWAT Captain Grover but beyond that the original immunity and means is still in effect. As he told the FBI in the first season he answers only to God and the governor.

[BW Manilowe]

Oh yeah, the boar hunter was great. The actor had great chemistry with Scott Caan too. I, too, am starting to wonder if Scott's contractural number of episodes are organized such that he gets a bunch of solo plot lines that can be filmed all at once with a B-unit crew--maybe even in CA rather than Hawaii--so he minimizes his time working for the show. I get it, he's got a young kid, but hey, it isn't like the kid would have to be pulled out of school to move to Hawaii for half the year.

I did like some bad-ass Danny with the bow and arrow, but taking off in the bus was a wee bit ridiculous. Loved seeing Mamo again!

There was one bit of actor-y business that I really liked. When Steve opened Abby's hotel door to leave and subsequently let Chin in, as Chin walks in, Steve looks right at him with concern in his eyes, like he's weighing how hard this will be for his friend and evaluating Chin's demeanor to see if he's going to be OK or not. It was a small moment, but it was a good choice by the actor.

Scott's still filming in Hawaii, not in California. There have been periodic pics posted to social media of him in Hawaii-based restaurants & other food establishments & regular stores; at the martial arts studio where he & Alex train while filming in Honolulu; of him, his dog Dot, & someone else (who may or may not have been Scott's partner/the mother of his daughter--they all were seen from the back) walking down a Honolulu street recently, possibly in the area where it's said Alex lives & Scott at least lived during S1 & whenever else he wasn't regularly commuting to film (there was a sign with a Honolulu street name in the pic); & also pics of him with fans, cast members/guest stars, & tech advisors--like the guy who taught Scott to use a bow & arrow for this ep (he said, basically, Scott was patient, attentive, all good things)--taken on shooting locations.

Besides, if they let Scott film his stuff in LA, then they'd have to schlep the Hawaii-based actors (like Teilor & Zach, who play his kids Gracie & Charlie) over there to film with him.

And he was definitely there in the last couple of weeks. The co-administrator of the Facebook page for a weekly H50 blog I read was on vacation there from Germany. On her last day there, she was at a filming location & managed to get a couple of pics with Alex as they hurried into the location (they arrived late). Alex asked Scott to take the pics of him with the German fan.

Edited April 5, 2016 by BW Manilowe

[fishcakes]

Serious question: does the dog commute too? The last time I checked, the quarantine requirement was five days; unless they've changed it, that's a long time to kennel your dog multiple times in a year.

[blackwing]

In what could possibly be this show's final season, I feel like each episode gets progressively worse and more ridiculous.

 

I couldn't care less about San Francisco Police Lady, and her guilt, and her laughable throw of her shield at the foot of the cliff.  Of course she has to be an official part of the team now.  I hate that she gets so much exposure.  I'd much rather see more of Kono .

 

I couldn't care less about Jerry Garcia, his girlfriend, or his sad sack why does she get to be part of the team why cant I get invited to the ball tired schtick.

 

Don't even get me started about Danny.  First off, I think this show would be much better off if they just ship his kids away, permanently.  I have never liked the girl who plays his daughter, and she has actually gotten even worse as an actor as she has gotten older.  What's up with the little boy?  I forget what happened to the mother or her husband.  The kid was about 4 or 5 when Danny discovered him, right?  And already he's calling him Daddy?  Does Danny have visitation rights?  How exactly is this working?

 

Danny's storyline was completely crappy and ridiculous even for this show.  He takes a bus full of innocent civilians into a gunfight?  I was waiting for some of those people fleeing into the fields to get shot.

 

If this show wants to be saved, it really needs to get back to why I found it so entertaining in the first season.  Get back to the basics.  Focus on the four core characters.  Make this a straight up procedural set in Hawaii.

 

 

[betsyboo]

In what could possibly be this show's final season, I feel like each episode gets progressively worse and more ridiculous.

 

brace yourself - it's already been renewed!

 

http://tvline.com/2016/03/25/cbs-renewed-series-2016-hawaii-five-0-elementary/

[blackwing]

Ah, a bit surprising, I had heard it was on the bubble.  Good news I suppose, but I hope the quality improves.  Looks like we are stuck with San Francisco Police Lady, who I don't care for at all.  This show has a really poor track record for romances and I'd rather they just focus on cases and solving them.

