Directing and Editing: There are some scenes done with flash and style, notably the last moments of Loretta Swit's character. Lighting is used well. The final scene, in which Harry Guardino does a stylized, slow-motion dance of death, is perhaps a bit too 'arty' and is reminiscent of the end of the late-sixties film "Bonnie and Clyde". *
Story: The story works mainly through its concentration on Dan Williams as he pursues an undercover role. The drawback to the tale is that the viewer can figure out early on who is behind the whole scheme. There's a missing element in that we don't get to see McGarrett arrest one of the key participants in the conspiracy, the bar owner Betsy (Barbara Nichols). 1/2 *
Acting: James MacArthur gets a chance to turn on some charm. He does very well, and is particularly amusing in a morning-after scene in McGarrett's office, having to take some guff from teetotaler Steve. James Hong gives us a good performance as the nervous middleman who doesn't survive the hour. Harry Guardino is tough as the bad guy, and a pool-table confrontation between him and McGarrett is a highlight of the hour. *
Music: The music for this episode got Morton Stevens an Emmy nomination, but not the award. It's fast paced and jazzy. *
Directing and Editing: Smooth transitions, crowded frame (using foreground and background to convey information), and interesting angles. The dumb moment marring the hour is when McGarrett tells the Army crew to be very quiet, and then they all proceed to go tromping about very loudly in their hard shoes on the metal catwalks and stairs! 1/2 *
Story: The idea of having a Japanese mental patient from 1941 escape near the anniversary, decades later, of the Pearl Harbor attack is a good one. The elaboration of the idea comes off less promisingly, with too many hokey scenes which destroy believability. 1/2 *
Acting: One wonders why cast Mark Lenard as a Japanese when there were perfectly good Japanese actors (James Shigeta, George Takei) available. The first choice for the role was Ricardo Montalban (who played a Japanese in "Samurai"). Unfortunately, Mark Lenard, while fully dignified in the role of Sarek in the Star Trek universe, is too talky and emotive in this role. He also, according to one fan whose wife is Japanese, does a terrible job with that language! (no star)
Music: Good, but not outstanding. 1/2 *
Special Elements: It should be noted that the episode takes great pains to mention that no sabotage was done during World War II by any residents of Hawaii, including the Japanese population. The tale makes good use of the historical event of the Pearl Harbor attack. *
Directing and Editing: Noteworthy mainly in that solid director Michael O'Herlihy did a fine job of keeping several strong talents (Jack Lord, Will Geer, Khigh Dhiegh, and Sabrina Scharf) in control, getting highly entertaining performances out of them. Pacing is also a strong point in this episode, and the hour is loaded with scenery. *
Story: An engaging tale with a tense confrontation between Wo Fat and McGarrett at the climax. The idea is interesting, and well thought out, including in the midst of the action some flirtation for McGarrett. Though the Hitlerian "master race" aspect of the tale has been done to death in print and visual fiction, here it gets a technological boost with the genetic engineering angle. *
Acting: Khigh Dhiegh was Wo Fat. He's urbane and classy as the Red spy. Will Geer gives an excellent portrait of a cantankerous and courageous old geneticist. Sabrina Scharf is peppery yet vulnerable as the scientist's daughter. Jack Lord and Khigh Dhiegh, in their confrontation at the climax, give us the classic meeting between implacable enemies. *
Music: Hot and upbeat when needed, and lyrical when appropriate. Good use of the Five-O theme in an elegant trumpet solo. *
Directing and Editing: Lush settings enhance a tightly-done tale which moves well. *
Story: A standard TV cop-show plot -- the reluctant witness who doesn't want to get involved -- is honed sharply into a study of a man in search of his moral courage. McGarrett moralizes, as is his wont, conveying the message that citizens have to become involved or the system won't work. *
Acting: Anne Helm is cool and hip as a female undercover cop. She's a looker and she can act. John Randolph does well as the reluctant witness. Albert Paulsen gives the first of his many Five-O villain parts, the memorable Charley Bombay. *
Music: Suitably lavish in the opening, and appropriate throughout, though not particularly memorable. 1/2 *
Directing and Editing: Standard, workmanlike. At the beginning, gives us a Reza Badiyi trademark freeze-frame of a truck in motion. 1/2 *
Story: The gimmick is that the entire story takes place in the space of one day. The plot is an oldie--a standoff and shootout. Dan Williams has to make an offhand remark in order to convince us that Hispanic rebels would logically be creating their mischiefin Hawaii. 1/2 *
Acting: Nothing spectacular, and Henry Silva slips in and out of his Hispanic accent into more colloquial American speech. The highlight is McGarrett refusing to take the easy way out and just let the wounded bad guy die. 1/2 *
Music: Appropriately martial and Hispanic, but nothing to hum while you're doing the dishes. 1/2 *
Directing and Editing: Ploddingly paced. Uninspired. (no star)
