Classic H50 "perfect" episodes

[Mr. Mike]

What are Classic H50 episodes which are "perfect," in other words, you can't nitpick (at least too much) about mistakes and other things. I'm not talking about your "favorite" shows. For example, my two favorites are Nine Dragons and Hookman, though both of them have lots of boo-boos in them.

I would suggest limiting your list of "perfect" episodes to 5 at most ... maybe 10? Five is tough. I have only three because I would have trouble choosing just another two:

S01E10 - Yesterday Died And Tomorrow Won't Be Born
S03E09 - The Late John Louisiana
S08E12 - Honor Is An Unmarked Grave

[Bobbi]

S03E02 - Trouble In Mind
S04E01 - Highest Castle, Deepest Grave
S05E09 - 'V' For Vashon: The Son (I know some put the trilogy into 1, I'm separating them!)
S09E19 - Blood Money Is Hard To Wash
S10E24 - Death In The Family
S11E17 - Stringer

These episodes are solidly made, especially Blood Money. Dane Clark is fantastic in this appearance.

Nancy Wilson gave an unforgettable performance in Trouble in Mind.

What all these episodes have in common is that our favorite detectives had to work at the mystery. But once they solved the puzzles, look out!

Just my 2 cents. Mr. Mike, you picked well too.

[John Chergi]

Great thread here Mr. Mike. I have a quick 10.
1. Engaged To Be Buried
2. The Ninety-Second War Part I
3. Hookman
4. Draw Me A Killer
5. Beautiful Screamer
6. Didn't We Meet A Murder?
7. King Of The Hill
8. The Vashon Trilogy (I know they are 3 separate episodes. )
9. Yesterday Died And Tomorrow Won't Be Born
10. Honor Is An Unmarked Grave

I love the ending of Honor Is An Unmarked Grave. Telling what really happened to Henderson makes it 4 stars. It would still be great without knowing. I also think King Of The Hill is a FAV . Yaphet Kotto delivers an outstanding performance in this episode. Also give Yesterday Died... is one of the best. Trinian's march up the winding staircase is very suspenseful. I know the Classic HFO Forum Regulars will present a few lists as well. Excellent for discussion. JC

[John Chergi]

Sorry 6. Didn't We Meet At A Murder? JC

[ringfire211]

Yesterday Died… It’s a great episode for sure but I don’t know how “perfect” it is. I mean McGarrett gets shot point blank like 5 or 6 times and he still pulls through like it’s nothing??? First they give him very low odds at surviving (was it like 70/30 for or against? “Against” was the reply). But then by the end he’s up and talking and cohesive and everything and thanking Danno for taking over. Too quick a recovery. I know it’s a one-hour episode and things need to get wrapped up quickly and our hero certainly can’t die. But still… he didn’t have to get shot that many times. Maybe 1 or 2 shots would have made it more believable. As it is I’d say it’s not exactly “perfect”. McG is too much of a Superman here with miraculous healing powers.

Compare with “Force of Waves” where McG is again out of commission and Danno again has to take over. More believable with McG’s recovery there. His condition there didn’t seem to be as grave.

[John Chergi]

Good remarks Ringfire. I think Yesterday Died And Tomorrow Won't Be Born deserves a place for a few reasons.
1. McGarrett The Brilliant HFO Boss Is Shot. It's a startling and surprising opening. McG is shot by an unknown assailant 3 times. One of the early episodes McG shows his strength and steely resolve to survive. That's etched in my mind. 70/30 Against.
2. Trinian And His Wife. I think the writers did an excellent work here as she had moved on with Joe being imprisoned for 15 years. She did love and think about Joe. That relationship was well-done.
3. Trinian Guilty Or Innocent. This is 1 of the best revenge episodes in HFO catalogue. From McG's and the court information, it appeared that Trinian was the guilty party but it leaves some room open because Ruetggers made a deal arrangement. Could he have been wrong about Trinian.
4. The Ending. I think it was supenseful Trinian marching up and ascending the staircase in uniform. His final target the AG. Danno and Mrs. Trinian arriving just in time. Danno showed himself to be a strong 2nd in command.

I really enjoyed this episode and a few years ago increased it from 3.5 stars to 4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐ on the 4 Star system here. Also, from 5.5 to 6 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ on my special 6 star HFO rating.

[JeffH]

I’m in the “perfect” camp on the following that others have mentioned:
“V for Vashon: The Son”
“The Late John Louisiana”
“Hookman”
I don’t see any minor nitpicky flaws in those in terms of plotting or scripting, performances, music scores, etc. I wouldn’t change a thing about them.

I would also add “We Hang Our Own”. I think that one checks all the boxes as well.

