Too often, the episodes of "Hawaii Five-O" are set in the city of Honolulu on the island of Oahu. While it is by far the biggest city on the islands, the rest of Hawaii was generally ignored on the show. The big island of Hawaii, Maui and the other islands were seldom mentioned. That's why this is a welcome change of pace for the show---the episode is mostly set on Maui and involves, of all things, a rancher who is upset by the forces that are trying to take the land for development. Now you normally DON'T think of Hawaii and ranching, but in addition to Maui, there are other places where ranching took place back in the 1970s. I have no idea if it's still going on today, though. Like the sugar industry, it, too, can be a relic of the past.
In "Paniolo", Frank Kuakua is the angry rancher who is resisting the encroachment of modernization on his land. The show begins with Frank accidentally killing a greedy land speculator and instead of going to the police, he stages it too look like the guy drove off a cliff. But, when the coroner's report states that the man did NOT die in the car crash, McGarrett comes to investigate. However, I wondered why McGarrett would leave his usual stomping ground in Honolulu to investigate such a matter. Regardless, the evidence soon points to Kuakua and it looks like he's a wanted man--so he takes off for the Hawaiian hills in a futile attempt to evade the law.
All in all, not the best plot I've seen from the show (mostly due to McGarrett's odd involvement). However, it is a great illustration of the vanishing Hawaii--the sort of place that really doesn't exist except in some tiny pockets today. I currently live in Florida, and it, too, has changed dramatically in the last few decades. Believe it or not, it was one of the biggest cattle producing states in America in the 1970s--though you'd hardly know it today. Tourism and folks like me moving to this paradise have dramatically changed the place and I could see how this would be tough on the old-timers who long for the way things used to be.
By the way, get a look at McGarrett's "Gay Caballero" getup he wore when he went on horseback to get Kuakua. It's absolutely hilarious--you gotta love that ascot and hat!
Sadly, Frank Silvera (who starred as Frank Kuakua) died shortly after filming this episode. According to IMDb, he was electrocuted while fixing a garbage disposal! What a sad waste.
In "Paniolo", Frank Kuakua is the angry rancher who is resisting the encroachment of modernization on his land. The show begins with Frank accidentally killing a greedy land speculator and instead of going to the police, he stages it too look like the guy drove off a cliff. But, when the coroner's report states that the man did NOT die in the car crash, McGarrett comes to investigate. However, I wondered why McGarrett would leave his usual stomping ground in Honolulu to investigate such a matter. Regardless, the evidence soon points to Kuakua and it looks like he's a wanted man--so he takes off for the Hawaiian hills in a futile attempt to evade the law.
All in all, not the best plot I've seen from the show (mostly due to McGarrett's odd involvement). However, it is a great illustration of the vanishing Hawaii--the sort of place that really doesn't exist except in some tiny pockets today. I currently live in Florida, and it, too, has changed dramatically in the last few decades. Believe it or not, it was one of the biggest cattle producing states in America in the 1970s--though you'd hardly know it today. Tourism and folks like me moving to this paradise have dramatically changed the place and I could see how this would be tough on the old-timers who long for the way things used to be.
By the way, get a look at McGarrett's "Gay Caballero" getup he wore when he went on horseback to get Kuakua. It's absolutely hilarious--you gotta love that ascot and hat!
Sadly, Frank Silvera (who starred as Frank Kuakua) died shortly after filming this episode. According to IMDb, he was electrocuted while fixing a garbage disposal! What a sad waste.
