Greetings, readers. Three weeks ago I started watching the new Hawaii Five-O on Netflix streaming. I had purposely not watched this series before now because I was a huge fan of the original 1968 show. I knew I would compare them, and that Jack Lord’s version would win out. Did it? Yes. However, after binge watching all six complete seasons of the current re-boot, I must confess I actually like it.
The main character, Steve McGarrett, played by Alex O’Loughlin, is a control freak nut. He has to drive Danny’s car and make the final decision on everything. The constant bickering between McGarrett and Danny Williams, played by Scott Caan, almost made me stop watching after season two. I just had to accept that was that the way the writers decided to write the dynamic of these two characters. Now, I’m used to it and expect it. In the early years, they hated one another, but after all the countless cases and sticky situations, they are good partners and have each other’s backs.
The character Kono Kalakaua is played by Grace Park. She does a marvelous job as the former professional surfer turned cop. In the original series Kono was played by a man. CBS must have thought that they needed at least one female in the main cast of the re-boot. In later seasons, Catherine Rollins, played by Michelle Borth, officially joined the cast as a Five-0 member, so the push to have a 50-50 mix was on. I give that a thumb’s up.
When a person binge watches a show, something to look for is how fast the children grow up. Teilor Grubbs plays Danny Williams’ daughter Grace. It has been interesting to watch the changes in the child actress as well the character. The character was about 8 years old when the series began and is now approximately 15 years old in the current season now running on CBS. In season six, Danny Williams found out that he also has a three-year old son named Charlie that his ex-wife kept from him. Mid-way through the series Danny and Rachel got back together briefly. Now Danny has a son.
New characters that weren’t in the old series are Kamekona, played by Taylor Wily, and his cousin Flippa, played by Shawn Mokuahi Garnet. Two big boys with big hearts and a keen eye for business. Sometimes they are used for comic relief.
Mid-way through the series, actor Chi McBride joined the cast as Lt Lou Grover. A passionate man who cares deeply about his family and turns into a grizzly bear when they are in danger. The series has had several Lou Grover heavy episodes and I find Mr. McBride’s acting to be outstanding. Probably the best actor of the cast.
Another impressive aspect of the show is the theme song. Yes it is the classic, written by Morton Stevens but it is faster and shorter. The first time I heard it my reaction was you’ve got to be kidding. Now, I like it almost as much as the original. Who knew?
Let’s talk about the cars for a minute. From Dan Williams’ Camaro and Chin Ho Kelly’s vintage Mustang to Steve McGarrett’s father’s Mercury Grand Marquis, cars are a big draw to me in this series. I adore the fact that the Mercury is either the car that was used in the later years of the original series or is a duplicate. As most of you know, I am a big car nut and the fact that they transition the old series to the new with that car makes me happy every time I see it on the road. The story line is that it is constantly being worked on, which is why you only see it being driven two or three times.
Finally, the series is shot on location in Hawaii as was the classic series, adding to the show’s authentic look. The state has a variety of climates, so it is easy when they need to look like they are in a different country, like China or Colombia, to choose a nearby location and have it look pretty close to the local they need to be in. In HD, the scenery is brilliant and stunning. If I had to knock off a half a point, I would do so for way too many beach scenes. I don’t need to see woman in bikinis in the opening shot of every episode.
My final rating for this series: a very solid 9 out of 10.
Rebecca suggested I look for season seven on demand. I’m going to do just that. This is a wonderful show; much better than I expected. I don’t know if it will last eleven seasons like the original did, but I’m hoping for at least one more. Go H5-O.
Until next week, we bid you a great weekend, take care, and happy reading.
josephmkockelmans 