Hawaii Five-O (the original series)

[PileOfFudge]

Originally Posted by OceanBlue

The first season four episode I've watched for a few weeks, I was easily going to dismiss "Cloth of Gold" as being merely a good episode and nothing more. However, on finishing watching it, I changed my mind. It's one of those episodes you'll re-assess, thinking in hindsight over what occurs. It had a low-key, small-scale feel to it, but by the end the story hits you well

[Show spoiler](a tale of revenge involving tradition, the innocence of the victim and the inevitable doom for the culprits, with one of those classic Hawaii Five-O 'sudden' endings (but done in a good way-sudden endings).

You were kept guessing as to what the title of this episode was referring to. The explanation was a satisfying one.

I'm not sure if it was because of the film I saw at the cinema last night with the impressive picture, or if it was because the picture/transfer in this Five-O episode being a bit 'soft' compared to prior episodes in this fourth season, but it just looked a bit odd, despite still looking remastered/transferred to HD (the episode of Medical Center I watched afterwards was sharper and also remastered).

What added to the odd experience of re-watching this episode (as it went on, I clearly remembered watching it before (a good example being a scene with Danno and guest star Jason Evers's character), was that it seemed like McGarrett was in the background with Danno in charge of the case, then it seemed like McGarrett was leading the investigation.

One final thing, after being totally absent in the previous episode "While You're At It, Bring in the Moon", Kono appeared in "Cloth of Gold".

I very much enjoyed reading your synopsis of this episode. This was the very first Five-O episode I ever watched and it's what made me a fan of the series. The subject matter here was pretty edgy stuff for 1972, which I believe is when this episode was originally broadcast.

For some reason, I remember getting the impression that this particular episode was filmed towards the earlier part of the season, even though it was broadcast towards the end. And I also enjoyed once again seeing the Anderson Estate show up once again, where the original Magnum, P.I. was filmed.

[OceanBlue]

Originally Posted by PileOfFudge

I very much enjoyed reading your synopsis of this episode. This was the very first Five-O episode I ever watched and it's what made me a fan of the series. The subject matter here was pretty edgy stuff for 1972, which I believe is when this episode was originally broadcast.

For some reason, I remember getting the impression that this particular episode was filmed towards the earlier part of the season, even though it was broadcast towards the end. And I also enjoyed once again seeing the Anderson Estate show up once again, where the original Magnum, P.I. was filmed.

Before I put together my mini-review/review of "Cloth of Gold", I went back to a post you made earlier in this thread - it's stuck in my mind as it's like a checklist. One of the other episodes in the list is among the last four episodes I've got left to re-watch in the fourth season, the season finale "R&R&R", and remembered that you said it was among your favourite Hawaii Five-O episodes.

You've been very helpful with mentioning the name of the estate where the exteriors of Robin's Nest were filmed in the original Magnum, P.I.. Did they only film the exteriors of the Anderson Estate, and not the interiors? Hawaii Five-O definitely filmed inside the house there, whereas the interiors on Magnum, P.I. were done (I think) on studio sets. I could be wrong, but I'm sure I read it somewhere. The very last episode of Hawaii Five-O, "Woe to Wo Fat" filmed in some of the interiors of the Anderson Estate. This filming location has been used several times so far in what I've re-watched of Hawaii Five-O.

Regarding the original Magnum, P.I., from the discussion I've read on here for both the North American Blu-ray release by Mill Creek and the UK Blu-ray release by Fabulous Films, after weighing up the positives and negatives, I'm likely going to eventually get the UK release. Then when I've finished re-watching the twelfth and final season of Hawaii Five-O, I'll start re-watching Magnum, P.I.

[PileOfFudge]

Originally Posted by OceanBlue

Before I put together my mini-review/review of "Cloth of Gold", I went back to a post you made earlier in this thread - it's stuck in my mind as it's like a checklist. One of the other episodes in the list is among the last four episodes I've got left to re-watch in the fourth season, the season finale "R&R&R", and remembered that you said it was among your favourite Hawaii Five-O episodes.

