The original Hawaii Five-O ran for 12 seasons from 1968-1980. The show covered the adventures of a fictional state police force in Hawaii and starred Jack Lord. In addition to the storylines, the show is notable for its inclusion of native Hawaiian and Asian actors. Hawaii Five-O became part of the culture with its catch phrase “Book ‘em Danno” and the term “Five-O” became street slang for the police. Here are my top 10 episodes in the show’s history in chronological order.
Pray Love Remember, Pray Love Remember (1969): An Indonesian exchange student is murdered on a college campus. The case looks open and shut when the student’s boyfriend is arrested since the evidence points only to him. In the end, McGarrett tracks down the real killer, a mentally handicapped man.
Forty Feet High and it Kills (1969): Wo Fat makes his first appearance since the pilot movie. He kidnaps a prominent scientist that desperately needs insulin. In the end, this proves Wo Fat’s Achilles heal in the episode. McGarrett confronts his arch nemesis with the classic line, "Someone handed you the wrong fortune cookie." Of course, Wo Fat escapes as he manages to do all the way until the show’s series finale.
Just Lucky, I Guess (1969): A married, middle aged hardware salesman attends a convention in Hawaii and decides to hire a hooker. He witnesses her murder by mobster Charley Bombay, but is reticent to testify. At the end, Bombay belittles the salesman in McGarrett’s office leading him to change his mind and agree to testify.
Cry, Lie (1970): Chin is accused of taking bribes and is forced to take a leave of absence. The show lets the audience see Chin’s private life, which includes 8 children and a passion for Tuesday night fights. In the end, McGarrett and the team save Chin as they uncover underworld attempts to discredit Five-O.
The Ransom (1970): A boy is kidnapped for a $250,000 ransom. Kono is captured by the kidnappers and helps the boy to escape and go for help. The criminals beat and torture Kono and then attempt to ransom him. McGarrett tracks down the kidnappers to a peer and rescues Kono.
Over Fifty, Steal! (1970): This is a brilliant episode. Lewis Avery Filer is an insurance investigator and master of disguise with a flair for the dramatic and a sense of humor. He confounds Five-0 with a series of capers in which he leaves clues literally under McGarrett’s nose. In the end, a frustrated Five-O catch a break with a rental car and capture Filer.
To Kill or Be Killed (1971): Five-O investigates the murder of a Vietnam veteran. His hippy anti-war brother is the main suspect and Danno goes undercover into a commune to try and track him down. In the meantime, McGarrett has to overcome military stonewalling by the boys’ father, a general. A tape is uncovered which determined the death a suicide and not a murder. The hero participated in a massacre in Vietnam and could not live with himself. The general, who lost one son to suicide, then disinherits the other because he refuses to serve.
“V” For Vashon (1972): The “Vashon Trilogy” is an all-time television classic. The son of a gangster decides to carry out petty crimes and dies in a shoot-out with McGarrett. His father retaliates by placing a contract out on McGarrett’s life. This leads to the elder Vashon’s downfall. He is sent to prison leading the family patriarch to seek revenge. The eldest Vashon commits suicide when McGarrett escapes his trap. In three episodes, McGarrett manages to eliminate an entire crime family.
One Big Happy Family (1973): This episode is out of the Twilight Zone. A white trash family, led by Slim Pickens, travels to Hawaii and pulls off a number of petty robberies and murders. The killings make little sense to Five-O since the murderers made off with so little cash. However, it made perfect sense to the family since it was their way of making a living. They would find a job, kill their boss, and take whatever they could. In the end, McGarrett tracks the family down and it turns out they are serial killers responsible for a number of murders across the country. When McGarrett confronts the band in his office, the mother proclaims, "They wasn't kin ... they was all strangers ... it don't count with strangers.... It ain't stealing when they was dead first." Therefore, to avoid the sin of stealing, they murder their victims and it is not murder to kill someone that is not “kin.”
I’ll Kill ‘Em Again (1974): A bookstore clerk named Eddie duplicates murder cases solved by Five-O in an effort to stump McGarrett. Eddie is determined to be a “winner” and defeat his perceived arch nemesis. McGarrett realizes that the killer is copying crimes he read about in an expose on Five-O and discovers his next target. He stops Eddie before he can kill again. Eddie, frustrated and livid at being caught, jumps out a window and commits suicide to beat McGarrett.
Nine Dragons (1976): Wo Fat reappears in the ninth season premier. By this point, the Chinese super agent is out of favor in Peking and is trying to steal deadly toxins from a college lab. Naturally, the leftist college Dean opposes McGarrett’s security precautions and allows Wo Fat to steal the toxins. Later on, McGarrett is captured by Wo Fat and is tortured into confessing to launching an attack using the nerve gas. However, Wo Fat is denied and McGarrett once again saves the day.
