Hawaii Five-0 Watch: Loa Aloha

The old cliche, I’m a douchebag and play one on TV has never applied to a single person as tremendously as it does to Dane Cook. It only makes sense that the comedian-turned film star turned-pseudo dramatic actor would play Danno’s brother, they even look alike. Well, a little bit. Don’t worry, in a show as measured as Hawaii Five-0, the focus will remain on the kids being mercilessly murdered, not on some sleazeball’s legal problems, right?

I have yet to decipher the political slant from the Five-0 writers; which I suppose is a good thing, all things considered. They’re clearly pro-cop, but they’re also exceptionally sympathetic to criminals that touch every level of the monster scale, to the point where sympathetic music was played while the dirtbag responsible for murdering two people in cold blood was arrested amidst an emotional break down. I don’t know about you, but the only sympathy I had was for Danno, who was unable to put this guy down instantly. But hey, that’s my political slant, I suppose.

As I’ve alluded to, the Five-0 unit was tasked to track down a guy committing what were clearly revenge murders right off the bat. First a judge’s daughter, and then the son of a lawyer; both of whom were “responsible” for putting his son away for a DUI. That’s right, it’s the judge and lawyer’s fault that his son put other drivers at risk with his reckless actions. But no no, it was unfair that the kid received eighteen months of jail time, because he was stabbed in a mess hall brawl and died. So, his father, a convicted felon, does what any noble, level-headed father would do; he goes on a murderous rampage in Hawaii.

Meanwhile, Danno’s brother makes a “surprise visit” to the big island, which doesn’t tip Danno off as much as I think it should by this point. Seriously, people don’t just go to Hawaii for no reason. Even rich single people. Even rich single douchebags. C’mon. Everything is fine at first, but McGarrett and Danno uncover an FBI investigation surrounding Danno’s brother soon after his arrival. Turns out the a-hole has been stealing money from his clients (he’s a stock broker, of course) in order to pay off his own debts.

This brings up the kind of moral battle that we, as private citizens, assume cops go through every day. Well, I sure hope that most cops are more ethically sound than the two Five-0 boys are; because they mislead the FBI in order to buy Danno’s brother some more time, effectively. Sure, it’s done under the guise of Danno talking his brother off a ledge, but I don’t imagine that either McGarrett or Danno really believed he was going to turn himself in - that’s just not how this works. The end of the episode reveals why the brother was involved in the episode at all; it’s all a vehicle for Danno and Rachel’s burgeoning relationship. Yes, my suspicions are confirmed: we will see Danno hook up with his ex-wife, thereby screwing his daughter out of a sort of normal situation to get back together with a woman that is insane, effectively. Danno is the new Jack Shepherd, and it’s going to get old real fast.

In short: Danno’s brother got away, they caught the bad guy that was murdering the children of those “responsible” for his son’s death, and Danno and Rachel had a heartfelt hug on a porch. Will we see escalation next week? The inaugural season is nearly over, so there isn’t much time to be worked with. Thoughts? Predictions? Go!