You've been very helpful with mentioning the name of the estate where the exteriors of Robin's Nest were filmed in the original Magnum, P.I.. Did they only film the exteriors of the Anderson Estate, and not the interiors? Hawaii Five-O definitely filmed inside the house there, whereas the interiors on Magnum, P.I. were done (I think) on studio sets. I could be wrong, but I'm sure I read it somewhere. The very last episode of Hawaii Five-O, "Woe to Wo Fat" filmed in some of the interiors of the Anderson Estate. This filming location has been used several times so far in what I've re-watched of Hawaii Five-O.

Regarding the original Magnum, P.I., from the discussion I've read on here for both the North American Blu-ray release by Mill Creek and the UK Blu-ray release by Fabulous Films, after weighing up the positives and negatives, I'm likely going to eventually get the UK release. Then when I've finished re-watching the twelfth and final season of Hawaii Five-O, I'll start re-watching Magnum, P.I.

All the Magnum episodes used a soundstage for Robin's Nest, except for the Pilot episode and the 'China Doll' episode. Both of those episodes were filmed inside one of the locations used for exterior shots of the King Kamehameha Club.

The Hawaii Five-O crew was granted permission to film inside the Anderson Estate for various episodes by Eve Anderson herself. When the property went up for sale several years ago, Zillow and Realtor.com included various interior photographs of the mansion, including a picture of the bedroom where Akamai's body is discovered.

[harry o]

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]

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).

[OceanBlue]

In the past two to three weeks, have finished off re-watching what ended up being a strong season (not many duff episodes).

Beginning with the first of the last three episodes of the season, "Didn't We Meet at a Murder?". The beginning was done differently with the set-up and the presentation (for example, how the episode title appeared onscreen (one word at a time), putting a fresh spin on the story (a plot to assassinate someone). They were only in the fourth season and were already doing a different version of something done before (this is not the same as 'they were starting to repeat themselves' (ie. 'they're running out of ideas').

I like the episodic promos when they play tricks on the viewer (but in a good way), as sometimes they give away what will happen in the episode. Scenes in the episodic promo were shown out of order (ie. not in the chronological order they'll appear in the episode). It was a surprise seeing well-known (to me) guest star

[Show spoiler]Simon Oakland's character killed off early

(the target of the assassins, their hit). Loved how the scene was done, how it was set up - the way it was filmed and written.

The story was well written, and what the hit was all about, you could argue it had been done before on the show, but I'd forgot what the endgame was of the mastermind and their gang, and yet even though it had been done before in a similar way, it didn't take away from the quality. And I liked the twists and turns.

One observation I noticed, was that one of the camera shots of Chin Ho Kelly while on their

[Show spoiler]rooftop observation/stakeout of the carpet shop,

was used for Kam Fong's ident screen from the next season (Season 5) onwards. James MacArthur's ident screen for Season 5 onwards, was a camera shot in an episode earlier on in the fourth season, "The Ninety-Second War: Part I".

*****

The next episode "Follow the White Brick Road" was good, but not one of my favourite episodes this season (unlike "Didn't We Meet at a Murder?"). Guest stars included the late David Birney. This was one of the episodes which had the support of the US Navy and Department of Defense (based on the onscreen writing after the title sequence in "Follow the White Brick Road" for example). I think it might have been the claustrophobic atmosphere onboard the ship or/and the majority of the episode being at sea, but I didn't enjoy it much. Five-O's investigation seemed to be big-scale, but in the end

[Show spoiler]it felt small scale.

I did quite like the ending though

[Show spoiler](McGarrett's anger at yet another victim of drugs).

I think I was expecting better things for the last but one episode of the season. However, the quality was back in the season finale.

[OceanBlue]

The show was back on form for it's fourth season finale, "R & R & R" (did the episode title stand for

[Show spoiler]"Rest & Recuperation & Revenge"?).

Very, very good episode (could say it was excellent, even though I was left with questions (such as, did McGarrett say

[Show spoiler]at the end to the culprit that they were a liar because they weren't telling the truth about their heroic act for their soldier comrades in the armed conflict/war?).

