The 23-episode second season of Hawaii Five-0 aired during the 2011/2012 TV season. The season starts out shortly down the line from the events that ended season one. Steve is in jail after being framed for murder, and Kono is suspended. The cliffhanger from season one is mostly resolved in the first episodes as they had to find a way to get Steve out of Jail, although Kono's storyline extends further into the season. This season involves Wo-Fat (who was introduced midway through the first season) a lot more, and the team investigates ties between Wo-Fat and McGarrett's family in the process. There is some cast turnover, with Taryn Manning being reduced to a recurring role and the addition of Lauren German to the main cast as a Homeland Security officer named Lori Weston, who is assigned to the task force by the new Governor. Masi Oka is promoted to a series regular this season and Terry O'Quinn (from Alias and Lost) is added in a major recurring role, Joe White, who is a former mentor to Steve in the Navy. Ian Anthony Dale is also added as a recurring character Adam Noshimuri who is the son of the local Yakuza leader.
The series continues to be a combination of procedural case-of-the-week stories and serial arcs that span throughout the season. There are a couple of different crossovers with NCIS: Los Angeles, including a two-episode crossover in the second half of the season in which Chris O'Donnell and LL Cool J appeared on Five-0 and Daniel Dae Kim and Scott Caan appear on NCIS. The season ends on yet another cliffhanger with a major reveal that involves Steve and sets up what the large story arc for season three will be.
The Blu-Ray set is a six-disc set that includes the episodes and a good number of bonus features. The A/V quality is great once again, especially the visuals of Hawaii that look great in HD. The extras include commentary tracks on two episodes, a few making-of and behind-the-scenes documentaries, a featurette on the NCIS crossovers, a featurette on real-life Navy Seal training, deleted scenes, and a gag reel.
Overall, the series continues to be strong in its second season. It does a good job balancing the large ensemble cast and has great guest stars and recurring stars. Ed Asner guest stars as his character from the original series August March, James Caan (of course Scott's father) makes a guest appearance and basically rips on Danny the entire time. Jimmy Buffett, Patty Duke, and Robert Englund also make guest appearances as do William Sadler, Michelle Borth, and Will Yun Lee, who steals every scene he is in as Sang Min. The show has a good blend of action and drama with some comedy (usually in the form of the Steve-Danny bickering) mixed in. It is well-written and acted, and while it does rely heavily on the original series, it is not a carbon copy of the original show. So, if you are a fan of police procedurals, this is a good one to watch, but definitely watch season one first so you are up to speed with the characters and the storylines.
The series continues to be a combination of procedural case-of-the-week stories and serial arcs that span throughout the season. There are a couple of different crossovers with NCIS: Los Angeles, including a two-episode crossover in the second half of the season in which Chris O'Donnell and LL Cool J appeared on Five-0 and Daniel Dae Kim and Scott Caan appear on NCIS. The season ends on yet another cliffhanger with a major reveal that involves Steve and sets up what the large story arc for season three will be.
The Blu-Ray set is a six-disc set that includes the episodes and a good number of bonus features. The A/V quality is great once again, especially the visuals of Hawaii that look great in HD. The extras include commentary tracks on two episodes, a few making-of and behind-the-scenes documentaries, a featurette on the NCIS crossovers, a featurette on real-life Navy Seal training, deleted scenes, and a gag reel.
Overall, the series continues to be strong in its second season. It does a good job balancing the large ensemble cast and has great guest stars and recurring stars. Ed Asner guest stars as his character from the original series August March, James Caan (of course Scott's father) makes a guest appearance and basically rips on Danny the entire time. Jimmy Buffett, Patty Duke, and Robert Englund also make guest appearances as do William Sadler, Michelle Borth, and Will Yun Lee, who steals every scene he is in as Sang Min. The show has a good blend of action and drama with some comedy (usually in the form of the Steve-Danny bickering) mixed in. It is well-written and acted, and while it does rely heavily on the original series, it is not a carbon copy of the original show. So, if you are a fan of police procedurals, this is a good one to watch, but definitely watch season one first so you are up to speed with the characters and the storylines.
No comments:
Post a Comment