As someone with an officer in the family, this episode hits home. The reality of the situation we live in nowadays is one where both communities and authorities are corrupt, and it's hard to find someone who is corrupt in neither way. However, this reality doesn't change the fact that this episode was sloppily done (to the point of hilarity at times) and seemed overall rushed.
Reviews
8 Reviews
Interesting Idea that Falls Apart
31 August 2017
The problem with this episode isn't the plot. In fact, I think the plot was great, but it fell short in every other way. I won't go into too much detail about what I thought was wrong with it, but I will say that the sheer lack of attention to detail in keeping a grasp on reality in this episode kind of ruined my immersion.
Forgettable, but Sticks with the Theme
31 August 2017
Warning: Spoilers
This episode of Five-0 was pretty easy to forget. The scenes, characters, and plot were all ripped straight out of an episode of the original show (which I am yet to see, but have read about), and the progression was simply average. However, there are good things about this episode. For instance, the discovery that Ben was actually Ian's son caught me totally by surprise, and the atmosphere of "trouble in paradise" that was created by the plot and characters was interesting, even if unoriginal (then again, that's to be expected by an 8-season-long TV show I guess). Overall, not one of the best, but good enough to be enjoyable if you turn off your brain for a bit.
Enter: The Love Interest
31 August 2017
It may seem strange to add a love interest to the main character 5 episodes into a show... and I would agree with you. But that's what Five-0 did when they defined Steve McGarrett's girlfriend for good with this part of the series by starting the primary segment of the episode (not including the introduction, that is) by creating intimacy between Steve and his girlfriend, Catherine Rollins, in the form showing them waking up together. Other then the intimate interactions between the two of them, nothing really happens much in this episode. The cinematography, acting, and progression were all decent enough, and the characters were easy to sympathize with and understandable at face value. Overall, better then the 3 episodes that came before it, but still nothing special.
Cheesy Action, Boring Plot, Flawed Logic
31 August 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Not a very good episode, and I was really hoping that wouldn't be the case. I was totally hoping that the last two episodes were just a bit of a slip up, but it appears that the pilot was truly the best episode as of this episode's release date. Why, you ask? Well, how about starting off with the part where Walton Dawkins (the prisoner) uses a broomstick, caulking/glue, and duct tape to make the guard look like an inmate, leading to the guard being shot by the police, who are apparently BLIND as they can't tell that he's acting against his will. Next comes the part where McGarrett has to play 1-on-1 basketball with an inmate, which was kind of dumb, although a little entertaining, I must admit. And finally, the crowning jewel of this episode's lameness... The effects on the helicopter crash! Holy cow, they were bad! Like, Birdemic: Shock and Terror levels of bad! Overall, the cookie-cutter plot, yawn-inducing progression, and lame editing all made this a sub-par episode of a fundamentally good reboot.
Loose Ends and Unrealistic Plot Kinda Ruined it
30 August 2017
Warning: Spoilers
My complaints about this episode are pretty much all about the plot (the cinematography, acting, and scenery were all what you would expect from a big-budget show. Nothing more, nothing less). For instance, the idea of the football game at the beginning not having security, therefore allowing multiple men (Both protagonists and antagonists) to carry and conceal handguns in their clothes. Or the part where they put the gun trafficking pizza shop owner into the cage with the sharks surrounding it. That's literally using torture (even though the sharks were harmless, it's still psychological torture because the shop owner doesn't know that) as a means to get information. I know that the whole idea of the show is that Five-0 has "Means and Immunity", but that's kind of tacky in itself; the shark thing was WAY over the line of ridiculousness. I got to say, compared to the pilot, this episode is below standards.
Classic Bad Guys Sell the Episode
30 August 2017
Warning: Spoilers
The classic "Serbian mobsters hate America" trope is used in decent form in this episode, and combined with the artsy camera shots and suspenseful action sequences, the flaws in it are hard to spot. However, there are a few. For instance, the idea that a former NSA agent could end up dating a Serbian spy (without doing a background check on her) is sort of hilarious in on its own, not to mention that she wasn't even a suspect in their investigation until they found her on a list of Serbian people living or visiting Hawaii (which was an unreasonably small list, considering how over 6.4 million people visited the islands in 2003 alone). Another issue I quite clearly saw while watching this episode was how the "hacking" scenes were outright ridiculous; to anyone with any experience with computers, everything on the computer screens in the hidden room behind the bookshelf was obviously fake. Overall, though, I still enjoyed the episode despite the errors I could see in it.
An Action-Packed Start
30 August 2017
From the day his father was killed, you could see the motivation in Steve McGarrett's eyes. The interactions between characters in this pilot episode truly creates an opportunity for continuous character development throughout the show, and the action and mystery scenes, although sometimes a bit cheesy, help the whole thing along. Overall, this episode was a good start for the show.
Tell Your Friends