Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Hawaii Five-O Recap & Review--Where the Show Packs In Four Storylines!

This episode crammed in four storylines so there was a lot going on. Let's get started.

First we're reminded through previouslies of when Tani saved her bro who was at a drug house about to be raided by vice. We also get to see all the crime bosses killed in that roundup and Steve asking Adam to head up special division of Five-O to find who did that.

On to the show.

Storyline #1--It's night at a creepy cemetery and a guy is digging up a body. Just as he gets the body out of the ground, a security guard catches him, and tells him not to move. He looks like he's going to call it in or something, but gets shot before he can. The resourceful graverobber then puts the new body in the now empty grave and buries him alive. Ew. (My question is why doesn't the guard call for someone?)

After that gruesome scene we get lots of happy, sunshiney shots of Hawaii. (*le sigh* I'm going there someday.)

Storyline #2--Tani rides in on her scooter, her bro on the back, as she takes him to his new job! She's such a good mommy/sister. Adam is doing her a solid and hooked Koa up. (That's not going to end well, Adam.) Tani reminds Koa not to screw it up because this is a good opportunity for him. (Foreshadowing there!) Adam is happy to help Koa out and even says he'll meet him for lunch, but right now he's got to go to work himself!

Storyline #3--Look how happy Adam is to have a job. Tani says he's like Elliott Ness (um what? How? A little random there) And Adam says, well, I don't know my Al Capone is supposed to be. (Yeah, okay, we'll go with that.)

Storyline #4--Back to the RidiculousRestaurant. Steve is there "bickering" with Danny. They've called Pua to come down because they were robbed. Danny didn't lock the door when he left because Steve was still inside, but Steve reminds him that he was keeper of the keys and even if the key was on the fob that belongs to Danny's car that Steve drives, he didn't have pockets for his keys last night. There's a lot of name-calling, shut-ups, and arguing that is not cute or fun at all. They don't have insurance, either, and tell Pua getting their tools back is the most important case he's ever worked. Poor Pua. Thankfully, Steve gets the call to go to the cemetery and ends the silliness of the restaurant.

Back to Storyline #1--Junior is at the cemetery and gives Steve and Danny the rundown. Someone found the security guard in the grave, but why would someone bury him alive?  Hmmm...Body-snatching for profit? Junior looks horrified and asks how someone does that. Danny explains that he has a meth head that lives down the block from him and that's what he does---sells bone or tissues. (Why would a cop live down the block from a meth head and not do something about it?) Junior respectfully tells Steve he's on it and uses sir. Danny makes fun of him for that and suggests they get a shock collar for Junior and shock him every time he uses sir. (I personally did not find that funny. I like that Junior is respectful and it speaks to his military service.) Steve says they should get one for Danny for every time he says something stupid.

Back to Storyline #3--Adam "Ness" Noshimuri is hanging out outside a correctional facility where a nice woman named Jessie (who looks a little like Kono) was just released. Adam rolls up and offers her a ride, but she's not too sure. Adam is insistent that she needs to hear what he has to say! They need to talk! So she caves. JessietheCuteCon seems sort of disappointed that all Adam wanted to talk to her about was a long-term undercover assignment. (How would someone as cute and nice as her get on a local Yakuza crew?) Wait, the show tells us all the reasons---she's been in jail for money laundering, grand theft and all around being bad. Oh, and just to drive the last nail home, she's an orphan, too, so she's got some street cred. (But really? A Yakuza crew would want her?) Well, Adam makes her feel all warm and fuzzy about herself when he says there aren't many people they can get to be soldiers since the talent pool is thin right now with all the criminals who were killed or picked up at that last raid. So, she'll have to do. (Way to sweeten the pot, there Noshimuri. Is that what Elliott would do?) He doesn't want to tell her how much money he's offering, so he passes her a note with the amount like he's in junior high. Check here if yes. Check here if no. But she doesn't care about the money! If she's dead, she can't spend it and gives him a pass. But, but, but, Adam will prepare her and keep her safe! (Hopefully she didn't hear about all the times he and Kono were kidnapped or on the run or having a lot of trouble keeping themselves safe.) He also says he'll offer her something most ex-cons don't get. A purpose. Because without one she'll end up back inside. She seems annoyed by that and walks away.

