I think the show is perfectly cast.
— Alex O’Loughlin, ET Canada, September 2010
Steve’s team, Danny, Chin and Kono, they are his Ohana. The rock that the story of Hawaii Five-0 is built on. They are the glue that has kept the story together ever since they were all so brilliantly introduced to us in the Pilot episode. They are the family that Steve surrounded himself with after the tragedies of his life – the loss of his father and his Navy friend. We love them as much as he does, but of course we all have our favorites.
Like any other family would, his family has been growing since the beginning:
- There are the official support ohana members, who help him and Five-0 with their investigations – Max, Charlie and the Honolulu Police Department, with Duke as their confidant and most familiar face.
- The semi-official ohana support of the military via Catherine and Joe.
- We have Sang Min as a nearly official, but not always very willing, regular witness and informant, in exchange for prison favors. 😀
- Then we have the unofficial ohana member who serves as caterer, (occasional ammo provider) and snitch, Kamekona and his helicopter….. 🙂
As we all know, the Ohana is part of every single episode. Each of the above playing their part in helping Steve to solve the crimes of Hawaii! However there are a few episodes during S3, that were focusing a bit more on the Ohana, either through everybody’s involvement in it or also because of the specific case of the week. Let us have a look at them.
( Just a reminder that the first two parts of this S3 summary can be found here:
Hawaii Five-0 S3 – A season of ugly corpses and awful surprises…Part 1
&
Hawaii Five-0 S3 – A season for ugly corpses and awful surprises…Part 2 )
The Ohana Diaries (7 Episodes)
3:02: Kanalua – Doubt
Five-0 turns to August March for help in finding a pair of art thieves who are involved in a kidnapping, but is March actually in on the plot?
This episode is about Ohana and their secrets. We have a respectable business man who kept his family’s deep dark secret – the fortune that his art gallery was built on originally came from stolen goods – rare and valuable paintings that could never be sold on the open market, nor could he declare the theft of it to the police….
But we also discover that Steve’s own family keeps secrets (really 😀 ), when Steve finds out that mom Doris is still on the island!
Ugly Corpse: Not only was this corpse physically awful to see, but the fact that this was actually an innocent man, who was blackmailed to commit a crime for the safety of his only daughter, made it an awful tragedy and even uglier!
Awful surprise: Once again the super criminal August Marsh escapes capture, by killing himself in what must have been one of the biggest surprise moves of the season…….. (and what ever was left of his corpse must have looked pretty ugly as well).
*****
3:11: Kahu – Guardian
The team helps find a boy’s father, and discovers that his disappearance is related to moonshiners and a reclusive bank robber.
It is Christmas and a young boy is looking for his father who disappeared mysteriously. Steve offers his help. After all, Christmas is about family and the young boy reminds Steve a little bit about himself at that age – independent, but still vulnerable
Ugly Corpses:
Awful surprise: The surprises of this episode were kind of on the lighter side. First there was the “lovely” surprise the car-jacker got, by trying to rob Steve 😀
Then there was the disgusting surprise Chin got when digging up a “body” and getting pig insides splattered all over his face…..eewwwwwwww
*****
3:13: Olelo Ho’Opa’I Make – Death Sentence
Chin Ho is drugged, kidnapped, and placed in a maximum security prison as retaliation for Frank Delano’s death, but will he be able to make it out alive?
This episode reminded me a lot about Episode 2:10, with the team going kind of rogue to save one of their own. In this episode each and every one of ohana and support ohana did their part in finding Chin and saving him…….
Ugly Corpse: Surprisingly this very violent episode, does not really start with any corpse. We only see a bodyguard being shot, but he is just a casualty of his own stupidity, not the start of an investigation.
In the end we do get Kaleo’s death – something that has been long overdue. ever since he murdered Mika (Danny’s previous partner), early in S1
And of course the team discovers the remains of Sang Min’s mullet ( R.I.P ) 😦
Awful surprise: Kamekona’s breakfast spam – Steve’s many faces tells the story
(I just could not resist to add them all here 😛 )
*****
3:15: Hookman
A sniper with two prosthetic hands is killing police officers, and McGarrett may be on his list.
This episode was not only about Steve’s Ohana, but also his dad’s Ohana. I have not yet seen the original Hookman episode, but with this one the team proved once again that as a well oiled machine, they can get their man…hook, line and sinker
Ugly Corpses: Any police officer shot in the line of duty is just awful. They are there to serve and protect their community and with every loss of life amongst them the community loses a precious jewel. When they are gunned down by an assassin as retribution for doing their job properly, it is even worse!