[ganesh]

I don't care. The show is *cray*. I hope it gets to the point where HI is practically a police state. We need an episode where Steve basically takes over as the governor and negotiates directly with DPRK. 

[BW Manilowe]

Serious question: does the dog commute too? The last time I checked, the quarantine requirement was five days; unless they've changed it, that's a long time to kennel your dog multiple times in a year.

Yes, the dog commutes in too.

Somebody said, in an early season, there are supposedly ways around the quarantine for regular travelers back & forth (they mentioned, like, proof of a recent vet exam). I also heard he's supposedly claimed it was/had it declared as an emotional support animal, or some other type of service dog, but I don't know how true that is, or if there's a loophole for service animals working with their owners. There's always the obnoxious "Don't you know who I am??" card too. But, despite a lot of things we may have heard, or think, Scott supposedly really is a nice guy & hopefully wouldn't pull the "Don't you know who I am?" card over his dog, Dot.

[BW Manilowe]

In what could possibly be this show's final season, I feel like each episode gets progressively worse and more ridiculous.

I couldn't care less about San Francisco Police Lady, and her guilt, and her laughable throw of her shield at the foot of the cliff. Of course she has to be an official part of the team now. I hate that she gets so much exposure. I'd much rather see more of Kono.

I couldn't care less about Jerry Garcia, his girlfriend, or his sad sack why does she get to be part of the team why cant I get invited to the ball tired schtick.

Don't even get me started about Danny. First off, I think this show would be much better off if they just ship his kids away, permanently. I have never liked the girl who plays his daughter, and she has actually gotten even worse as an actor as she has gotten older. What's up with the little boy? I forget what happened to the mother or her husband. The kid was about 4 or 5 when Danny discovered him, right? And already he's calling him Daddy? Does Danny have visitation rights? How exactly is this working?

Danny's storyline was completely crappy and ridiculous even for this show. He takes a bus full of innocent civilians into a gunfight? I was waiting for some of those people fleeing into the fields to get shot.

If this show wants to be saved, it really needs to get back to why I found it so entertaining in the first season. Get back to the basics. Focus on the four core characters. Make this a straight up procedural set in Hawaii.

As betsyboo said, the show's already been renewed for S7 (YAY!). It--& almost everything else on CBS' Primetime schedule, except the first season shows--was renewed a week or so ago (YAY!).

"San Francisco Police Lady", character name Abby Dunn, actress name Julie Benz, though I doubt you care about either of the actual names, may not be around much next season (or may be recast, if she is); Julie Benz was cast in another Pilot, I think also for CBS. But she just recently got cast & we don't know if that show's on the Fall schedule yet.

I happen to like Danny's kids, & I doubt they're going anywhere. The storyline of Danny getting to know his son was meant as an important plotline this season; it will probably continue, to some extent, next season as well. After all, there were 3 years of the kid's life when the duplicitous Rachel (Danny's ex & the mother of both children) led Danny to believe the kid was her 2nd husband's, though he was conceived during an affair Danny & Rachel had toward the end of S1 & Rachel assured Danny the baby was his when she told him she was pregnant in the S1 finale.

Rachel, & her Trump-esque real estate developer 2nd husband, Stan, moved with Charlie (her son with Danny) at the end of S2/beginning of S3 to Las Vegas because Stan was building something there. Rachel wanted her & Danny's custody agreement about Grace, their daughter, modified so that Grace could move with them. Seeing as Danny moved to Hawaii to help maintain his visitation with Grace but wasn't moving again if he could help it, & that Grace had built a life for herself (as much as a preteen can, anyway) in Hawaii, Danny fought Rachel's custody modification request with 1 of his own--that he be granted joint custody of Grace, which he apparently didn't already have, & she be allowed to remain in Hawaii & live with him, & not be moved off the island without his permission. This was granted in S3. Then they began mentioning Rachel in the plot again in S4 & S5, establishing that she, at least, had a new home in Honolulu & was there at least periodically, & Grace was now apparently splitting her time between Rachel's house & Danny's house.

