Friday, November 12, 2010

Hawaii Five-0 and The Gripes of Wrath

By Pam


At the table in the kitchen, there were three bowls of porridge. Goldilocks was hungry.  She tasted the porridge from the first bowl.
"This porridge is too hot!" she exclaimed.
So, she tasted the porridge from the second bowl.
"This porridge is too cold," she said
So, she tasted the last bowl of porridge.
"Ahhh, this porridge is just right," she said happily and she ate it all up.

Smart kid, that Goldilocks.  She knows what she likes, unlike the consummate couch potato. 

Hawaii Five-0 is a TV show which tells the story of the Hawaiian Governor’s Task Force which curtails high crimes on her Islands. The operative word here is story, being a fictitious tale, by definition. It means the writer adds interest to a situation or character for the purpose of entertainment. 

Although Hawaii Five-0 is being embraced by the Hawaiian Islanders, there is a group who voice their opinions on the faults they find in the production, but they're not the only ones. I can understand the locals, though. I hate it when the world thinks all of New Jersey is like "Jersey Shore," "Real Housewives of New Jersey" or "The Sopranos," but I try to look at the big picture. 

"Steve McGarrett doesn't pronounce the Hawaiian words properly." Well, he was brought up in a household where Hawaiian wasn't spoken. He didn't hear the inflections of the language on a regular basis. His pronunciation is a little off. That's a bad thing?

Slippers vs. flip-flops, oy. Danny's from Jersey. We say flip-flops in Jersey. Chin thought it appropriate to use that term to add some sarcasm. It fit.

"Locals wouldn't allow a Haole to beat on another local, no matter what the situation." Okay then, how do you propose the scenario be handled?  Let the local beat up the “white gentleman?” At least there's blood, right? (In case you're confused, that was sarcasm).

"That wasn't Waimea!" Maybe production gave in to the locals who wanted it for themselves that day. Another location was used, but was said to be Waimea. Well, I didn't know that. I'm sure 90% of the viewers didn't know that either.

Then there's not enough shirtless men; Kono is always scantily clad; too much banter; banter at inappropriate times; Danny's always yelling; Steve doesn't yell enough; not enough for Chin and Kono to do; where's Maryann; Jack Lord never would have done that; too much product placement; blah, blah, blah.

If you complain more about a TV show than what it's worth, stop watching it. It's not for you. If you're looking for realism, seek out documentaries. If you're stressed from everyday life, you might want an escape from that.

In the Nov. 15-21 issue of TV Guide, in "Roush Review" (page 23), Matt Roush sums up Hawaii Five-0 very nicely.
"Does it work? Mostly. The new Five-0 gets high fives for its look, pace and an effortless diverting blend of action and humorously bromantic banter between Alex O'Loughlin and Scott Caan as the dour Steve McGarrett and his wry homesick sidekick, Danno.  The stories are often forgettably generic, but the escapism* allure is high."
*Escapism: The tendency to escape from daily reality or routine by indulging in daydreaming, fantasy, or entertainment.

AAAHHHH...sounds good! It sure beats my reality.

Take a tip from Goldilocks. Know what you like before you eat it all up. You'll be more satisfied.

2 comments:

  1. I think that pretty much says it all. Great blog!

    Thanks,
    Connie (FangFan62)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I myself, loved the entire episode!

    ReplyDelete