Hawaii Five-O (the original series) - Page 4 - Blu-ray Forum

OceanBlue · 03-28-2022, 11:54 PM

I've been meaning for a while to post some observations about continuity on the show during my re-watch of the original Hawaii Five-O so far:

Five-O member Kono:

I've noticed that in the fourth season, Kono's work attire has changed in three or four episodes (he's seen wearing a darker grey suit, compared to the lighter suit he's worn in the series since the very beginning). I have been keeping an eye as well on the production code for the episodes so far. Why? I know that the actor who played Kono in the original series was apparently fired from the show, and I don't think they appeared in some of the last few episodes filmed in the fourth season (they would be replaced by actor Al Harrington, who had previously guest-starred in several episodes, usually as villains).

Continuity:

It's bound to happen as the season goes on, maybe because of the deadline to get episodes ready for airing on television, but I've been finding it amusing (in a respectful way) some of the continuity errors. In some episodes I've re-watched recently, I've noticed McGarrett heading from the Iolani Palace to a crime scene in a blue suit, only to get out of his car wearing a darker blue suit (one of the telling signs is Jack Lord's appearance and haircut). Other continuity errors have been shots of the Five-O members' cars racing to a crime scene, or to a location where they're speaking to witnesses etc., then the same footage is reused in another episode (this has also happened with police officers being called to a scene).

A characteristic of McGarrett's:

Every so often in this re-watch I've noticed something I spotted when I first watched the show, McGarrett sometimes clicks his fingers when he is trying to sift his way through the clues, trying to solve the case.

OceanBlue · 04-15-2022, 09:51 PM

Have only watched one episode since I last posted a mini-review/review, the very good "Bait Once, Bait Twice". I say "very good", because I was going to say it was excellent. It was the last five to ten minutes which stopped me from calling it excellent (it felt like some of the story development happened offscreen, including

[Show spoiler]

Rather confusing, with the ending slightly abrupt).

And yet before this, there was much to like about the episode, although again, some of the story development seemed to happen offscreen (usually you see the culprit/mastermind/villain carrying out their actions, as well as the planning of their scheme. Instead it seemed like you only saw half of this).

One of the other guest stars (the actor who played the assassin) I think appeared a few times during the show's run, Ric Marlow. Having checked his IMDb filmography, "Bait Once, Bait Twice" was the first episode he guest-starred in. He would appear in four further episodes during the rest of the show's twelve season run.

Another memorable guest-star in this episode was actor Malachi Throne. He appeared in two episodes of Hawaii Five-O (the other being in the fifth season). Off the top of my head, the only other TV series I've seen him in have been the original Mission: Impossible, and Mannix.

The scenes shot on location where Loretta Swit's character was

[Show spoiler]

Next is the two-parter "The Ninety-Second War".

edmonddantes · 04-15-2022, 11:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hammerlover

I wish Paramount/ Viacom would release this series on Blu.

Imagine they did with this what they did with mission impossible the series, it'd be amazing! I actually prefer this over mission imp., MI is too repetitive, but the transfers are amazing. this with hawaii scenery would be such a pleasure to watch

but alas, seems theres no plans to do so Ive decided to rewatch the DVDs, which IIRC looked quite nice for a DVD

OceanBlue · 04-21-2022, 10:38 PM

In the past week, have watched the fourth season two-parter "The Ninety-Second War. I would say, having now re-watched it, I enjoyed it as a whole more than the first time. It seemed the budget was spent on the

[Show spoiler]

as a lot of the concluding part was shot on studio sets with very little on-location scenes (but it could be some of the interiors in the concluding part were on-location).

Danno appeared in a lot of the first part, but only in the second half of the story's conclusion. Chin-Ho and Kono didn't appear at all in the second half (ditto with Che Fong and Doc).

Among the guest stars was Donald Pleasance. He only appeared in the concluding part (but in hindsight, I don't recall his character being mentioned in the first part). It's a shame he never guest-starred again on the show, as he made the most of the scenes he was in.

A multi-episode story needs a detailed story to make it worth the while, and not feel like a two/three-part story with scenes containing filler (ie. padded-out scenes stretching things a bit). I felt things worked on the whole.