And, in part of the 2-ep S5 finale, Rachel finally physically returned to Hawaii Since the character's recurring, the actress--Claire van der Boom--is allowed to take other roles & does so; so we haven't seen her since at least S2 when Grace was kidnapped by a vengeful ex-cop partner of Danny's, who he helped send to prison. Anyway... Rachel asked Danny to meet her at a park, where now 3-year-old Charlie, her son she claimed was fathered by husband #2, Stan, was playing on a jungle gym type thing.

Rachel tells Danny that Charlie's sick with a (real life) autoimmune disorder, HLH, which he could die from, but there's a cure: he needs a bone marrow transplant from a close family match. Danny thinks Rachel wants permission to have Grace tested; Rachel says that's not it, she, Grace, & Stan have all been tested & none of their marrow matches. The bells go off in Danny's head & Rachel asks him to get tested.

He's furious with Rachel for keeping their son & his paternity from him for 3 years (her reasoning: if he died while on duty, at least 1 kid would still have a father), but of course he consents to the testing--which, of course, proves to be a match. He also insists that Rachel tell Charlie, so he understands it, that Danny is his father, not Stan; & I think he wanted regular visitation with Charlie, like he has/originally had with Grace.

Near the beginning of this season (S6), Danny & Charlie are hospitalized so Danny can donate his bone marrow to Charlie (this is 1 of the eps where Scott doesn't appear, but Steve talks about Danny doing the marrow donation procedure with Grover & NFL player Jerry Rice, who Steve asks for an autograph for recuperating Danny in Rice's brief cameo scene at ep's end). Then, at Halloween, Danny takes the still recuperating Charlie Trick-or-Treating around the hospital & they continue to bond. And that brings us to this episode, where Danny & his kids have their car stolen while having lunch together & they end up chasing after it. They were just hitching a ride back to town on Mamo's bus, but then they passed the car/the car & thieves passed the bus, so they had to go chasing after it.

To be fair about the "Daddy" thing, we don't really know how much time passes between eps, or even when they're set unless a specific holiday or something is mentioned in the ep. It's perfectly believable, to me, Charlie could've begun calling Danny "Daddy"; especially since he was already calling him "Danno" last season, in the ep where Rachel told Danny Charlie was sick.

Considering Danny saved Charlie's life, & they've also been together over Halloween & at the lunch depicted in this ep, & probably other times offscreen, I'd think that's a pretty damn good indicator he has visitation rights, really. As for how it's working, I assume pretty much like visitation with Gracie worked before Danny got joint custody of her. Who knows? Maybe Danny's also got/negotiating joint custody of Charlie.

I disagree about returning to just the "core 4". These days, shows need to change & evolve to maintain viewer interest; not stay the same from season to season, as most shows did back in the '70's (like Starsky & Hutch, for example).

If you couldn't care less about certain characters, the plotlines, etc., why are you still watching the show? Just curious.

[HurricaneVal]

Oh...I don't know...  If there ever was a good reason to pull the "don't you know who I am?!?" card, it should be for a dog.  :)

[blackwing]

I watch because I like McGarrett, Kono and Chin, and I like the scenery.  I like Grover OK but am puzzled as to why they have never mentioned the Chicago incident again and am starting to think they never will.   Since Day 1, I have never liked Danny.  I was never a fan of Scott Caan and I was instantly irritated with his annoying character and ridiculous hair.  I'm sure you can tell that I really really dislike Jerry Garcia and San Francisco Police Lady.   I hate that characters that I really like (in small quantities) Max and Kamekona have pretty much been supplanted by these two.  Or Duke.  I'd rather see Duke become a member of the team than Jerry or SFPL.

 

Above all, I watch for the nostalgia.  This used to be my absolute #1 favourite show.  It was event television.  I hope it can get back to some semblance of being at least halfway decent.

 

One good thing (or maybe it's just my perception since there was a long break for basketball) is that we have not seen Gabriel Wainwright in a while.  I probably just jinxed it.

[ganesh]

So we're going with San Francisco Police Lady? I keep calling her Rita.

[HurricaneVal]

I keep calling her Darla.

[Raja]

As betsyboo said, the show's already been renewed for S7 (YAY!). It--& almost everything else on CBS' Primetime schedule, except the first season shows--was renewed a week or so ago (YAY!).

