Episode Title: “A’ale Ma’a Wau” (“Fish Out of Water”)
Writer: John Dove
Director: Joe Dante
Previously on “Hawaii Five-0:”
Episode 4.01 “Aloha Kekahi I Kekahi” (“We Need One Another”)
Last week’s barnburner is a tough act to follow and though this episode isn’t quite as explosive, if you will, it’s an acceptable follow-up to the over-the-top season premiere.
In the jungles of China, Kono (Grace Park) is impressing Adam (Ian Anthony Dale) with her survival skills when a call comes in from Chin (Daniel Dae Kim). He tells Kono to run, as her location has been compromised, but it’s too late. Several armed men descend on the camp, but it’s nothing some heavy firepower and a few karate kicks can’t take care. Later, when their Jeep breaks down, Kono again saves the day, making Adam wonder what she can’t do. I’m still waiting for the episode where she opens fire while hanging ten on a surfboard.
Adam wants Kono to head home as he’s worried for her safety. Ironically, she’s the only thing keeping him alive, at his point. Instead of running from the men who want to kill Adam, Kono wants to face them head on, perhaps even hit them before they can strike back. Adam thinks Kono is crazy and he’s probably right.
While Kono and Adam plot their next move, McGarrett (Alex O’Loughlin), Danny (Scott Caan), Catherine (Michelle Borth) are back home coaching a kids’ baseball game with Kamekona (Taylor Wily) on umpire duty. We get a couple of cute moments between McG and Danno, who are arguing over what to tell Grace (Teilor Grubbs) as she prepares to bat. Every police procedural’s got to have its cornball comedic moments and “Hawaii Five-0” at least makes them tolerable.
But what “5-0” fans really want to see is Danny’s new car. Surprise, it’s another Camaro and McG insists on driving it. For a moment there, it looked like the boys would be rolling in McGarrett’s father’s old Mercury Marquis, which we see them in earlier in the episode. But considering the way McG drives, he needs all the horsepower he can get.
Aside from new cars, Pee Wee baseball and running from terrorists in the jungles of China, this episode also features a descent case, involving a Texas ranger in search of his kidnapped daughter. The team tries to understand why decorated ranger, Ray Harper (Tim Daly) is targeting local thugs and drug dealers. It turns out Harper is in search of his daughter, who came to Hawaii with her boyfriend, Carl, who was offered a free vacation in exchange for delivering a duffel bag full of cash. Apparently, Carl has never seen “Locked Up Abroad.”
Harper is all Texas cowboy in his demeanor and methods, as we watch him hog tie a baddie, bring him out to a sugar cane field, cover him in peanut butter and leave him for the rats. The man gives up the couple’s location, but 5-0 shows up just as Harper is about to have a little man-to-man chat with Carl (Brando Eaton).
From this point on, Harper works with 5-0 to find his daughter, Amanda. Though it’s a little light on action, TV vet, Tim Daly makes for a convincing cowboy and the scene where he and 5-0 confront the peanut butter covered-thug as he’s washing off in the shower is ridiculous in a good way. In the end, the team tracks Amanda down to a pier where she’s being held in a shipping container and a tearful reunion ensues.
The only other major development in this episode comes from McG’s old Navy buddy, Lt. Commander Billy Harrington (Justin Bruening). Billy tells McG that he offered Catherine a civilian job at his new security firm. Billy also happens to be Catherine’s ex. Against Danny’s advice, McG tells Catherine to take the gig. Hopefully, this doesn’t lead to some kind of lame love triangle. More likely, we’ll learn that Billy’s got some shady clients that 5-0 has an interest in, putting Catherine between the two.
Oh and one last thing, we learn that Wo Fat is not McG’s brother. At least that’s what Max’s report says. The reveal is a bit of a letdown after all the build up last week, but don’t count out a McG/Wo Fat connection, just yet. Second cousins, perhaps?
