"Hawaii" on NBC: Chapter 3

[helen]

Last night's episode broke the mold. One of which the starting case did not involve Gaines and Edwards and instead of 2 cases, there were 3 cases for the gang to solve.

[EastCoastTropics]

Re: "Hawaii" on NBC: The Early Returns

Last night's episode broke the mold. One of which the starting case did not involve Gaines and Edwards and instead of 2 cases, there were 3 cases for the gang to solve.

I enjoyed last night's ep very much! Got a chuckle in the beginning with the bruddah and sistah watching the video about the peeps with all their luggage. The bruddah commented that they had to be from New England will that luggage!

[pzarquon]

Re: "Hawaii" on NBC: Chapter 3

Thanks to TiVo, I got to enjoy this episode as well as "Lost." I hope one show doesn't kill the other... I think they're different enough to meet different tastes. "Hawaii" is still a light, fun show.

While it's not easy, I thought they balanced the three cases well. The prostitution thread was heavy, but the laptop/sandwich storyline went just as far in the "silly" direction to offset it. And Sumika's character got to do something all on her own... even if it was the most sappy, sentimental case of the three.

The scenes with the hapless CIA agents were great. I loved how it was implied but not spelled out that there's a difference between what a tourist thinks an aloha shirt (or, ick, "Hawaiian shirt") is and what a local does. And how the cops just rolled their eyes when the visitors mispronounced "wahine."

It was good to see Aloha Tower.

How did a 50-year-old skull can wash up on Waikiki beach? Who cares. Nice allusion to Pearl Harbor, at least.

And John Declan's revealed a little bit about his past, no doubt something we'll learn more about in future episodes.

But... Warning! Warning Will Robinson! Next week's episode synopsis refers to a "mysterious local island that claims to be an independent nation growing its own cash crop -- marijuana." This can go very well (reminding a mainstream audience of the sovereignty movement), or very bad (dumping even more into the Native Hawaiian stereotype).

Also interestingly, there's also mention of a battle between environmentalists and the military (of course, Sumika's character plays the flower-hugger). Guess the writers were reading the local papers...

[LikaNui]

Re: "Hawaii" on NBC: Chapter 3

>> I loved how it was implied but not spelled out that there's a difference between what a tourist thinks an aloha shirt (or, ick, "Hawaiian shirt") is and what a local does. <<

Yeah, and I loved the comment about how they probably were going to the swamp meet to buy a matching shirt and dress.

Kinda cringed, though. when one of the regulars pronounced the word "wahine" as wah-EYE-nee.

[pzarquon]

Re: &quot;Hawaii&quot; on NBC: Chapter 3

Kinda cringed, though. when one of the regulars pronounced the word "wahine" as wah-EYE-nee.

I thought that was one of the loud-shirt wearing, blundering CIA agents? He thought he was being cute (rhyming with "hiney"), and the two young cops just looked at each other in dismay.

I think the show should acknowledge the difficulty newcomers have with the language without mocking it, as it is an aspect of life here. (Who hasn't been asked about "like like" highway (or "Route 63 north," for that matter!). So far, Officer Declan hasn't really had to wrestle with this, Chicago transplant though he was.

[helen]

Re: &quot;Hawaii&quot; on NBC: Chapter 3

Well he did say that they was traveling South on Kalakaua on the first episode never mind the fact that one would end up in the water.

[pzarquon]

Re: &quot;Hawaii&quot; on NBC: Chapter 3

Actually, Kalakaua does run somewhat north-south, particularly at its mauka and Diamond Head ends. But even the scenic part in Waikiki runs as much south as it does east.

[kimo55]

Re: &quot;Hawaii&quot; on NBC: Chapter 3

tonites ep was good

an indication it's getting better and hope da powers that be unnerstand dey got da kine.
support from many kama'aina.

this ep;
planny T&A
da two wahine walking da beach:
almost half expected a zoom in back and forth into da round da kine and a sound effect foley piece; "booooING...BoIIIngwaaaaHHH!"


Wanna see cary tagawa do more stuff;
he could choose to put hisself in da field wit da boys to infiltrate some kinda heroin or opium thing in chinatown. he could go undercover...
Get him outta that straightjacket role of three lines per ep.:
regular line.
Angry line.
den,
"good job, congrats, boys!" kinda line.



Didn't like the part where Michael Bhien tells a bruddah
"Nice work officer"
huh!?
why so formal!?

if he forgot his name which is unlikely on a small island and in a small office, he could at least talk as he would ;
any one o da following:


eh.
t'aaanks eh!

rat own, bruh.

shoots; you nailed it.

Hooohooo. ooohh yeeeaaa...