"San Francisco Police Lady", character name Abby Dunn, actress name Julie Benz, though I doubt you care about either of the actual names, may not be around much next season (or may be recast, if she is); Julie Benz was cast in another Pilot, I think also for CBS. But she just recently got cast & we don't know if that show's on the Fall schedule yet.

 

I doubt if they recast. Since the blew up Kelly Hu just as the Governor was playing match maker between her, Laura Hills and then "Inspector" Chin Ho Kelly the being the Lieutenant's lady has meant having the life expectancy of a Cartwright lady.

[betsyboo]

I doubt if they recast. Since the blew up Kelly Hu just as the Governor was playing match maker between her, Laura Hills and then "Inspector" Chin Ho Kelly the being the Lieutenant's lady has meant having the life expectancy of a Cartwright lady.

well-played.

[BW Manilowe]

I watch because I like McGarrett, Kono and Chin, and I like the scenery. I like Grover OK but am puzzled as to why they have never mentioned the Chicago incident again and am starting to think they never will. Since Day 1, I have never liked Danny. I was never a fan of Scott Caan and I was instantly irritated with his annoying character and ridiculous hair. I'm sure you can tell that I really really dislike Jerry Garcia and San Francisco Police Lady. I hate that characters that I really like (in small quantities) Max and Kamekona have pretty much been supplanted by these two. Or Duke. I'd rather see Duke become a member of the team than Jerry or SFPL.

Above all, I watch for the nostalgia. This used to be my absolute #1 favourite show. It was event television. I hope it can get back to some semblance of being at least halfway decent.

One good thing (or maybe it's just my perception since there was a long break for basketball) is that we have not seen Gabriel Wainwright in a while. I probably just jinxed it.

The Chicago stuff may come up again this week.

After the last ep where Grover went to Chicago to try & get a murder confession out of Clay aired, Peter Lenkov stated on his Twitter that Ep 619 (in which we now know Grover & his family have to go on the run after a mob boss goes out for revenge against Grover) would tie into that storyline somehow. Ep 619 airs this Friday night.

I suspect there could be some connection between the mob boss & the money Grover found hidden inside Clay's old beat up car he had parked in his garage (because of the hidden money), instead of the new car he had parked out in the driveway in spite of the crappy Chicago winter (& spring & summer, if you take into account the possibility of a major hailstorm with the severe thunderstorms in those seasons)--& the apparently/obviously illicit money is what Grover apparently managed to use to get Clay locked up, as opposed to his wife's murder in Hawaii. If it's not about the money, it's something else about the bust where Grover told Clay he figured that hidden money came from that the mob boss is pissed about.

Scott's hairstyle may be ridiculous for this era but, honestly, it at least sort of helps hide the fact his hairline's receding (you usually can't tell unless his hair's wet). And he also perhaps likes wearing it that way because I've read that he really likes the SE Hinton book (or maybe the movie version of) The Outsiders, which is taught/read in a lot of middle school (& maybe higher grade) English classes (like mine in 8th grade) & was set in the 1950's/1960's/whenever the pompadour or similar styles were popular with men/teenager-type boys (Scott also has, or had, a production company named Stay Gold, 1 of the popular phrases from the book, & he has the letters for the word "pony"--short for the nickname of 1 of the characters, Ponyboy Curtis--tattooed on the fingers of 1 hand (he got the tattoos during an early season of H50 filming). By the way, not for nothing but the late former President Reagan also wore his hair in a similar style.

Duke actually was a member of the original Five-O team. He was played then by actor Herman Wedemeyer, whose brother, or other relative, Charlie was a big deal High School football coach in northern California years ago; he died of ALS & there was a TV movie made of his life where Charlie's wife was played by Pam Dawber.

For me, H50 is still my #1 TV show & event television. I still think it's halfway decent, or better than. But I'm probably also a lot less picky about my shows than other TV viewers.

[Clanstarling]

I doubt if they recast. Since the blew up Kelly Hu just as the Governor was playing match maker between her, Laura Hills and then "Inspector" Chin Ho Kelly the being the Lieutenant's lady has meant having the life expectancy of a Cartwright lady.