The one disappointment I had was that nothing was said or referred to about Wo Fat

[Show spoiler]

Was the ending a disappointment? Not sure. It felt a bit like how the series' feature-length pilot "Cocoon" ended, except I think in "Cocoon"

[Show spoiler]

Thought this two-parter was well constructed and written on the whole (Wo Fat's plan was well done, involving a

[Show spoiler]

The concluding part was very talky, but was satisfactory because it added some substance to the overall story of the two-parter.

One of the very few disappointments was actress Dana Wynter having a small part

[Show spoiler]

Some other observations:

- Maybe actor Joseph Sirola wasn't available to reprise his recurring guest star role of Jonathan Kaye in the two-parter "The Ninety-Second War"? Tim O'Connor played the same part in the concluding part instead (I know Sirola does come back as Jonathan Kaye (for a final time) in the Season 5 episode "The Jinn Who Clears the Way" (before another actor plays/other actors play the part during the remainder of the series' twelve season run (I know Lyle Bettger played the same part in the later seasons). I thought Tim O'Connor did a good job in Joseph Sirola's shoes, including again not always agreeing with McGarrett.

- Sadly, Dana Wynter would only appear in one episode of Hawaii Five-O. A shame as she was one of the memorable actresses on the show.

Finally:

I'm sure there is going to be something I've forgot, but I've tried to incorporate everything into this mini-review/review as best as I can.

Jeff*H · 04-26-2022, 05:45 AM

Long-time H5O fan (over 35 years since WOR reruns) and I just discovered this thread. I’ve recorded the entire series in the 90s on VHS, ripped them to DVD-Rs, bought the 10 1998 Columbia House VHS releases, bought the season DVDs and the Complete Series DVD release, and most recently bought the 12 VUDU Digital HD seasons. I’ve kept my fingers crossed for a Blu-ray release as well. So I’m a pretty hardcore fan of the series, having seen each episode dozens of times over the years.

I’m enjoying your episode reviews, and I agree with quite a few of them. Please keep them coming, they are very well-written!

OceanBlue · 04-28-2022, 11:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff*H

Long-time H5O fan (over 35 years since WOR reruns) and I just discovered this thread. I’ve recorded the entire series in the 90s on VHS, ripped them to DVD-Rs, bought the 10 1998 Columbia House VHS releases, bought the season DVDs and the Complete Series DVD release, and most recently bought the 12 VUDU Digital HD seasons. I’ve kept my fingers crossed for a Blu-ray release as well. So I’m a pretty hardcore fan of the series, having seen each episode dozens of times over the years.

I’m enjoying your episode reviews, and I agree with quite a few of them. Please keep them coming, they are very well-written!

I'm hoping you can explain something about the fourth season. Have been keeping a close eye on the production code for each episode so far on my re-watch. I'm assuming the episodes were filmed in the order they appear in the production code order. But with some recent episodes, I'm starting to doubt what I've been thinking.

Zulu, who played Five-O member Kono since the very beginning (including the feature-length pilot "Cocoon"), was apparently fired after or during the fourth season. What were the circumstances which led to this? I thought I'd read somewhere that he punched a crewmember. As the fourth season went on, Zulu started to appear less and less (I noticed as well that his trademark light grey suit was changed to a dark grey suit during the fourth season).

In the most recent episode I've re-watched, "While You're At It, Bring in the Moon", Kono (Zulu) doesn't appear at all, and it seemed like they brought in the actor who played Duke to replace him in this episode. Will be interesting to see the remaining episodes of the season, but in the back of my mind I'm thinking he didn't appear in these episodes either.

OceanBlue · 05-13-2022, 09:18 PM

cutback, how have you been doing with watching the second season of Hawaii Five-O on DVD? The last time you posted about it (back in January), you had finished watching the first season.

OceanBlue · 05-19-2022, 11:28 PM

Haven't re-watched any further Season 4 episodes for the past few weeks, because I wanted to get these two mini-reviews/reviews done first. Both I found to be among my favourites in what has been a strong, fourth season of Hawaii Five-O. All the regular pieces of the furniture were in place by this point in the season (actor Glenn Cannon debuting as D.A. John Manicote in a recurring guest star role until during the ninth season).

I'm really liking the episodes where there is depth and detail in the storyline and scenes (including the way they're shot). For me, these are important (as well as continuity, consistency and quality).

