“Hawaii Five-O” has taken the wrenching emotional ride over the past several weeks, and faithful fans have felt the pain for each member of the elite crime-fighting team. Lt. Commander Steve McGarrett (Alex O'Loughlin) endured the most excruciating loss of his life, his mother, in his effort to extricate her from the dark circles she became ensnared with as a CIA agent. Eddie, his brave and faithful dog, has been coping with the trauma of canine PTSD. Danny (Scott Caan) had a once-in-a-lifetime encounter with a lovely soulmate, only to tragically lose her to injuries from a car plunge.

Even Captain, Lou Grover (Chi McBride) wasn't spared in the siege of “Hawaii Five-O” heartbreak. Only Adam’s underworld negotiations saved the life of Siobhan, Grover's niece.

In this week's February 21 Episode 17 of Season 10, "He kohu puahiohio i ka ho'olele i ka lepo i luna" (Like a Whirlwind, Whirling the Dust Upwards), it felt very nice to have a restored “Hawaii Five-O” team working a case not so close to the heart. Seeing old friends, like MI6 agent, Harry Langford (Chris Vance) was also nice, and the long-awaited passion that became quickly part of Junior’s homecoming was well worth the wait.

A big ‘Hello, Darlin’ on ‘Hawaii Five-O’

There’s not exactly a huge crowd to greet any of the reservists returning home at Pearl Harbor when Junior (Beulah Koale) steps off the C-17, but Tani (Meaghan Rath) has an enormous smile, holding her paper sign with simply “REIGNS” on it.

She offers to take his bag with a flirt, then leaps into his arms when he says, “I'll take a hug!” Junior remembers that his father wasn't there when he went off to war, training as a Navy Seal, and not there to greet him when he returned, opposing his son’s decision to serve. Tani has taken down the walls around her trust, yielding to let Junior inside.

She tries to make a conversation in the car, but Junior says, “Take a right.” The turn takes them right to the beach, very near the waves under a bright and glorious sun. Tani doesn't get her next words out before Junior passionately kisses and caresses her, telling her that he's been waiting for that exchange since he left.

She is equally voracious, and the couple shares their first intimacy with the rising sun, neither expecting that it would be “in a car,” but that will certainly do as forever memory. “Hawaii Five-O” faithful have been waiting for this since Season 9’s dance at the wedding.

‘Hawaii Five-O’ takes on murders by the book

Danny and Steve are the invited guests of their old friend, Harry Langford, at the Oahu Book Festival. The old chum has written a best-selling book, to the tune of $2 million. When Langford floats out of their conversation into a rather robotic speaking mode, Danny insists that “you broke him” to Steve. The British Military Intelligence officer explains that because his history and rich store of information make him a target, he has hired a surrogate on his boat tours.

Gabe (Jack Cudmore-Scott) goes by the name Michael Blanton on the tour, and Langford feeds him information through an earpiece. The old mates start making dinner plans until a call comes from Grover at the “Hawaii Five-O” headquarters.

Two murders on the island have an eerie connection from the past. A high school music teacher has been strangled with an old violin string and another victim been stabbed with a letter opener. Both victims were given ether prior to their demise. Pages are also left of each scene, and “Hawaii Five-O” determines that the passages are from an unpublished manuscript from 1920s crime novelist, Maureen Townsend (Nicole Steinwedell). The opening scene of this “Hawaii Five-O” episode features the character after a romantic interlude with a bellman (Preston Jones).

He is a rabid admirer of Townsend and takes pages of the novel from the trash where the writer tossed them. She inscribes a book for him as a remembrance.

Danny and Steve have a long visit with an expert on Maureen Townsend, Suzanne (Suzanne Cryer), who instantly seems a little too smart, sassy, and willing to become the prime suspect in the case. She has plans to reveal the manuscript “Murder at the Colony” at the book festival the next day, insisting that she absolutely will not cancel her event.