I laughed out loud. That was the gold standard of longevity for love interests, wasn't it? For those of us who remember it, anyway. "Hoss and Joe and Adam know, their girlfriends won't last long." (sung to the theme song - based on the terrible, terrible record Lorne Greene put out with lyrics to the song) Edited April 7, 2016 by clanstarling

[MissLucas]

Surprisingly the show hasn't (yet) an entry under Cartwright Curse (beware this link leads to TV Tropes - consider yourself warned). If Darla does not survive this or the next season that should change.

[Babalu]

Serious question: does the dog commute too? The last time I checked, the quarantine requirement was five days; unless they've changed it, that's a long time to kennel your dog multiple times in a year.

Animals don't have to be quarantined when they come to Hawai'i, but there are *very* complicated rules to avoid it - vaccinations and blood tests within specific intervals prior to arrival, microchips, form completion/notarization, vet certification. If all those requirements aren't met, the quarantine period is 120 days. Even if they are met and the pet doesn't arrive in HI between certain hours, they can't be released at the airport because the Quarantine Holding Facility closes at 4:30. Arrivals after 3:30 are put in quarantine for "5 days or less" (I can't figure out what that means since I think you can just go the next morning and spring your pet, so it's really a 1-day period unless you're a negligent pet parent). Your pet also may not be able to fly when scheduled if it's too hot (85 or higher, I think). We had to do all this when we moved ourselves and our cats from the Mainland to HI about 10 years ago (avoided quarantine but nearly had to reschedule due to the weather forecast which was, thankfully, revised).

There are still requirements, though less stringent, for Hawai'i residents taking their pets out of state and then returning and for out-of-state service animals. I doubt Scott is a Hawai'i resident, but may have had his dog certified as a service animal, as BW Manilowe suggested.

[fishcakes]

Thanks, @Babalu. I looked into all this about 15 years ago when thinking about moving there, but at the time, there was no way to avoid quarantine completely, although all the blood tests and certificates and such could shorten the period to 30 days, IIRC. Because my cat was a shy thing her entire life, I knew she wouldn't survive it, so we didn't move solely because of her (and, boy, did I get shit about that from people who feel like pets are more or less disposable, not that I would ever care what they think). I would periodically check to see if they'd relaxed the rules, and I do remember the 5-day period, although I thought that was a minimum. My cat died a couple years ago, and I'm again thinking about a move after I retire, but I'm putting off getting another cat until and unless we do move.

[ganesh]

Animals don't have to be quarantined when they come to Hawai'i, but there are *very* complicated rules to avoid it - vaccinations and blood tests within specific intervals prior to arrival, microchips, form completion/notarization, vet certification.

 

As far as I know, the HI rules are the same for Japan and the UK. There's a ton of paperwork to do on top of all that. For Japan, the "quarantine" was my dog waiting that 120 days because that's the incubation for rabies. Once that passed, she was good to go. If it was less than 120 days, she would be quarantined the duration if I brought her to Japan.

 

So, it's not necessarily avoiding it, per se. Any "rabies free" country has that 120 day window. 

 

When she did arrive, after the 120 day period, they went over the paperwork in about 45 minutes and declared her free. Literally. The Japanese woman stood up and clapped her hands and then spread her arms wide. "Quarantine is over. You are free."

[BW Manilowe]

Animals don't have to be quarantined when they come to Hawai'i, but there are *very* complicated rules to avoid it - vaccinations and blood tests within specific intervals prior to arrival, microchips, form completion/notarization, vet certification. If all those requirements aren't met, the quarantine period is 120 days. Even if they are met and the pet doesn't arrive in HI between certain hours, they can't be released at the airport because the Quarantine Holding Facility closes at 4:30. Arrivals after 3:30 are put in quarantine for "5 days or less" (I can't figure out what that means since I think you can just go the next morning and spring your pet, so it's really a 1-day period unless you're a negligent pet parent). Your pet also may not be able to fly when scheduled if it's too hot (85 or higher, I think). We had to do all this when we moved ourselves and our cats from the Mainland to HI about 10 years ago (avoided quarantine but nearly had to reschedule due to the weather forecast which was, thankfully, revised).

There are still requirements, though less stringent, for Hawai'i residents taking their pets out of state and then returning and for out-of-state service animals. I doubt Scott is a Hawai'i resident, but may have had his dog certified as a service animal, as BW Manilowe suggested.

