Hawaii Five-0 Review: How Many Serial Killers Is Too Many Serial Killers?

Hawaii Five-0 deals in killers on a daily basis, with a few serial killers sprinkled in every couple of months. Never has Five-0 had so many serial killers packed into one hour! Not only were there cases involving three serial killers, they were scattered across the country. Not every case was immediate in terms of saving a life, but anytime you can solve a case, it is a good day. Catching the killer is half the battle. You also need to get justice for for the victim.

Five-0 isn’t done assessing the death of a livestock importer, before another body turns up. What connects these two murders is that they are both based around ancient Hawaiian folklore. One is killed for crossing to a side of the island with livestock, which according to legend, makes one the ancient spirit Pele angry. The other body literally dies as a statue, supposedly turned into stone by the Menehune as punishment for watching them work. Two dead bodies is one thing, but the kidnapping of a child is a much more immediate problem.

A little girl was not kidnapped by the Green Lady of Hawaii, who lost her child and kidnaps any child she can get her hands on. She was kidnapped by her aunt, who was kidnapped, raped, and mutilated by a wild boar when she was 12-years old. The folklore was just a way to throw the police off her trail. Her ultimate goal was to punish her sister for refusing to walk her home the day she was kidnapped. The killer was left disfigured and ashamed, seen as a freak even though she survived. She isolated herself and lived with a plastic family who wouldn’t treat her based on her appearance, until the time came to take her revenge.

Before this case takes over, McGarrett escorts his friend Alicia Brown to court for the murder of Dr. Madison Grey.  McGarrett does not want his friend to go to prison, when he was the one that got her involved in the Grey case in the first place. Once she confesses to McGarrett that she didn’t murder Grey in self-defense, Alicia remains determined to tell the truth. Because of her experience with serial killers, Alicia gets a stay of execution to help Five-0 with the case. She not only helps lead them to the killer and save the little girl, she gets a good shot off that saves Steve. The DA offers her a deal: 18 months probation in exchange for working for Five-0 whenever they call. The only thing that would have made the day better is if they had caught the killer.

Thankfully, another killer is caught, and it was a long time coming. Grover is called to Florida to have a conversation with a killer who is about to be executed. This is curious since Grover had no idea who this guy was, until he tells Grover that Clay Maxwell hired him to kill Grover. Grover has been hunting down any and all leads that would put Maxwell in jail for killing his wife. After some back and forth, Grover watches this man be executed, his only parting gift a map. That map leads to the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, or in this case, Maxwell’s confession.

With Alicia now working for Five-0, will the level of intensity on the team reach a fever pitch? Furthermore, are Steve and Alicia better off as friends, or could they have the potential for more the longer they work together?