Loved the misdirection as the episode neared it's end (but that was another question: what was meant when

[Show spoiler]McGarrett was remembering something Kono said incorrectly ("photogenic" was one word said or not said when the female cop (a stand-in for the wife of the soldier who it had been revealed had died before the wife had received the telegram from the killer at her home in Florida) was being transported to a different location, which led him to head back to the plane at the airport?

They kept you guessing as to the motive of the killer

[Show spoiler](including when they went to the Army recruiting centre, being turned away).

The tone of the episode was typical of what has been seen in the fourth season, more gritty, cynical and downbeat, with more blood seen. The teaser (as well as McGarrett at the crime scene after the title sequence) of "R & R & R" was a very good example (the first victim, a young woman, killed while in the shower). I did remember some of the episode, but I still got a lot from the episode (well written and a sign of quality).

One of my favourite scenes was at Che Fong's laboratory with the

[Show spoiler]mannequin dummy's head and shoulders (when they were talking about the army uniform not actually being a true uniform (think I have that correctly), which kept you guessing as to whether the killer was an ex-soldier.

Another observation: in the end, Zulu (as Five-O member Kono) appeared in twenty-two out of the twenty-four episodes in the fourth season. They didn't get a send-off (but with how the episodes were not shown in the same order that they were filmed, that's not a surprise).

Looking forward to starting my re-watch of the show's fifth season, which would see actor Al Harrington join the main cast as Five-O member Ben.

[OceanBlue]

This is a short post () about the episodic promos in my copy of the North American (Region 1) DVD boxset of the fourth season. I noticed that in this season, the extra comments said by Jack Lord in the episodic promos since the second season (the first season to have them in the DVD releases) get less and less. The episodes in the Season 4 DVD boxset which do have the episodic promos (narrated by Jack Lord), a lot of them just have Jack Lord talking at the beginning and the end ("This is Jack Lord inviting you to be with us next for [insert episode title]", and "Next..[insert episode title]. Be here, aloha".

The episodic promos initially began with "This is Jack Lord inviting you to be with us next week, for..". Which leads me to believe that it was shortened to "This is Jack Lord inviting you to be with us next, for..", because there would be gaps between new episodes (ie. CBS wouldn't be airing new episodes every week).

I had read on or off the web that these episodic promos have been edited for the DVD releases, but I'm not sure. In the DVD sets which have episodic promos (narrated by Jack Lord) - not the promos which were introduced in the Season 9 DVD season set onwards - they last for around sixty seconds.

One final thing about the episodic promos, going back to what I said earlier about Jack Lord's narration becoming less and less. At the end of the episodic promos in the fourth season which are in the DVD boxset, he wouldn't repeat the full episode title, it would be a shortened version. What I wrote down for the episodes in the DVD boxset which have episodic promos:

Episode "No Bottles, No Cans, No People":

Episodic promo ends with "Next..No Bottles. Be here, aloha"

Episode "Wednesday, Ladies Free":

Episodic promo ends with "Next..Ladies Free. Be here, aloha"

Episode "And I Want Some Candy, and a Gun That Shoots":

Episodic promo ends with "Next..Candy and a Gun. Be here, aloha"

Episode "The Burning Ice":

Episodic promo ends with "Next..Burning Ice. Be here, aloha"

Episode "Bait Once, Bait Twice":

Episodic promo ends with "Next..Bait Once. Be here, aloha"

Episode "Good Night Baby - Time to Die!":

Episodic promo ends with "Next..Time to Die. Be here, aloha"

Episode "Didn't We Meet at a Murder?":

Episodic promo ends with "Next..Murder. Be here, aloha"

Episode "Follow the White Brick Road":

Episodic promo ends with "Next..White Brick Road"

and the season finale "R & R & R":

Episodic promo ends with "Next..R & R. Be here, aloha".

[OceanBlue]

In the past week, have started re-watching the fifth season (the first disc in total so far). The first three seasons of the original Hawaii Five-O I've got the UK DVD releases of. With the fourth season, have got both the States and UK DVD releases (initially, the UK release, then the States release after finding out that one episode had a cut to it (a cockfighting scene); can't remember the name of which episode it was (a brief few seconds were cut). Watched the States DVD release of the fourth season.

