Episode Title: “Aloha Kekahi I Kekahi” (“We Need One Another”)
Writers: Peter M. Lenkov and Ken Solarz
Director: Bryan Spicer
Previously on “Hawaii Five-0”
Episode 3.24 “Aloha, Malama Pono” (“Farewell and Take Care”)
You could play GTA V or you could just watch the non-stop clusterfrak of hi-jacked Camaros, SWAT vans and helicopters sandwiched in between shootouts and explosions that according to Captain Grover (Chi McBride) is an “epic fail the size of Texas.”
The Captain has it all wrong, however. There isn’t a single ounce of fail in the “Hawaii Five-0” season four premiere. The episode is a relentlessly paced, action-packed hour that doesn’t feel like it belongs on a Friday night, opposite “Dateline.”
Last we time we were in Hawaii, McGarrett (Alex O’Loughlin) paid Wo Fat (Mark Dacascos) a visit in hopes of finding out why his mother stopped by earlier. Instead of getting answers, McG was forced to help Wo Fat when mercenaries arrived on the scene to kill the notorious terrorist. Meanwhile, Kono (Grace Park) and Adam (Ian Anthony Dale) took off on a slow boat to China in order to escape the Yakuza.
Instead of easing into the new season with a procedural episode, “H5-0” goes full-throttle, balls to the wall, picking up right where things left off. We learn that the folks who were after Wo Fat are members of the National Liberation Movement, a terrorist organization looking for payback after Wo Fat led 5-0 to NLM member, Rafael Salgado. When McG foils their attempt to kill Wo Fat, the terrorists take over 5-0 HQ.
And those terrorists include “Lost’s” Henry Ian Cusick, who faces off against newcomer Chi McBride as Captain Lou Grover, a character who appeared in the original series. Just one episode in and there’s already bad blood between McG and Captain Grover, who’s not too happy when McGarrett forces him to free Cusick’s character and the rest of the terrorists in order to save Catherine’s life.
Yup, there’s a lot going on in this episode. The hostage situation at 5-0 HQ ends when Cusick’s character kills the only surviving NLM soldier from the botched Wo Fat assassination and surrenders. As Captain Grover points out, the terrorists “came to play” and they’ve got a plan for everything. When McGarrett gets a call from NLM bigwig, “El Condor” who’s taken Catherine hostage, McG is forced to pullover Captain Grover’s SWAT van and free the terrorists.
The terrorists may have escaped, but McG isn’t about to let the bad guys get away – especially when they’ve just taken off in Danno’s Camaro. Duke (Dennis Chun) tells McG about a news chopper that was stolen earlier that day, which makes McGarrett suspect the terrorists are headed to Aloha Stadium, the only place where a chopper could land and takeoff undetected.
His hunch proves correct and McG chases “El Condor” through the stadium as he races towards the chopper. Just as it’s about to take off, McGarret grabs onto one of the choppers struts and manages to overtake all those inside, thus saving the day.
There’s still a few lose ends to sort out however. Danny (Scott Caan) and Chin (Daniel Dae Kim) learn the terrorists took info on Kono’s whereabouts from the 5-0 data files and sold it to the Yakuza. Chin calls Kono to warn her, but it appears to be too late as a man appears outside their hut with a gun. Also, why did Momma McG visit Wo Fat? McGarrett presses Wo Fat on the matter, one last time and when the terrorist plays coy, smashes his head against his cell door, allowing McG to grab a blood sample and hand it off to Max (Masi Oka). Why take Wo Fat’s blood? Well, McG’s got a theory his arch nemesis might be his brother. Whoa.
It’s a pretty intense kickoff to “H50’s” fourth season. Aside from the massive explosions, high-flying stunts and beyond reckless driving we’ve come to expect from an hour of 5-0, this episode also gave us McG shooting a man through another man’s shoulder, Chin putting a baddie in a sleeper hold, Captain Glover approaching the terrorists in his underwear to ask if they want Chinese food and Danny’s car getting incinerated. Nevermind this Wo Fat business, the real question for next week is what kind of wheels will the boys terrorize the streets of Honolulu in now?