Back to Storyline #1--Tani, Junior, and their babysitter Lou are around the Chatting Table looking at a a pic of cadaver when he was alive. The guy was unemployed and had no family left on island. (He got a nice headstone still). He died of malaria after visiting West Africa two weeks before he died. Lou theorizes that maybe someone wasn't ready to let him go yet. Was he involved with anyone? They don't know, they're still looking into private life, but they have tire tracks! Yay for something, I guess. Steve and Danny are looking into any creepy religious ritual angles by talking to Jerry about it. *groan* Jerry has a ton of material on groups who dig up corpses or do ghost marriage rituals, or dig people up to make zombie powder out of their skulls. But there is a group on the island that uses human remains, and it started in West Africa. Steve thinks that looks promising and they go to check it out.

Back to Storyline #4--Pua is talking to Kamekona about the possibility of the tools being pawned. But which pawn shops take hot merch? (How does the HPD not know that? Oy.) Kamekona will write the names down while Pua gets something to eat, but he had a big breakfast and doesn't want anything. Kamekona breaks it down for him. You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours. Poor rookie Pua.

Back to Storyline #1--Steve and Danny have a Santero in the Blue Room of Doom. This guy had an altar with animal sacrifice bones on it when they found him, but he's been arrested for having human remains before. The crime lab is going over what remains they found at his place today. They start to question his alibi when Tani comes in.  HPD found the van! It was stolen from a Marine. (Poor guy. He's not going to want it back.) The body from the cemetery is in the back with his intestines hanging out everywhere. Noelani checks it out and says that the large intestine was cut open. Junior tries to lighten the mood by saying a little alien didn't explode out of his chest, then. Steve mentioned that using humor can combat job stress, so Junior's trying it out. Danny says he was a little stiff on delivery, but Steve says it was fine. Noelani is annoyed because evidence is degrading. They theorize that maybe the guy was a drug mule, but nah. That's a lot of trouble to go to for drugs and big time dealers expect to lose a mule or two. (I hope someone let the guy out of the Blue Room of Doom.)

Back to Storyline #3---Adam calls and makes Steve go all the way across town just to tell him JessietheCuteCon said no to going undercover. Steve just says to keep him posted on who to approach next. But hey, are you sure this Yakuza boss is worth the time and resources? Adam is sure. He's one of the only bosses still breathing, so either his mysterious "Al Capone" left the guy in place or he's working with whoever they're looking for. They've got to keep a close eye on him. (Maybe next time you can just tell Steve that over the phone, there, Elliott.)

Back to Storyline #4--Pua has tracked down a pawn shop owner that takes hot merch! But he says he didn't have anyone come in with tools. Lies! He's totally stalling until Pua says there are security tapes from across the street. Then the guy folds like an accordion and says two guys came in with the tools and he sold them. He does give Pua the name. Pua is on the case!

Back to Storyline #1--There was a print inside the glove that body-snatcher left at the crime scene. I guess he's a rookie body-snatcher. The guy's name is Neal Voss. He got picked up for smuggling diamonds into Canada, spent time in Africa, and probably has blood diamonds. The team all thinks that he got the diamonds and bounced, but Tani says he had a plane ticket, but didn't check in. Before they can ruminate on that bit of news, Noelani came across something strange. The cadaver guy's intestine had suture marks. She pulled his medical records and he hadn't had a procedure done on that organ, so it happened after he died. Who would have done it? A crooked mortician! They better find the guy before Voss does.