[John Chergi]

In making the Top 10 and the #1 Engaged To Be Buried, 1 of the critical factors and tiebreakers I use is "Memorable Scenes." Throughout Engaged To Be Buried, there are probably a dozen memorable scenes that enhance the episode.
1. Rono's Flight To Father Jack's With Alia.
2. The HFO Roust.
3. The Beginning Scene With Rono And Brother Scratching The Pool Table.
4. Chin Ho Showing Alia Rono And The Vidalgos Criminal Nature On The Projector.
5. The Car Bomb At The Beginning Outside The Pool Hall.
6. The Runaway Car Bomb That Kills Pam Outside The Bowling Alley.
7. Alia Emerging From The Hospital Dazed From Her Friend Pam's Death.
8. Rono Shooting And Presumably Killing Father Jack At The End.
9. Pam Telling Alia About Her New Job That We Later Find Out Is At Carson's Bowling Alley. Beautiful How It Weaves In With Carson The Retired Chicago Cop Who Isn't Intimidated.
10. Alia-Rono Married By Father Jack.
11. Chin Ho's Comment About Nobody Being To Count That High. McG's Final Comment To Alia About All We Know Is What He Was. Meaning Rono.
12. Rono's Death At The End.

The only few small nicks could be argued: Why did Father Jack believe Rono this time ? He said to Alia before about all the excuses Rono has made going out leaving his Father. Rono never broke the ties. It also might be a stretch Chin Ho would be in the dark about Rono-Alia's relationship. You would think somebody would have notified Chin. Maybe, a young HPD Officer who had been friendly with the family or a school friend of Rono's. It's a small circle I'm guessing in Hawaii at that time. JC

[Mr. Mike]

Ringfire, would you say that "Rest In Peace, Somebody" is a "perfect" episode? If so, you already know how I am going to respond!

As far as "Yesterday Died" is concerned, I don't think your comments are unreasonable. However, I don't know if you are aware, but the Vietnam War (which features in several H50 episodes) resulted in medical procedures being streamlined and improved, with the result that people who were very badly wounded in battle were able to survive. These techniques and procedures eventually made their way into regular hospitals. (A friend of mine recently commented regarding this discussion, "These days there are rappers who get shot with AR-15s and >they< survive.")

In the case of McGarrett's wounds (he was shot three times), it is difficult to understand how he could have survived if this was done at very close range, unless Trinian was a VERY bad shot. Surely, some of his vital organs would have been seriously messed up! As well, McGarrett lay where he was shot until the woman, the mother of the kid that he plucked out of the surf shortly before this, found his body after hearing the shots, and then an ambulance would have had to be summoned, etc.

Anyway, I am quite willing to remove the episode from my list, it will give me the opportunity to add missing three ... but I will have to think about this for a while.

[John Chergi]

I probably should have placed Highest Castle, Deepest Grave somewhere in the Top 10. I would say that's close to perfect. Bobbi already has included Highest Castle, Deepest Grave on the list. A good call.
That's a good discussion about Yesterday Died And Tomorrow Won't Be Born. Trinian probably would have received gun safety or shooting in his military career. As a Chief Petty Officer, he probably stood watches in his NAVY career. He would have used guns. The question is that...Maybe Trinian wasn't that proficient a shooter but he did kill Reutggers. I think Yesterday Died... is still worthy to be on the list. JC

[barnzoboy]

All good selections - Highest Castle definitely a top-notch episode and clearly the Vashon episodes fit perfectly here as well.
I haven't spent a lot of time watching late season episodes - but maybe some of the ones you folks have mentioned in here that Bobbi mentioned will be worth pulling up on the Paramount+ app!

[ringfire211]

Nope I don’t think “Rest in Peace” is perfect but it’s still my favorite. Same goes with “Hookman” or even “Vashon: The Father”. If you get down to the nitty gritty probably none of them are perfect. “I’ll Kill ‘Em Again” is another favorite but for the life of me I can’t understand how they found the hooker’s apartment so quickly at the end where Eddie was about to kill again. That was very rushed. They had to end the episode quickly.

[John Chergi]

I think an interesting ending to Rest In Peace, Somebody where the Governor was supposed to be the target. However, Cameron had McGarrett as his target all along. McGarrett could have fielded a call about a case and it would have been a false call. Cameron then stepping from behind a building 🏢 and stating... "You are the target 🎯 McGarrett. It's been you all along and McG you are going to die."
McGarrett could have addressed the situation with ... "No, it's you Cameron who dug your own grave. Roughing up the citizens you had sworn to protect. You tarnished the badge and the dismissal was voted on. It was the right decision."
At this time, they could have done a small flashback to the Tin Idol and board's decision. The suspense building how McG would get out of the situation. Cameron had enough talking and decides to take McG out but Duke or 1 of the other HPD man McG had smartly brought along...He shoots Cameron before he can strike McGarrett. It would have been a nice twist as the Governor had been assumed the target 🎯 after the paint trail. The little twist could have put Rest In Peace Somebody in my Top 5 or Top 10. JC

[Mr. Mike]

“I’ll Kill ‘Em Again” is another favorite but for the life of me I can’t understand how they found the hooker’s apartment so quickly at the end where Eddie was about to kill again. That was very rushed. They had to end the episode quickly.

