By Stu Robinson,

In the past, I’ve observed that episodes of CBS’s new Hawaii Five-O come in two varieties: those devoted to revealing the back stories of Steve McGarrett (Alex O’Loughlin) and the three other main characters; and those that simply serve up a crime for them to solve. But Episodes 16 & 17 made me realize that I might have painted that with too broad a brush.

Two observations:

• Among those that focus on a crime du jour, there are two sub-genres that I call “procedural” and “pursuit.” In the former, the protagonists – and the viewers – have a mystery to solve. In the latter, the threat is clear and it’s a race against time.
• Some episodes blend the various genres and sub-genres. The main plot may be a mystery while the secondary plot advances one of the back stories.

That is the case with Episode 16, in which McGarrett, Chin Ho and Kono engage in a pursuit while Danno splits off to deal with a situation involving his daughter and ex-wife.

The story starts with a bang – literally. Federal witness Julie Adelman (Mariana Klaveno) is on the run in the jungle after her U.S. marshal protector is gunned down by assassins posing as Honolulu police officers. This prompts ex-Navy SEAL McGarrett to go all Rambo as he and Chin Ho plunge into the jungle to rescue the witness and take down the killers. The clock is ticking; Julie must testify later in the day or the case involving her will be dismissed. They find her before the assassins, and McGarret orders Chin Ho to escort her to the courthouse while he continues the hunt. By the end of the journey, Chin Ho and Julie are exchanging smoldering glances, but it’s already been established that she is headed for the witness-protection program. (Maybe she’ll pop up on USA Network’s In Plain Sight.) Back at Five-O headquarters, Kono attempts to identify the “cleaner,” a sort-of insurance assassin tasked with killing the target and the other hit men if the initial attempt fails.

Meanwhile, Danno is concerned about his daughter, Grace, and ex, Rachel, after their vehicle is carjacked. When the car, normally driven by Rachel’s husband, Stan, is recovered within an hour without any of its contents taken, Danno becomes suspicious. When he takes Grace and Rachel home and finds their mansion ransacked, again with nothing taken, Danno is convinced that Stan has gotten himself into trouble and is being sent a message. Rachel thinks Danno just has it in for Grace’s stepfather. We finally meet “the Stan” and get a glimpse into the stepfamily dynamic when Danno picks him up at the airport for heart-to-heart chat. Turn out Stan has gotten himself into a bit of a pickle, which Danno resolves in an overly simplified manner.

The plots intersect only once. McGarrett has disabled one of assassins with a jungle booby trap and is about to perform field surgery on the guy when he receives a phone update from Danno and improbably stops to counsel his partner about anger management before Danno confronts Stan.

While Episode 16 was generally a pursuit episode, Episode 17 was more procedural. After a group of partying college students is kidnapped from a tourist catamaran, the team must identify the pirates and rescue the hostages. This premise not only enables the cameras to appreciate buff young adults in swimwear but also opens the way for buff, young guest stars – in this case Nick Lachey and fiancée Vanessa Minnillo.

When the hostages’ parents arrive on the island, the most troublesome is portrayed by the incomparable Ray Wise (Twin Peaks, Reaper). That’s an opportunity for a possible red herring, as viewers are likely to assume he’s the bad guy because of his previous roles. It’s also an opportunity for product placement, as McGarrett orders his team to “set up a holding area at the Hilton.”

But the episode does give viewers a chance to figure things out at home. I admit, my own suspicions were confirmed at the conclusion.

Final Thoughts

• Expect the stunt casting and the storyline involving Danno and his ex to continue. Previews for tonight’s Episode 17 show comedian Dane Cook, playing Danno’s brother, at a restaurant sharing stories with Danno, Rachel and their daughter, Grace.
• The Feb. 18, 2011, issue of USA Today included a lengthy feature story on Hawaii Five-O that discussed the show’s ratings success and how it has moved beyond the original series by delving into the characters’ back stories. It also cites the writers’ use of humor, particularly in the car bickering between McGarrett and Danno, which the crew have dubbed “carguments.”

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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.