Face of the Dragon, season 1, episode 15
This was an interesting episode in light of the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020. This episode had similarities to current events in that it showed how the authorities tried to mitigate or prevent public panic by not revealing the entire truth about the bubonic plague infection. The doctor goes on television and says there is a virus spreading in Hawaii, but it was really the bubonic plague.
There are multiple typos or mistakes in the closed captions. For instance, Hanauma Bay is spelled "Kaneohe Bay" and Mr. Chiu (or Mr. Choo), is spelled "chew".
It was cool to see the Waikiki 3 theater on Kalakaua Boulevard. Back then, they had 3 huge theaters (relatively huge compared to today's multiplex theaters) in Waikiki. Of course, all 3 theaters are no longer in operation. The scene shows the front of the Waikiki 3 and though it is hard to make out what it says on the marquee, it looks like it says, "Valley of the Dolls" on it, which makes sense because that movie came out in 1967 and that would have been the time they filmed this episode.
Also interesting is that the female doctor uses tongs when handling an envelope and photo, even though she tells McGarret that it has been decontaminated, but when she gives it to McGarret, he handles it with his bare hands.
One thing that didn't make sense was that when the old Chinese man is told by McGarret and Danno that the person he thought was his nephew was really a Chinese Agent impersonating his nephew, the old man excuses himself from McGarret and Danno and goes to confront the spy, who then shoots him. Why would he confront the man he now knows is a spy without letting McGarret and Danno take care of it?
On fiveohomepage.com, they gave this episode 2.0 stars out of 4, but I enjoyed it. It was engaging and had elements of espionage, military technology, and the bubonic plague all in one episode. I would have given this episode 3.5 stars out of 4.