Awful surprise: Steve sees dead people 😀
(Although I found it an interesting ploy, it was maybe a bit much? Maybe they should ask Bruce Willis to guest star in one of the episodes :smile:)
*****
3:19: Hoa Pili – Close friends
After an explosion on a shark tour boat, one of the boat’s owners is found dead in a submerged shark cage. Meanwhile, McGarrett helps Kamekona get his helicopter pilot license.
After all the horrible crimes were solved, this ended up being a wonderful feel good, Ohana episode. One can appreciate a group that really treat one another with respect as a family vs a group that betrayed and killed one another because of greed.
We also have the Kapu with their leader, Kawika – they are kind of part of the unofficial Ohana, helping the team out from time to time….sometimes causing trouble, but always willing to admit their guilt and to help solve the real crime.
This episode also involve two brother, running a shark watching business – being victims of both the Kapu and of the fishermen who killed one, to cover up their theft of some drug lord’s loot……..
Ugly Corpse:
Awful surprise: One drug lord (and us), got one very sudden squashing surprise. (I think Max might still be busy scraping his remains of that pier, where Kono dropped the container on him 😀 )
*****
3:21: Imi Loko Ka ‘Uhane – Seek within one’s soul
A talk show host and crew follow Five-0 around as they try to solve a grisly murder with ties to both Wo Fat and the Russian mob.
I know I am in a minority for loving this episode. Not even the “camera crew” type of shooting could spoil it for me. Savannah’s show and the audiences reactions were so corny, but if you look at it as somewhat of a tongue in the cheek look at these types of shows, it becomes funny to watch.
And I felt the switch to the mobile phone camera at the end was just great! It added some excitement to something that has been building up for 3 seasons. It was so much more powerful to finally catch WoFat, with the whole world watching! It created some sort of event around the whole capture…..
Ugly Corpse: It was so interesting being protected from the horrible sight of a skinned corpse. We are so used to seeing all the gore, that imagining this, made it somewhat worse for me 😀 .
It was also interesting to me that like in so many episodes of this season, the original killer also ended up falling victim before the end of the episode.
Awful surprise:
WoFat is human after all…… 😀
*****
3:24: Aloha. Malama Pono – Farewell and take care
While Five-0 searches for an escaped federal prisoner connected to a terrorist plot, Kono tries to clear her name after her gun is used in a murder.
Ugly Corpse: Just as much as slain police officers, the deaths of so many federal agents all at once, is an ugly sight! In the end their killer found some sort of redemption, by saving his own son’s life and averting a terrorist attack by giving them up, before dying.
Maybe one of the worse scenarios in any death, is brother killing brother – it does not matter how corrupt the victim was, killing Michael, will always haunt Adam 😦
Awful surprise: Two of the most important women in Steve’s life, is leaving all at once. His mom going without giving answers and Kono, leaving the team and ripping the Ohana apart to follow her heart………
*****
The best surprises in the Ohana Diaries:
- One if the sweetest Ohana moments for me during the whole S3, came from an episode that I discussed under the mom files. Episode 3:16 was very much about Ohana.
- Steve and the Governor, bonding. It was also not in one of the episodes discussed here, but was in my opinion a great Ohana / Bromance moment from Episode 3:14.
Things I would have liked to see explored in the team:
- Steve and Danny’s feelings about Kono’s relationship with Adam.
- The team spending a holiday day together – for instance, Thanks Giving or Christmas
- The team being stranded somewhere together, having to use their survival skills and teamwork, to get out of the situation and catch the killers (maybe with Steve injured and still leading them 😀 ) .
In conclusion:
For me the team as a whole does not need to be pushed down our throats every week, for me to know that they are there for one another. They are like a well oiled machine doing their jobs very effectively. They are OHANA and will always support one another…..
Questions: Is Wofat going to join Steve’s Ohana, either as blood family or as informant…………? Or is WoFat just going to escape again or maybe in the biggest shock yet, die in the season opener?
It’s a great pool of talents of like-minded people who have come together. There’s a great crime element, a great comedy element and a great character element.
— Alex O’Loughlin, Sioux City Journal, 3 December 2010
PS. I think the very last scene of Steve visiting WoFat, is just an elaborate nightmare Steve is having 😀
OR, Steve is going to walk out of one of his 3-minute Navy showers and we find out the last 2 seasons where just a dream that Steve had while in prison….. 😀
(Maybe Patrick Duffy or Victoria Principal can be a future guest star?! 😆 )
To be continued, find the Part 4 here
Alex O´Loughlin ~ An Intense Study 