I think they did a nice job with the finale, focusing on characters rather than absurd plot mechanics and such. I think the key to the show’s success was Alex O’ Loughlin. Rather than trying to imitate Jack Lord’s classic performance, which would be foolish, he made the character his own, and had a good set of acting chops, no matter how ridiculous the plots were at times.
I think this version had a better finale than the original, with proper closure that tied it back to the pilot episode when McGarrett arrived on the island. Of course, that’s largely a function of how tv shows are written in the modern era. The original should probably have called it quits after season 10 or 11.
It will be interesting to see how many of the show’s characters appear on the Magnum remake, which is a series that I’ve tried to watch a few times and just can’t get into it.
Finally, I think the new H50 helped keep the original series in the spotlight and cultural zeitgeist more these last 10 years than had it not been on the air at all. The two shows have been very profitable for CBS, and I have no doubt they will revive it again some day, in some form.
And a tip of the hat to MJQ for diligently sticking with his entertaining reviews of the show each week, through the highs and the many many lows.....thank you Mike!!