I remember "Skinhead" very well from when I first saw it during UK channel Granada Plus's repeat run of the first few seasons of the show. Having re-watched it, it's lost none of it's surprises and the 'making you think long after you've watched it' scenes, including the ending which asked a question/questions. I won't spoil it (if I did, it would be in spoiler tags anyway). These downbeat, and at times cynical endings seem to be typical on the show during the first half of the show's run (especially the first half. Less so during the later seasons, maybe because the grim, gritty tone and violence in the show in the first half of the seventies were having to be toned down in the later seasons).

harry o · 05-29-2022, 06:48 PM

I've had the first five seasons of this classic series for many years must revisit some episodes, the first season really stuck with me as I watched it regularly with my folks back when it first broadcast on tv here in the UK in 69 I think.

OceanBlue · 06-02-2022, 11:27 PM

Well, the next fourth season episode was going the same way as I initially thought "Cloth of Gold" was going to go, until something happened which made me reassess what I had seen (and heard) before, changing my mind about the episode. There was a humdinger of a twist during the episode, and it was one I had hoped was going to happen once I realised the direction the story was going in (I wouldn't spoil anything anyway, and if I did say anything it would be in spoiler tags). Even though I always look at the brief synopsis on the rear cover artwork on each DVD slimline slipcase/DVD case, I try to watch each episode with a fresh slate in my mind, especially in the case of episodes like "Good Night Baby - Time to Die!" (you have to go into this episode cold).

It had all the hallmarks of being one of those classic 'stuck in one location to save on the budget' episodes (I remember reading somewhere (on or off the web) that they called these episodes in older TV series "Desperate Hours episodes" (referring to the film I think (not sure if they were referring to the original or the remake as well). They were called this because it was apparently seen as a sign the writers were running out of ideas (another example being when a TV series would have an episode take place away from the usual city and/or town it was set in (although I would argue that isn't always the case, as I love crossover events where characters on one show go out of their comfort zone and go to a different city/town - and vice versa with the other show (a classic example being the original Law & Order and Homicide: Life on the Street). Anyway, this Hawaii Five-O: Season 4 episode was mainly set in an apartment or hotel complex, although you did get the odd scene take place outside the complex (I can't remember any scenes happening at the Iolani Palace in this episode, which so far in this re-watch of the show has been rare).

"Good Night Baby - Time to Die!" also looked like it was going to be one of those very talky episodes, but like I said earlier in this mini-review/review, I changed my mind and reassessed what I thought beforehand. It really sneaks up on you the clever writing and storyline. It's definitely one of those episodes of a TV show you'll want to revisit if you enjoyed it as much as I did (I applauded it at the end).

One final observation, the transfer was an improvement on "Cloth of Gold".

One further, final observation: like with "While You're at It, Bring in the Moon", Five-O member Kono was totally absent (Duke is seen in a few scenes in this episode).

cutback73 · 07-30-2022, 10:55 PM

On to Season 2 - I finally started my watch/rewatch after several aborted intended starts... life has been somewhat stop/start all round this year.

"A thousand pardons... you're dead"
What a banger for an opening episode. For a start, what a superb title. The show certainly had a penchant for interesting titles, but they always have direct links to the story.

It reminds me of The Fugitive episode titles which were also very imaginative, but often give you no clue as to the contents of the episode, making it hard to remember individual episodes from the title alone.

In this case the use of the line "a thousand pardons" is in a memorable sequence, its possibly shoehorned in to the script, but in this case the always terrific Harry Guardino says it confidently and it feels like something his character could say.

The highlight of the episode for me is the verbal toe to toe between Guardino and Jack Lord over the pool table. It reminded me of a similar verbal sequence between the quack doctor and McGarrett in season 1, in her office.

Supporting cast is peppered with future stars including James Hong and Loretta Swit. And also there is the feisty and lovely Barbara Luna.

It's a nice touch in the story when Danno's cover is blown, and it happens believably. Although its noticeable that McGarrett is NEVER allowed to make a mistake, the writers obviously felt they had more leeway with Danno not being the lead.

I'm not sure the volte face of the character played by Barbara Luna (did I say she was lovely?) Is terribly convincing, but it's a plot device inevitably.

The ending is rather overkill (literally) but still a great episode and the visual quality is excellent too.

"To Hell With Babe Ruth"
Did the writer sit and go "what's the most far fetched story I can think of?"
In this era it's not easy to believe in Mark Lenard as a Japanese character (he's also playing much older than he was in real life and that make up is no more convincing than his eye makeup). But I can normally look beyond that if the story is good (e.g. Ricardo Montalban in season 1).
But i'm sorry to say this just feels like a lazy piece of shlock, full of coincidences (the daughter still works in a clock shop in the same place for instance).
Mark Lenard and Will Kuluva both feel wasted here (both have excellent appearances elsewhere in much better programmes).

