Episode Title: 'Lana I Ka Moana ('Adrift')'
Writer: Elwood Reid
Director: Steve Boyum
Previously on "Hawaii Five-0":
Episode 3.02: "Kanalua ("Doubt")"
Story:
While out on a fishing trip, McGarrett (Alex O'Loughlin) and Danny (Scott Caan) encounter a man, stranded in a dinghy. When they take the man aboard their boat, he pulls a gun on them and forces them to jump overboard. He then shoots a hole in the dinghy. After plugging up the hole with a tube, McGarrett attempts to tow the dinghy to shore, but when Danny spots a shark, he quickly gets back onboard.
Back on shore, Catherine (Michelle Borth) looks for Steve, who was due back three hours earlier. At 5-0 headquarters, Chin (Daniel Dae Kim) pinpoints the boat, which belongs to his uncle, via GPS and is troubled to learn it's docked on the north shore. McGarrett told Chin he'd dock on the south shore.
At the marina, the team finds McGarrett and Danny's gear on board the boat as well as a bloody shirt. Fong (Brian Yang) is unable to get a match on the DNA from the shirt, but he does match a fingerprint to Gil Scates, a neighborhood security guard who was recently fired from his position for stalking a resident.
Out in the ocean, Danny spots a boat. However, when the detectives board it they find a dead man below deck and the engines seized. Danny pulls the victim's wallet and identifies him as Al Burgess. Soon after, the Coast Guard arrives and takes the detectives to shore.
Chin, Kono (Grace Park) and Catherine find a pile of yacht manuals in Scates' empty apartment. Considering his financial status, they speculate that he planned to steal a boat.
Kono meets with Burgess' wife, Katie (Cynthia Watros) and his sister, Jenny (Julie McNiven). When she shows Katie the picture of Scates, she says her husband reported him for stalking her. Soon after, he was fired. Katie and Jenny briefly bicker over Al's purchase of the boat, which he was planning to sell before he was killed.
While staking out Scates' apartment, Chin spots him and a chase ensues. Scates (Todd Stashwick) manages to knock Chin over the side of the building and flees. When Kono returns from getting coffee, she arrests Scates and rescues Chin.
With Scates in custody, Danny and McGarrett start questioning him. In the middle of the interrogation, Chin learns that the boat's engine was intentionally damaged. Kono interrupts the session to let Danny and McGarrett know that Scates was likely working with Katie. Burgess had filed for divorce and the pre-nup Katie signed would leave her with nothing.
McGarrett and Danny tell Scates, who was in love with Katie, that she sabotaged the engine so that she could get away with all of Burgess' money. They have Scates call Katie and tell her he wants to turn himself in. She tells him to stick to the plan and then finds her sister standing behind her, having heard the conversation. Distraught over the fact that Katie killed her brother, Jenny shoots her sister-in-law, just as 5-0 arrives to make the arrest.
Breakdown:
Danny does have a point about McGarrett. The former Navy SEAL is indeed a danger magnet. But as good as he is at getting in trouble, McGarrett's even better at finding cool ways to get out of it. Like using a gas line to plug up a leaky boat. Excuse me, dinghy.
If you're new to "Hawaii Five-0," then "Adrift," is an excellent jumping-off point, pun intended. McGarrett once again reminded us what a badass he is, fearlessly swimming with a tiger shark while Danny whined about riptides and "man-sushi." Yup, Danno was on fire in this episode. Let's take a moment to recall some of Detective Danny Williams more polished gems in this hour.
"It's a tuny fish, you son of a tuny fish!"
"So that shark can sense my negative attitude?"
"Even in the face of death, you are annoying."
"You ever see 'Shark Week?' I don't wanna be on 'Shark Week.'"
"Pre-nups kill more men than cancer."
As entertaining as McGarrett and Danny's bromantic bickering was, let's not forget there was a case to be solved. Nothing too exciting there, just another greedy wife setting up her lover to kill her hubby so she can run off with his money. But "Lost" fans may have been put in a tizzy with an appearance from Cynthia "Libby" Watros.
But it was perp and disgraced security guard, Gil Scates who brought the comedy in "the blue room of truth." Something about being a "brother in law enforcement" and having "mad respect" for Danny and McG. USA may think they've cornered the market on comedic procedurals, but "Hawaii Five-0" is giving 'em a run for the money.
