2023-05-19 18:05:25
The CBS series Hawaii Five-0 has come to an end with its series finale, “Aloha,” following a decade of running in 2020 and over 200 episodes. It was a reimagined version of the original Hawaii Five-0, which took place from 1968 to 1980. The series followed a group of law enforcement officers as they solve cases and see lots of action and adventure in Hawaii. Fans especially loved the bromance between Steve McGarrett (Alex O’Loughlin) and Danny “Danno” Williams (Scott Caan).
Over the course of a decade, many cast changes were made to the show’s main detective cast, and certain storylines increased credibility, but fans and critics alike had a lot of fun with the detective series. There have been many compelling storylines and character arcs over the years, as well as a variety of intriguing storylines. The character development has been impressive, especially given the changes to the cast over time, and it’s largely the episodes that focus on this character development that make up the best episodes of Hawaii Five-0.
10 « The Gate Is Closed To The Fishing Net » (S6E24)
This episode marked a big character development for Chin (Daniel Dae Kim who will be leaving the show in Season 8). As Abby’s (Julie Benz) kidnapping and Max’s (Masi Oka) decision to leave Hawaii for an opportunity with Doctors Without Borders also continued, Chin ended an ongoing story.
That closure was in his dealings with his late wife’s brother, Gabriel (Christopher Sean), who had murdered Chin’s father as part of a gang initiation many years prior. Gabriel dies at the end of the episode, but not before apologizing for the murder and asking Chin to take care of his daughter. Chin having to confront Gabriel head-on and even attempt to protect him in the episode gave the audience a real window into Chin’s mind. Episodes like this proved that the best episodes of Hawaii Five-0 were emotional, not always regarding how many things might explode or how many bullets flew.
9 « What If » (S5E07)
Another episode that dealt with closure, although more for the audience, was “Ina Paha”. In the show’s 100th episode, audiences got to see the show’s longest running villain come to an end. They also got a new perspective on the Five-0 team in a “what if” scenario. Steve was kidnapped by his nemesis, Wo Fat (Mark Dacascos) and then tortured. Wo Fat was easily one of Five-0’s best villains. As Wo Fat drugged him, Steve was transported to an alternate reality of 2010 in his mind, in which his father was never murdered and Five-0 was never formed.
The audience got to see the different directions the team had taken in their lives, like Kono being a world champion surfer and Grover (Chi McBride) as a tourist. The episode’s ending gave the audience, and Steve, the necessary closure all along: Steve takes down Wo Fat, ending the five-season affair between them and giving Steve the peace he deserves. It was a great exercise for the writers room to put the characters the audience knew so well into completely new lives.
8 « The Only King I Want » (S6E25)
The Season 6 finale depicts the meaningful partnership and sense of brotherhood between Steve and Danny, so it’s no wonder this is one of Hawaii Five-0’s best episodes. It was the biggest draw for critics and audience members who tuned in to watch live every week. The fight once morest Hawaii’s growing meth epidemic led the team to more trouble beyond drugs, especially when Steve and Danny went undercover as pilots and Steve was badly injured.
Danny managed to land the plane on the beach and further saved Steve’s life by providing part of his liver to help Steve recover from life-saving surgery. The whole team gathered, anxiously hoping for good news as the hospital waited for the emergence of the two partners, in a real show of “ohana”, which means family. Thankfully, the two were shown to be recovering well, giving each other a hard time at the end of the episode and not leaving the audience with a cliffhanger regarding their well-being between seasons.
7 « Once Upon a Time » (S3E06)
The episode did a phenomenal job of moving from past to present, telling two stories in one. It’s the unique storytelling of flashbacks as a distraction that makes this one of Hawaii Five-0’s best episodes. Danny, encouraged by Steve, told a story regarding one of his old cases from his time in New Jersey. Danny told the story as a distraction from his problem: he set off a censored motion bomb, and he has to stay still until the bomb squad can remove it. Steve, being the partner and friend that he was, didn’t leave Danny throughout the process. Telling the story gave Danny something to focus on and the audience a window into his character.
Danny’s story included a former partner named Grace (who is presumably the inspiration for the name of Danny’s daughter, whom his wife was pregnant with during the past story) who was killed in the line of duty. . Danny was finally released, of course, just in time to go to the father-daughter prom. The episode’s tension and high stakes, however, made audiences think they might actually lose the character.
6 « Aloha Ke Kahi je Ke Kahi » (S4E01)
The team was taken hostage in the season 4 opener, only for the terrorists to shoot the guy they came for and later turn themselves in. However, the drama wasn’t over yet as Steve had to rescue his kidnapped girlfriend Catherine (Michelle Borth). The hostage group was, of course, tied to Wo Fat, who provided a good guideline in the show’s early seasons. Even following being arrested, the character still managed to stir up trouble and present some of the most interesting cases to the public.
