I apologize in advance for the picture spam that will be in this post. But the whole team looked so darn good, one guy in particular. So, I hope you will forgive me.

Wow, what a week. Three episodes in eight days. How great was that? Unfortunately, that also means we are well into the second half of season 3. And depending on how many episodes we will get, I heard it will be 24; we only have 10 more to go. Can you believe that? I still remember the long wait over the summer, and how happy I was when the season finally begun. It feels like it was just yesterday. Even though we didn’t win the lottery and didn’t attend SOTB. But there is still hope for next year. Girls, our numbers are still in the game. Just so you know.

Talking about a game. Who was playing a game in this exciting episode? The Governor, Wo Fat, The Politician, The Campaign People? All somehow working together? Or totally unrelated to each other? Huh. And let’s not forget an important part of this show. The custody hearing.

But let’s start at the beginning.

For me, it was no question who this was, but I wondered why she went to meet him. Did she know him prior to this meeting at the lounge? She seemed happy to see him. But I guess her happiness didn’t last that long. Although I have a question about something I don’t understand. Why did Wo Fat pull the trigger? He didn’t shoot her. Just to scare her off? She was plenty scared already, and shooting in the middle of the night would only draw attention to them. So why do it?

Those were two mighty nervous men waiting for the hearing. That was without a doubt one of the best bromance scenes the series has produced so far. How cute was the fixing of the tie, which I’m sure Steve left like that on purpose so Danny could have a little distraction? I mean really, Steve was in uniform half his life; he knows how the tie has to look with his uniform. No way was that not intentional. But no matter what, I loved it. And that way SC could get back at Alex for fixing his tie.

I think this was a great scene to show Steve and Danny’s friendship. The court hearing of course didn’t go according to plan, well actually, I think it did. I don’t even know why Danny prepared a speech and put it down on paper. As if he would have read from it. Danny is neither organized nor in control, so why even bother with something like that? His strength lies in the improvisation, and I think that was a lot better anyway. I loved how Steve stood up as a character witness, I don’t think Danny can do much better than that person standing before the judge. In his uniform and all. I mean come on, she was a goner as soon as she saw him.

Of course, the Governor had to call during the hearing. Steve couldn’t hold him off any longer than he did, it’s not in his nature to ignore a call from his superior. But he said what needed to be said, and I was sure everything was good.

If you don’t want to listen to me ranting about Danny, you might like to skip to the next pictures. Just a friendly warning.

It is surely no secret that I don’t like Danny that much. But lately he has grown on me, simply because season three is so great, and he was not really bothering me. And as my friend Cokie tells me, I have to love him because Steve loves him. I try; I swear; I really try to. But in this episode, he did it again. He p/ssed me off.

Really, Danny? You still hate Hawaii? You’re still in the same place as in the beginning of season one?

I must say I was miffed when he said “I hate Hawaii”. Because for me that is not just the islands, but includes everything associated with it.

I thought it was sad to say his daughter is his whole world. There is nothing there that he even remotely likes? With his words and attitude, he puts everyone down. His friends, his work, even himself. And it doesn’t make it any better that he said it’s his home. Because it is only so because his daughter is there.

He is still just like in 1.24 when he said to Rachel there is NOTHING in Hawaii for him.

It’s just him and his daughter? Well, Danny, I feel bad and sad for everyone who considers you family. It’s a shame that you don’t feel the same way. With words like that you don’t deserve the friends you have.

I thought Danny was at least somewhat feeling like being at home. And that he realized that he had a family outside his blood family. It seems to me that even his words in the hospital last week, or all his other actions showing that he considered his coworkers as Ohana, were just an act. Because his words before the judge belie all his behavior.

When he said all that in court, I don’t think Steve’s face only showed that he thought how stupid it was to say that before the judge, but I also think he felt sad that Danny still feels like that. Not just a minute before he said how important it was for him that Steve was there for him, and now he says that he has no one but Grace. How must a friend feel to hear that from his best friend? I’m sure that was really great to hear.

Okay, rant over. And I would really like to hear your interpretation of what Danny said. What did you hear?

Now we can start with the crime of the week. A strangled woman in the Governor’s friends’ house.

Denning’s attitude felt very manipulative, and I was curious how long McGarrett would let him get away with it. I thought it was amusing that Danny wanted to butt heads with him right away, and Steve was willing to play along for the time being. It seems to me that Danny really doesn’t know when to shut up. I loved it how Steve reminded him what the last time happened they went against him. I mean Danny should know that Steve wouldn’t sweep anything under the rug anyway. So why the aggressive stand? Why not investigating first, and then making some noise?

And Steve is right; it doesn’t matter if it’s official or a favor, it’s an order from their boss. I found it offensive to compare Steve to a string toy, following orders without thinking. Getting a directive and follow through with it, that is what the chain of command is, Danny. But maybe that is just me, and others think Danny is funny. Well, I don’t.

