Hawaii Five-0 has had some gruesome deaths before, but I think they took the top prize in “Popilikia” with the headless horseman. If you ever play polo, make sure to check the goal posts for a guillotine line before riding your horse through it. Ouch!
In addition to the case of the headless horseman, McGarrett had to deal with the surprise appearance of his mother, Doris.
The Death Card
I’ve never been to a fortune teller and doubt I ever will, but Bai Ling’s performance as the psychic was very believable. I would have been freaked out if I got that reading. Even though, it was a scam, she was good at reading the signs.
Billy’s death was horrifying to watch the first time, let alone the multiple times it was shown. His death led the team through an odd path of evidence and misdirection. For being so young, Jake was incredibly smart in setting up this plot, which made his downfall a letdown.
Jake switched his polo practice time with Billy to shift the investigation away from Billy and on to himself as the victim. Then to further support that theory, he had a bomb go off in his car. The real brilliance came in the fact that he hired his previous kidnapper to plant the bomb. Whoa!
Jake had the perfect scapegoat. Only the Five-0 figured out the true target was his mother. With the affair out in the open, Jake’s father became the next suspect and he probably would have been charged and convicted if it wasn’t for Jake’s stupidity.
By this time, Jake was so involved in his plan, he wasn’t thinking straight. His decision to kill his mother at the hospital was reckless, but then again he killed both Billy and his mom to punish his father.
The case started out with an unusual death and continued to be interesting due to the complex family situation and motivation for the killing.
Mommy McGarrett
Just as Jake had issues with his mother, McGarrett is dealing with his own. Doris’s surprise arrival may not have been what McGarrett wanted, but it was a better than him having to hunt her down.
Doris is quite the mystery. She faked her death, stayed hidden for decades and now comes back and acts like nothing is wrong. McGarrett has much more restraint than I would in his position. How did he manage to not deluge her immediately with questions?
He finally got around to asking his mother about Wo Fat and the gun shots. I was afraid that he bought her answer or that we the viewers would be led to believe that. When McGarrett told Danny that he didn’t buy her story, I jumped for joy. Okay, maybe not literally, but I was glad to see he was suspicious.
Doris may think that she can control her son, but he clearly knows there is more to the story. He tracked down his father’s mystery, he can do the same with his mother!
Next up is figuring out what was so important about the film that Doris uncovered under the floor board. That was a big, protective box to hold just a few frames of film. What could be so important, especially from so long ago?
What do you think Doris is up to? Does she have something over Wo Fat that is keeping him away? Or, is their relationship not exactly what it seems?
(Photo courtesy of CBS.)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
Contributing Editor and Writer for Collider, BuddyTV, TV Fanatic, CliqueClack, and other publications. TV criticism, reviews, interviews with actors and producers, and other related content. Founder of TV Diehard.