Story: From the "you expect me to believe that?" school of storycrafting. Has too many elements in it that we just can't accept, and wastes Wo Fat! He's on screen for maybe three minutes, and only to convey the information that a female "student" is really an undercover cop and to utter the threat against McGarrett's life. Then he vanishes. The key to any Wo Fat episode's success is the dramatic confrontation between him and McGarrett. Not only does McGarrett not know Wo Fat is around, he doesn't even suspect it, even though the murder victim is identified as a Red Chinese spy! Also unbelievable is the fight between a fit, healthy bad guy and a wounded McGarrett. We're also expected to believe, among other stupidities, that (a) a young lady in the throes of hysterics, with no previous firearms experience, can hit a moving target, but (b) an experienced police officer can't hit an already-wounded McGarrett when he's standing still! This is the first true dog of the series. (no star)
Acting: Bad all around. (no star)
Music: Not any better than the other elements. (no star)
Directing and Editing: This deserves praise if for no other reason than that the teaser cuts to the opening credits before the stewardess can scream upon discovering a dead body! Story elements which could have come across as hokey and contrived actually work in this well-paced hour. *
Story: The plot isn't particularly notable, but the element of the sugar cane fungus is well done. There's some amusing business when Chin Ho goes out to do legwork, but he gets to come in with the key clue. Good use of Five-O teamwork. 1/2 *
Acting: Theodore Bikel is suitably noxious as "The Beast." There's a good scene with Linda Marsh and C. K. Huang, who always says his brief lines with dignity. Local actor Galen Kam has a delightful bit of business at Chin Ho's expense. *
Music: Appropriate. 1/2 *
Directing and Editing: The opening teaser is well-staged and gets the viewer's attention. Good use of scenery and authentic locations (the Bishop Museum, for one). One well-edited sequence intercuts good guys and bad guys going over the same information. *
Story: A clever caper done with humor. The teaser is an excellent hook, using a cat as a delightful element. Though the ending seems to be a bit abrupt, it avoids a long drawn-out denouement. *
Acting: Brandon deWilde portrays a stuck-up know-it-all well enough to get under some fans' skins. Other performers are convincing, but not particularly outstanding. 1/2 *
Music: Well-done though not memorable,. One wonderful element is a musical parody as the students send our heroes off to the strains of "Aloha Oe" -- only they're singing "Aloha Oink!" 1/2 *
Directing and Editing: The teaser now seems dated, and is hard to follow. Scenes aboard the ship while McGarrett and the lady witness are fleeing a hit man are more well-done. The shootout at the end has us wondering how many bullets McGarrett's gun holds! Overall there are some fine scenes, including one where Marj Dusay almost drops her shoe on McGarrett's head, a scene which was improvised on the set by director Robert Gist and Jack Lord. On balance, the well-done scenes outweigh the problems with the teaser and the climax. *
Story: A reasonably engaging plot which is given some fine elements. McGarrett lectures the lady about responsbility, and finds himself tested as well: He wants to make love to her, but realizes that dalliance could cost them their lives. Frankly, it's refreshing to see a scene where a man and a woman are thrown together yet manage to keep their pants on! We also get to see McGarrett extricate himself from a deadly situation in a way which he would not be free to choose if he were in Hawaii. He becomes an outlaw, an interesting concept. *
Acting: Marj Dusay has a tendency to overemote when showing her character in fear, but has much more control in other scenes. Jack Lord has some fine moments with the lady. Zulu has one brief take in which he conveys a greatdeal of content and power. *
Music: Well-chosen, including some dance music which was a cut from the Hawaii Five-O soundtrack album. 1/2 *
Directing and Editing: Nicely done, with an amusing sequence for the teaser as a process server is chased by James Gregory's two German Shepherds (which McGarrett later shows to be nothing more than big friendly puppies). Lush scenery. *
Story: Writer William Robert Yates hands us a pun: The title of the episode is "All the King's Horses"--Jim Demarest's character is Senator Colt. Well, we shall not say him "neigh." Deftly woven into the tale is a theme: Everyone's entitled to a second chance. Not only is this theme present in James Gregory's Mike Finney, a retired mob enforcer whom McGarrett defends as living a clean life in Hawaii, but it is also present in Keye Luke's Senator Oishi, a highly-principled legislator who tells of his background as an interned Japanese during World War II. This episode takes a swipe at McCarthyism in the character of Irwin (Jason Evers). *
Acting: James Gregory is gruff and stubborn as the old mobster (the only character in twelve years of Hawaii Five-O to call McGarrett "Mac"). Gregory deftly pulls off a death scene in which he avoids the maudlin. Keye Luke is fine as the ethical senator Oishi. Jason Evers is delightfully hateful as Irwin, a sleazy opportunist. Lyle Bettger is superb as an underhanded investigator. In one engaging scene, he tries to bribe McGarrett. *
Music: Well-paced and appropriate. 1/2 *
Directing and Editing: Standard, workmanlike job. 1/2 *