This makes sense, though it is very rushed, but you could say the same thing about the end of Nine Dragons (see my revised review).

McG and Danno go to the bookstore, they talk to the girl who works there and tell her Mr. Beacham is dead. McG and Danno go to the bookstore where they talk to Sheila and tell her Mr. Beecham is dead. They snoop around and find Eddie's address and go to his place, but he is not there. They find a copy of the magazine with an article about the murders Eddie is copying, but the page with what is presumably his current murder is missing. They call Chin at the office to check the magazine(s) and find out where that murder was, which is in the Empire Hotel. Eddie has been there waiting for some guy to finish his business with a hooker in a specific room, the one where the previous murder happened. When the customer leaves, Eddie goes in (this all might have taken some time). McG, Danno, Chin, etc. show up and bust into the room and stop Eddie from murdering the hooker. (I don't know how they know it is that specific room, because the room has no number on the door.)

[Mr. Mike]

“I’ll Kill ‘Em Again” is another favorite but for the life of me I can’t understand how they found the hooker’s apartment so quickly at the end where Eddie was about to kill again. That was very rushed. They had to end the episode quickly.

This makes sense, though it is very rushed, but you could say the same thing about the end of Nine Dragons (see my revised review).

McG and Danno go to the bookstore where they talk to Sheila and tell her Mr. Beecham is dead. They snoop around and find Eddie's address and go to his place, but he is not there. They find a copy of the magazine with an article about the murders Eddie is copying, but the page with what is presumably his current murder is missing. They call Chin at the office to check the magazine(s) and find out where that murder was, which is in the Empire Hotel. Eddie has been there waiting for some guy to finish his business with a hooker in a specific room, the one where the previous murder happened. When the customer leaves, Eddie goes in (this all might have taken some time). McG, Danno, Chin, etc. show up and bust into the room and stop Eddie from murdering the hooker. (I don't know how they know it is that specific room, because the room has no number on the door.)

[ringfire211]

“I’ll Kill ‘Em Again” is another favorite but for the life of me I can’t understand how they found the hooker’s apartment so quickly at the end where Eddie was about to kill again. That was very rushed. They had to end the episode quickly.

This makes sense, though it is very rushed, but you could say the same thing about the end of Nine Dragons (see my revised review).

McG and Danno go to the bookstore where they talk to Sheila and tell her Mr. Beecham is dead. They snoop around and find Eddie's address and go to his place, but he is not there. They find a copy of the magazine with an article about the murders Eddie is copying, but the page with what is presumably his current murder is missing. They call Chin at the office to check the magazine(s) and find out where that murder was, which is in the Empire Hotel. Eddie has been there waiting for some guy to finish his business with a hooker in a specific room, the one where the previous murder happened. When the customer leaves, Eddie goes in (this all might have taken some time). McG, Danno, Chin, etc. show up and bust into the room and stop Eddie from murdering the hooker. (I don't know how they know it is that specific room, because the room has no number on the door.)

Oh I don’t remember anything about an Empire Hotel. I thought all they knew at that point from the torn page was that the victim was a hooker. So with nothing else to go on they immediately rush over to this hotel in the seedy part of town (Hotel Street?) hoping that it’s the right one? I dunno.. it never made sense to me. Is this the one hotel that has the most hooker action? Lol!

But if what you say is true then I guess that makes sense that they knew where to go. But on the other hand I didn’t think that Eddie recreated his crimes at the same addresses as the previous victims. Did he? He recreated the crimes but not at the same addresses. From what I recall. So if the previous hooker was killed at the Empire Hotel there was no reason to think that this hooker was going to be killed there too. Right? Maybe they were just hoping it would be this hotel, with nothing else to go on.

[Mr. Mike]

[John Chergi]

Mr. Mike & Classic HFO Regulars
I was thinking about the Perfect Episodes. Here's some that I think that would fit that description. No particular order.

1. Engaged To Be Buried
2. Honor Is An Unmarked Grave 🪦
3. Highest Castle, Deepest Grave 🪦
4. Yesterday Died And Tomorrow Won't Be Born
5. The Vashon Trilogy
6. The Late John Louisiana
7. Draw Me A Killer
8. Murder---Eyes Only
9. Hookman
10. Beautiful Screamer
11. I'm A Family Crook---Don't Shoot!
12. The Defector

Honor Is An Unmarked Grave is 1 of the best episodes from Season 8 and later. I'm a big fan of East Wind, Ill Wind but there are a few things that prevent it from making the list. King Of The Hill is another one that could be on the list but there are a few things that could prevent it. Double Exposure is another episode that's pretty solid other than McG firing from the chopper. Great discussion on here. JC