*** John Chergi's Five-O Review Thread ***

[ringfire211]

Ok I see.

But you have Beautiful Screamer as a 4 star episode and you say it has a 70% chance of landing in your top 10. But then The Late John Louisiana is 3.5 stars but you say it has a 75% chance of making the top 10? So it has a greater chance than Beautiful Screamer despite it being a somewhat lesser episode in your grading system? I guess I’m still missing something. It’s all good though Carry on…

[John Chergi]

Ringfire

Thanks for your honest feedback and questions on my Top 50 🌊 Episode List and the 1st slate of Nominees for Top 10. You have asked some pertinent points on why some lesser ranked episodes would have a higher chance to make the Top 10 than a Four Star ⭐⭐⭐⭐ episode. It has me thinking now. What are all my 4 Star ⭐⭐⭐⭐ episodes? I had done a few with the 6 Star system over the years. With some more research and watching, here are all my Classic HFO 4 star ⭐⭐⭐⭐ episodes.

JC 4 STAR ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Classic HFO Episode 🌊. In No Particular Order.
The Vashon Trilogy
1. "V" For Vashon: The Son
2. "V" For Vashon: The Father
3. "V" For Vashon: The Patriarch
4. Highest Castle, Deepest Grave
5. Hookman
6. To Kill Or Be Killed
7. Engaged To Be Buried
8. King Of The Hill
9. F.O.B. Honolulu
10. The Ninety-Second War Part I
11. Honor Is An Unmarked Grave
12. Draw Me A Killer
13. Beautiful Screamer
14. One Big Happy Family
15. Yesterday Died And Tomorrow Won't Be Born
16. All The King's Horses
17. The Defector
18. Nightmare In Blue
19. Didn't We Meet At A Murder?
20. ...And A Time To Die

There's more 4 Star ⭐⭐⭐⭐ episodes than I thought plus several 3.75 type episodes like....
1. Double Exposure
2. The Late John Louisiana
3. The Singapore File
4. I'm A Family Crook---Don't Shoot!
5. Trouble In Mind

It's good to figure things out now that I have 11 months to complete the project. Congrats Ringfire on recently earning Sergeant here at the Forum. Don't know what to do with Filer. Probably 3.5 ranking. JC

[ringfire211]

Nice list of 4-star episodes there, John. I know for a fact that I would have more than 20 on my list. Too many superb episodes! Over Fifty? Steal is tied with The Ransom as my favorite for season 3. Both very strong 4 stars!!

I’m a Sergeant now? lol. Had no idea. Don’t even know what I was before.

[John Chergi]

JC Classic Hawaii Five-O 🌊 Episode Of The Day. July 31, 2024. Six Kilos 2 1/2 Stars (Season 1). ⭐⭐ 1/2 Stars Out Of 4 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐.

McGarrett already performed undercover duty earlier in Season 1 The Ways Of Love. In Six Kilos, McGarrett assumes the identity of expert safe cracker and nitro man Harry Brown. This occurs quickly when Danno shoots and kills Harry Brown at Honolulu airport saving Chin's life. Having a similar look and build to Brown, McG impersonates the well-dressed and woman loving Brown. Later, McG meets the rest of the team on the mission. Andre--Expert Torch, X-Ray, and Saw. Carl Swanson--Electrical Expert. Margi--Attractive and Mysterious Woman who has access to Quan Ling the Diplomat and his yacht. The mission team receives messages from The Man on tape and listen and receive instructions. Danno performs photo and visual surveillance on the mission team while conducting a fake fishing trip. He's far away enough to avoid detection. Later, the team learns that the mission will be to steal 6 kilos from Quan Ling's yacht. It's a dangerous mission as Quan Ling has bodyguards and things could go wrong quickly. McG accurately guesses the mysterious 6 kilos to be heroin "H" and would be worth a lot of money. All the mission team works together...Margi has access to the yacht and there's a party going on. She slips something in Quan Ling's drink which renders him sleepy quickly. Swanson arrives as part of his electrical expertise while Andre and Brown slip undetected onto the yacht. They all arrive in the knocked out Quan Ling's room to go over the plan quickly and blow up the safe and take possession of the Six Kilos. Swanson prematurely throws the switch after his watch is broken in a fight with 1 of the guards. The alarm is sounded and safe is blown. Andre, Brown, Carl, and Margi escape jumping from the yacht into the water with the Six Kilos. Margi double-crosses the mission team shooting and wounding Andre and Carl Swanson later at the meeting house. They are waiting their payments. She is revealed to be The Man in the recordings. Margi is quickly apprehended before she shoots McG. HFO already has men in position.

