Hawaii Five-0 episode 2.07
Nov. 2nd, 2011 10:31 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
azziriaThe one thing about watching the episode a few hours after everyone else is that you get to read episode reactions before you actually see it for yourself. So I really didn't know what to expect going into this episode, whether I would like it or not, because a quick sweep of the boards and Twitter yielded very different opinions. Some people really loved it, some really hated it. Some thought Danny owned the episode, others thought that he was a complete douchebag. Some complained about far too much Lori, while some felt the episode to be much more balanced this week. Some really hated the Lori/Steve flirting, some felt that Lori was more bearable this week. So I started to watch with some trepidation and the best attempt at open-mindedness that I could achieve.
I have to say straight off that I mostly enjoyed this episode. If they'd just had a better, less wooden actress playing Lori then I'd be *almost* completely happy with it.
(On a side note, I hate the way the whole Lori issue is splitting up our fandom. However as long as there's the slightest chance that TPTB will rectify the situation, I'll keep on feeding back what I don't like as well as what I do like. Otherwise I'm scared that TPTB will think that we've all grown to love what they're doing with the show, things that I personally think aren't doing the show justice.)
So, as always, the cons first, because I'm all about ending on a high note:
- Biggest no-no of the series so far: Lori calling Danny 'Danno'. A real WTF? moment. Whatever the reason for Lori using it, to me this goes to show just how completely out of touch with the fans the writers were when they scripted this. 'Danno' is sacred to Grace and Steve, and you don't mess with that if you want to get your fanbase on board with this new character. Just… no.
- Lori with the 'Danno' and the thigh holster and the big gun - you're not seriously telling me they still weren't (aren't?) going with the 'female Steve McGarrett' angle here? (And it would be much better if Lauren looked like she knew what she was doing holding a gun.)
- Which brings me neatly to my next point (which has some pro about it as well as con): the 'flirting' between Steve and Lori. I was watching this very critically, because a Steve/Lori sexual relationship would have me walk away from the show, and last week they were definitely going for the UST thing. Surprisingly, this week I didn't see it as flirting. Yes, Steve's concern for Lori when she was hit over the head seemed off (possibly because AOL is struggling with the chemistry with this actress?), but it was kind of what he would do for any member (particularly a female or young member, he's a gentleman after all) of his team (shame we didn't see more onscreen for Kono, but we'll move on from that). No, what I think they were doing this week was trying to build a similar bantering relationship between Lori and Steve to that that exists (existed?) between Danny and Steve. All that business about wanting to know about her costume and private life etc was supposed to come across like his nosiness about what Danny had in his lunch that time. They're trying to make the Lori/Steve thing like the Danny/Steve thing – but it really didn't work, because Alex and Lauren just don't have the chemistry that Alex and Scott have. Plus, this is another fine example of 'let's make the viewers like her by putting her into a popular character's role'. Still not working for me.
- Still too much Lori and not enough Kono.
- Danny taking Grace trick or treating at his hotel. Danny is the sort of father who would have driven his daughter to the best area he could manage for trick or treating. I'm a parent myself; I know this.
- Also, Danny's an experienced cop; whatever his dedication to investigating the crime, he would understand about how you do better if you respect people's beliefs and customs. They wrote him as a bit too much of an insensitive haole this week, I think.
Now for the pros:
- I'll come straight out and admit that I didn't mind Lori as much this week as previous weeks, partly because we saw less of her, and partly because we actually saw her doing something useful for a change (still not stellar profiling, but it was something). If she was being played by a slightly better and less wooden actress then this episode would have been OK.
- Loved the little exchange between Steve and Danny when Danny finds the first rock through the windscreen of the Camaro – love the way Danny doesn't even have to *look* at Steve to know what he's going to say, and Steve's reaction :)
- The cargument. I agree with Steve about respecting beliefs; however I'm also right up there with Danny on the people inventing things to make themselves feel better.
- Englund rocked it as Samuel Lee, so creepy and yet also so sad. I could have used him having a bit more screen time, but what he did have was perfect.
- Kono's moment with the priest – a nice way to show how religion and modern Hawaiian life co-exist, and are not just archaeological history.
- Max as Neo. I loved what they did with Max this week, eccentricity rather than stupidity. And then reminding us how smart he is, and him working with Fong. Keep it up, Show, I like it :)
- Danny was very cute with Dr Asano, although I'd have thought that after coffee and dinner they'd be a little less formal than they were. But I loved Steve teasing Danny about her, and Danny's "Haven't you got something to shoot?" line.
- Steve's slippers (flip-flops) and almost-see-through T-shirt in the final scene. There may be screencapping…
- I liked the scene at the end. That's two weeks now they've shown us the team together, and it makes me feel good.
So on the whole, and if I fast-forward through the Lori bits, a good episode for me.