The final sequence on the petrol (gas) tanks is also a bit fuzzy and full of scratches and artifacts I felt. It may have been too damaged for viable repair to be done?

The one positive from the episode in my mind is the daughter, played by a part Asian actress who appears convincingly bewildered and scared by events. And the very last shot with her and her father is quite touching.

Wow, those (intended to be) short reviews above were longer than Ocean's...

OceanBlue · 08-01-2022, 09:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cutback73

Wow, those (intended to be) short reviews above were longer than Ocean's...

That made me smile and chuckle.

Well, I try to not to go on too long, but when I've been enthusiastic about an episode I've recently re-watched, I end up doing an extended mini-review.

I've got one mini-review/review to do, then the next one won't be until after I've re-watched the entire "'V' for Vashon" trilogy.

OceanBlue · 08-01-2022, 10:49 PM

cutback, your observation about the transfer of the final sequence of the Season 2 episode "To Hell with Babe Ruth", if my memory is correct, is accurate. It's been a while since I re-watched that episode, but I do recall an episode having some of it looking like it hadn't been transferred to HD/hadn't had a restoration job (prior to that, there was a whole episode which looked similar (example being drained of some colour), the Season 1 episode "Six Kilos".

cutback73 · 08-01-2022, 06:54 PM

Season 2 - episodes 3 and 4:

Forty foot high and it kills!
A fake tsunami alert instigated by *evil grin* Wo Fat is the start of another "spy caper" where McGarret and Wo Fat go toe to toe. These episodes always seem like nothing else in the series stylistically - more like a 60s spoof spy caper. Very entertaining though and a good casting of the Professor who gets some good scenes with Wo Fat. We also get treated to McGarret and Wo Fat together on screen. Which kind of reminded me of the very rare occasions that The Fugitive and Lt Gerard met.
Semi light fluff really although someone does die. But no one important.
I actually thought the Mexican standoff was well thought out, to allow the episode to conclude how it did.
The Professor's daughter was woefully underwritten though.

Also a mention for the great funky music that plays at the start during the weather relay sequence.

Obviously during the opening of this episode, you can't help but remember that sad day on Boxing Day in real life when so many died.

"Just lucky, I guess"
Another great title gets shoehorned into the script. It's a somewhat predictable plot, and the ending is no surprise at all, but John Randolph plays the part of the torn witness well being generally good at these sort of character parts.
And it's good to see a female detective get some screen time in a significant role. A pity we don't get to see her in maybe a recurring role as she's quite convincing in the scene with the "mobster".
So all in all it's very predictable but well cast which lifts it above the humdrum plot and makes it enjoyable as a result.

Hindustani · 04-07-2023, 05:23 AM

Damn.....you on season 5 already.

I'm stuck on Season 2 like......forever.

Aah the good old, I mean "really" old days when they gave you 25 episodes per season.

grinding every plot out to the max

plus the Hawaii setting.....its like watching LOST all over again before LOST.

OceanBlue · 08-25-2023, 12:32 AM

Slowly but surely will be up to date with my Hawaii Five-O mini-reviews/reviews, which is why I haven't re-watched another Season 6 episode since "The Sunday Torch" (something like 2-3 months since I re-watched it). I didn't want to get too far ahead of the mini-reviews/reviews I haven't got round to doing yet. "The Sunday Torch" was top-notch, so I wanted to leave my re-watch of the series on hold for a while.

Finishing off the fifth season, "Jury of One" was better than I thought it was going to be. My recollection of my previous viewing was that the season ended on a whimper rather than a bang. I also had in my head, that the plot involved

[Show spoiler]

It turned out not to be the case (instead,

[Show spoiler]

I thought it was well written, it kept my interest and went in one or two directions I wasn't expecting (the episodic promos for example, while they give away some of what happens, the way they're edited they actually fool you at times (and in a good way). The story ended in a satisfying manner, and an episode doesn't have to have some big action scene or a sequence of action scenes to make it memorable.

There are always going to be some duff episodes, and in Season 5 they were mostly in the second half, especially towards the end.

harry o · 04-11-2025, 11:20 PM

Think it was a mercury ??

