Every faithful “Hawaii Five-O” fan knows well that the “ohana” among this crime-fighting force is eternal, and goodbyes are not forever, not even in death, because the bonds and the memories remain. In the September 27 Season 10 premiere, "Ua 'eha Ka 'ili I Ka Maka O Ka Ihe" (The Skin Has Been Hurt by the Tip of the Spear), the scene opens on “Hawaii Five-O” headquarters just after the wicked set-up and shooting by Omar Hassan’s widow, portrayed in the Season 9 finale.

Fortunately, no team member is fatally injured but Jerry Ortega (Jorge Garcia) is lying in a pool of his own blood, saying, “It hurts a lot more than I thought it would.” No doubt, Jerry was reflecting back on his library of crime history and conspiracy, but now finds himself fighting for his life.

A tender follow-up scene depicts Junior (Beulah Koale) getting his fleet wiped out in a game of “Battleship” against his friend. Already, Jerry is contemplating living more and tempting fate less, still unsure if he's ready to be back full-force with “Hawaii Five-O” after his ordeal.

Lt. Commander McGarrett (Alex O'Loughlin) is having a hard time leaving work behind on a date set up by Danny (Scott Caan). He can't help himself. He mentions Jerry’s shooting and his love for, and “dysfunctional marriage” to, Danny, in conversation not exactly conducive to a good first date. He disconnects his phone from Danny and decides to have a reset until an assassin’s bullet puts and an end to a pleasant evening, and “Hawaii Five-O” gains an assistant under very unusual circumstances.

A shot at the opera

Even Tani (Meaghan Rath) critiques Junior's “Battleship” strategies before taking him away for their night at the opera. She finds herself much more enthralled by the musical theater than she had anticipated, and it's a good thing, because when she notices trouble in the box seats, she and Junior spring into action, evening wear and all.

One thing that the premiere episode does, quite deftly, is to gather, very quickly, all of the team members involved in this storyline. The victim turns out to be a member of the Triad family of organized crime, Brian Saito. Steve and Danny give hot pursuit to the shooter, with plenty of chases, leaps, and rolls through a maze of outdoor buildings.

Steve doesn't quite make the climb up an outdoor pipe in time, and the killer escapes in a waiting car. Danny insists that “[Steve] would've made that jump 10 years ago,” in a nod of homage to “Hawaii Five-O” history.

Captain Grover (Chi McBride) jumps right into tracing that car, and it leads to a man named Cullen, portrayed by another CBS series veteran, Rob Morrow, from “Numbers.” Cullen has made a name for himself in real estate but has no know-how when it comes to preserving vehicles, having no tracker our inventory system for the car, so convenient. Lou knows how to work a suspect, and he diverts attention to finding an apartment for himself and his wife, now ready to “downsize.”

In the meantime, Steve recognizes a rifle shell casing from the scene and commissions Adam to trace the weapon.

The lead sends Steve and Danny on an intercept of a black SUV, and roadside showdown no one expects.

Katrina Law emerges from the pursued vehicle as the new character, Quinn Liu. She declares herself, “military police,” while McGarrett blurts out his authority, granted by the governor of Hawaii in the “Five-O” task force, with both guns cocked and ready. Law has roles from Hallmark movies to “Arrow” on her well-rounded resume, and she certainly makes an impression. Danny urges them to put weapons away on a count of three, and grudgingly, the military officers comply. Quinn further explains that she is a CID, and she recognizes the photo of the shooter that Steve offers as Tom Kendall, a veteran who she is trying to assist in exchange for reduced charges.

The location of Kendall and a hospital doctor is pinpointed, thanks to Steve's texting back on his burner phone, but Kendall kills himself just as Danny and Steve arrive on the scene.

Underworld and other connections

Since Adam (Ian Anthony Dale) has well-established and personal connections with Yakuza crime bosses, he enlists Masuda’s (Sonny Saito) influence in calling a meeting of the crime leaders. They insist that they know of no one who would be involved in this hit. Their meeting is interrupted by Quinn, who now makes a guns-drawn introduction to Adam, complete with credentials. When a call comes that another veteran, Marcus Sanders, is out for a kill and their beach location, where Quinn has located reconnaissance photos of Masuda, Adam barely has time to yell “Get down!” A shower of bullets hits several at the conference, and Quinn, Adam, and Masuda take cover in a kitchen for a few minutes before Quinn takes on a full assault, getting shot herself.

The shooter takes off in a monster truck, in a scene that action freaks will love.

Steve and Danny intercept the vehicle on the highway, but not before a myriad of lesser cars are crushed. “You don't see that every day,” Danny declares.

Quinn and Steve take on a chase after Sanders, and Quinn is committed to keeping him alive. When he pulls his weapon, however, there is no choice but to shoot, and so both veterans are dead. Steve is clearly touched by Quinn’s dedication to veterans and tries to console her.

Quinn proves to be a girl who “don't need no doctor” as she dresses her own wound at headquarters. Lab results revealed that Kendall and Sanders had drugs in their systems used in treating PTSD, and both were part of a study using the drugs.

From his hospital bed, Jerry is still working the case and finds that Cullen is the only person involved with access to the vulnerable veterans who wanted to use their history and skills in a legitimate vocation. Instead, they became involuntary recruits in a loan-sharking ring. Succumbing to the effects of the drugs only made them more willing pawns.

Lou takes Quinn to arrest Cullen in a swanky restaurant, and later, she rides her classic motorcycle in uniform to express thanks to Steve. He is impressed by her and her bike, by then, having done his research on her Army insubordination charges. She is invited to stay for Jerry's party, where he surprises everyone by saying that he wants to write a book.

His subject is the Federal Reserve and the sinking of the Titanic, as only Jerry could do. He tells the team that he will still be “around to hang” and may help on a case now and then, so this isn't goodbye. He gathers all of the “ohana” of “Hawaii Five-O” in for a giant-sized hug, and the “new Liu girl” is called to the group. Steve also tells Danny that he is “divorcing” him, but every fan knows that can't happen.

The action, emotion, and history of “Hawaii Five-O” seem to be in fine form for Season 10.

An explosion takes the attention of the team next week, per the previews.
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