Episode Title: 'Ka Ho'opono'
Writer: Stephanie Sengupta
Director: Steve Boyum
Story:
Two teens sneak into the bedroom of their high school friend only to find her dead. Meanwhile, Chin Ho (Daniel Dae Kim) picks up Joe White (Terry O'Quinn) at the airport after his trip to Japan. He warns White that HPD is looking at him for the murder of Hiro Noshimuri. Just then, Chin's car is hit from behind by a black SUV. The car pulls up alongside them and the man in the passenger seat makes a shooting gesture at White.
At the murder scene, McGarrett (Alex O'Loughlin), Danno (Scott Caan) and Kono (Grace Park) learn that the seventeen-year-old girl was smothered with a pillow. The girl's father reveals that she recently stole five-thousand dollars from him but when confronted she would not say what the money was for.
After finding a print from the girl's boyfriend on the windowsill, McGarrett and Kono question the boy, who ODed on pills after learning of his girlfriend's death. He insists he had nothing to do with her death and that she wouldn't tell him why she stole the money.
At the victim's high school, Danno and Weston (Lauren German) question the girl's best friend, Karen, with her father present. She has little to say about her friend's murder.
Kono learns that Karen asked for the five-grand to pay off someone who was blackmailing her with a sex tape. When Weston pulls the number Karen is calling off her phone, she learns it's the school principal.
Back in the interrogation room, the principal admits to the affair with Karen, who claims she was of age at the time of the affair. He also reveals that he too, was targeted by the blackmailer.
At the lab, Fong (Brian Yang) tells Kono that the sex tape was recorded off the principal's computer via a Trojan virus. Weston and Kono corner the student who created the virus and it turns out he uploaded the program to the victim's computer, as well. They're able to see the murder in progress and ID the killer as a professional hitman.
After questioning the victim's dad, the team learns that he was on the jury of a construction site injury case. A valet slip left on the hitman's rental car leads Danno and McGarrett to jury consultant, Owen Sutherland (Sam Anderson). Meanwhile, Joe White is kidnapped outside his apartment.
5-0 realizes that Sutherland arranged for the hit to fix the jury. McGarrett kidnaps the juror Sutherland bribed and gets him to confess, while holding him over a short cliff with a hood on. He reveals that the contractor imported faulty Chinese steel to make a quick profit, which likely led to the accident.
Danno and McGarrett go to the site to arrest the head contractor. At the site, they find Sutherland warning the contractor about the police. When McGarrett goes to arrest the contractor, he punches Sutherland, who falls through a platform. McGarrett tries to pull him up but the Sutherland falls to his death.
Later, McGarrett stops by White's place and finds his keys in the door and phone on the floor. He races to Adam Noshimuri's home where he finds White tied up and bloody. White tells Noshimuri (Ian Anthony Dale) he did not kill his father. McGarrett demands Noshimuri free White and he reluctantly gives in. On the way home, White tells McGarrett he helped Noshimuri fake his own death but won't say why. He then gets out of the car.
Breakdown:
You know what? I'm gonna go ahead and slap a big fat 10 on this baby. 'Ka Ho'opono', which means "The Fix," had it all; a Mark Zuckerberg-inspired hacker, a barely legal sex tape, McGarrett in psycho-cop mode, yakuza, a former 'Lost' castmember, Ted from 'Breaking Bad' and a few more cryptic hints on the Wo Fat saga from Joe "You're getting too close, dammit" White.
This week's case was twisty, turny and surprisingly dark (see the barely legal sex tape and the sleazy jury fixer coming to a fitting end with a sub-par Chinese steel spike through the chest). Oh, and the results of Joe's White's interrogation by Noshimuri's men was also a bit nasty. It's not always 75 and sunny in Hawaii…
Thinking back on it, I still can't believe they managed to connect the murder of a teenage girl in her own bedroom to a construction site injury case and an INTERPOL-wanted hitman, but hell, it worked.
A few other observations on 'Ka Ho'opono:'
- What's up with the workplace sexual tension between Danno and Weston? Not really feeling a love connection here…
- Yes! McGarrett was a total "animal" in this episode. Kidnapping a bribed juror, bringing him to a four foot cliff with a hood over his head and pushing him off? That's some good police work, right there.
- I'm glad we're getting somewhere with the Noshimuri/Wo Fat storyline but I'm starting to get as fed up as McGarrett with Joe White's silent treatment.
- How funny was Weston's reaction to the high school hacker trying to make a break for it. I also appreciated her "Election" reference. I kinda dig the new chick.
- It's Bernard! It was great to see the tail section survivor and dentist back on the Island. Too bad he got impaled.
'Ka Ho'opono' was another excellent hour of questionable police tactics, crazed yakuza and cool guest stars. Now if we could only find just who the hell Shellburn is…
Crave Online Rating: 10 out of 10.
