Hawaii Five-0:
The Complete Series
review by Bobby Blakey
When they announced they were premiering a new take on the series Hawaii Five-0 in 2010, I honestly didn’t think it would last. To my surprise I really liked the series and its direction. While the show was a reimagining of the original it has brought in actors and characters from the original series to keep it connected. Now it is getting ready to head into its tenth season and what better way to prepare than to revisit season nine?
Hawaii Five-0 follows an elite federalized task force whose mission is to wipe out the crime that washes up on the islands’ sun-drenched beaches. Detective Steve McGarrett, a decorated Naval officer turned cop, returned to Oahu after Hawaii’s former governor persuaded him to head up the new team: his rules, no red tape and full blanket authority to hunt down the biggest “game” in town. Joining McGarrett are Detective Danny “Danno” Williams, a relocated ex-New Jersey cop who is committed to keeping the islands safe for his children; Captain Lou Grover, who formerly headed Hawaii’s SWAT unit; Jerry Ortega, the islands’ local conspiracy theorist; Tani Rey, a bold, recent police academy graduate; Junior Reigns, a former SEAL who comes to McGarrett looking for a job.and Adam Noshimuri, a friend with old ties to a deadly crime family. Helping them is Kamekona, a local entrepreneur who has his pulse on the Island; Sgt. Duke Lukela, a trusted member of the HPD; and medical examiner
Dr. Noelani Cunha. The state’s brash FIVE-0 unit, who may spar and jest among themselves, remain determined to eliminate the seedy elements from the 50th state.
I was worried if this series was going to make it after the cast shake-up prior to its eighth season since the two actors leaving were such pivotal characters to numerous ongoing stories. While I was not a fan to the way it was handled on and off the screen, I give the show credit for making it work and instead of recasting the characters they brought some fresh new faces. After being part of the team for a couple of seasons they all felt right at home like they had been there from the beginning. I can’t lie as much as I enjoy them I do miss the others. As with the previous seasons this show keeps bringing some great action and cases to the show making it constantly fun to watch. While these elements are great to watch it’s the characters that really hold it together. The banter between McGarrett and Williams is always fun to watch but as we were moving towards the end of the season they played up the dysfunctional duo’s deeper love and respect for each other that added a nice element to the ending.
This season kept with the case a week theme, but brought it full circle to the beginning of it all with an ongoing story element that serves as not only the finale of the series, but also the McGarrett story as a whole. As with any season they have the usual cast of supporting and reoccurring characters that pop up including some old favorites. You could feel that it was kind of working to wrap things up in the way some of the stories moved forward. I will say that I was a little let down in the finale just from the missing out on some major players that I was really hoping we might get at least a final scene with. The episode is great and packs the emotional punch that people will love, but my own hopes and expectations were the issue for me. If I had a real complaint it was in the waste of a Chuck Norris cameo in one episode that I would normally not spoil but he is underused and does nothing other than a few lines.
I never would have thought that not only did I really dig this new take on the classic series, but that it would become a classic in itself lasting ten seasons. This set includes all 22 episodes of the season as well as bonus content including deleted/extended scenes, gag reel, and so much more. Grab your copy of Hawaii Five-0: The Final Season available now from Paramount and CBS Home Entertainment.
