The end of Steve McGarrett is near. After dominating the ‘70s as the top cop show on TV, Hawaii Five-O was about to end its tropical justice dynasty. Jack Lord’s portrayal of super cop McGarrett had made him a cultural icon. His hair was a national treasure. “Book’em Danno” was a phrase everyone abused. Hawaii Five-O: The Twelfth and Final Season starts with a rather empty headquarters inside Iolani Palace. Danno was gone without any explanation or memorial. In reality, actor James MacArthur had quit the show during the off season. This meant Five-O was reduced to McGarrett and Duke (Herman Wedemeyer). While Duke had worked his way up from a cop in the original season to a full fledge member of the force, he didn’t quite have the acting chops to take over Danno’s role. McGarrett needed a new crew to fight back the criminals that would ruin the world of pineapples and macadamia nuts.
“A Lion in the Streets” is a double-length episode about mobster Ross Martin (The Wild Wild West) angling to takeover the hotel worker’s union. Complicating matters is the arrival of a rogue cop (Rich Man, Poor Man‘s William Smith) gunning for Ross. Turns out he might have killed Smith’s wife. Can Lord bust Ross without Smith slaughtering the guy? The first new addition to the crew is Truck (Moe Keale). He’s like a punching bag version of Kono. No matter what was happening, Truck would eventually get his butt kicked. The big hire was Smith. Even though his character’s name is James Carew, McGarrett nicknames him Kimo. Who? Probably so he could say something like Danno during the show. “Who Says Cops Don’t Cry?” features the shortest tenure on the Five-O force. Officer Kevin Wilson (The Matrix Reloaded‘s Frankie Stevens) gets gunned down during a robbery right before McGarrett was going to give him the news. McGarrett hires his wife (Sharon Farrell) to the force thus becoming the first true female member.
“Through the Heavens Fall” puts Robert Reed (The Brady Bunch) with a rich guy club that hunts down criminals that escape the legal system using smart lawyers. He was like an early version of Dexter. “Sign of the Ram” mixes astrology and murder at the boxing ring. Jayne Meadows (wife of Steve Allen) sees things in the stars. “Good Help is Hard to Find” is Ross Martin’s final time as the mob boss. He’s ready to put an end to Kimo. He makes McGarrett’s crew look inept as his plot unwinds. “Image of Fear” gives us a touch of Soon-Tek Oh. He’s best known as the POW camp chief that tortures Chuck Norris in Missing In Action 2: The Beginning. “Use a Gun, Go to Hell” follows a weapon around the island. “Voice of Terror” gets goofy with people wanting to take over a radio station. Truck gets taken hostage. “School for Assassins” overwhelms the island with killers. McGarrett and Kimo must keep world energy leaders from being snuffed.
“Woe to Wo Fat” wraps up the series with a final showdown between McGarrett and Wo Fat (Khigh Dhiegh). Their feud began in the pilot all those years ago. A trio of scientists have been abducted. The only hope for McGarrett to recover them is to disguise himself as a fourth scientist. Who could be napping the nerds? Why it’s Wo Fat. He’s using science to brain wash them. Since this was the last episode, McGarrett works without any help from the Five-O force. The disappointing element of the episode is the lack of MacArthur since the show doesn’t end with “Book ‘em, Danno.”
There are critics who bemoan what became of the final season with the new cast and unbelievable plots. But the show was always unrealistic. This wasn’t The Wire: Tropical Flavor. McGarrett’s crew wasn’t there to work and not add too much of their personal life to the cases. When they did mention a life outside the office, it was a signal that their loved one was about to die. The new crew were given a little more depth than being McGarrett’s legmen. Kimo and Wilson’s tragic backstories linger through episodes. Kimo even butts heads with McGarrett now and then. But Kimo knows who is boss in the office. While it’s easy to mock this final season, it showed they were trying mix up the chemistry to make it work for a little bit longer. But no matter how sweet life is in Hawaii, you have to say Aloha.
The Episodes
“A Lion in the Streets” (Two-Parter), “Who Says Cops Don’t Cry,” “ Though the Heavens Fall,” “Sign of the Ram,” “Good Help is Hard to Find,” “Image of Fear,” “Use a Gun, Go to Hell,” “Voice of Terror,” “A Shallow Grave,” “The Kahuna,” “Labyrinth,” “School for Assassins,” “ For Old Times Sake,” “The Golden Noose,” “The Flight of the Jewels,” “Clash of Shadows,” “A Bird In Hand…,” “The Moroville Covenant” and “Woe to Wo Fat.”
The video is 1.33:1 full frame. The transfers are sharp enough to see Truck’s reactions to all the gut punches. The audio is Dolby Digital Mono. You’ll hear quite clearly when Truck gets hit. The episodes are subtitled.
Series Promo (0:30) is the CBS network generic promo for the show.
Crime Wave (2:51) is a musical montage featuring Trackmasters. Sounds like the guy who used to the rap on E! Clips are taken from the entire run of the series. This is perfect for wedding dancefloors.
Hawaii Five-O: The Twelfth and Final Season wraps up the career of Steve McGarrett. The storylines do seem rather goofy, but this was not a serious crime show. McGarrett played by his own set of rules when someone tried to destroy his paradise. If you bought the previous 11 seasons, you need this to finish up the experience. Aloha, Jack Lord.
CBS DVD presents Hawaii Five-O: The Twelfth and Final Season. Starring: Jack Lord, William Smith and Herman Wedermeyer. Boxset Contents: 19 episodes on 5 DVDs. Released on DVD: January 10, 2011. Available at Amazon.com.