OceanBlue · 05-08-2025, 08:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by harry o

Think it was a mercury ??

Having double-checked (done a web search), there were three different Mercury cars used during the original series' twelve season run:

- the pilot "Cocoon" and stock footage (a '67 Marquis)
- Seasons 1-6 (a 1968 Mercury Park Lane Brougham)
- Seasons 7-12 (a 1974 Mercury Marquis Brougham).

OceanBlue · 08-26-2025, 11:09 PM

A pity the makers of the original Magnum, P.I. weren't able to get Jack Lord and James Garner to make an appearance. I do remember reading that the possible reason for James Garner not appearing was because of the legal case which started after production on The Rockford Files ended abruptly. With Jack Lord, I'm just not sure we will ever know the reason why they declined to appear on the show.

03-28-2022, 11:54 PM	#1
OceanBlue Blu-ray Baron Member since:Sep 2013 Location:Midlands, UK	Some observations on continuity etc. I've been meaning for a while to post some observations about continuity on the show during my re-watch of the original Hawaii Five-O so far: Five-O member Kono: I've noticed that in the fourth season, Kono's work attire has changed in three or four episodes (he's seen wearing a darker grey suit, compared to the lighter suit he's worn in the series since the very beginning). I have been keeping an eye as well on the production code for the episodes so far. Why? I know that the actor who played Kono in the original series was apparently fired from the show, and I don't think they appeared in some of the last few episodes filmed in the fourth season (they would be replaced by actor Al Harrington, who had previously guest-starred in several episodes, usually as villains). Continuity: It's bound to happen as the season goes on, maybe because of the deadline to get episodes ready for airing on television, but I've been finding it amusing (in a respectful way) some of the continuity errors. In some episodes I've re-watched recently, I've noticed McGarrett heading from the Iolani Palace to a crime scene in a blue suit, only to get out of his car wearing a darker blue suit (one of the telling signs is Jack Lord's appearance and haircut). Other continuity errors have been shots of the Five-O members' cars racing to a crime scene, or to a location where they're speaking to witnesses etc., then the same footage is reused in another episode (this has also happened with police officers being called to a scene). A characteristic of McGarrett's: Every so often in this re-watch I've noticed something I spotted when I first watched the show, McGarrett sometimes clicks his fingers when he is trying to sift his way through the clues, trying to solve the case.

04-15-2022, 09:51 PM	#2
OceanBlue Blu-ray Baron Member since:Sep 2013 Location:Midlands, UK	Season four episode "Bait Once, Bait Twice" Have only watched one episode since I last posted a mini-review/review, the very good "Bait Once, Bait Twice". I say "very good", because I was going to say it was excellent. It was the last five to ten minutes which stopped me from calling it excellent (it felt like some of the story development happened offscreen, including [Show spoiler] Rather confusing, with the ending slightly abrupt). And yet before this, there was much to like about the episode, although again, some of the story development seemed to happen offscreen (usually you see the culprit/mastermind/villain carrying out their actions, as well as the planning of their scheme. Instead it seemed like you only saw half of this). One of the other guest stars (the actor who played the assassin) I think appeared a few times during the show's run, Ric Marlow. Having checked his IMDb filmography, "Bait Once, Bait Twice" was the first episode he guest-starred in. He would appear in four further episodes during the rest of the show's twelve season run. Another memorable guest-star in this episode was actor Malachi Throne. He appeared in two episodes of Hawaii Five-O (the other being in the fifth season). Off the top of my head, the only other TV series I've seen him in have been the original Mission: Impossible, and Mannix. The scenes shot on location where Loretta Swit's character was [Show spoiler] Next is the two-parter "The Ninety-Second War".

