S2E17: Last week’s episode of Hawaii Five-0 showed off some snazzy out-of-sequence storytelling; tonight things were linear again — though not necessarily coherent. During a NaKoa-warrior reenactment (yep, another one of those), one of the participants turns up dead. What initially seems, as it usually does on this show, like a cut-and-dry motive/suspect case for Five-0, unravels into the ultimately more typical convoluted scenario in which the guy we least expect — in this example it’s victim Brandon Koruba’s boat-building partner — is the real perp. Not the best episode, thanks to the usual unnecessary rabbit holes (this time around involving environmental extremists and some altogether ridiculous sequences), but there were some scenes and developments worth noting …
Athletes Can Act! But Not for Long
If you blinked at the beginning of the episode, you probably missed Philadelphia Phillies outfielder (and native Hawaiian) Shane Victorino, as a member of a group of pharmaceutical reps milling about in the jungle. But you would’ve had to blink quite a bit to miss speed skater/Dancing with the Stars champ Apolo Ohno, who played (surprisingly well, might we add) one of the initial suspects in the homicide case.
Danny and Gabby Have a Budding Relationship …
Tonight we learn that Danny and Gabby (returning guest star Autumn Reeser) have been dating for three whole months (after, that is, we see him smile like a kid when the murder case requires her ancient-artifact expertise) but that she still hasn’t met Danny’s daughter, Grace. Cut to the end of the end of the episode, when Gabby and Grace are bonding at the beach. Yeah, she could be in his life and on the show for the long haul soon.
… But It’s Not as Cute as the Bromance Between Danny and Steve
A few minutes into the episode, McGarrett returns home to find Danny having burnt dinner enough to set off the smoke alarm. And his clothes all over the couch. Steve can’t stay mad at Danny, though — which is precisely what happens when they bicker like a married couple (never sans a half-smile, be it visible or implied) about Danny’s relationship with Gabby or Steve’s method of getting a suspect to surrender. The innocuous back-and-forth between these two seems to be at an all-time high in tonight’s episode, and it’s time to just call it what it is: the cop version of a bromance.
Oh, That’s Right: The Five-0 Crew Are Actually Friends, Too
It’s been a long time since we’ve seen the entire gang — including Max — outside of work just being friends (the most recent example that comes to mind was a few episodes back, at Chin’s wedding), but tonight’s episode featured just that, as everyone got together to have a drink and support a nervous Danny on his quasi-date with Gabby and her intro to Grace. It was a nice way to end the episode, and when done right, as was the case tonight, such scenes add a little weight to the show. Which is very necessary on occasion.
