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eumeliaI haven't written a post episode meta review in a while, so please bear with me.
I should begin by saying that I rolled my eyes a lot.
Hawaii Five-0 is a show you roll your eyes at. The camp borders on trash, I take it with a grain of a salt, but I feel deeply about this show, for reasons both known and unknown and I watched this episode bracing myself.
I wasn't all that disappointed in the ep, but I wasn't blown away either. I very much loved the season openers of S2 and S3, but S3 burned me rather badly in a lot of ways (Kono and Adam being but one conclusion I could have done without, thank you very much), so I was apprehensive about this episode.
The pre-credit scene where Steve mows down the infiltrators? A little too video game like for my liking, I quite liked the blood spraying bit, but the room moving around like that didn't impress me.
The Kono/Adam scene... yeah, well, I'm bitter. Okay, I'm really bitter about the fact that Kono ended up being a prop in her own plot, that it's about Adam running away from the Yakuzah and her giving up her family, career, and home for him. I don't fall in line with reading their relationship as abusive, but I also wouldn't call it healthy or equal in any way. It galls me that this is the story they ended up giving Kono when back in S1 any kind of romantic overture was overturned, because you know, romantic plots seem to be the destiny of all women in this show, revolving around the men who for whom the romantic plot is a subplot. All the Adam/Kono scenes, including the last scene, are about Adam, not about Kono, she happens to be there. But any conversation between Chin and Kono is a plus, so I'll live with it for as long as they'll give it to me until she disappears for real for the time she's supposed to be gone.
The terrorist woman was a lovely example of the Smurfette principle, a lone woman in a troupe of men, there to show that the writers do care about having an even playing field. Also, as we can see, the Five-0 team itself thus far.
Possibly the best scene in the entire episode was the outside of the Palace when the new SWAT captain, Lou Grover, was introduced, Duke welcoming him to the madness. Duke always seems to be introducing people to the madness. The bonus of Max and Kamekona appearing and being all worried about their ohana was a truly nice touch, especially with Kamekona getting into it with the rookie, whom I hope we'll see again in some capacity.
With regards to Kamekona, I hope we get to see more of his moral ambivalence later on in the season, maybe the writers will remember he had a huge cache of weaponry at his disposal and may or may not be using his vast empire of tourist traps to launder money. Just a thought.
I felt that the scene inside the Palace itself was resolved a little too quickly. I get that the baddies were there for a hit and that once it was done they wanted to get out of there, but I don't know, it felt a bit... slap and dash. Though I'm not saying no to Chin being a mastermind and being so pissed about the fact that THEY SHOT HIS COMPUTER TABLE! I made a noise, not gonna lie, I made a mournful noise.
Chin's badassery was also extremely fun to watch.
Danny spieling to Steve about his unsure feelings regarding Gabby didn't grab me. That whole relationship is just so... vague. Which is the kindest thing I have to say about it, because I don't know if you want to read again about the fact that a woman dropped her life and her career in order to be a subplot in some guy's life. Whoops, I did it anyway. Danny's insecurity is fitting, I found it rather ridiculous that he was word vomiting while Steve was trying to revive this guy.
But Danny misses Kono and that's what counts in my book. As is Danny and Steve's whole relationship and dynamic. They are so special and so enjoyable, their ribbing, snarking, and clear affection is so compelling and so much fun to watch that everything else almost melts away.
And I may have held onto my screen when the baddie put a gun to Danny's head and while Steve worried and ordered Chin to stand down. I feel Chin could have committed some act of badassery, but it would have been too clean, I guess.
The writing was extremely lazy when it came to Catherine. Jogging, suddenly a uniform appears informing her Steve's in trouble, her car dies and she's kidnapped. Okay. Was this Navy guy sent specifically to find her? Was he a member of the baddies? How the fuck did this guy know where she was? Plot holes, fine, whatever, Cath as a plot device, what else is new. It's boring and it's irritating.
Steve's panic was fun to watch though, and the whole pain of losing loved ones to terrorists made me wibble, I won't lie, but I just wasn't worried about Catherine the way I feel I should have been, the way I worried about Danny just a few minutes before.
Yes, Danny is my favourite character and I care about him the most, Catherine is a character I don't really care about, so I worried less. But narrative should compel me. I'm a sucker for narrative, it's my drug of choice and I did not feel the situation was equivalent.
Maybe I'm defective, maybe I'm a bad feminist. I don't know.
The little OT3 moment of both guys worrying about Cath on the way to rescuing her was interesting and enjoyable, though.
Danny's blasé attitude about the Camaro was fitting and classy. Danny has no emotions connected to cars, that would be me. I was very sad to see the silver Camaro go.
The ending with Wo Fat and the DNA? Really? Don't you... already have his DNA, Steve? Also, I'm hoping this is a deflection from the real reveal, because if Wo Fat is Steve's brother for real I will just feel sad for the narrative. Like, I'm sorry you couldn't die with dignity sad.
However, Toast being back will forever please me, especially the continuity of him being Danny's resource and someone who aggravates him to the point of homicide.
Cranky Danny is a fun Danny.
Tumblr Crosspost
I should begin by saying that I rolled my eyes a lot.
Hawaii Five-0 is a show you roll your eyes at. The camp borders on trash, I take it with a grain of a salt, but I feel deeply about this show, for reasons both known and unknown and I watched this episode bracing myself.