04-21-2022, 10:38 PM	#4
OceanBlue Blu-ray Baron Member since:Sep 2013 Location:Midlands, UK	Season four two-parter "The Ninety-Second War" In the past week, have watched the fourth season two-parter "The Ninety-Second War. I would say, having now re-watched it, I enjoyed it as a whole more than the first time. It seemed the budget was spent on the [Show spoiler] as a lot of the concluding part was shot on studio sets with very little on-location scenes (but it could be some of the interiors in the concluding part were on-location). Danno appeared in a lot of the first part, but only in the second half of the story's conclusion. Chin-Ho and Kono didn't appear at all in the second half (ditto with Che Fong and Doc). Among the guest stars was Donald Pleasance. He only appeared in the concluding part (but in hindsight, I don't recall his character being mentioned in the first part). It's a shame he never guest-starred again on the show, as he made the most of the scenes he was in. A multi-episode story needs a detailed story to make it worth the while, and not feel like a two/three-part story with scenes containing filler (ie. padded-out scenes stretching things a bit). I felt things worked on the whole. The one disappointment I had was that nothing was said or referred to about Wo Fat [Show spoiler] Was the ending a disappointment? Not sure. It felt a bit like how the series' feature-length pilot "Cocoon" ended, except I think in "Cocoon" [Show spoiler] Thought this two-parter was well constructed and written on the whole (Wo Fat's plan was well done, involving a [Show spoiler] The concluding part was very talky, but was satisfactory because it added some substance to the overall story of the two-parter. One of the very few disappointments was actress Dana Wynter having a small part [Show spoiler] Some other observations: - Maybe actor Joseph Sirola wasn't available to reprise his recurring guest star role of Jonathan Kaye in the two-parter "The Ninety-Second War"? Tim O'Connor played the same part in the concluding part instead (I know Sirola does come back as Jonathan Kaye (for a final time) in the Season 5 episode "The Jinn Who Clears the Way" (before another actor plays/other actors play the part during the remainder of the series' twelve season run (I know Lyle Bettger played the same part in the later seasons). I thought Tim O'Connor did a good job in Joseph Sirola's shoes, including again not always agreeing with McGarrett. - Sadly, Dana Wynter would only appear in one episode of Hawaii Five-O. A shame as she was one of the memorable actresses on the show. Finally: I'm sure there is going to be something I've forgot, but I've tried to incorporate everything into this mini-review/review as best as I can.

05-19-2022, 11:28 PM	#8
OceanBlue Blu-ray Baron Member since:Sep 2013 Location:Midlands, UK	Season four episode "Skinhead" Haven't re-watched any further Season 4 episodes for the past few weeks, because I wanted to get these two mini-reviews/reviews done first. Both I found to be among my favourites in what has been a strong, fourth season of Hawaii Five-O. All the regular pieces of the furniture were in place by this point in the season (actor Glenn Cannon debuting as D.A. John Manicote in a recurring guest star role until during the ninth season). I'm really liking the episodes where there is depth and detail in the storyline and scenes (including the way they're shot). For me, these are important (as well as continuity, consistency and quality). I remember "Skinhead" very well from when I first saw it during UK channel Granada Plus's repeat run of the first few seasons of the show. Having re-watched it, it's lost none of it's surprises and the 'making you think long after you've watched it' scenes, including the ending which asked a question/questions. I won't spoil it (if I did, it would be in spoiler tags anyway). These downbeat, and at times cynical endings seem to be typical on the show during the first half of the show's run (especially the first half. Less so during the later seasons, maybe because the grim, gritty tone and violence in the show in the first half of the seventies were having to be toned down in the later seasons).

06-02-2022, 11:27 PM	#10
OceanBlue Blu-ray Baron Member since:Sep 2013 Location:Midlands, UK	Season four episode "Good Night Baby - Time to Die!" Well, the next fourth season episode was going the same way as I initially thought "Cloth of Gold" was going to go, until something happened which made me reassess what I had seen (and heard) before, changing my mind about the episode. There was a humdinger of a twist during the episode, and it was one I had hoped was going to happen once I realised the direction the story was going in (I wouldn't spoil anything anyway, and if I did say anything it would be in spoiler tags). Even though I always look at the brief synopsis on the rear cover artwork on each DVD slimline slipcase/DVD case, I try to watch each episode with a fresh slate in my mind, especially in the case of episodes like "Good Night Baby - Time to Die!" (you have to go into this episode cold). It had all the hallmarks of being one of those classic 'stuck in one location to save on the budget' episodes (I remember reading somewhere (on or off the web) that they called these episodes in older TV series "Desperate Hours episodes" (referring to the film I think (not sure if they were referring to the original or the remake as well). They were called this because it was apparently seen as a sign the writers were running out of ideas (another example being when a TV series would have an episode take place away from the usual city and/or town it was set in (although I would argue that isn't always the case, as I love crossover events where characters on one show go out of their comfort zone and go to a different city/town - and vice versa with the other show (a classic example being the original Law & Order and Homicide: Life on the Street). Anyway, this Hawaii Five-O: Season 4 episode was mainly set in an apartment or hotel complex, although you did get the odd scene take place outside the complex (I can't remember any scenes happening at the Iolani Palace in this episode, which so far in this re-watch of the show has been rare). "Good Night Baby - Time to Die!" also looked like it was going to be one of those very talky episodes, but like I said earlier in this mini-review/review, I changed my mind and reassessed what I thought beforehand. It really sneaks up on you the clever writing and storyline. It's definitely one of those episodes of a TV show you'll want to revisit if you enjoyed it as much as I did (I applauded it at the end). One final observation, the transfer was an improvement on "Cloth of Gold". One further, final observation: like with "While You're at It, Bring in the Moon", Five-O member Kono was totally absent (Duke is seen in a few scenes in this episode).

