The Flip Side Is 50

Tonight 50 years ago, CBS aired S06E15 "The Flip Side Is Death".

Four dudes – Tally Green (Don Stroud), Art Walker (Peter Haskell), Joe Keao (Gerald Waialae) and Louis Pahia (Frank Liu) – set up an elaborate hoax involving stolen military vehicles and equipment, VX nerve gas and an 'accident' to rob a bank of $250,000.

Tally is an ex-con and especially jumpy. Because of him, this episode turns into "who's left standing". Walker does his best to calm Tally but seems to fail at every turn. They have to work together to get the money out of Hawaii.

Walker, a music producer, has a warehouse full of 8 track tapes. The plan is to take these 8 tracks and empty them of their tapes. Replace the bills from the bank and seal them back up. Things go well until Tally freaks when Five-O begins sniffing around.

Danno leads the investigation on the North Shore where everything took place. McGarrett is back in Honolulu and out of the main fray. It's Danno's show.

The highways are closed fairly quickly so there's not much these guys can do. Louie works at the hotel where Tally and Walker are holed up. Being a reservist, Louie is immediate suspect due to the military equipment theft and he had access.

Joe comes into play as he is a pineapple delivery driver. He transports the tapes to an abandoned mill where they are boxed up and addressed to the mainland.

All is going to plan until Tally offs Louie. Still not happy, Tally offs Joe. Towards the end, Walker drives Tally out to the mill where he turns the tables. Shootouts ensue when Danno, Chin and Ben show up. Tally is killed after being shot at and falling out a window.

Walker corners Chin and Ben but Danno comes up from behind and Walker is arrested.

Mr. Mike's review is here: https://www.fiveohomepage.com/5-0log6.htm#135

This is one of my favorites from Season 6. We see Danno in a leadership position as he's in charge of the North Shore operations. It's fun to watch. :)

How they figure out the smuggling operation is a bit weird, but it doesn't take away from the episode.

I also like that we see scenes from the roadblock and work on the Iron Brain in Honolulu. A lot goes into catching criminals and it's never cut and dry.

Happy 50th, "The Flip Side Is Death"!! :cool:

Even though the music here is mostly the Hookman score by Morton Stevens it fits so perfectly in this episode. Especially the opening heist scenes. It’s got this great military operation feel to it. Music fits those scenes like a glove!

The Flip Side Is Death 3.5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐ 1/2 Out Of 4 Stars. Season 6.

Another excellent Season 6 Episode. Record Producer Art Walker is the mastermind behind a daring and incredible bank robbery netting $250,000. In some business debt, Art Walker enlists the assistance of friend Tally Green and 2 Hawaiians, Joe Keao and Louis Pahia to commit the robbery and steal the money. It is a brilliant plan. Wearing military uniforms and gas masks, the 4 fake soldiers overturn a military vehicle in front of the bank. It is not deadly VX gas but smoke bombs that effectively unleash a blanket of smoke. The 4 men quickly go about their business as the people evacuate from the supposedly deadly VX gas. Using a special rope like ortho saw, they quickly cut away the metal bars and collect the money. McGarrett later arrives on the scene and has to admire the brilliant and creative plan. There are no fingerprints and the gas masks obscure their faces. It's the perfect crime. The first 10-15 minutes...I think The Flip Side Is Death a Classic Episode. One of the best. Remember watching this in the late 1980's. The 4 soldiers hide the military vehicles in camouflage type netting and load up the money in golf bags. They utilize another vehicle to transport the money and head to a Resort Hotel. Stuffing the golf bags full of money, a golf ball is forced out and lands in the bushy grass. The HFO team and HPD work quickly setting up the roadblocks and checkpoints. The criminals are now blocked from leaving the North Shore and stay in their hotel room. HFO team catches a break during an aerial search when the stolen military vehicles used in the bank robbery are discovered. Danno's hawk eyes discovers a golf ball in the grass. It is an important point in the episode. The golf ball is traced to the hotel where the criminals are staying. They have no luck on who purchased the golf balls. It becomes a cat and mouse game...A waiting game to see who blinks first.

The group begins to hide the money inside 8 track tapes provided by Art Walker. It appears plenty of strain on the arms and hands to fold up the money inside the small tapes. I think the large music albums or instruments might have worked better to hide the money. It works smoothly like clockwork as Louis Pahia the hotel worker brings the new cassettes into the hotel room. He has them hidden inside a food cart. Art Walker & Tally Green remove the tape inside loading in the stolen money. Pahia then takes the finished money tapes to Keao at the pineapple place where he works. Pahia picks up the new batch of cassettes while Keao transports the money filled tapes to the abandoned mill. The HFO investigation finally pays dividends doing a Venn Diagram of people who are in the military and work at the hotel. Louis Pahia is both a Reservist and works at the Hotel Resort. Chin and Danno talk to Pahia at the hotel and he appears a little nervous. They sense they are on the right track. Pahia still has held strong. While the episode is heading to be a 4 Star Classic ⭐⭐⭐⭐, Tally Green friend of Art Walker and an ex-con starts to become unglued. He becomes anxious and filled with paranoia. Green murders Pahia inside the hotel and quickly eliminates Keao in a battle at the abandoned mill. It's like Tally Green ingested stupid pills causing The Flip Side Is Death to drop a little in my ratings. Keao had been transporting the tapes in the pineapple truck and had a close shave. The police at the checkpoint looked at the pineapple boxes and noticed the 8 track tape box in his truck. Art Walker decides to turn the tables on Tally Green and murder Tally Green when they arrive at the abandoned mill and take possession of the money-filled tapes. Instead, HFO �� arrives and Tally is killed falling out of a high window ��. Art Walker is apprehended. A brilliant and well-executed plan still cannot defeat HFO. I think 3.5 stars ⭐⭐⭐ is an accurate rating for The Flip Side Is Death. The Flip could mean the flipping of the military vehicle releasing the fake VX gas. JC