Story: Fairly standard plot, but with a nice twist at the end which shows the bitter fruits of misguided idealism. The episode was ahead of its time with the idea of a dictator who had looted his country's treasury taking refuge in Hawaii (presages the exile of Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines in the early '90s). 1/2 *
Acting: Titos Vandis gives us a thoroughly selfish man of gross appetites and little patience. A nice highlight is Kono, enjoying a lovely repast on the state's tab, and nearly dying for it. (Zulu told us at Mahalo Con that you never have trouble putting a Hawaiian in an eating scene. "If there's food, I'm there," he said.) *
Music: Good, though not memorable. 1/2 *
Directing and Editing: The opening sequence, shot in darkness, is a little difficult to follow. There is one scene which is unbelievable, where the bad guy -- with ONE shot, mind you -- kills a prowler and parts the thin line holding his stash in hiding. From the angle we're shown, it should be impossible. What's worse, the same guy, at the end of the episode, can't hit the Five-O guys when they're in plain view a few yards away. (no star)
Story: Engaging plot of a kidnapping, with a bitter twist at the end. The masks which give the episode its title make a good device. One of the masks comes back later in a neat sequence where Chin and Kono unnerve the bad guy. *
Acting: Notable is Melody Patterson (at the time, Mrs. James MacArthur), who plays secretary to money-launderer James Hong. She goes beyond the ditzy secretary bit and puts a dollop of larceny and evil in the lady, giving us a delightful performance. *
Music: 1/2 *
Directing and Editing: A good solid job. No flashes of brilliance, but the tale moves superbly well. 1/2 *
Story: Excellent tale of a twisted game with an unusual prize, in which the stakes get higher and higher. This is a good Five-O teamwork episode. *
Acting: Beverlee McKinsey gives us one of the most warped villains in Five-O history. Lanikai does a good job as Billy, the Hawaiian suitor who comes too late to the realization of what's been happening. *
Music: 1/2 *
Directing and Editing: Excellent example of the gritty atmosphere of early Five-O. Great pacing. *
Story: Bank-robbery caper with a twist of meanness in the bad guy who loves to make the cops look foolish, and doesn't care how many bodies it takes to do so. He succeeds early in the hour in a slick move. Plot moves forward well, with lots of good scenes. *
Acting: William Windom, who so often played tortured, haunted men, plays a nasty killer to the hilt. He steals a scene in McGarrett's office, obviously relishing the character's evil. In another example of the series' penchant for miscasting, caucasian Philip Pine plays aJapanese. Jackie Coogan is convincing as a down-and-out informant who makes the mistake of believing the killer's promise of money in exchange for peddling false information to Danny Williams.
Music: Good, but nothing memorable. 1/2*
Blind Tiger ***1/2
Directing and Editing: Good pacing, with tight parallel structure in spots as Five-O hunts McGarrett's would-be murderer while he stalks McGarrett. Fine tense fight scene which takes place in the dark. *
Story: A friend of mine who was a television station's program director says that 1969-1970 was the season for TVheroes being blinded, and Five-O was no exception. This version of that plotline is well-done, and provides some fine scenes as McGarrett shows his stubbornness and pride. The standard and potentially maudlin sideplot of the nurse who falls in love with McGarrett is handled with restraint. This character study of McGarrett is a favorite with Jack Lord's fans. *
Acting: Jack Lord is at his fiery best as McGarrett finds himself suddenly and uncomfortably helpless in a newly-savage world. Marion Ross does an excellent job as the nurse, showing her emerging feelings with subtlely. James MacArthur also turns in a fine performance, showing toughness in handling both the investigation and McGarrett. *
Music: Manages to convey mood without being sappy. 1/2*
Bored She Hung Herself **
Directing and Editing: Touched by John Newland's penchant for the weird and the earthy look of the early years of Five-O, with some well-staged scenes. *
Story: Decent enough plot development, but no Five-O teamwork. This one's straight whodunit; there's no dimension or depth. 1/2*
Acting: Aside from one tight and very gritty argumnent scene between Don Quine and Pamela Murphy, the acting is good, but nothing outstanding. 1/2*
NOTE (and spoiler): This episode does not show in syndication. The plot involves the murder of a young girl, with the prime suspect being her hippie boyfriend whose chief occupation seems to be trying to master some undefined Eastern mysticism which would allow him to hang by his neck from a noose without being harmed. McGarrett is hampered in the investigation by the girl's father, a prominent psychiatrist and personal friend who becomes obsessed with the thought that the hippie could be the killer and sets out to gather his own "evidence" against the boy. The killer turns out to be a neighbor whose unwanted sexual advances were rebuffed by the unfortunate girl. The reason this episode does not show in syndication is that, the day after it originally aired, some young viewer tried the noose bit, with tragic consequences.
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