Hawaii Five-O (TV Series) The Case Against Philip Christie (1978) User Reviews

Make it stop, make it stop!

[planktonrules · 2/10 · 4 September 2013]

Up through season 10, "Hawaii Five-O" was a dandy television cop show. Even after all those years, the show STILL had great writing and was amazingly fresh. However, with the advent of season 11 came some changes--and plots became amazingly bad. In fact, "The Case Against Philip Christie" was the fourth terrible episode in a row!

The major problem with the plot is that it is utterly ridiculous--so ridiculous that I can't imagine viewers accepting its cockeyed premise. There is a very, very confusing murder and McGarrett is on the jury!!! Yes, you are expected to believe that the #1 cop in Hawaii is allowed to serve on a jury! Heck, even an everyday beat cop would never be allowed on a jury!!

The next serious problem with the show is that it is a rip-off of several earlier movies and TV shows (such as "12 Angry Men", "Perfect Strangers" and an episode of "The Odd Couple"). Clearly the idea of a jury NEARLY unanimous and in a hurry to convict versus a lone holdout is NOT particularly original!

If you could ignore these two super-serious problems (and who could?!), the show STILL has some problems. The acting of the victim before she was killed was terrible and seemed very fake. It LOOKED and SOUNDED like she was acting. Also, every one of McGarrett's concerns about holes in the case to convict were very, very reasonable and commonsense--yet the jurors were not to be swayed and the forewoman of the jury acted uncharacteristically belligerent.

The bottom line is that this is a horribly written episode of a once-great series...just horrible. Let's hope episode 11.5 is better...it couldn't be worse!

Another dud

[WilliamJE · 2/10 · 4 February 2021]

As the other reviewer said- McGarrett would have never been chosen for a jury. That makes the whole premise for the episode impossible. The actress playing the murder victim was bad too.

The locked room mystery wasn't any better. I knew the killer had to be in the room when everyone else barged in.

Perry Mason would bang his head on the desk.

[FloridaFred · 4/10 · 25 January 2024]

The writers are running out of ideas by Season 11. They must have watched the movie "12 Angry Men", and decided that would make a good episode of H5-0.

The actress playing character Shirley is a Farrah Fawcett look-alike. Charlie's Angels was still running at the time, was this deliberate?

And the character named "Penny" is awful, absolutely awful! Some of the worst acting of any episode of H5-0.

There is no way that the head of the State Police Force would serve on a jury. That is absurd. McGarrett doesn't know the Deputy District Attorney? How is that possible? When did the guy get hired, yesterday?

On a positive note, Hawaii Five-0 regular Kwan Hi Lim plays the Judge. Although, apparently lacking creativity, the writers name the character Judge Kwan Hi Lim.

Also absurd is the Hawaii Five-0 Team starting an investigation midway through the trial. With McGarrett on the jury, that would get the case thrown out of Court. And (spoiler alert), nothing comes of it except the silly scene with the P. I. removing his shirt and joining the joggers.

What defense attorney would allow his client, the Accused, to take the stand? No, no, no!

Until about 20 minutes in, the show is at least watchable. But when they go into the Jury Room, it becomes a verbal battle between McGarrett and the Jury Forewoman (a feminist with a bad perm).

The writers also pepper the show with tacky jokes. The stupid P. I. tailing his own wife. And that virgin remark by the Jury Queen at the restaurant. Was that supposed to be funny?

The jury goes to the scene of the crime. That only happens in Perry Mason reruns. Not only do the Jurors go there, they take the Judge, both attorneys, and all of the witnesses. They even take the Accused! Then McGarrett recreates the crime. They even hand McG the gun. Totally unrealistic.

But the writers are not done. Once the real killer confessed the crime, the Judge would have dismissed the charges against Philip Christie. They would not have continued the Jury proceedings.

Another Season 11 flop.

4 stars for "The Case Against Philip Christie"

Florida Fred .