There's nothing like a study of the McGarrett-Danny dynamic.

Hawaii Five-0 Season 7 Episode 23 shows how an old case of Danny's actually led to their meeting.

The best part: not a cargument to be seen throughout.

Actually, the episode even managed to focus on another old relationship of Danny's: his with Tanaka, his former captain.

First things first, Danny shouldn't become a carpenter when he retires. He was Everydad, unable to build a race-car bed because he refused to follow the directions.

Then the last person he expected showed up at his door: Tanaka, with whom he never really got along.

It was great that Danny got a second chance to solve his last case with HPD, one that got away.

Also, it allowed him to exorcise his guilt about having a witness disappear after Danny failed to pick up his call because he couldn't stop bickering with his ex-wife Rachel.

Now whatever possessed the drug-lord Mendez to send a hit squad to kill Makino, who had been in a coma for seven years and who was being kept alive on a ventilator?

Did he really think Makino was going to suddenly wake up and start singing about a crime he'd witnessed seven years earlier? What an idiot!

But it wouldn't have been much of an episode without this flimsy plot device. 

Guarding Makino allowed Danny and Tanaka to work out their issues.

It was easy to see why there was friction. Danny's Eeyore personality isn't for everyone, and his uptight Mainland ways rubbed many of his co-workers the wrong way, which was artfully illustrated through the many sepia-toned flashbacks.

Also, Tanaka felt pressured to hire Danny, when many locals were equally qualified, and Danny made minimal attempts to fit in. He was there for his daughter and nothing else. It's still hard to believe that anyone would have that many complaints about Hawaii.

But at least Danny learned that Tanaka held him in high esteem as a cop, and they finally got past their old differences.

It only took several hundred rounds for them to get there.

The best character of the episode was Nurse Jenny. She knew Makino was dead if she left him in the care of Danny and Tanaka. She was brave under fire, enduring failing equipment, hails of bullets and Danny's driving.

I know there's no call for repeat visits from a nurse on the show, but a great, low-key performance by Lori Petty, whose Jenny was just as much a wise-ass as anyone else.

She bantered with Danny just as well as McGarrett usually does.

I loved the intriguing twist of Tanaka taking Danny off the construction-site murder, which he saw as going nowhere, and putting him on the murder of a former cop, Jack McGarrett.

That explains why Danny was at the McGarrett crime scene and ended up meeting Steve, which eventually led to Danny joining the Five-0 task force and leaving HPD. All indirectly thanks to Tanaka.

I also loved how Tanaka burst Danny's retirement plan of opening a restaurant. Restaurants have got to be one of the biggest money pits in Hawaii.

We got very little Chin, Kono, Grover and Jerry this episode, just them supporting Danny in his moment of need.

There were a couple of great McGarrett moments. In the first, he was crashing into the house right on top of the gunmen, in the nick of time, of course.

The second was his scene with Charlie, showing his paternal side. Now if only he could find the right woman.

No, this episode was about showing the evolution (maybe too strong a word) of Danny. He's much more laid-back now, in the spirit of the islands. Maybe Hawaii has been good for him, after all.

On May 5, Five-0 has to deal with a potential terrorist attack. They must have to make their quota for this particular plot-line.

Then, on the season finale May 12, it's back to the sex-trafficking ring storyline, which I mistakenly thought was settled already.

Well, to catch up on that storyline, watch Hawaii Five-0 online.

How did you enjoy this peek into Danny's past? Would you like to see Tanaka return in the future? Would McGarrett make a good dad? Comment below.

19 Characters We Want at Our Summer Pool Party!!

Start Gallery

Dale McGarrigle is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow him on X.