Quick Thoughts

I enjoy McG undercover playing Brown. There's just plenty of Questions that prevents Six Kilos from becoming a Top 50 episode.

1. Why didn't Chin Ho & Danno just tail Brown from the airport? They already were in position and could have just followed Brown to his hotel.

2. Why does McGarrett impersonate Brown on a possible dangerous and risky mission? It's very possible Brown could have worked with 1 or more of the mission team before. McG could have been in danger very quickly.

3. How does McG have an exact replica of Brown's tattoo applied expertly to his arm? That would take time to design and work on. Swanson checks the tattoo right away in Brown's room.

4. What happens when the Nitro Man doesn't report back? The Man seems to know everything going on. This is glossed over as the Nitro Man is taken by Kono.

5. Why does Margi shoot and wound Andre and Carl Swanson after completing the mission? She easily could have disappeared with the 6 Kilos leaving the men waiting there as they awaited payment.

Question Of The Day. What interesting criminal would you liked to see have been a reoccurring character like Wo Fat? JC

[John Chergi]

AUG 19, 2024

This is the 2nd slate of 10 Classic HFO 🌊 episodes trying to earn the Final 10 spots in my Final Top 50 Classic HFO episodes of all-time. These episodes are all 4 Star ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ episodes.

1. ALL THE KING'S HORSES ⭐⭐⭐⭐. One of my FAV episodes as former mob syndicate member Mike Finney has remade his life in Hawaii. He has a thriving flower business. Finney is squeezed on both fronts as former mob members are nervous he might talk in front of the Committee. They have hired a hitman to silence him. Irwin also turns up the heat stating he has evidence Finney still is mob connected.

2. HIGHEST CASTLE 🏰 DEEPEST GRAVE🪦 ⭐⭐⭐⭐. An outstanding episode as two skeletons are located during an archeological dig. McG & The HFO 🌊 team must piece together the puzzle of their identities and why they were murdered. Excellent performances Duncan, Mondrago, etc.

3. TO KILL OR BE KILLED ⭐⭐⭐⭐. Another outstanding episode as a career military officer General Rigney wants the truth on how his officer son died mysteriously falling off his apartment balcony to the pavement below. Also, the General has to deal with a younger son who does not wish to be inducted into the military.

4. "V" FOR VASHON: THE PATRIARCH ⭐⭐⭐⭐. McGarrett is brilliantly framed by Nick Vashon the Patriarch of the Vashon Crime Family. After Honore Vashon is sentenced to a 10 year sentence conspiring to murder McG, Nick sets his plan into motion using a recent ex-con drug peddler Sullivan. McG shoots and kills Sullivan in a garage elevator after Sullivan shoots blanks at him. Sullivan's gun is expertly taken in the elevator making McG appear he shot and killed an unarmed man.

5. YESTERDAY DIED AND TOMORROW WON'T BE BORN ⭐⭐⭐⭐. An amazing 1st season show as McG survives 3 close shot bullet wounds fired by CPO Joe Trinian on the beach. Trinian has recently been released from prison after 15 years and is looking for revenge. A good Danno episode as he takes charge of the investigation while Steve fights for survival.

6. DIDN'T WE MEET AT A MURDER? ⭐⭐⭐⭐. A personal JC FAV as 3 blackmailed people Bonnie Soames, Clem Brown, and Frank Wellman are forced to murder Mauritany a mob syndicate figure. A relatively high bid on the Lanai Carpet Company building piques McG curiosity about Mauritany and a few others. It's heightened when McG notices an ex-con investigator Saunders working there.

7. ONE BIG HAPPY FAMILY ⭐⭐⭐⭐. McGarrett and the HFO team investigate a series of crimes where the workers are killed at their businesses and places of work for small
amounts of money. It fits a similar pattern of several killings on the mainland. A strange hillbilly family arrives in Hawaii before the murders commence.

8. "V" FOR VASHON: THE FATHER ⭐⭐⭐⭐. Honore Vashon decides to hire a hitman after McG killed his only son Chris Vashon in self-defense. A very suspenseful episode as the hit man Dylan follows McG's daily routine and rents a room across from HFO HQ. Dylan sets up his weapon to murder McG from his rented room.