Back to the UK DVD releases with the fifth season. The PAL speed-up thing doesn't bother me and isn't a deal-breaker. However, even though I've watched the UK DVD release of Season 5 before, it took a while to get used to the different speed of the characters' voices (right from the off with Jack Lord's voice in the episodic promo for the season premiere "Death is a Company Policy").

I'll try and be brief (yeah, right ). "Death is a Company Policy" is a flawed episode, but still very good. It had enough story and details where a feature-length episode would have been better and given the story space to breath (I also thought the ending was a bit rushed). I think my mind was playing tricks on me, as while I was re-watching it, I thought something previewed in the episodic promo wasn't in the episode itself

[Show spoiler](a burning building where either someone was inside it, or where evidence had been destroyed by the company being investigated by Five-O, and the company who had devised a clever plan where Duke had been framed. I could swear McGarrett was outside the burning building, but I think Chin Ho was outside the building with a police officer in the actual episode).

Starting in this season, and the same with at least one other CBS show in the 1972-73 season in the States (Mannix: Season 6), there was no teaser before the title sequence. In the DVD season set, if you choose to play the episodes with the episodic promos (the episodes which have them), after the episodic promo, next is the title sequence, followed by the teaser, the main body of the episode, then the end credits).

There is an error on the inside of the card sleeve in the Hawaii Five-O: The Fifth Season (Region 2 UK) DVD set. It states that there are episodic promos on selected episodes on Disc One, when on this re-watch I've rediscovered (I'd forgot about this) that all four episodes on Disc One have episodic promos.

[OceanBlue]

Continuing from my previous post, have re-watched in the past fortnight the fifth season episodes:

"Death Wish on Tantalus Mountain"
"You Don't Have to Kill to Get Rich - But It Helps"
and "Pig in a Blanket".

Straight away, is it me, or were the episode titles in older TV series more imaginative than on some modern day TV series (but not all, as there are one or two modern day TV drama series which do have imaginative episode titles)?

Secondly, I'm unsure as to whether the second or third episode above was the original Hawaii Five-O's milestone 100th episode (I'm airing towards the latter, as I have believed a lot of the time that the feature-length pilot "Cocoon" is classed as Episode 0. It also depends if it was shown in syndication as a two-part episode and classed as Episode 1 of the first season).

Onto the episodes, first "Death Wish on Tantalus Mountain":

I'm not a fan of motor racing, so that being the theme of this second episode of the season didn't appeal to me. Everything else, especially Five-O's investigation of the threats against the racing driver character played by Ricardo Montalban (the second and final episode of the series they guest-starred in, after Season 1's "Samurai"), I enjoyed. I thought I remembered the ending from my first watch, but I got it wrong. This wasn't a great episode, but it wasn't bad either. There were some well shot scenes.

Episode "You Don't Have to Kill to Get Rich - But It Helps":

The (in my opinion) slightly shaky start to the fifth season continued with this episode whose guest cast included William Shatner (their only appearance on the show). I couldn't quite understand why an episode with a detailed plot would end up feeling rushed. It showed a lot of promise. Maybe my mind wasn't fresh when I re-watched it, and so the explanations and reasons for the various characters' motives I missed?

The business being investigated was very similar to the company in "Death is a Company Policy". An observation: the location used for Robin's Nest on the original Magnum, P.I. was used again in this episode. Also among the guest stars was Ric Marlow, their second episode after last season's "Bait Once, Bait Twice".

Episode "Pig in a Blanket" (the milestone 100th episode?):

Straight away I'll say this: after I finished re-watching this episode, I thought "the show was back on form after a slightly shaky start to the season". Still, I had a couple of nitpicks (the attitude towards the police force didn't go into any detail (referring to the scene where

[Show spoiler]Chin Ho was searching the goodwill bin for the robber's mask etc. and getting a negative response from a teenager and older woman nearby),

and

[Show spoiler]the culprit who shot dead the police officer friend of Danno's, that part of the plot was forgotten about in the second half).