04-26-2022, 05:45 AM	#5
Jeff*H Junior Member Member since:Jan 2020 Digital collection:5	Long-time H5O fan (over 35 years since WOR reruns) and I just discovered this thread. I’ve recorded the entire series in the 90s on VHS, ripped them to DVD-Rs, bought the 10 1998 Columbia House VHS releases, bought the season DVDs and the Complete Series DVD release, and most recently bought the 12 VUDU Digital HD seasons. I’ve kept my fingers crossed for a Blu-ray release as well. So I’m a pretty hardcore fan of the series, having seen each episode dozens of times over the years. I’m enjoying your episode reviews, and I agree with quite a few of them. Please keep them coming, they are very well-written!

05-13-2022, 09:18 PM	#7
OceanBlue Blu-ray Baron Member since:Sep 2013 Location:Midlands, UK	cutback, how have you been doing with watching the second season of Hawaii Five-O on DVD? The last time you posted about it (back in January), you had finished watching the first season.

05-29-2022, 06:48 PM	#9
harry o Special Member Member since:Dec 2020	I've had the first five seasons of this classic series for many years must revisit some episodes, the first season really stuck with me as I watched it regularly with my folks back when it first broadcast on tv here in the UK in 69 I think.

07-30-2022, 10:55 PM	#11
cutback73 Active Member Member since:Oct 2020 Blu-ray collection:24 DVD collection:36	On to Season 2 - I finally started my watch/rewatch after several aborted intended starts... life has been somewhat stop/start all round this year. "A thousand pardons... you're dead" What a banger for an opening episode. For a start, what a superb title. The show certainly had a penchant for interesting titles, but they always have direct links to the story. It reminds me of The Fugitive episode titles which were also very imaginative, but often give you no clue as to the contents of the episode, making it hard to remember individual episodes from the title alone. In this case the use of the line "a thousand pardons" is in a memorable sequence, its possibly shoehorned in to the script, but in this case the always terrific Harry Guardino says it confidently and it feels like something his character could say. The highlight of the episode for me is the verbal toe to toe between Guardino and Jack Lord over the pool table. It reminded me of a similar verbal sequence between the quack doctor and McGarrett in season 1, in her office. Supporting cast is peppered with future stars including James Hong and Loretta Swit. And also there is the feisty and lovely Barbara Luna. It's a nice touch in the story when Danno's cover is blown, and it happens believably. Although its noticeable that McGarrett is NEVER allowed to make a mistake, the writers obviously felt they had more leeway with Danno not being the lead. I'm not sure the volte face of the character played by Barbara Luna (did I say she was lovely?) Is terribly convincing, but it's a plot device inevitably. The ending is rather overkill (literally) but still a great episode and the visual quality is excellent too. "To Hell With Babe Ruth" Did the writer sit and go "what's the most far fetched story I can think of?" In this era it's not easy to believe in Mark Lenard as a Japanese character (he's also playing much older than he was in real life and that make up is no more convincing than his eye makeup). But I can normally look beyond that if the story is good (e.g. Ricardo Montalban in season 1). But i'm sorry to say this just feels like a lazy piece of shlock, full of coincidences (the daughter still works in a clock shop in the same place for instance). Mark Lenard and Will Kuluva both feel wasted here (both have excellent appearances elsewhere in much better programmes). The final sequence on the petrol (gas) tanks is also a bit fuzzy and full of scratches and artifacts I felt. It may have been too damaged for viable repair to be done? The one positive from the episode in my mind is the daughter, played by a part Asian actress who appears convincingly bewildered and scared by events. And the very last shot with her and her father is quite touching. Wow, those (intended to be) short reviews above were longer than Ocean's...

