By Stu Robinson,

Episodes 11 and 12 of CBS’ new Hawaii Five-O reestablish the plot line about the McGarrett Family mystery.

No, not the mystery of sister Mary Ann – who hasn’t been seen since Episode 5 and must be on a milk carton somewhere – but the circumstances behind the deaths of  Steve’s parents. This plot line has its roots in the series’ premiere episode, in which Steve could only listen over the phone as his father was murdered.

In Episode 11, the team races to stop a serial killer who preys upon honeymooners. While viewers never really have a chance to solve the case on their own, the writers at least throw out a few red herrings so that fans can think they’re in the game – at least for a while. The writers also get points for giving the killer a modus operandi that I’ve never seen before. The key to the case is provided by oddball medical examiner Max Bergman (Heroes Hiro Masi Oka).

The main story line is bracketed by scenes in which McGarrett takes Chin Ho into his confidence regarding the mysterious tool box his father left behind and the clues it contained to an investigation Papa McGarret apparently was pursuing. Chino Ho recognizes one clue as old Honolulu Police case number. At the end of the episode, he reports that the case in question was the death of McGarrett’s mother and – though the case file is missing – the nomenclature of the case number was that of a murder investigation. That is a surprise to McGarrett, who believed his mother died in a traffic accident.

Episode 12 involves the return of Victor Hesse, the terrorist who killed McGarrett’s father. Hesse is played by James Marsters, who was Spike on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. At the end of Episode 1, McGarrett had put a couple of bullets in Hesse, pitching him into the ocean, but Episode 2 pointedly established that the Coast Guard was unable to find the body. Well, he’s BA-ack! And he’s got Chin Ho wired with explosives.

Note: I’m getting a little tired of this scenario. FOX’s Human Target has used it twice in four episodes this season. Here’s a spoiler: The person survives every time. (The two shows also ran ex-wife episodes within two weeks of each other.)

The episode jumps back 24 hours to reveal how Chin Ho ended up wearing an explosive collar. Back in real time, Hesse demands $10 million to spare him. McGarrett obviously doesn’t trust Hesse but figures he must play along in order to get close enough to subdue his quarry.

Of course, there is the matter of obtaining $10 million in cash in a matter of hours. That launches another plot line that is sure to return in a future episode – especially since Hesse tosses the money onto a bonfire, asserting that what he really wants is to see McGarrett’s face as he kills Chin Ho. Moments later, Hesse is neutralized by Kono’s sharpshooting skills, but not before the cash goes up in smoke.

The events involving Chin Ho and Hesse are bracketed by subplot about Danno’s attempt to replicate his idea of a traditional Christmas with his daughter. This allows for the secondary-character appearance of the week as the gigantic shave-ice guy returns to help Danno score a deal on a Santa suit.

A coda to Episode 12 has Hesse receiving a prison visit from a lean, good-looking, well-dressed man named Wo Fat who asks how close McGarrett is to the truth about his father. “Too close,” Hesse replies.

Final Thoughts

• Congratulations to Scott Caan (Danno) for his Golden Globe Nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini Series or Motion Picture Made for Television.
• Episode 11 offered two glimpses of Hawaiian culture: boar hunting with bow and arrow and spear fishing. It also highlighted inter-island cruises, but I don’t know if this was a formal product placement or not.
• McGarrett has developed a habit of charging onto a scene while loudly identifying himself as “Five-O.” Since this new law-enforcement agency has been around only three months, how are people supposed to know what the heck it is?
• We almost had a “book ’em, Danno,” but Danno cut McGarrett off.

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Stu Robinson, a college friend of the TV Tyrant, is a writer, editor, media-relations practitioner and social-media guy based in Phoenix.