“Nalowale I Ke ‘Ehu O He Kai” is among one of the last episodes of Five-0 that will grace our screens, given the news that Five-0 has been cancelled following ten seasons of crime in Hawaiian paradise. Fans everywhere have reacted with sad emojis and heartfelt messages of how Five-0 has impacted their lives. That said, there’s more riding on the last episodes than ever before, given that audiences are expecting nothing less than an epic end to an amazing series run.
Last episode, we had a cliffhanger in which we weren’t sure what was going to happen to Adam. Interestingly enough, that’s not where this episode begins. I found that to be an interesting liberty taken. It didn’t hurt the episode. In fact, we got a good scene with Danny and Steve bickering, which included the hilarious moment in which Steve asks his Amazon Alexa if Danny is an idiot, to which Alexa simply responds “I’m not going to answer that.”
Good answer, Alexa.
Actually, there was a fair amount of Steve and Danny bickering this episode. To me, especially with the Alexa humor, it echoed some of their old humor, like the show is going back to its roots. Including Alexa just adds a little modernization to their bantering compared to ten years ago. In the final moments of the episode, Steve says that he has to get his wallet from home, to which Danny remarks that that’s been Steve’s MO for the last ten years.
It’s an ongoing joke between them, and how Danny ends up paying for most of Steve’s meals and drinks. Though Danny gives him a hard time, he still pays for his friend. Their bond remaining so strong after 10 years is remarkable, and a big reason that has kept fans coming back for a decade.
We also have a glimpse into a possible future for Steve, as he mentioned he had a date with Emma, the veterinarian he was crushing on earlier this season. Steve had been on a date with Brooke for Valentine’s Day, and Emma had mentioned seeing someone else when she came over to help Eddie, so obviously something’s changed for them to go on a date together. We don’t actually see the date, but it looks like love could be on the horizon to give Steve his happy ending.
“Nalowale I Ke ‘Ehu O He Kai” doesn’t take too long to show us what became of Adam. Somehow he’s fought off the masked men in his apartment, killing them all while preserving his flash drive which holds incriminating evidence against Kenji.
Adam finally has what he needs to take down Kenji, and of course, he and Kenji have a dramatic showdown. The most interesting part to come out of that was Adam’s claim that he’d been working for Five-0 the whole time, and that Kenji finally offered a confession to murder,. It leaves the audience unsure as to what to believe, especially when Adam calls for help on Kenji’s behalf. The showdown between them was obviously intense and long-awaited, but it ends on a meaningful note as Adam allows Kenji to live. Both Adam and Kenji’s performances were intense, and it leads me to believe there’s more to come where it concerns these two enemies. which provided both a dramatic staging and intense performances from both Adam and Kenji.
Adam’s internal struggle as he decided between letting Kenji live or killing him on the spot was convincing, and definitely says something about his character. Perhaps he can still be redeemed. Even though Adam had the chance to shoot Kenji on the spot, he didn’t take it, though the portrayal of his internal struggle was convincing. However, Adam may have taken out one threat, but others remain, including what Kenji will say about him and where Adam’s loyalties truly lie.
Steve called Adam out, and I thought it was about time somebody. Steve’s angry that Adam wasn’t straight with him from the beginning and that he put not just himself but Five-0 at risk. It’s left undetermined as to what will become of Adam and whether or not Steve will confiscate his badge – Adam’s gone for the remainder of the episode while he debriefs the Organized Crime unit of the Honolulu Police Department.
Meanwhile, Five-0 keeps busy with a case of pirates. I was glad that the episode wasn’t centered completely around Adam’s debacle. Five-0 is always busy, and life goes on. The best part of the pirate case was Tani having a moment of true girl power as she fought off a pirate alone in the kitchen onboard the freighter. She was intense, the pace of the fight was immaculate, and her simple statement, “found him”, was priceless when Steve, Junior and Danny finally made their way inside and we saw the expressions on their faces.
However, I truly have to give props to Noelani’s storyline in “Nalowale I Ke ‘Ehu O He Kai.” She heads to Maui to attend her uncle’s funeral, but there’s more to his death that has yet to be uncovered. We get to see more of Noelani’s life, specifically her family life, and how much her uncle meant to her. Not to mention her struggles with her parents regarding their opinion of her career.
I appreciated the flashback to a happy memory of Noelani on a swing while hanging out with her uncle. Her performance was unparalleled, expressing sadness and determination with ease as she both mourns her uncle and investigates his death. Her tearful declaration as she confronts her uncle’s murderer was one of the strengths of her overall performance, and the fact that her parents were proud instead of ashamed was also meaningful.
Steve sends Quinn to help, which was a good thing in more ways than one. At one point, it looks like her uncle may have committed suicide. Quinn shares that her brother killing himself years ago, and says that his life was so much more than the way he died, and states that the same goes for Noelani’s uncle. It showed another, more vulnerable side to Quinn and clearly Noelani appreciated it. I think it helped them bond, and it helped Noelani get through the investigation and her uncle’s death overall.
The inclusion of Rick, one of the characters from Magnum P.I., was a real asset to the pirate storyline, as he helped Five-0 track down the pirates. It was also pretty cute that he was pushing Tani to put in a good word on his behalf to Quinn, as he’s still interested in dating her.
I loved that Five-0 ended at the La Mariana, the establishment Rick owns, and that Rick and Quinn had something of a dance-off with Tani and Junior. Quinn bringing Noelani along so she doesn’t have to go home to an empty apartment after a long day was especially considerate, and the fact that everyone was there signifies how Five-0 ultimately comes together and are there for one another. The very last shot of the episode is of Noelani smiling, and it couldn’t have been a better end to a great episode.
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