It’s nice to see that Chin is back and seemingly well. But I hope there will still repercussions from what happened to him with Malia and from killing Delano. But we’ll see.

‘Houston we have a problem’ is right. Finding a dead hooker in the bed in a house that belongs to friends of the Governor? Not good at all. And nobody liked where this was going, surely not Steve, who realized that he was being played by the Governor. And as we learned in 3.08, he hates being played.

Any of you thought the Governor had something to do with it? I didn’t. I just thought he was going about all this the completely wrong way. Not telling McG the truth was not a good idea. But I never doubted him. First, I like him, and second, we already had a corrupt Governor. Surely, they wouldn’t repeat that? Well, on the other hand, with Peter Lenkov you can’t be sure of anything.

Excuse me, but did anyone else think that ‘student’ was a bit too naïve? It’s nobody’s business what she’s doing with her body? Well, missy, I hate to tell you, but you are wrong. Last time I checked, prostitution was against the law in the United States. And the IRS might also be interested in what kind of money you are making on the side. How stupid can one person be? And she’s a student? Well, then good night.

While Kono and Chin have discovered they have a tail, Danny has to inform Steve that Governor Denning isn’t very eager to get the investigation forward. Stalling them any way he can? It’s not a hard prediction that he will get an unpleasant visit from McGarrett very soon.

Nice try to catch the guys in the car. At least now they know they were from the government.

I loved McGarrett’s and Denning’s power play. I truly believe that Denning was conflicted and thought he did the right thing. Of course he has no right to intervene with an investigation in that way. Deciding what evidence is legit and what not. That is surely not his job or his right. And trying to manipulate Five-0 in that way is never a good idea.

You know what, Danny? Just stop, just shut the heck up. The investigation is a waste of time, they are not going to tell us anything? It is your job to investigate; it is your job to make them talk and find out the truth. I am so sick and tired of Danny’s constant complaining and constant negativity. How anyone can stand even five minutes with him is a mystery to me. In this episode, he is totally getting on my nerves. I don’t find it funny or even amusing at all. I thought it was… two years ago. But it’s always the same. And now it is only annoying.

I know people will say, well, it’s just how he is. Yes, it is, and it’s fine. For him. But it is a personality trait I could never put up with. I think everyone has things that drive him/her nuts. And Danny’s ranting is my thing. I just can’t stand it. It’s a fine line for me. I love most of their carguments, or wherever they happen, but Danny’s bitching is something I can’t tolerate at all. I know; I should just roll my eyes and move on. Going to do that now.

I loved how they confronted the Congress man’s aid, or whatever his job is. Guess they had questions for him he’d rather not answer.

Okay, seriously, were we supposed to believe that this guy had something to do with the disappearance of Freed? Yeah, right.

But I must say the whole ‘interview’ was entertaining, and I was actually laughing out loud at Steve’s face about the bathroom. Come on, Steve, you never… If that is the case you should rectify that situation really soon. Preferably with Cath, who we will hopefully see soon.

After they had the proof that the teacher didn’t do it, this case got even more interesting.

Amy was back. And what has the opponent politician to do with all of this?

When Amy showed up, it was pretty clear that Wo Fat was somehow involved. The question only was, was he manipulating one of the candidates or also the Governor? Or was his game something completely different?

It was pretty obvious that Amy was lying; question was why. And what does she really know? Fong, thanks for having him again, solved another piece of the puzzle. It seemed that Freed didn’t have anything to do with the killing. That begs the question was he even ever with her, or anyone else like her?

What I liked most about this episode was how they pieced together every little detail until they had the big picture. Pulling in all resources to figure this one out. And we learned when this was supposed to be, on December 2. And that Amy spent quite a bit of money. And I loved it when they found out that Wo Fat was trying to get back into the game with buying another Politician.

I really liked it how Freed stood up to Wo Fat. He reminded me a lot of McGarrett and the Governor actually. I think those three are very much alike.

From now on the talking is over, and we progress rather fast towards trying to free Freed and capturing Wo Fat. That sure doesn’t happen without casualties.

If I were a sniper leaving a crime scene, I would not speed out of a parking garage and draw every attention to me. How stupid do writers think criminals are? I mean, fine, we got a little shooting and a bit of jumping, but really, that was not very clever.

Oh, and by the way, remember Steve last week? Danny doesn’t open his eyes either while shooting. 😉

Criminals shouldn’t use cell phones. At least not in Hawaii. Five-0 always seem to be able to track them down. Last week, they found out where Chin was, and this week. they figure out where Wo Fat is. All due to a little phone call.

I really loved it that the guy got away. Didn’t think of that, huh, Wo Fat? 😉

His list of crimes gets longer and longer. Now we can add kidnapping to it. Again. And there is a witness alive that can testify to it. Bad for you Wo Fat.

