Hawaii Five-0 Season 8 Episode 6 Review: Unfolded By the Water Are the Faces of the Flowers
Dale McGarrigle
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Stress. You either learn to handle it or it can send you off the deep end.
That was the message of Hawaii Five-0 Season 8 Episode 6.
Danny was worried about McGarrett's health, so he drafted a largely unwillingly group of Steve's friends to stage an intervention, perhaps one of the worst ever held.
After they all said their piece, which to summarize was asking McGarrett to take it easier, Junior pointed out that Steve has been in much tougher situations than he is now, so what's the problem? I thought that Chin and Kono would never have gotten suckered into this fool's errand.
McGarrett may have suffered radiation poisoning, but this was probably worse. But this just reinforces that everyone has his back, whether he wants it or not.
What could have been just a funny opener wasn't over yet, for Danny and the others had chipped in to hire a stress-management consultant (yes, it's a thing) to shadow McGarrett for a day.
Poor Chloe Gordon was peppy, cherubic, well-meaning and oh so overmatched when it came to trying to convince McGarrett to adopt a healthier lifestyle. A treadmill and a shrub in his office? Yeah, right.
Also, Chloe just wasn't meant to go into the field, although she rocked that kevlar vest.
Still, it was great fun to watch McGarrett squirm as she asked his lifestyle questions, which broke out Danny's best smirk in the front seat. By witnessing a mild cargument, Chloe got to experience the Steve-and-Danny dynamic firsthand, and she wasn't impressed.
So Chloe got Danny to rein in his curmudgeonly personality, which worried McGarrett more than their yelling back and forth.
Chloe even got in on the running joke about restaurants when she asked Danny that if he was worried about McGarrett's stress, why would Danny drag him into a field where 60 to 80 percent of businesses fail?
But McGarrett lives off the adrenaline rush, and he wouldn't have it any other way. As the saying goes, "Live hard, die young, leave a handsome corpse."
McGarrett doesn't go looking for trouble, but in his position, it's certain to find him, and I don't think he minds that at all.
At least Danny and McGarrett finally had a heart-to-heart about Steve's condition, and both were able to admit they were scared about the situation. McGarrett appreciated Danny's effort, even if he did go overboard as usual.
Actually, I think McGarrett's home life is therapeutic, with his two supportive pets, Eddie and Junior. Isn't it amusing that Eddie is getting more airtime than any of the supporting cast? I guess we know who the fan favorite among the newcomers is. No one is saying, "Get rid of the dog."
Now let's go to the weaker storyline of the episode, featuring Oliver, the multiple-personality killer.
When I saw a cop killing two tourists in the opening scene, I thought "Not another rogue cop story." Fortunately, it wasn't.
Instead, it was another mentally-ill person going off his meds story.
It was sad that Oliver's mother died, which sent him spiraling. He went off his meds and became his bullying father, reacting violently to anyone who crossed him.
It appears that Alicia is here to stay, as the writers seem to be finding ways to use her continually. What's wrong with this guy? I know. Let's ask Alicia.
And yes, she pulled this one out for Five-0. She crammed on video of Oliver, so she got to know him well., Then she talked her way past Steve to go into the house dressed as Oliver's mother, especially getting him to switch to young Ollie again.
I'm comfortable with Alicia as an addition to Five-0. They just need to space out the psycho storylines.
I don't mind McGarrett and Alicia together, either, although I'm getting a friend vibe from them.
What happened to Grover's Clay Maxwell storyline? After Grover found all that evidence on Hawaii Five-0 Season 8 Episode 5, I figured this would finally get put to bed. But not yet, apparently.
SPOILER ALERT: Adam makes his debut for this season on Hawaii Five-0 Season 8 Episode 7, when he and Junior back up McGarrett on a bank heist gone wrong. Yes, I know, how does the ex-con get a gun? Also, Adam has to adjust to life without Kono.
To catch up on the ever-growing new cast, watch Hawaii Five-0 online.
Does McGarrett need stress management? How about Danny? Did you feel bad for Oliver after he snapped when his mother died? Comment below.
Dale McGarrigle is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow him on X.
