Hawaii Five-O 1.10 Episode Recap

Hawaii Five-O has a tough act to follow this week. Last week, it gave us Max Martini and ways to turn your front lawn into a fireball. Yet after an awesome episode, there’s always the question, “Now what?” Well, now we get people rappelling into frame and stealing an armored car in broad daylight. If that’s not enough for you, we finally meet Danny’s much-maligned ex-wife, Rachel.

As Danny says, “It takes a very specific kind of psycho to jack an armored truck.” Moreso to do that and drop the money off Honolulu Harbor. That makes it obvious that the episode will not be following your standard robbery plot. Within the first act, we’re informed about a series of major robberies coordinated with triathlons in various cities and a brazen attack on the one surviving witness. Steve figures out by the halfway point that the theft is just reconnaissance for a larger operation. Stopping said operation leads them to use Rachel’s house for surveillance purposes, getting very acquainted with her new neighbors, who are out to swipe some diamonds (not unlike Friday’s The Good Guys, except more sophisticated and without the knife in the head). It’s another Hawaii Five-O episode where you think you know where the plot is going, but it doesn’t end up there at all. In this television world where we probably have too many cop shows on TV today, anything that doesn’t play by the numbers is welcome to me.

Speaking of not playing by the numbers, Steve and Danny continue their amusing methods of interrogation; this time, it involves weightlifting. I’m not sure if it’s legal, but it certainly is entertaining, and a perfect example of the proper use of dramatic license. It’s entertaining and doesn’t induce skeptical eye-rolling. That makes it fine by me. It’s good to finally put a face to Danny’s repeated shots at his ex-wife; with their acidic banter (not unlike that which Danny shares with Steve), it’s easy to see why they divorced. It takes a little longer to fathom why they ever married, but I have a feeling this isn’t the last we’ll see of Rachel, so I’ll just add that to my list of things to look forward to in the future. I’m at least pleased that she is an active participant in the plot, and not a shrewish ornament. Possibly the best part of the episode, however, is how each of the Five-O team members gets to bust a bad guy, all in ways that are both hilarious and satisfying. That’s pretty much how I look at this show: it’s amusing even if it’s not expected to be, but it’s also always a satisfying way to spend an hour.

Hawaii Five-O is a rerun next week, so I’ll see you in two weeks.