How did he know where to go to? Freed could have gotten in any direction. Best not to think about it, or that he stumbled over the hunter.

Well, I could say that the confrontation with Wo Fat was kind of ridiculous.

That Steve should have put the helicopter between Freed and Wo Fat, put it down on the ground.

I could also say how ridiculous it was that Danny didn’t make Swiss cheese out of the bike and Wo Fat. Or that Wo Fat didn’t hit Steve with his rifle, or a vital part of the helicopter.

But I’m not. 😉 Instead, just enjoy the rescue. But next time, please make his escape more believable, because this, well, it was not.

I wonder who is responsible for the props? Or maybe this was the responsibility of the stunt coordinator? Did you notice; Danny was with harness, without harness, with it again?

First of all, someone should watch out for stuff like that, and second, if I were the actor, I would realize that something is missing. Wouldn’t you? I know they are filming this mostly on a platform, but still, these are stupid goofs.

I’m sure Wo Fat left his cell phone intentionally for Five-0 to find. That way, he made sure that he wasn’t the only one going down.

So, in the end, they got everyone except Wo Fat. But what else is new?

I read on a few posts that people were wondering why Steve didn’t do anything to protect his mother when he learned that Wo Fat was on the islands. I didn’t need to see that. He did it either off screen, or Doris is still with her friends on Maui, or he simply heeded her words that she will take care of herself. Besides Wo Fat made it very clear that he was not after Doris. I’m sure Steve made arrangements, but I don’t need to see every little detail on screen. And I think he is way past the stage of freaking out because danger might come near his mother. And I’m absolutely okay with that.

And now we can finally come to the end of the episode. One of the best endings, if not THE best ending. I simply loved it. I loved the serious Steve, brooding over what happened that day. And I’m not sure it was only about Wo Fat; I think he also thought about what Danny said in court.

And no matter how often Danny says they had no choice but to leave; he’s wrong. This was a botched up rescue, and Steve knows it. There was no need to abort, Freed was not seriously injured, and five minutes wouldn’t have made a difference. They had the power to get Wo Fat, and they made the wrong decision, if Danny wants to see it or not. They had more firepower and were in the better position than Wo Fat. Aborting was wrong. And that is something Steve has to come to terms with, and Danny seems totally blind to the fact that they screwed up. He is pretty big on excuses and talking until he believes what he’s saying.

Anyway, I loved that Denning came to clear the air, and apologize. And that Danny won his case. This was truly a great ending. Just enjoy the pictures. Guess I got a little overboard with this episode. So many absolutely glorious pictures.

Oh, and one more thing, thank you Global for again giving us a lot of this episode without the logo. I greatly appreciate it.

Well, I guess all there is left now is the verdict.

Storyline: I truly enjoyed this one. Wo Fat trying to get some of his earlier power back, and  a murder mystery, kidnapping, and corrupt Politicians. I truly liked how everything came together and how everything was slowly revealed. For me a solid A.

Action: Except for any hand to hand, this one had it all. And again, Steve flying a helicopter. Seeing that makes up for everything. But actually, they didn’t even need to make up for anything at all. This was an A for sure.

Guest-Star: This is a category that won’t live past this episode, just because guest stars are unimportant in my eyes. If one makes an appearance, I will pick this up again.

Fun factor: Well, not really much fun, except maybe before the court started.

Awe-factor: Can they be any better than before the court, or at the end? I loved them. YES, I can love them together, no matter that I shred Danny to pieces from time to time. I love them together, but not him alone. It’s just how it is.

Steve-Awesomeness: Oh my goodness. That man in a uniform is beyond words. And we had not only that, no he was behind the stick again. And I just LOVE him brooding. I could watch that for hours. So, this was just awesome with a capital A.

Danny-bearableness: This was the episode where I could barely stand him, and in other scenes loved him. But sadly, barely stand him out weighted this time. Sorry, Danny, lost a lot of points with me. No matter the cute beginning and the great ending.

Support group: Where is Max? And please find something to do for Catherine. Pronto. She’s a regular now; I like to see her regularly. If you can’t find anything legit for her to do on the show, besides lending technical equipment, then show her in other ways. Hell, she has a boyfriend. I would be happy to see them in the shower, in bed, in the ocean, hell, having lunch together. That shouldn’t be so hard. She could even bring lunch for all of them. Spend a few minutes, listen to their case and leave. But show her!

Personal Enjoyment: I LOVED this episode. From start to finish. There is always stuff in every episode that I will question. But even my ranting about Danny, or plot holes, or whatever, very seldom lessens my enjoyment. And this one I enjoyed immensely. No question about the verdict here. Absolut A.

Oh boy. Now, after this is done I like to hear what you thought about this episode. Or any of my ramblings.