Back to Storyline #2--Adam goes back to construction site looking for Koa so they can get some lunch, but he can't find him. He's looking everywhere, but finally finds him in the Port-a-Potty passed out. Uh oh. Looks like an OD. Adam says they can't wait for an ambulance and they seatbelt him in Adam's car. He's driving crazy, nearly causing an accident, but he has to get him to Noelani instead of a hospital, because the hospital would report him! (Oh no. A druggie being reported. Why is that bad again?) They bring him in on a gurney and find opiates in his pocket. Luckily Noelani has Naloxone to counteract the effects.

Back to Storyline #1--Danny and Steve are at the mortuary and find the mortician duct taped on the floor. I guess Voss got there first. And now he's headed to the mortician's house and his wife is home. That's not going to be good. Danny calls HPD, but Voss is already at the house with flowers. She lets him in thinking the flowers are from her husband, and he knocks her to the floor and pulls out a gun. Everyone is hurrying to house, but Voss has the wife at gunpoint opening the safe. He gets the diamonds, makes her lay on floor and count while he escapes. He manages to get in his car to drive away, but is boxed in when Five-O and HPD finally get there. Voss gets out of the car with his hands up, but has a hidden gun inside the car door. He pulls it out and is shot in stomach. (Oddly, he immediately dies from his stomach wound without even a sound.) Oh, and bloody diamonds come out of his stomach wound. (I'm guessing he ate some diamonds earlier? Because the ones he got in the house definitely would not be that far into his intestines yet. Aside from that, ew.)

Back to Storyline #2--Tani gets a call and heads to Noelani's. Her brother is there in a blanket, drinking tea. He's not looking so hot, but he'll be fine. Tani thanks Adam and Noelani, and they give her alone time with the bro. She tells her brother how lucky he was that they brought him there because now no cops were involved. (Personally, I think it would be a meatier story if the cops were involved and she's on the task force.)  She asks how long he's been using and he tells her a year. (How did she miss that? What with hanging out at a place where drug dealers are and that vice was raiding. Did she not even suspect he was using?) She wants him to go to rehab. He says it won't happen again and he's done with that stuff, but I hope he's smart enough to realize he needs help. He can't even look at her and she's super emotional telling him that he should have died today. That she promised Dad she'd look after him. What was he doing? In a really emotional hug, Tani is kneeling in front of him and says "you're my only family, the only thing I have. You can't leave me." (That scene was really well-acted.)

Back to Storyline #4--Pua tracks down the family who bought the hot merch because they needed cheap tools to rebuild their home after a wildfire. Insurance has been slow, so they're living in a tent while they rebuild. (And practically in squalor.) They're doing the repair work themselves and Pua watches the kids and wife work for a bit. When he goes to see Steve and Danny, he lies and says the lead didn't pan out, but he'll keep working it. (Why didn't he just tell them? What a great scene that would have been to see the team helping out that family.) But we get Steve and Danny talking about taking out a loan to get more tools, reassessing and reevaluating because they are way behind. Danny thinks they need help, maybe bringing in another partner, but Steve is opposed. The RidiculousRestaurant is their "thing." Steve is sure they'll figure it out.

Back to Storyline # 3---Adam finally gets home and JessietheCuteCon is on his doorstep. Hey, did you know she used to run with Michael Noshimuri, Adam's brother? Well, if Michael was his brother, then JessietheCuteCon will reconsider. Will she end up dead, though? Adam says no, she has his word he'll protect her. (I tend to think otherwise, but who am I?) So, Adam "Elliott" Noshimuri has himself a CI! Woot!

A lot packed into this episode. Some storylines got better scenes and service than others, in my opinion. What did you think? Did you watch?

3 comments:

Deb said...

another great review. The restaurant storyline must die.

Darlena said...

I thought the shock collar for Danno was a great idea, lol. Other than that I'm so over the restaurant storyline and wish they'd drop that.

Julie Coulter Bellon said...

Deb and Darlena, I just don't think the restaurant storyline adds to the show. It's a crime-solving show and the restaurant doesn't fit. Not to mention it's only done to showcase "bickering" which seems to have devolved into something that is an injustice to both the characters of Steve and Danny. So, I agree. I wish they would drop it!