That said, it shouldn't take away from what I thought was an excellent episode. It was well shot, written (on the whole) and acted. Highlights for me included the

[Show spoiler]night-time-set scenes towards the beginning of the episode (including Danno's chase of the robbery suspect and how it ended), and McGarrett's mind games with the true culprit in the hospital corridor.

[OceanBlue]

Have selected the UK flag icon as I'm re-watching the UK DVD release of Hawaii Five-O: The Fifth Season.

A quick update on the episodic promos. Have almost finished re-watching the first two discs, and every episode so far has had an episodic promo narrated by Jack Lord.

Since my last post, have re-watched the episodes "The Jinn Who Clears the Way", "Fools Die Twice" and "Chain of Events":

Episode "The Jinn Who Clears the Way":

Wo Fat was back in this top-notch episode. His previous appearance being in the Season 4 two-parter "The Ninety-Second War" (the first part being excellent, and you could see they'd spent the budget on this (referring especially to the car crash incident involving McGarrett), followed by the very talky concluding part). I thought this episode was very enjoyable (including a surprise previewed in the episodic promo (it could have been misdirection (which works if done the right way),

[Show spoiler]Wo Fat's disguise at the funeral in the penultimate scene).

You could argue that Wo Fat using someone to complete his scheme and mission has become predictable, but that's one of his characteristics (and the same with some (but not all) villains on the original Hawaii Five-O and other cop/detective series (that's not neccessarily a bad thing if done right. It's what they do with the story elements that counts, if the elements are predictable).

Anyway, loved

[Show spoiler]McGarrett's (and Five-O's) encounter with Wo Fat.

Guest star Soon Teck-Oh played a very good part, playing a character who was

[Show spoiler]initially a pawn in Wo Fat's game.

If I remember correctly, this was the last Wo Fat episode for two seasons (they would return in the Season 7 episode "Presenting...in the Center Ring...Murder").

Episode "Fools Die Twice":

A very well done first half in this episode (a classic example of misdirection involving a

[Show spoiler]planned heist.

It's best going into this episode cold). I just didn't think the second half was as good, although the closing scene was done well. I remember being disappointed in this episode when I first watched it a long time ago, it mainly being because of Clu Gulager's character in the second half (thought his performance was better in a Season 6 episode of Mannix I re-watched recently ("The Man Who Wasn't There"). I didn't quite get what Gulager's character was about in the second half of the Five-O episode (I totally got their character in the first half). It was disappointing that

[Show spoiler]considering how clever Gulager's character thought they were, they didn't think about the background noises which McGarrett and Five-O uncovered during their investigation, which led to them finding the whereabouts of the kidnapped scientist.

Something worth mentioning, after Joseph Sirola's last appearance as recurring character Jonathan Kaye in "The Jinn Who Clears the Way", the character appeared in "Fools Die Twice", played this time by actor Bill Edwards.

Episode "Chain of Events":

A change of tone in "Chain of Events". I try to re-watch each episode with a clean slate in my mind. And it was definitely needed to get what they were trying to put across in the story (about a sexually transmitted disease and the various people affected and Five-O's investigation). I'd forgot that actor Dirk Benedict guest-starred (an early role for him, a decade before The A-Team debuted on American TV). On the whole, this was a very decent episode. Not totally sure if it's one of my favourites, but it definitely wasn't a bad episode (I liked how it ended

[Show spoiler](a sombre tone with things looking not so good for guest star Linden Chiles's character's prospects in the upcoming election etc. It was also a satisfying resolution (written well) with who the killer was and how the scene was acted in McGarrett's office).

[cutback73]

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...

[cutback73]

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.

[OceanBlue]

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]

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".

[OceanBlue]

Originally Posted by PileOfFudge

Some of my favorite original 5-O episodes were the very first ones I ever watched when the series ran in syndication back in the early 90's:

Honor is an Unmarked Grave
Cloth of Gold
Trouble in Mind
Follow the White Brick Road
And A Time to Die...
R&R&R

The original Hawaii Five-O was quite ahead of its time.

