In “Killer Bee”, Five-O deals with a peculiar string of kidnappings, and in “The One with the Gun”, Five-O finds themselves one step behind a man looking for his brother’s killer. The former is an episode heavy with mental illness, PTSD, and the trauma of war. The latter features me raving about two of the guys that you’re not supposed to like. Look, the heart wants what it wants, okay?

A mild trigger warning for “Killer Bee”: If you watch the show before you listen to the episodes and you haven’t watched it yet, there is use of a racial slur that’s used in reference to Vietnamese soldiers during the climax. As I mention in the podcast episode (for clarity: I absolutely do not say the slur), it makes sense in the context of the scene and wasn’t uncommon at the time the episode aired, but it’s still unpleasant and upsetting, especially given the recent rise of hate crimes against Asian Americans here in the States.

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Please enjoy this picture of Steve talking to the beach goers who decided to investigate the shots fired because they have no sense of self-preservation. I mean, sure, it worked out for them, I guess.

There’s a pre-Happy Days Marion Ross and a very young Christopher Walken. Could you ask for more? Yes, but you shouldn’t. This is an embarrassment of riches.

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Also, don’t mess with Nurse Lavallo.

Just a heads up–There is some mention of sexual assault in my discussion of “Which Way Did They Go?” but I do give a trigger warning and it’s maybe only a minute long. It may not seem like enough of a mention to bother warning people about, but I’d rather be safe than cause someone harm because they were blindsided. As someone who has super specific triggers, I know I can’t account for all of them, but sexual assault is a common one so I’m more than willing to give a heads up.

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In conclusion, here is Steve looking so fashionable while arresting someone.

There’s just a whole lot of terrible and questionable people ’round here.

Thank goodness the Five-O guys are on the up and up.

Most of the time.

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Here’s Steve undercover for a hot minute.

Season 2 of Hawaii Five-O continues with episode 7 “Sweet Terror” and episode 8 “King Kamehameha Blues”. In the former we have a fun terror plot run by an eccentric bad-guy-for-hire and in the latter we have a group of college kids “putting the squeeze on the establishment” with a daring theft.

The fun part of watching these episodes in order is that you get pairs like this one in which I really loved one episode and totally loathed the other. “Sweet Terror” features Theodore Bikel as a fun villain with a certain air of sophistication and Soon Tek Oh is back playing another not-so-nice character. “King Kamehameha Blues” just straight up gives me the blues.

You can listen to my raving and ranting on Soundcloud, iTunes, Spotify, or Stitcher.

Instead of a picture from one of the episodes, here’s a pic of King Kamehameha I’s cloak. You can read all about how it was made here.

I’ve got two more second season episodes for you. “Savage Sunday” pulls Five-O in on their day off to take on some Latin American revolutionaries and “A Bullet for McGarrett” features a seriously mesmerizing Eric Braeden. But then, isn’t he always? There’s a soap opera worthy subplot that has nothing to do with the soap opera vet and a surprise appearance by Wo Fat. Listen on Soundcloud, iTunes, Spotify, and Stitcher to see which episode has which.

Apologies for the background noise. The neighborhood insisted on being particularly loud while I was recording. As if I’m not loud enough as it is.

Please enjoy this picture of Kono on his day off as compensation.

It’s episode 15 of Book ’em, Danno and season 2 is just getting started. In episode 3, “Forty Feet High and It Kills!”, Wo Fat is back, baby, and he’s kidnapping…Grandpa Walton? And in episode 4, “Just Lucky, I Guess”, Five-O finds themselves looking for a killer and a witness. Come for my excessive praise. Stay for my complaining.

Listen on Soundcloud, iTunes, Spotify, and Stitcher.

Behinds the scenes note: When I record Book ’em, Danno, I’ve found it most effective for me to record my blathering about the first episode I cover on one day and then the second episode the next. It’s less stressful and it saves my voice. However, this episode, for whatever reason, my voice was kind of rough when I started talking about “Just Lucky I Guess” and ended up straying into phone sex operator territory by the end of it. Sorry about that. To be clear, I wasn’t intentionally trying to arouse anyone while talking about John Randolph’s credits.

To keep this from getting even more awkward, he’s a picture of Steve (not from either of the episodes) embarrassed to be associated with me.

Season 2 is underway!

We start off with a murderous life insurance scheme (that’s not deadly in the way you think) in “A Thousand Pardons–You’re Dead!” and continue on with a man carrying out a plot twenty-eight years too late in “To Hell With Babe Ruth”. Danno goes undercover and Steve learns about ninjas. Kicking off the season in style.

Yes, it only takes two episodes until we once again get a heavy dose of racist casting, but we also get some gratuitous James MacArthur and BarBara Luna frolicking on the beach, so. I’m not saying it balances out. I’m just saying that with this series, we have to take the good with the bad.

Anyway, listen on Souncloud, iTunes, Spotify, and Stitcher.

I’d post a pic of the beach frolicking, but that might be too much for you. So, here’s a picture of Danno in uniform. Which also might be too much for you.