Regarding the issue of legal Hawaii residency, H50 films there for about 9-10 months per "year" (a "year" for them being like a school year, starting in 1 calendar year & finishing in the next). They film from early/mid-July to early April, usually; S6 just wrapped this past Wednesday, the 6th, & the S6 Wrap Party was the next day, the 7th. That's 9-10 months (again, like a school year).

If you spend that much time there in a calendar year, whether you commute back & forth, as Scott & Masi Oka (who travels among Hawaii, the Mainland, & Japan during filming) do, or if you "plant yourself" there for the duration of the job (as most or all the other leads have, particularly DDK & Alex who've moved there pretty much permanently), wouldn't spending that much consecutive time there basically establish legal Hawaii residency?

And, as far as Scott having had his dog, Dot, declared/certified as a Service Animal to possibly help with entry requirements, she's certainly large enough to perhaps be 1 (she's an Aussie Blue Heeler/Border Collie mix).

Plus, I remember seeing a pic of Scott & her which someone posted to Social Media a bit farther back in the series (like in S2 or S3). They were on a plane, in First Class, apparently either flying to or from Hawaii & Dot was basically sitting on Scott's lap, facing him, with him in the plane seat (which is why I mentioned they were in First Class--the seats are probably wide enough, or close enough, for both to fit; plus I think the SAG-AFTRA contracts specify union members have to travel in First Class for work).

Anyway, the reason I mention this pic is the fact that Dot is...

A) In the cabin with him (at her size, she might not be small enough to travel as a cabin kennel animal) &

B) The only way Dot should be able to be in Scott's lap in that pic should be if she is considered a Service Animal by the airlines (or at least by Hawaiian Airlines, which I think everybody involved with H50 usually flies), as far as I know. Again, as far as I know, the only animals in a passenger aircraft cabin which don't have to be confined to a cabin kennel for the duration of a flight are Service Animals traveling with their owners.

Or... H50's production staff seems to know people in both local Honolulu & Hawaii state government pretty well, because of dealing with them in relation to filming. Maybe those relationships help, somehow, when trying to import pets of longterm-role actors on the show.

Edited April 9, 2016 by BW Manilowe

[Babalu]

Moving to small talk.

[Jobiska]

Funny, I thought the actor of Grace was finally coming into her own with her monotone reactions to everything Danny was trying being a perfect representation of one aspect of teenage withering scorn for everything parental.

The actor of Charlie, though (and I know he's just a wee thing, but even so) is just awful, though.  He can't even say one word on cue, or they don't care to put the effort into editing or directing him to do so.  Cute little guy, but still.

Also, everything Chin Ho and Abby hashed out in the elevator--wouldn't they have already said all that when he went into (her?) room as Steve was leaving?  I mean maybe she hadn't made the decision to stay yet, but all her apologies, etc.?  If not, what did they talk about?

 

More bow hunter, indeed.  Loved that character!

Oh yeah, and if ever I've traveled overseas to be reunited with my husband whom I haven't seen for years and I am accompanied by the child he never saw who is now several years old, I'll make sure to introduce father to daughter in a language that is not my or her first language, for the benefit of the people lurking in the room behind me, because their needs are more important than, say, my daughter's.  

Also, that guy's English was incredibly good--I'm sure zillions more Thais speak English than Americans speak Thai, but idioms like "million to one odds?"  

[ganesh]

I think the point was that Grace turning into a typical teen, when she was an otherwise engaging younger child is just lazy writing. Since the show started she and Danny have had a good relationship, so having her suddenly (seemingly) being *so over* having lunch with him was overly much. 

 

Danny's all crotchety "we didn't need phones when I was growing up" was kind of lazy too. I don't see anything wrong with her wanting to take some pictures of all of them at lunch. But it was just 4 minutes of huffiness and eye rolling, and it's boring, frankly.

[kili]

Oh yeah, and if ever I've traveled overseas to be reunited with my husband whom I haven't seen for years and I am accompanied by the child he never saw who is now several years old, I'll make sure to introduce father to daughter in a language that is not my or her first language, for the benefit of the people lurking in the room behind me, because their needs are more important than, say, my daughter's. 