I must have quoted your post three or four times now, but it's been a checklist and provided ideas for posts. The only episode I haven't yet re-watched is "Honor is an Unmarked Grave". I thought it was coming up soon, but having checked EpGuides (and it took a short while to find it) I'm way, way away from getting to that episode (it's in the eighth season).

One of the guest stars in "Cloth of Gold" (they played the butler) had a brief role in one of the fifth season episodes I re-watched in the past few weeks, "Chain of Events".

[OceanBlue]

Note: The UK flag icon refers to the Region 2 UK DVD release of Hawaii Five-O: The Fifth Season which I've watched/am re-watching it from.

I'll have to start making notes of in which episodes (and where) there are continuity errors (but in a way it's charming, spotting these continuity errors (no TV show is perfect, and in the case of Hawaii Five-O it doesn't always happen in every episode). I can be hard to please and if there's something I don't like I'll point it out, but not to the extent of putting the show down. The continuity error I usually spot is when McGarrett's suit changes colour when he travels from one location to another. Other times it's when archive footage is used (an example being the one camera shot which looks like it was filmed from the balcony of an apartment, of a car driven by a Five-O member travelling or racing on the freeway/highway (what we would call in the UK simply a 'road', dual-carriageway or motorway. Another example is when patrol officers get the call from Dispatch to head to a crime scene).

I loved the camerashot from

[Show spoiler]the viewpoint of the mannequins on the small boat (loaded with explosives) drifting towards the boat which Keenan Wynn's character, their revenge target, McGarrett and Danno were on.

That was one of the highlights of an otherwise good to very good, but could have been better episode. Another of the highlights for me was when

[Show spoiler]McGarrett, Chin Ho and Ben (with Danno) were scouring an area for clues, helping Danno's fragmented memory (loved the camerashot when Ben opened the door into the tunnel/bunker where Danno could swear he saw the small boat inside).

I think what disappointed me was how they put across the whole

[Show spoiler] revenge plot created by Keenan Wynn's character.

They've done this kind of plot and motive before on the show. And I've said on here before (not just with Hawaii Five-O) that when they're doing the same thing, it's what the makers of the show do with it that counts. What is important to me when really liking an episode are details, continuity, and consistency (in a good way). The detailed episodes which are packed full of stuff I like and appreciate the most. I try to watch/re-watch every episode with a clean slate in my mind. I really wanted to like "Journey Out of Limbo", as when they're done right the 'amnesia' episodes can be memorable (pardon the pun). I just didn't find the elements of this episode as a whole to work and not entirely believable.

Next, the "'V' for Vashon" trilogy.

[PileOfFudge]

Originally Posted by OceanBlue

I must have quoted your post three or four times now, but it's been a checklist and provided ideas for posts. The only episode I haven't yet re-watched is "Honor is an Unmarked Grave". I thought it was coming up soon, but having checked EpGuides (and it took a short while to find it) I'm way, way away from getting to that episode (it's in the eighth season).

One of the guest stars in "Cloth of Gold" (they played the butler) had a brief role in one of the fifth season episodes I re-watched in the past few weeks, "Chain of Events".

Honor Is An Unmarked Grave is a terrific episode and a great mystery. This was the very first 5-0 episode I ever watched way back in 1990 and it’s always been one of my favorites, partly for sentimental reasons. It was directed by Jack Lord who was particularly keen on atmosphere for this episode and it includes a nice memorable score by Morton Stevens. You’ve got something to look forward to with this one, along with many others.

[OceanBlue]

Thought it was best to post my mini-review/review of the "'V' for Vashon" trilogy while it was still (sort-of) fresh in my memory (have re-watched a further three episodes following the trilogy. Also, I've posted above the small front cover artwork for the UK DVD release of The Fifth Season as my copy of this season is the UK release.

It was definitely from watching the episodes for the first time on Granada Plus, or my copy of the UK DVD release, but I thought there was a recap of the events in "The Son" at the beginning of the second chapter "The Father. In the end, there was a recap at the beginning of the concluding chapter in the trilogy, "The Patriarch" (it slightly spoiled it for me, as the new scenes in the concluding chapter were reduced by something like six minutes. "The Father" went straight into new footage/scenes).