08-01-2022, 10:49 PM	#13
OceanBlue Blu-ray Baron Member since:Sep 2013 Location:Midlands, UK	Season 2 episode "To Hell with Babe Ruth" transfer cutback, your observation about the transfer of the final sequence of the Season 2 episode "To Hell with Babe Ruth", if my memory is correct, is accurate. It's been a while since I re-watched that episode, but I do recall an episode having some of it looking like it hadn't been transferred to HD/hadn't had a restoration job (prior to that, there was a whole episode which looked similar (example being drained of some colour), the Season 1 episode "Six Kilos".

08-01-2022, 06:54 PM	#14
cutback73 Active Member Member since:Oct 2020 Blu-ray collection:24 DVD collection:36	Season 2 - episodes 3 and 4: Forty foot high and it kills! A fake tsunami alert instigated by evil grin Wo Fat is the start of another "spy caper" where McGarret and Wo Fat go toe to toe. These episodes always seem like nothing else in the series stylistically - more like a 60s spoof spy caper. Very entertaining though and a good casting of the Professor who gets some good scenes with Wo Fat. We also get treated to McGarret and Wo Fat together on screen. Which kind of reminded me of the very rare occasions that The Fugitive and Lt Gerard met. Semi light fluff really although someone does die. But no one important. I actually thought the Mexican standoff was well thought out, to allow the episode to conclude how it did. The Professor's daughter was woefully underwritten though. Also a mention for the great funky music that plays at the start during the weather relay sequence. Obviously during the opening of this episode, you can't help but remember that sad day on Boxing Day in real life when so many died. "Just lucky, I guess" Another great title gets shoehorned into the script. It's a somewhat predictable plot, and the ending is no surprise at all, but John Randolph plays the part of the torn witness well being generally good at these sort of character parts. And it's good to see a female detective get some screen time in a significant role. A pity we don't get to see her in maybe a recurring role as she's quite convincing in the scene with the "mobster". So all in all it's very predictable but well cast which lifts it above the humdrum plot and makes it enjoyable as a result. Last edited by cutback73; 08-01-2022 at 07:00 PM.

04-07-2023, 05:23 AM	#15
Hindustani Blu-ray Guru Member since:Dec 2014	Damn.....you on season 5 already. I'm stuck on Season 2 like......forever. Aah the good old, I mean "really" old days when they gave you 25 episodes per season. grinding every plot out to the max plus the Hawaii setting.....its like watching LOST all over again before LOST.

08-25-2023, 12:32 AM	#16
OceanBlue Blu-ray Baron Member since:Sep 2013 Location:Midlands, UK	Season 5 finale "Jury of One" Slowly but surely will be up to date with my Hawaii Five-O mini-reviews/reviews, which is why I haven't re-watched another Season 6 episode since "The Sunday Torch" (something like 2-3 months since I re-watched it). I didn't want to get too far ahead of the mini-reviews/reviews I haven't got round to doing yet. "The Sunday Torch" was top-notch, so I wanted to leave my re-watch of the series on hold for a while. Finishing off the fifth season, "Jury of One" was better than I thought it was going to be. My recollection of my previous viewing was that the season ended on a whimper rather than a bang. I also had in my head, that the plot involved [Show spoiler] It turned out not to be the case (instead, [Show spoiler] I thought it was well written, it kept my interest and went in one or two directions I wasn't expecting (the episodic promos for example, while they give away some of what happens, the way they're edited they actually fool you at times (and in a good way). The story ended in a satisfying manner, and an episode doesn't have to have some big action scene or a sequence of action scenes to make it memorable. There are always going to be some duff episodes, and in Season 5 they were mostly in the second half, especially towards the end.

04-11-2025, 11:20 PM	#17
harry o Special Member Member since:Dec 2020	Think it was a mercury ??

08-26-2025, 11:09 PM	#19
OceanBlue Blu-ray Baron Member since:Sep 2013 Location:Midlands, UK	The original Magnum, P.I. A pity the makers of the original Magnum, P.I. weren't able to get Jack Lord and James Garner to make an appearance. I do remember reading that the possible reason for James Garner not appearing was because of the legal case which started after production on The Rockford Files ended abruptly. With Jack Lord, I'm just not sure we will ever know the reason why they declined to appear on the show.

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