By Stu Robinson, Season 2, Episode 18 of CBS’s Hawaii Five-0 took its obsession with fatherhood to a whole new level. In a long-anticipated bit of stunt casting, the show’s producers reeled in James Caan (Brian’s Song, The Godfather, NBC’s Las Vegas). He, of course, is the father of Scott Caan, who plays Danny “Danno” Williams on H50. There is precedent, however. Oscar-, Emmy-, Grammy- and Tony-winning actress...
By Stu Robinson, After a couple of milquetoast episodes, CBS’ Hawaii Five-0 brought some meat to the luau in Episode 14. Joe comes clean and reveals Shelbourne’s identity. Danno helps his ex-wife deliver her baby. The ambush of a delivery truck leads to a terrorist threat. The episode begins with a flashback to 1992 and the day McGarrett’s father sent him away to the mainland. “It’s not safe for you here...
By Stu Robinson, Season 2, Episode 11 of CBS’ new Hawaii Five-0 draws heavily from a real-life 1976 school bus kidnapping in Chowchilla, Calif., in which the hostages were placed underground in the back of a buried truck. The real-life hostages eventually managed to climb out and get help. In the TV version, it’s Five-0 to the rescue. The episode is what I’ve called a “pursuit” episode – and it’s a...
By Stu Robinson, Episodes 8 and 9 of CBS’ new Hawaii Five-0 were little more than filler. Neither advanced any of the ongoing story lines; in fact, the only back story to come up at all was Danno’s housing saga. Neither episode advanced the McGarrett family subplot; neither mentioned Danno’s budding romance with the hot museum curator. Episode 8 involved a terminal cancer patient killing a Customs agent to protect his supply...
By Stu Robinson, Episode 6 of CBS’ new Hawaii Five-0 begins with Steve McGarrett climbing into a mixed martial arts ring to face off against Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell. Flash back 48 hours to see a body, tied to a chair, being chucked into a swimming pool. There ensues a procedural episode dealing with the murder of a wealthy restaurateur. The investigative focus moves from a home-invasion gang made up of parking valets, to the...
