“E Ho’i Na Keiki Oki Uaua O Na Pali” may not be a standout episode, but it did have its good points. The show made references that go back to its earliest roots, mentioning old team members like Kono. We also got a deeper insight into Quinn, which makes sense given we haven’t learned much about her since she joined the team earlier this season and time is running out with the show’s impending series finale.
Junior and Tani shared that funny moment that’s a part of any new relationship, when you learn something entirely new about your new beau person and you’re not sure what to make of it. Junior’s amusement at the fact that Tani was a competitive and obviously talented line dancer that participated in the “Sunday Night Round Up” at a bar called the Cattle Prod is adorable. They’re still at the point in their relationship where everything is new and exciting, and where surprises pop out of unexpected places. It’s nice to see that their relationship is going well, and that no drama, especially when it’s this late in the season, has been introduced to upset their happiness.
Speaking of relationships, we get to know Quinn better by the end of this episode. In the previous episode, we learned her brother had killed himself years ago. This episode finds that Quinn, who claims she isn’t much of a sharer, is opening up even more about her past. I’m glad that the audience gets to know Quinn on a more personal level before having to say goodbye, but it’s bittersweet. Just as we get to know her character better, we have to send her off much too soon.
I wasn’t sure Adam was the best choice for Quinn to confide in, but I can see why the two were paired up. They were both married once, and neither marriage lasted, though it was for very different reasons. In a way, they could relate and as it was, neither passed judgment on the other. Adam made a reference to Kono, mentioning to Quinn (who never met Kono) that his ex-wife had surfed professionally so he was used to coming in second. It’d be nice to see a return from Chin and Kono, the other two original members of Five-0 besides Steve and Danny, but it doesn’t seem likely at this point.
Anyway, Quinn receives a call from her former stepdaughter Olivia (Siena Agudong), which gets Quinn on the hunt for her ex-husband, Jake (Bart Johnson). Jake has a serious gambling problem, and he’s left Olivia alone for the last three days. Quinn obviously cares deeply for and shares a special bond with Olivia, and doesn’t hesitate to track down Jake on Olivia’s behalf. The heartbreaking thing is that Olivia innocently tries to defend her father, though Quinn sees right through it.
Quinn recruits Adam to help, apologizing to him profusely for getting him involved. Quinn obviously feels like she has to deal with anything personal in her life alone, which is understandable, but certainly not necessary. Quinn asking for help is a big step, and it means she finally feels comfortable enough to share details of her past, even her unpleasant ones.
Quinn’s love for Olivia is prominent in her performance, and her passion to find Jake is intense. When she does locate her ex with help from Kamekona, she has him arrested and promises to post his bail, and that he has to get help or she’ll ensure Olivia is taken away from him. Jake admits he needs help and pleads with Quinn, even as she drives away. She was hard on him, which means clearly she’s been down this road before and knows that tough love is the answer. Still, it’s not easy, and when she breaks down in the car, letting out small sobs as though she’s trying to control her emotions, Adam does the kind thing and puts a hand on her shoulder, letting her know she’s not alone. I had to feel for Quinn in those moments.
Katrina Law’s (Quinn) acting, based on her interactions with Olivia and Jake, was the standout performance in this episode. I also found it interesting to see that she obviously has bonded with Adam, as she’s the one to invite him to do something outside the workplace, which Adam has been cast out of. Quinn tells Adam she hopes Steve will put Adam back on the team, but I’m not so sure Steve will be inclined with that idea given everything Adam’s put him and the team through this season.
The thing is, Quinn is the newest member of the team. She hasn’t been around to see everything they’ve been through together, so Adam’s betrayals probably don’t hit her as hard as the rest. She’s more open to forgiveness and possibly a form of reconciliation. Adam appears grateful that someone from Five-0 still wants to be around him, but he doesn’t seem so torn up that the other members aren’t reaching out to him like Quinn is. I find that suspicious. It speaks high volumes of his character. On some level, Adam is selfish and doesn’t care for the team as much as he should, given all that he risked and put them through this season. That, or he just wants to pretend like everything that happened never occurred.
Steve and Danny made time for arguments, as Lou notes. The two are having plenty of arguments lately, but also some true bromance moments. For instance, Danny presses Steve to open up about what’s bothering him, as Danny’s heard him pacing at night. Steve doesn’t say what’s troubling him, but it’s nice that the episode includes this moment alongside their occasional bickering to remind us how important their friendship is to them.
Danny and Steve are the best of friends, and though they give each other a hard time, they are like family and care for one another as such. With something obviously plaguing Steve, it means he has something going on in his mind. It’s likely serious, and my guess is that something from his past is catching up with him. He may even be suffering from nightmares, which would explain him not sleeping. In any case, that’s something that needs to be covered sooner rather than later, given that time is running out for the show to wrap up its storylines.
While Danny and Steve share their bromance moment, they are oblivious to the shooter lurking behind the trees, waiting to get a good shot at them, which is both humorous and suspenseful. Plus, Danny and Steve had a brief argument about movies, and who they resembled, given they were on horseback. It kind of was like a movie, as the two pursue the criminals into the Hawaiian wilderness where they proceed to improvise and kick ass though they’re outnumbered. It’s what they do best. Steve is usually the one with the crazy plans, and Danny, his back-up, usually gets sucked into those plans against his will but manages to make it work. It’s part of their dynamic.
The case of the episode itself was interesting, but not necessarily one of the most gripping in the season. A rancher thinks he’s struck it rich when he finds a grave with two skeletons and a fortune in old coins, but he dies a brutal death for his discovery, dragged around by a horse and then finally killed by gunshot.
The case involved a feud between two families (Ho’okano and Makoi) over the old coins and what really happened to a couple in the Ho’okano family. Not to mention the land that once belonged to the Ho’okano family is “cursed.” The coins are worth a fortune in the present day, but it turns out the retrieval of the coins was all for naught, at least for now, as Steve and Danny took out the Makois. The coins remain lost, potentially causing havoc as any treasure hunters in the region will swarm the area, but that’s a problem for another day. The way that the murder of Daniel Kekaula connected to the homicides of the Ho’okano couple over a hundred years before was ingenious, and the connection to a family feud was equally entertaining. It’s almost like Five-0 was coming up against the Montagues and Capulets (minus the love aspect), or better yet, a Hatfield and McCoy feud.
In several ways, “E Ho’i Na Keiki Oki Uaua O Na Pali” contained Wild West elements in modern-day form. From Tani’s experience in line dancing to Steve and Danny on horseback and finally an old feud between two rancher families, it takes Five-0 away from their typical environment and forces them to get creative when it comes to catching the villains. Steve does better in that kind of setting than Danny does, but I have to give Danny credit for getting better with riding horseback and going along with Steve’s improvisation tactics over the years.
Ending the episode on a high note, Steve got philosophical about sunsets. Like cowboys, Steve and Danny ride into the sunset. That is, after Steve has his moment to appreciate the sunset. The thing is, Steve finding the time to appreciate the sunset might mean something bigger. Like he wants to appreciate the little things despite how often he sees them. He doesn’t want to take anything for granted. Is Steve depressed about his tragic past? Or is it something more sinister in which the show is hinting that Steve may die in the finale?
Whatever the outcome, as Steve says, “you’re gonna miss this when it’s done.” I’m sure that was directed at the audience as much as it was at Danny, and that line, as well as the fact that the two friends ride into the sunset, are nice inclusions as a means to bid farewell to this decade-long show.
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