The last chapter nearly got derailed by a couple of things (McGarrett's colourful fashion choices (one of which wasn't that bad (a grey suit with a part yellow tie). I was reminded of one of the fashion choices I saw a screenshot of a long time ago on an Hawaii Five-O website or Facebook page/group, of McGarrett

[Show spoiler]on a sun lounger at the retreat he stays at while putting together his defence against being found guilty of shooting an 'unarmed' man a distance away from an elevator/lift in a hotel complex (he's wearing a yellow bath or shower robe). The second thing was the sound in the scenes at the retreat when Jack Lord was speaking to the actors playing Danno, Chin Ho, Ben and John Manicote

(it sounded like Jack Lord's voice had been dubbed in during post-production, compared to the other actors).

Thought all three chapters in the trilogy were well written and constructed, and the ending was a

[Show spoiler]classic downbeat Five-O ending where McGarrett didn't get the full win against the villains.

There was plenty of content and details, with on-location scenes being especially well shot and framed.

I think I enjoyed the "'V' for Vashon" trilogy more this time than I did the last time. Certainly three of the best episodes so far in this re-watch of the fifth season.

[OceanBlue]

In the past few weeks, have re-watched a further few episodes from Hawaii Five-O: The Fifth Season (the Region 2 UK DVD release):

- "The Clock Struck Twelve"
- "I'm a Family Crook--Don't Shoot!"
- "The Child Stealers"
- "Thanks for the Honeymoon".

Episode "The Clock Struck Twelve":

After the top-notch "'V' for Vashon" trilogy, you'd expect the episode which followed it to be a disappointment. However, on the whole I was entertained by what was a tense (at times) and well written story. I loved the way the start of the episode was done

[Show spoiler](making you believe the threat was genuine, only to discover it was a dummy operation carried out by Five-O to test the security of the courthouse, ending with a classic Hawaii Five-O camera shot (McGarrett saying "Boom").

I recognised one of the guest stars from an earlier episode (in that one (Season 4's "A Matter of Mutual Concern") they played one of four or five mob bosses, in a plot where someone was taking out the competition).

There wasn't a lot I didn't like about "The Clock Struck Twelve", but at least it was better than "The Child Stealers". Some really good cinematography, including

[Show spoiler]overhead shots from the viewpoint of McGarrett in a helicopter.

Episode "I'm a Family Crook--Don't Shoot!":

Couldn't get a grasp at times of what tone the show's makers were trying to achieve in this episode, but in the end it ranks among my favourite episodes in the fifth season. What was a story which kept my interest, was capped off by one of those closing shots which Hawaii Five-O did really well (a bit like the 'gotcha' closing shots accompanying the cynical endings). You knew what it was going to be, but that didn't take away from the quality. You could start thinking too much about elements of an episode and conclude by thinking there is some unoriginality when you think about any possible or not possible connections in the direction of the story. Anyway, I had a big grin on my face and was doing a silent clap with the ending.

Going back to the tone. It seemed like the two Avery Filer episodes (in Season 3 and Season 4 respectably) with actor Hume Cronyn, with the comedy aspects. Against that was the serious tone of the story

[Show spoiler](a family of con artists/crooks who become targets of a mobster after they steal the mobster's bagman's briefcase full of money).

Playing the head of the family of crooks was veteran actor/legend Andy Griffith (someone will know whether he was starring on a different series at the time in the States in the early seventies). Also among the guest stars was Harold Sakata in a brief role as a rival mobster's assistant (most famous for playing henchman Oddjob in the Bond film Goldfinger).

One of the things I love about the show is when the writers are playing tricks with the viewer (an example being in this episode when you're not quite sure if McGarrett or the subject of the Five-O investigation has the upper hand).

Something else in this episode which was one of the highlights for me, was to do with

[Show spoiler]the bagman arriving at the mobster's house, Five-O noticing something was up and not quite right.