Also, that guy's English was incredibly good--I'm sure zillions more Thais speak English than Americans speak Thai, but idioms like "million to one odds?"

 

I don't think they ever told us where the surviving victim was from. I doubt that it was Thailand. The dead guy was in a Thai prison, but the live one's name is Edward Torres. With a name like Edward, I was thinking that he was born in an English speaking country. He certainly spoke English like a native speaker. Interpol had his missing person report, so he probably isn't American (where he would be on some American missing person's report - maybe he went missing while on vacation?). I don't even think he was ethnically Thai with that last name. The captain of the ship was going to pick up three new "employees" in Hawaii, so his crew could be from a bunch of different countries.

[Raja]

I don't think they ever told us where the surviving victim was from. I doubt that it was Thailand. The dead guy was in a Thai prison, but the live one's name is Edward Torres. With a name like Edward, I was thinking that he was born in an English speaking country. He certainly spoke English like a native speaker. Interpol had his missing person report, so he probably isn't American (where he would be on some American missing person's report - maybe he went missing while on vacation?). I don't even think he was ethnically Thai with that last name. The captain of the ship was going to pick up three new "employees" in Hawaii, so his crew could be from a bunch of different countries.

Anytime I hear an hispanic name on an Asian face my default is Filipino, Guam being the second choice

[Jobiska]

Oh oops, I got them mixed up.  Duh!

[BW Manilowe]

Funny, I thought the actor of Grace was finally coming into her own with her monotone reactions to everything Danny was trying being a perfect representation of one aspect of teenage withering scorn for everything parental.

The actor of Charlie, though (and I know he's just a wee thing, but even so) is just awful, though. He can't even say one word on cue, or they don't care to put the effort into editing or directing him to do so. Cute little guy, but still.

Also, everything Chin Ho and Abby hashed out in the elevator--wouldn't they have already said all that when he went into (her?) room as Steve was leaving? I mean maybe she hadn't made the decision to stay yet, but all her apologies, etc.? If not, what did they talk about?

More bow hunter, indeed. Loved that character!

Oh yeah, and if ever I've traveled overseas to be reunited with my husband whom I haven't seen for years and I am accompanied by the child he never saw who is now several years old, I'll make sure to introduce father to daughter in a language that is not my or her first language, for the benefit of the people lurking in the room behind me, because their needs are more important than, say, my daughter's.

Also, that guy's English was incredibly good--I'm sure zillions more Thais speak English than Americans speak Thai, but idioms like "million to one odds?"

I think the guy with the small daughter was Filipino, not Thai. They do look alike. I'm half-Filipina (Dad's family) & half American (Mom's side), so I know. But having said that, I also look Caucasian despite being half-Filipina. But the team was talking about him being missing, before he was found, & they had the info page of his passport on the big screen & it said he was from somewhere in the Philippines.

I think the point was that Grace turning into a typical teen, when she was an otherwise engaging younger child is just lazy writing. Since the show started she and Danny have had a good relationship, so having her suddenly (seemingly) being *so over* having lunch with him was overly much.

Danny's all crotchety "we didn't need phones when I was growing up" was kind of lazy too. I don't see anything wrong with her wanting to take some pictures of all of them at lunch. But it was just 4 minutes of huffiness and eye rolling, and it's boring, frankly.

But Grace didn't want her phone to take pics of her day out with her dad & little brother. She wanted her phone because she's now a typical teen who'd rather be checking her/her friends' social media timelines than interacting with her family, because her family is now boring to her. At least that's what I got out of that scene.

I don't think they ever told us where the surviving victim was from. I doubt that it was Thailand. The dead guy was in a Thai prison, but the live one's name is Edward Torres. With a name like Edward, I was thinking that he was born in an English speaking country. He certainly spoke English like a native speaker. Interpol had his missing person report, so he probably isn't American (where he would be on some American missing person's report - maybe he went missing while on vacation?). I don't even think he was ethnically Thai with that last name. The captain of the ship was going to pick up three new "employees" in Hawaii, so his crew could be from a bunch of different countries.

Torres was from somewhere in the Philippines, as I said above. The team had the ID page from his passport, or something, on the big screen before they found him & it said he was from somewhere in the Philippines.

Edited April 13, 2016 by BW Manilowe