Search - Hawaii Five-O - The Second Season on DVD

A great show now on DVD. "Book 'em, Danno!"

Valnastar | Deep 13, USA | 05/14/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Hawaii Five-O was not your ordinary police drama. Besides the lush location of Hawaii and the unforgettably terrific theme music, the stylized characters and story lines really added a fantastic element to the show, an element missing from more mundane or "realistic" police dramas of both then and now. When you turned this show on from week to week you never knew what kind of story you were going to see. It might be a story about thieves, mobsters or murderers, but it might just as likely be about something larger or more fantastic like international spies, assassination conspiracies or the threat of biological epidemics. Even the stories dealing with common crimes were heavily stylized, often pitting the Five-O team against near super-villain type enemies. In a way, this show mixed the best of police dramas with some of the best elements of stylized spy thrillers, classic detective fiction, and even a tinge of comic book superheroes. It's as if someone took all the best elements of Sherlock Holmes, James Bond, Mission Impossible and Batman and somehow came out with a surreal blend of police melodrama and heroic fiction that is fascinating and fun to watch.

Here is an episode list for Season Two:

Thousand Pardons -- You're Dead!
A scam to claim widows' benefits results in the deaths of the bar women used in the scam.

To Hell with Babe Ruth
A deranged Japanese WWII vet escapes from the mental hospital and tries to carry on the war.

Forty Feet High and It Kills!
Wo Fat kidnaps a scientist and wants to smuggle him to China.

Just Lucky, I Guess
A salesman uses the services of a lady of the evening, and then witnesses a mobster killing her.

Savage Sunday
A revolutionary terror group steals weapons from a local barracks.

A Bullet for McGarrett
A university professor brainwashes students to become programmed killers.

Sweet Terror
Five-O must foil a terror plot to destroy Hawaii's sugarcane industry.

King Kamehameha Blues
College students plan to steal the cloak of King Kamehameha.

The Singapore File
McGarrett tries to bring a witness from Singapore to Hawaii to testify in an important court case, running a gauntlet of dangers while doing so.

All the King's Horses
An assassination attempt on a politician leaves a confusing trail of clues regarding a former racketeer and the supposed victim.

Leopard on the Rock
A dictator's aircraft is forced to land in Hawaii as part of an assassination plot. Can Five-O protect him?

The Devil and Mr. Frog
A kidnap victim escapes his captors. Can Five-O recover the ransom money?

The Joker's Wild, Man, Wild
Two young men vie for the attention of a wealthy young woman, who has them perform increasingly dangerous and deadly acts to win her affection.

Which Way Did They Go?
A clever bank robber dupes Five-O into protecting the wrong bank. Can McGarrett and his team catch the clever crook?

Blind Tiger
A bomb sent to McGarrett in a package leaves him temporarily blind. Marion Ross (Mrs. Cunningham of Happy Days) plays McGarrett's hospital rehabilitation nurse. Meanwhile, Five-O searches for the culprit who sent the bomb.

Bored, She Hung Herself
A health technique involving hanging results in the death of the girlfriend of the health guru who invented the technique. Was it really an accident?

Run, Johnny, Run
Christopher Walken guest stars in an episode about an AWOL sailor accused of shooting an MP.

Killer Bee
One Vietnam veteran, now a psychiatric worker, tries to drive a fellow veteran insane.

The One with the Gun
A man is killed during a poker game and his brother is seeking revenge on the culprit. Can Five-O solve the murder and stop the brother from committing another?

Cry, Lie
Chin Ho is the accused in a corruption scandal involving bribery.

Most Likely to Murder
An officer investigates the murder of his own wife, leading to facts that strain his friendship with Dan Williams.
Nightmare Road
Revolutionaries want to smuggle a scientist off the island via submarine.

Three Dead Cows at Makapuu (Part 1)
A biological scientist is conflicted about his work and cows are found dead from a contagion that threatens the entire island.

Three Dead Cows at Makapuu (Part 2)
Can Five-O find a vial of deadly contagion before disaster strikes all of Hawaii?

Kiss the Queen Goodbye
An extortionist forces a politician to take her to an event where she can steal a priceless jewel, leaving a fake in its place.

The incorruptible and larger-than-life characters of Steve McGarrett and his stalwart crew of Danny, Kono and Chin Ho made for an interesting mix. At the time this show first appeared on television, only Star Trek had as ethnically diverse and interesting a cast as this show and they were the only two shows to completely eschew ethnic stereotypes in how they used their diverse cast. The show took full advantage of the diversity and beauty of both the Hawaiian Islands as well as the local population when filming, rather than hiding it. This may have been a gamble in 1968, but it's one that happily paid off and helped pave the way for a more realistic view of our country's population on TV in years to come. Hawaii Five-O was a huge ratings success and ran for 12 seasons, forever in the world of TV. And it deserved it. Then and now, these shows are fun to watch. I already own Hawaii Five-O Season One on DVD and am enjoying it thoroughly, as is my young son who is seeing the show for the first time. I am looking forward to owning Season Two on DVD shortly and hopefully more sets after that. "Be there, aloha!""

Where is "Bored, She Hung Herself" Episode

DR. BILL | 07/31/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Hawaii Five-O had a great run on TV and Jack Lord and Charles MacArthur, (Helen Hayes son) made a great team as McGarrett and Danno, however WHY, let me repeat WHY is the second season not complete. A small print disclamer on the rear bottom back of the box says the "Bored, She Hung Herself" episode is not included and only aired once. Yes it does not say complete second season episodes on the box. Its a 5star box set, but only 3stars for the missing episode"

Don't worry!

Mike F. | Seattle, WA | 08/15/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The early reviews almost scared me out of buying this set, but I'm glad I didn't cave! I just finished watching disks one and two and if any episode has been edited, I sure couldn't tell. The shows are fun to watch and, like Season One, the color and sound are outstanding!

I'm disappointed about the missing episode, too, but it's possible that the studio just couldn't find a suitable print. If they never intended to air it again, they might have been lax with the film. As for the legal department theory...some nut could just as easily say that an episode gave them the idea to commit insurance fraud or become a "Red Chinese" agent or try LSD as to try a new and dangerous way of finding...well, let's just say, "self-fulfillment," so the "we'd better leave it off or they'll sue us" theory doesn't make sense. At least they were honest by printing the disclaimer on the box (the fact that there's a disclaimer at all is probably the work of the legal department!).

In addition to the previously-mentioned guest stars, I spotted former professional wrestling champ Nick Bockwinkel in a cameo as a union foreman in the first episode on Disk Two.

Enjoy. I really don't think you'll be disappointed. Aloha!"