Hawaii Five-O Season Finale--What Were the Writers Thinking?

Last night's Hawaii Five-O Season Finale was full of a bit of everything.  I have to say the first thirty minutes were full of win.  The team being creepily watched, the fake phone call to Fryer and the scene in the alley.  Wow.  Tense.  Poor Max being shot had been spoiled in the previews, dang it, but it was still awesome to have the McDanno banter in the car while they were chasing the shooter back to . . . the police station.  haha.  Danny's comment, "the better question is why they're going back to HPD" was funny and the "I think it's the white one."  Man, I love Danny.  Although I figured out it was a woman and she was the one talking to Steve sooner than Steve did. 

Unfortunately, after the veterinarian's office scenes (they shot Steve!) it was sort of downhill from there.  The editing seemed choppy (we come back from commercial and Chin is setting Creepy Baldwin Brother free and we're all sitting there going, wha?  What happened?

It's sort of like the writers were sitting around the writing table going, okay, we've gotta end this thing.  Anyone been watching any good shows lately we could "borrow" from?

And one writer raises their hand and says, "hey we've got Reiko Aylesworth from 24.  She's good at the dead wife thing.  Why don't we use some of their old 24 standby stuff.  Like, have an impossible choice of who lives and who dies, then have Chin throw the bad guy up against something and grit through his teeth, "why are you doing this?"  Maybe he can channel Kiefer and no one will notice.  (Although no one will ever touch The Velvet of Kiefer.  And I totally called it when they brought Reiko back for a quickie courtship and wedding that she would be dead or dying.)

Head writer nods head and writes that down.

The next writer has been watching their favorite soap and says that since we've already done Danny cheating with the ex and a Who's the Daddy storyline, now it's time to go for custody.  (And seriously, who leaves their phone in the car like that?  It was so odd and totally plot point.)

Head writer nods head and writes that down.

The next writer has been watching a lot of Claire Danes/Romeo and Juliet/Shakespeare stuff and goes with those themes for Kono.  (Really?  Flowers and dinner make up for your Yakuza boyfriend pulling a gun on you and duct taping you?)

The last writer had obviously been watching his old Alias DVDs.  The whole looking for Shelburne thing was reminiscent of Sydney looking for the Man and it even ended the same way with both Steve and Sydney ending with the stunned look on their face and murmuring, "Mom?"  I wish I could screencap it because it would be the exact same look.

So, to sum up, the first half was at least original and twisty and kept me on the edge of my seat.  The second half was a bunch of people borrowing stuff from other shows and throwing it all together to see what would stick and hoping their audience didn't watch any of those other shows.

I'll still tune in for next season though.  McDanno is hard to resist.  Oh, and the Hawaiian setting as well.  One day, Hawaii, you and me . . .