The thought I leave with is this, though: how much better would things have gone if they'd brought Lori in as a profiler seconded from HPD to help with a couple of cases like this one, had her show her worth and then had Steve recruit her to the team as a useful addition? We'd have got used to her gradually and then accepted why she was on the team. Instead of which they ran with the 'Governor's babysitter' angle and then dropped it. They missed a trick, I think.
I have to say straight off that I mostly enjoyed this episode. If they'd just had a better, less wooden actress playing Lori then I'd be *almost* completely happy with it.
(On a side note, I hate the way the whole Lori issue is splitting up our fandom. However as long as there's the slightest chance that TPTB will rectify the situation, I'll keep on feeding back what I don't like as well as what I do like. Otherwise I'm scared that TPTB will think that we've all grown to love what they're doing with the show, things that I personally think aren't doing the show justice.)
So, as always, the cons first, because I'm all about ending on a high note:
- Biggest no-no of the series so far: Lori calling Danny 'Danno'. A real WTF? moment. Whatever the reason for Lori using it, to me this goes to show just how completely out of touch with the fans the writers were when they scripted this. 'Danno' is sacred to Grace and Steve, and you don't mess with that if you want to get your fanbase on board with this new character. Just… no.
- Lori with the 'Danno' and the thigh holster and the big gun - you're not seriously telling me they still weren't (aren't?) going with the 'female Steve McGarrett' angle here? (And it would be much better if Lauren looked like she knew what she was doing holding a gun.)
- Which brings me neatly to my next point (which has some pro about it as well as con): the 'flirting' between Steve and Lori. I was watching this very critically, because a Steve/Lori sexual relationship would have me walk away from the show, and last week they were definitely going for the UST thing. Surprisingly, this week I didn't see it as flirting. Yes, Steve's concern for Lori when she was hit over the head seemed off (possibly because AOL is struggling with the chemistry with this actress?), but it was kind of what he would do for any member (particularly a female or young member, he's a gentleman after all) of his team (shame we didn't see more onscreen for Kono, but we'll move on from that). No, what I think they were doing this week was trying to build a similar bantering relationship between Lori and Steve to that that exists (existed?) between Danny and Steve. All that business about wanting to know about her costume and private life etc was supposed to come across like his nosiness about what Danny had in his lunch that time. They're trying to make the Lori/Steve thing like the Danny/Steve thing – but it really didn't work, because Alex and Lauren just don't have the chemistry that Alex and Scott have. Plus, this is another fine example of 'let's make the viewers like her by putting her into a popular character's role'. Still not working for me.
- Still too much Lori and not enough Kono.
- Danny taking Grace trick or treating at his hotel. Danny is the sort of father who would have driven his daughter to the best area he could manage for trick or treating. I'm a parent myself; I know this.
- Also, Danny's an experienced cop; whatever his dedication to investigating the crime, he would understand about how you do better if you respect people's beliefs and customs. They wrote him as a bit too much of an insensitive haole this week, I think.
Now for the pros:
- I'll come straight out and admit that I didn't mind Lori as much this week as previous weeks, partly because we saw less of her, and partly because we actually saw her doing something useful for a change (still not stellar profiling, but it was something). If she was being played by a slightly better and less wooden actress then this episode would have been OK.
- Loved the little exchange between Steve and Danny when Danny finds the first rock through the windscreen of the Camaro – love the way Danny doesn't even have to *look* at Steve to know what he's going to say, and Steve's reaction :)
- The cargument. I agree with Steve about respecting beliefs; however I'm also right up there with Danny on the people inventing things to make themselves feel better.
- Englund rocked it as Samuel Lee, so creepy and yet also so sad. I could have used him having a bit more screen time, but what he did have was perfect.
- Kono's moment with the priest – a nice way to show how religion and modern Hawaiian life co-exist, and are not just archaeological history.
- Max as Neo. I loved what they did with Max this week, eccentricity rather than stupidity. And then reminding us how smart he is, and him working with Fong. Keep it up, Show, I like it :)
- Danny was very cute with Dr Asano, although I'd have thought that after coffee and dinner they'd be a little less formal than they were. But I loved Steve teasing Danny about her, and Danny's "Haven't you got something to shoot?" line.
- Steve's slippers (flip-flops) and almost-see-through T-shirt in the final scene. There may be screencapping…
- I liked the scene at the end. That's two weeks now they've shown us the team together, and it makes me feel good.
So on the whole, and if I fast-forward through the Lori bits, a good episode for me.
The thought I leave with is this, though: how much better would things have gone if they'd brought Lori in as a profiler seconded from HPD to help with a couple of cases like this one, had her show her worth and then had Steve recruit her to the team as a useful addition? We'd have got used to her gradually and then accepted why she was on the team. Instead of which they ran with the 'Governor's babysitter' angle and then dropped it. They missed a trick, I think.
