Hawaii Five-0 – Half a finale is a whole lot of perfection (and frustration)

I’ve said it a million, billion times, and I’ll say it again — it is awful trying to review part one of something without seeing part two. Imagine having to review a book when you still have four chapters to go, or a movie before you reach the conclusion. It’s pretty much impossible. And this is why I always have issues reviewing the second to last episode of a season. Because, much like this week’s Hawaii Five-0, they’re often functional as part one of a greater arc, and how are you supposed to form an opinion on something’s conclusion when you only have half the material to review?

Here’s what I can say definitively — the last few episodes have been a bit of a slump for Hawaii Five-0, and returning to the major mystery arc (which, in my opinion, is one of the things that sets this show apart from other procedural dramas) was smart. I don’t care about the random musical guest star of the week. That’s not what I tune in for. But I do tune in to figure out this Wo Fat business. So thank goodness we’re back to that (and Sang Min — I have an inexplicable fondness for Sang Min) instead of just having a random envelope dropped around to remind you to hold on! Something more exciting his about to happen! Well, something exciting finally did happen, and it’s about damn time.

The other thing that makes Hawaii Five-0 great, however, is the character relationships, and that is where I felt most like I have no idea how to review what just happened. So far, we’re mostly good. I love the way Jenna’s being used from a purely intelligence angle, which rounds out the ass-kicking of the main team nicely. And I’m really enjoying the younger sister thing she has going on with Steve, between her inability to stay in the car to the unholy glee on Steve’s face when she so bluntly called the suspect out on lying. I’m similarly fond of how Chin and Kono’s storylines surrounding the missing money are playing out, not just because it gives their characters so much more depth and ties up a lot of loose ends, but because it’s giving both actors some really strong material to work with. And this is all good stuff I can definitively say was good, part one of two or not.

But the big, giant, awkward, unresolved elephant in the room is the Rachel/Danny relationship. I honestly have no idea what to think of it.  I admit I am highly over-invested in Danny and Steve remaining the Bert and Ernie of crime fighting, and Rachel tends to throw a wrench in that. Not to mention, infidelity of any sort is the easiest way to make me unhappy with a relationship to the point where even if a character breaks up with someone and then gets together with someone else too soon after, I don’t like it one tiny bit. Plus, I fail to see why Steve or Danny even need a romantic relationship when them hugging and making desperate life-or-death sad eyes at each other is emotionally indulgent enough. So what if they’re not sleeping together? Is that even really necessary, at this point? And doesn’t it make Rachel just a weirdly gratuitous third wheel?

The problem with forming a definitive opinion on this subject is that there’s clearly way too much we don’t know at this point. To what extent are Danny and Rachel together? How is their relationship going to be handled going forward? If the risk of Danny’s job is a major reason he and Rachel broke up, how on earth is Rachel going to deal with his extremely dangerous current job? If Rachel breaks up with Stan, does that mean she and Danny are going to move back to New Jersey where he won’t be constantly risking his life? Am I allowed to hate Rachel if she makes Danny do that? And this is all assuming Rachel stays alive — how do we know that the major death the previews keep teasing isn’t her? Did they get her and Danny back together just to make her death that much more painful? Do you see now why I hate reviewing part one of what is clearly a two-part episode arc?

Objectively, though, let’s think about the main function of the episode that is a lead-up to a season finale — it’s supposed to make you desperate for the next week. It’s supposed to make you want to tune in come hell or high water because you have so many questions that need answers. It’s supposed to make you start keeping an internal countdown clock to next week like a crazy person. And so, in that respect, I’d say this episode was pretty damn perfect.

…Is it next Monday yet?

Clacked by Julia Hass
on May 10, 2011 @ 20:27 EST5EDT