Pray Love Remember, Pray Love Remember (1969): An Indonesian exchange student is murdered on a college campus. The case looks open and shut when the student’s boyfriend is arrested since the evidence points only to him. In the end, McGarrett tracks down the real killer, a mentally handicapped man.
Forty Feet High and it Kills (1969): Wo Fat makes his first appearance since the pilot movie. He kidnaps a prominent scientist that desperately needs insulin. In the end, this proves Wo Fat’s Achilles heal in the episode. McGarrett confronts his arch nemesis with the classic line, "Someone handed you the wrong fortune cookie." Of course, Wo Fat escapes as he manages to do all the way until the show’s series finale.
Just Lucky, I Guess (1969): A married, middle aged hardware salesman attends a convention in Hawaii and decides to hire a hooker. He witnesses her murder by mobster Charley Bombay, but is reticent to testify. At the end, Bombay belittles the salesman in McGarrett’s office leading him to change his mind and agree to testify.
Cry, Lie (1970): Chin is accused of taking bribes and is forced to take a leave of absence. The show lets the audience see Chin’s private life, which includes 8 children and a passion for Tuesday night fights. In the end, McGarrett and the team save Chin as they uncover underworld attempts to discredit Five-O.
The Ransom (1970): A boy is kidnapped for a $250,000 ransom. Kono is captured by the kidnappers and helps the boy to escape and go for help. The criminals beat and torture Kono and then attempt to ransom him. McGarrett tracks down the kidnappers to a peer and rescues Kono.
Over Fifty, Steal! (1970): This is a brilliant episode. Lewis Avery Filer is an insurance investigator and master of disguise with a flair for the dramatic and a sense of humor. He confounds Five-0 with a series of capers in which he leaves clues literally under McGarrett’s nose. In the end, a frustrated Five-O catch a break with a rental car and capture Filer.
To Kill or Be Killed (1971): Five-O investigates the murder of a Vietnam veteran. His hippy anti-war brother is the main suspect and Danno goes undercover into a commune to try and track him down. In the meantime, McGarrett has to overcome military stonewalling by the boys’ father, a general. A tape is uncovered which determined the death a suicide and not a murder. The hero participated in a massacre in Vietnam and could not live with himself. The general, who lost one son to suicide, then disinherits the other because he refuses to serve.
“V” For Vashon (1972): The “Vashon Trilogy” is an all-time television classic. The son of a gangster decides to carry out petty crimes and dies in a shoot-out with McGarrett. His father retaliates by placing a contract out on McGarrett’s life. This leads to the elder Vashon’s downfall. He is sent to prison leading the family patriarch to seek revenge. The eldest Vashon commits suicide when McGarrett escapes his trap. In three episodes, McGarrett manages to eliminate an entire crime family.
One Big Happy Family (1973): This episode is out of the Twilight Zone. A white trash family, led by Slim Pickens, travels to Hawaii and pulls off a number of petty robberies and murders. The killings make little sense to Five-O since the murderers made off with so little cash. However, it made perfect sense to the family since it was their way of making a living. They would find a job, kill their boss, and take whatever they could. In the end, McGarrett tracks the family down and it turns out they are serial killers responsible for a number of murders across the country. When McGarrett confronts the band in his office, the mother proclaims, "They wasn't kin ... they was all strangers ... it don't count with strangers.... It ain't stealing when they was dead first." Therefore, to avoid the sin of stealing, they murder their victims and it is not murder to kill someone that is not “kin.”
I’ll Kill ‘Em Again (1974): A bookstore clerk named Eddie duplicates murder cases solved by Five-O in an effort to stump McGarrett. Eddie is determined to be a “winner” and defeat his perceived arch nemesis. McGarrett realizes that the killer is copying crimes he read about in an expose on Five-O and discovers his next target. He stops Eddie before he can kill again. Eddie, frustrated and livid at being caught, jumps out a window and commits suicide to beat McGarrett.
Nine Dragons (1976): Wo Fat reappears in the ninth season premier. By this point, the Chinese super agent is out of favor in Peking and is trying to steal deadly toxins from a college lab. Naturally, the leftist college Dean opposes McGarrett’s security precautions and allows Wo Fat to steal the toxins. Later on, McGarrett is captured by Wo Fat and is tortured into confessing to launching an attack using the nerve gas. However, Wo Fat is denied and McGarrett once again saves the day.