This episode marked Grover’s first episode of Chi McBride, one of Hawaii Five-0’s top characters introduced following Season 1. Grover began his role at odds with Five-0, but eventually became a well-rounded member. -loved by the team. Elsewhere, Kono and Adam’s (Ian Anthony Dale) location in China has been compromised during the hostage situation. The episode ended on a cliffhanger for both of them with Yakuza members following them. It remains one of the series’ highest rated season premieres on review aggregator sites.
5 « Ki’ilua » (S2E10)
Former CIA agent Jenna Kaye (Larisa Oleynik) enlisted Steve’s help in getting her fiancé back from North Korea, but since she was working with Wo Fat, it turned out to be a horrible trap. With the help of Joe White (Terry O’Quinn), Steve’s Five-0 team has tracked him down and embarked on a mission to find him before it’s too late.
Thankfully, Jenna redeemed herself in her final moments, helping the character maintain her fan-favorite status, helping Steve escape following discovering his beloved fiancé had been dead all along. Wo Fat escaped, but Steve was rescued and Chin broke the happy news that he was engaged to his former fiancee once more. The episode was one of the first to take audiences out of Hawaii, and that’s part of what made it so great. The stories, while gripping regarding the islands, didn’t have to stop there. After this episode, the stories would branch out to other places while fleshing out the characters’ backstories and bringing more danger to the team.
4 « True » (S1E24)
In the Season 1 finale, everything Five-0 had become, both a team and a family, was torn apart. It all started with the murder of Laura Hills (Kelly Hu) and led to Steve being framed for the murder. Steve broke into the governor’s residence, confronted her regarding Laura’s murder, and realized she was connected to Wo Fat.
Everything quickly went downhill for the team when Wo Fat himself showed up, tasered Steve, and murdered the Governor, leading to Steve’s arrest and the disbanding of Five-0. Meanwhile, Kono was also arrested for her role in a robbery earlier in the season, and Danny had to choose between leaving Hawaii with her family or staying to help out her friends. With the stories separated, the hour seemed like a typical episode at first, but it became one of Hawaii Five-0’s best episodes because the seemingly typical stories shook up the status quo and left fans wondering how. the series would move on.
3 « Ha’i’ole » (S2E01)
It’s hard to talk regarding the Season 1 finale without immediately talking regarding the Season 2 premiere. wasted no time. The pace was frantic to tell the story. In the Season 2 premiere, Steve escaped from prison with the help of none other than Victor Hesse (James Marsters), the man who killed his father, and went on the run. Danny, Chin and Kono (Grace Park) have come together to help their former boss clear his name and capture Wo Fat. It’s still Five-0, but outside the bounds of the law.
The team only succeeded in the first case, thanks to an investigation that Steve’s father had conducted before his death, and while Wo Fat escaped once more, Steve convinced the newly appointed governor to reinstate his team. (with the exception of Kono, who still remained under investigation). ) so they can continue to pursue Wo Fat and guys like him.
2 « Gone » (S2E23)
For many fans, the Season 2 finale was Hawaii Five-0’s best episode for the duration of the remake. Action, drama and mystery combine to create a breathtaking story. “Ua Hala” didn’t stop with the action from the first moment. When a cop is shot and killed, which also leads to medical examiner Max (Masi Oka) getting shot, Five-0 springs into action. As they tracked down the shooter, they were nearly torn to pieces, alongside other officers from the Honolulu Police Department, when the HPD headquarters was torn to pieces.
As if that weren’t enough, Chin was forced into the difficult position of choosing between his wife’s life and that of his cousin whose fate audiences didn’t know until the Season 3 premiere. his ex for custody and Steve discovered that “Shelburne” was really his mother, who he had thought had been dead for years. The episode had everything a great episode needed: action-packed drama, hints at the characters’ backstory, near-perfect teamwork, and one twist following another. Only one episode topped it.
1 « Father’s Day » (S4E10)
The best episode of Hawaii Five-0 is “Ho’onani Makuakane”. This Season 4 episode was one of the books, given that it centered on Team Five-0 investigating the attempted murder of a Pearl Harbor veteran by a man who believed said veteran killed his father decades before. Steve discovered that the would-be killer had ties to his own grandfather, whom Steve was named following.
As Steve and the team worked, they uncovered a cover-up that took place at an internment camp on Oahu and located the real killer, who was now dead, but also managed to recover a valuable family heirloom. Steve’s family history, the story itself, and Danny’s claustrophobia make for an episode with a bit of everything. When crime shows dive into the past, it can be difficult to get the right look and feel, but Hawaii Five-0 nailed it. The episode was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for Special and Visual Effects and was recognized by the Visual Effects Society.
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