I wasn't all that disappointed in the ep, but I wasn't blown away either. I very much loved the season openers of S2 and S3, but S3 burned me rather badly in a lot of ways (Kono and Adam being but one conclusion I could have done without, thank you very much), so I was apprehensive about this episode.
The pre-credit scene where Steve mows down the infiltrators? A little too video game like for my liking, I quite liked the blood spraying bit, but the room moving around like that didn't impress me.
The Kono/Adam scene... yeah, well, I'm bitter. Okay, I'm really bitter about the fact that Kono ended up being a prop in her own plot, that it's about Adam running away from the Yakuzah and her giving up her family, career, and home for him. I don't fall in line with reading their relationship as abusive, but I also wouldn't call it healthy or equal in any way. It galls me that this is the story they ended up giving Kono when back in S1 any kind of romantic overture was overturned, because you know, romantic plots seem to be the destiny of all women in this show, revolving around the men who for whom the romantic plot is a subplot. All the Adam/Kono scenes, including the last scene, are about Adam, not about Kono, she happens to be there. But any conversation between Chin and Kono is a plus, so I'll live with it for as long as they'll give it to me until she disappears for real for the time she's supposed to be gone.
The terrorist woman was a lovely example of the Smurfette principle, a lone woman in a troupe of men, there to show that the writers do care about having an even playing field. Also, as we can see, the Five-0 team itself thus far.
Possibly the best scene in the entire episode was the outside of the Palace when the new SWAT captain, Lou Grover, was introduced, Duke welcoming him to the madness. Duke always seems to be introducing people to the madness. The bonus of Max and Kamekona appearing and being all worried about their ohana was a truly nice touch, especially with Kamekona getting into it with the rookie, whom I hope we'll see again in some capacity.
With regards to Kamekona, I hope we get to see more of his moral ambivalence later on in the season, maybe the writers will remember he had a huge cache of weaponry at his disposal and may or may not be using his vast empire of tourist traps to launder money. Just a thought.
I felt that the scene inside the Palace itself was resolved a little too quickly. I get that the baddies were there for a hit and that once it was done they wanted to get out of there, but I don't know, it felt a bit... slap and dash. Though I'm not saying no to Chin being a mastermind and being so pissed about the fact that THEY SHOT HIS COMPUTER TABLE! I made a noise, not gonna lie, I made a mournful noise.
Chin's badassery was also extremely fun to watch.
Danny spieling to Steve about his unsure feelings regarding Gabby didn't grab me. That whole relationship is just so... vague. Which is the kindest thing I have to say about it, because I don't know if you want to read again about the fact that a woman dropped her life and her career in order to be a subplot in some guy's life. Whoops, I did it anyway. Danny's insecurity is fitting, I found it rather ridiculous that he was word vomiting while Steve was trying to revive this guy.
But Danny misses Kono and that's what counts in my book. As is Danny and Steve's whole relationship and dynamic. They are so special and so enjoyable, their ribbing, snarking, and clear affection is so compelling and so much fun to watch that everything else almost melts away.
And I may have held onto my screen when the baddie put a gun to Danny's head and while Steve worried and ordered Chin to stand down. I feel Chin could have committed some act of badassery, but it would have been too clean, I guess.
The writing was extremely lazy when it came to Catherine. Jogging, suddenly a uniform appears informing her Steve's in trouble, her car dies and she's kidnapped. Okay. Was this Navy guy sent specifically to find her? Was he a member of the baddies? How the fuck did this guy know where she was? Plot holes, fine, whatever, Cath as a plot device, what else is new. It's boring and it's irritating.
Steve's panic was fun to watch though, and the whole pain of losing loved ones to terrorists made me wibble, I won't lie, but I just wasn't worried about Catherine the way I feel I should have been, the way I worried about Danny just a few minutes before.
Yes, Danny is my favourite character and I care about him the most, Catherine is a character I don't really care about, so I worried less. But narrative should compel me. I'm a sucker for narrative, it's my drug of choice and I did not feel the situation was equivalent.
Maybe I'm defective, maybe I'm a bad feminist. I don't know.
The little OT3 moment of both guys worrying about Cath on the way to rescuing her was interesting and enjoyable, though.
Danny's blasé attitude about the Camaro was fitting and classy. Danny has no emotions connected to cars, that would be me. I was very sad to see the silver Camaro go.
The ending with Wo Fat and the DNA? Really? Don't you... already have his DNA, Steve? Also, I'm hoping this is a deflection from the real reveal, because if Wo Fat is Steve's brother for real I will just feel sad for the narrative. Like, I'm sorry you couldn't die with dignity sad.
However, Toast being back will forever please me, especially the continuity of him being Danny's resource and someone who aggravates him to the point of homicide.
Cranky Danny is a fun Danny.
Tumblr Crosspost
no subject
Date: 2013-09-28 12:36 pm (UTC)and for such a modern office like Five-0's, there should be backup and logs somewhere else regarding what's being done on the tech table. they shouldn't need to find someone to come in to "try" uncover what the baddies have done. that's the geek in me talking.
but.. TOAST! :D
ok. i'm gonna shut off my brain and stare at shirtless Steve some more. :[
no subject
Date: 2013-09-28 12:41 pm (UTC)I KNOW! So neglectful! But TOAST TO THE RESCUE :D
Good notion, good notion indeed, sir.
no subject
Date: 2013-09-29 06:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-09-29 07:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-09-29 07:20 pm (UTC)