9. THE NINETY-SECOND WAR PART I ⭐⭐⭐⭐. McG is expertly framed by Wo-Fat appearing to be corrupt stealing a large sum of money 💰. He's also discovered in an overturned car with criminal Benny Jaloua. A double
McGarrett who speaks with a British accent is part of Wo-
Fat's devious plan. This fake McGarrett is later shot in the bank where McG already has taken possession of the money. Before dying, he talks about Wo-Fat and a mystery 90 Seconds.

10. F.O.B. HONOLULU ⭐⭐⭐⭐. Another personal FAV as McG must recover 2 perfect counterfeit $20 plates that could flood the market destroying the U.S. economy. Interesting characters including Wo-Fat meet in order to acquire the plates. Those in possession of the plates usually meet death quickly. JC

[barnzoboy]

All solid episodes

[John Chergi]

SEPT 3, 2024
Here's the Final Slate Of 10 Episodes battling for the Top 10 Episodes in My Top 50 Classic HFO Episodes.

1. Nightmare In Blue ⭐⭐⭐⭐
2. The Defector ⭐⭐⭐⭐
3.Murder---Eyes Only ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
4. Nightmare In Blue ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
5. The Reunion ⭐⭐⭐⭐
6. Double Exposure 3.75
7. Over Fifty? Steal 3.75
8. I'm A Family Crook---Don't Shoot 3.75
9. The Singapore File 3.75
10. Trouble In Mind 3.75

Great now it's September. Closer to Bobbi's HFO Anniversary episodes. One of the highlights here on the Forum. Sorry to hear about James Darren and his passing at 88. He was in 1 of my FAV later episodes Number One With A Bullet.

JC

[John Chergi]

JC TOP 10 Classic HFO 🌊 Episodes. October 9, 2024.

1. The Young Assassins (In Honor Of Season 7 Anniversary)
2. Engaged To Be Buried
3. Hookman
4. King Of the Hill
5. "V" for Vashon: The Patriarch
6. Didn't We Meet At A Murder?
7. Highest Castle 🏰, Deepest Grave 🪦
8. Draw Me A Killer
9. All The King's Horses
10. F.O.B. Honolulu

JC

[John Chergi]

JC Top 50 Greatest FAV Classic HFO 🌊 Episodes (1968-1980). OCTOBER 27, 2024. Rounding into shape with 6 months to go.

1. To Kill Or Be Killed
2. Highest Castle 🏰, Deepest Grave
3. Hookman
4. Engaged To Be Buried
5. "V" For Vashon: The Patriarch
6. Draw Me A Killer
7. King Of The Hill
8. "V" For Vashon: The Son
9. F.O.B. Honolulu
10. The Reunion
11. The Ninety-Second War Part I
12. All The King's Horses 🐎🐎🐎
13. Honor Is An Unmarked Grave 🪦
14. Yesterday Died And Tomorrow Won't Be Born
15. Beautiful Screamer
16. "V" For Vashon: The Father
17. Didn't We Meet At A Murder?
18. Nightmare In Blue
19. And A Time To Die
20. One Big Happy Family
21. Murder---Eyes Only
22. The Defector
23. The Singapore File
24. Double Exposure
25. The Late John Louisiana
26. I'm A Family Crook---Don't Shoot!
27. Trouble In Mind
28. Why Wait Til Uncle Kevin Dies?
29. Nine Dragons
30. Over Fifty? Steal
31. By The Numbers
32. East Wind, Ill Wind
33. Cry, Lie
34. Forty Feet Hight And It Kills!
35. The Double Wall 🧱🧱
36. I'll Kill 'Em Again
37. The Bells 🔔🔔Toll At Noon
38. The Flip Side Is Death
39. The Young Assassins
40. Yes, My Deadly Daughter
41. A Bullet For McGarrett
42. Samurai
43. Death Is A Company Policy
44. Is This Any Way To Run A Paradise?
45. Computer 🖥️ Killer
46. Full Fathom Five
47. A Gun For McGarrett
48. Mother's Deadly Helper
49. Wednesday Nights, Ladies Free
50. Ten Thousand Diamonds 💎 And A Heart ❤️

JC

[John Chergi]

JC Top 10 Classic Hawaii 🌊 Five-O Episodes. DEC 30, 2024. Happy Birthday 🎂🎁🎄🧸 Jack Lord!

1. The Ninety-Second War Part I
2. To Kill Or Be Killed
3. Hookman
4. Engaged To Be Buried
5. Highest Castle, Deepest Grave
6. F.O.B. Honolulu
7. "V" For Vashon: The Patriarch
8. King Of The Hill
9. "V" For Vashon: The Son
10. Draw Me A Killer
JC