"Primo's on da house aftah pau hana.
my pahtnah, dem, we go steh going da kine circuit; club fem nu an Rockzhah!
yea!?"


sumpin li dat.

[kimo55]

Re: &quot;Hawaii&quot; on NBC: Chapter 3

But... Warning! Warning Will Robinson! Next week's episode synopsis refers to a "mysterious local island that claims to be an independent nation growing its own cash crop -- marijuana." This can go very well (reminding a mainstream audience of the sovereignty movement), or very bad (dumping even more into the Native Hawaiian stereotype).

BUZZZ!
WRONG!

neither, nigh-ther nor!

no;
"sovereignty movement" nor was there any "Native Hawaiian stereotype"

[helen]

Re: &quot;Hawaii&quot; on NBC: Chapter 3

Despite the error in geography of a nonexistant island 60 miles north of Oahu, I thought the Gaines and Edwards story was a good one.

[kimo55]

Re: &quot;Hawaii&quot; on NBC: Chapter 3

Despite the error in geography of a nonexistant island 60 miles north of Oahu, I thought the Gaines and Edwards story was a good one.

its not an error in geography.

cuz it is not a geography lesson.

it is television.
a.k.a., entertainment.
in no way related to education.

why you think that?!

[pzarquon]

Re: &quot;Hawaii&quot; on NBC: Chapter 3

Last night's episode was the weakest yet, especially if I give the pilot a pass. And while they've proven they definitely can juggle three storylines in this show, this episode is an example of how it can be too much.

The fictional island as a basic plot device would almost not annoy me (and they get one bonus point for using "Google" as a verb), if the scenario wasn't so implausible. If the federal government won't give up its control of half-submurged sandy atolls thousands of miles to the northwest of the last inhabited Hawaiian island, why would they abandon this one as too far? Or just cede it to the next joker who landed on it? Why firebomb the place without a single attempt at contact? I'm mostly disappointed that they blew their first reference to a claim to sovereignty on this storyline. It could've gone somewhere much more interesting. I suppose we'll see the place again in a later episode, at least.

And in this episode, we get not one, but two fictional nations, a second one continuing its civil war in Honolulu. Of all the places to throw in a relatively useless State Department character, this plot would've been better. I feel like there could've been much more depth to this story, if they didn't have to shoehorn it in with the other two.

Finally, the most aggravating subplot for Aya Sumika's character yet. C'mon... everyone else gets shot at, she goes off to rescue a fricken' flower? First she gets all gooey-eyed at the Air Force guy (and they never explain his Jekyll & Hyde shift, either), but then somehow also falls under the spell of the flower guy. They close out the episode with a warm and fuzzy fence-scaling, career-threatening pollination act (what, there are no bees in Hawaii?) that makes one wonder exactly how they're going to show this officer has what it takes for a promotion to detective.

I'm glad I watched ABC's "Lost" after "Hawaii." I'm going to keep tuning in - there have been some high points - but I'm pretty sure that "Lost" is going in the "must see" column where "Hawaii" will end up in the take-it-or-leave-it bin.

[kimo55]

Re: &quot;Hawaii&quot; on NBC: Chapter 3

First she gets all gooey-eyed at the Air Force guy (and they never explain his Jekyll & Hyde shift, either), but then somehow also falls under the spell of the flower guy.

yea. this bugged me too. makes her out to be an impressionable susceptible guileless teenager.

[LikaNui]

Re: &quot;Hawaii&quot; on NBC: Chapter 3

BUZZZ!
WRONG!
neither, nigh-ther nor!
no;
"sovereignty movement" nor was there any "Native Hawaiian stereotype"

Sorry, Kimo55, but... BUZZZ" WRONG!
I beg to differ, as I think Ryan's prediction was indeed correct.
Who got arrested for selling the pot from the island? His name was Koa, and he was local.
And then once they convinced the owner of the island to destroy all the pot plants, who pulled a gun and threatened to kill everyone, including the owner? Koa again.
Finally, who was handcuffed and taken away in the helicopter? Koa.
They absolutely did make the local guy out to be the baddie.

[kimo55]

Re: &quot;Hawaii&quot; on NBC: Chapter 3

Sorry, Kimo55, but... BUZZZ" WRONG!
I beg to differ, as I think Ryan's prediction was indeed correct.
Who got arrested for selling the pot from the island? His name was Koa, and he was local.
And then once they convinced the owner of the island to destroy all the pot plants, who pulled a gun and threatened to kill everyone, including the owner? Koa again.
Finally, who was handcuffed and taken away in the helicopter? Koa.
They absolutely did make the local guy out to be the baddie.

well, I didn't witness any : "dumping even more into the Native Hawaiian stereotype"