By Stu Robinson,

Episode 18 of CBS’ new Hawaii Five-O, like the one two weeks earlier, has McGarrett, Chin Ho and Kono racing the clock while Danno deals with family issues.

Mad Bomber

Someone is using explosives to kill the children of judicial officials. After a judge and a prosecutor watch their offspring die, Five-O races to identify and stop the bomber before he kills again.

This episode was a pursuit with a bit of procedural mixed in. While viewers have no opportunity to identify the perp – Kono gets the office’s futuristic, table-top supercomputer to do that –  it was pretty obvious to me that the killer was somebody who had lost a child and blamed the judicial system.

The plot moved along and was entertaining but unremarkable. It was nice to see veteran character actor and Honolulu native Clyde Kusatsu (one of those “that guy” guys) playing the judge.

Not-So-Great Dane

The subplot involved a visit to the islands by Danno’s brother Matt (Dane Cook). It’s obvious he is up to no good, which forces Danno to dance along ethical lines.

Very little of this story was plausible. Not Dane Cook as a Wall Street big shot and stand-up family guy; not McGarrett and Danno coercing evidence from the FBI; and certainly not Danno having to choose between shooting his brother or letting him escape. The resolution was rushed, and it sure looked to me like Danno compromised himself legally.

Honestly, I couldn’t catch most of the details at the end – even after replaying the scene on my DVR – because once again the dialog was lost amid the background noise. This has irritated me throughout the season. How could such a big-budget, high-concept production screw this up episode after episode? Is it just me, or my TV? I’d like to know whether any readers have experienced this.

Really, the only positive takeaway from this subplot was that it advanced the storyline involving Danno and his ex-wife, Rachel (Claire van der Boom). Trying to maximize time with Danno’s daughter, Grace, Matt invites Rachel along for a dinner and a trip to the beach (the latter enabling the show’s writers to put her in a bikini). It’s clear that Danno and Rachel retain a bond and a knack for unspoken communication. And there is no sign of her new husband, “the Stan.”

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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.