As I said last week, Hawaii Five-0 is a fairly average procedural. The high octane story in the pilot was only a one-time deal while the rest of the episodes became usual procedural crimes--prisoner escape, gangs, etc.
Although "Nalowale" is no different in terms of crime, as the team tracks the kidnapped daughter of an ambassador, it's also a step above the other episodes in nearly every other regard. Instead of relying on the interaction between McGarrett and Danny for humor, a few new and old characters are in the episode to provide a certain spark not seen in previous episodes. The medical examiner played by Masi Oka, reminiscent of his Scrubs days, is wacky and fun, and McGarrett's sister Mary returns for a few playful words with McGarrett's Navy girlfriend who once again helps in the case.
I like that Hawaii Five-0 has a large enough budget to consistently bring back old characters, and hopefully we'll be seeing all of them very soon.
Score: 8.9/10
