"The Ninth Step" is a decent episode but the ending sure could have been better. The Ninth Step in the title is a reference to the ninth step in Alcoholics Anonymous--where a person is to attempt to make amends for all the harm they've caused due to drinking. In this case, an ex-cop who lost his job due to his drinking (Gil Gerard) is attempting to sort out the details leading to his final bender--where he got himself fired because he was unconscious instead of protecting an armored car (which was subsequently robbed). The problem is that this leads to the crooks (who are still at large) learning about his quest and they aren't about to just sit back and let the guy catch them. Unfortunately, Gerard's character is, at times, an idiot and often seems to take the hard way out in doing things and makes a real nuisance of himself when it comes to Five-O 's investigation. In fact, the dumbness of this character is a weakness in the show's plot--he was just TOO dumb at times. Still, the whole AA angle was nice--particularly because it draws attention to a real and serious problem. Worth your time but not among the better episodes of the series.
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