Suzanne shows off a pen she believes belonged to Townsend, given to her by a fan in Minneapolis. Steve disassembles the pen and discovers that it is a transmitter, capable of stealing the pages or other information from any computer in its range.

The team traces the pen to another loyal Townsend fan, and initially, “Hawaii Five-O” and Suzanne steer toward him as the perpetrator.

When Suzanne is found underwater in her hotel bathtub, with a red and white boat as a symbol of the way the main character in Townsend’s novel, Diedre Naismith, was intended to be killed off, “Hawaii Five-O” goes into a deeper dive. Steve revives Suzanne, but the investigation reveals that the male fan could not have gotten to Suzanne's bathroom because the air vent was blocked by cement. Danny also tells Suzanne's assistant, Kevin (Taylor Kowalski) that blood from a victim was found in his car, and that he had planted evidence from the innocent fan at the scene of another murder.

Ultimately, both Suzanne and Kevin are arrested and certain to sit in “some very uncomfortable chairs” as Steve put it, for their interrogation.

In the interim of the action, Steve has a heart-to-heart with Adam (Ian Anthony Dale) , telling him that Endo has escaped from the island. He tasks Adam with bringing him in to “Hawaii Five-O.” Adam pledges that he will do it, and Steve leaves him with an earnest “I trust you.”

Harry and Gabe have a bad day in this ‘Hawaii Five-O’

As if the action and romance of this “Hawaii Five-O” installment aren't exciting enough, Harry and Gabe get into a real jam with some guys after big bucks. Gabe is getting ready for the next gig. He thinks he hears Harry in the room, but it is a bearded guy with a needle who smuggles him into a car to take him hostage.

Fortunately, Gabe has his earpiece on, and Harry can communicate with him. His screams are coming from the trunk of the car. Tani traces the location, and she, Junior, and Harry set out to track after the vehicle.

Gabe desperately tries to convince his captors that he has no money, is not a millionaire, and is certainly not even British. He pleads that he is only an actor from Cincinnati, but they don't buy it. Harry tells him to log onto his bank site and transfer all $10 million in the account to the Cayman Islands account owned by the crooks. Tani is truly dumbstruck, and also shocked that Harry doesn't have stronger passwords.

Sadly, Gabe blurts out, “What did you say?” while he tries to type the information from Harry.

The jig is up, but Harry, Junior, and Tani arrive just in time. Harry goes in without a gun, but he still insists that if there's no cooperation, he'll have to “put you down.” He does the fund transfer himself, and Gabe is saved.

Gabe can’t believe that Harry just let all his money go. Harry assures “it's all being handled.” A lovely female intercepts the suitcase at gunpoint. She calls Harry to let him know she has his money, but he won't be getting any of it since he wasn't so obedient when they worked together on their last assignment. “Oh, dear” is all he has to say now. This arc was lots of fun.

Harry still wants to have one lavish night in his favorite hotel suite, while Gabe is going back to the safer world of TV commercials.

“Hawaii Five-O” arrives at the door for dinner, teasing Langford about “being on a budget.” They watch a fireworks display from his balcony, and Tani and Junior tenderly hold hands.

Adam planted surveillance in a nondescript tree. He reviews the footage at the close of the episode, seeing Kenji (Fernando Chien) commit more heinous murders. When Adam confronted him, he said only that Endo (John Harlan Kim) and Haru (Alvin Yeh) were “on a plane” doing his bidding. He said he would be happy to put Adam on a plane, too.

‘I got you,” Adam says, not realizing that a band of masked terrorists is coming after him from the street below, just as the “Hawaii Five-O” credits roll.

Kudos to Karen Gaviola for directing this lively episode.

Look out for Lance Gross in the last two “Hawaii Five-O” episodes this season, as Deadline reported last week. The “Sleepy Hollow” and “MacGyver” guest star is dubbed as a potential cast regular for the favorite police drama. Such is life in the land of TV Shows.
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