An irregular review series of choice Hawaii 5-0 episodes

Air Cargo – Is This Any Way to Run a Paradise?
Essential-meter: 8/10

What does Steve McGarrett like more than getting whipped up into a storm of righteous indignation over a injustice? Getting worked up over TWO injustices. Ecoterrorism has come to the islands, and Steve gets to be angry at both vigilantes and industrialists. He has so much on his plate that he even is gracious enough to let Kono get a crack at a Very Important Speech.

Taking the identity of the Hawaiian God of war, the green crusader moves from “pranks” that win McGarrett’s begrudging respect, directly to a Dead Pool of rich people. Which McGarrett isn’t as thrilled about. Kahili leaves little tikis in gaudy gourds around to document his deeds. And in the end, it’s strongly implied that he immolates himself in the cane field (or spontaneous combustion?) like the buddhist monks protesting the Vietnam police action. Kono hurls the last tiki in the flames, because expressing ‘disgust’ is way out of his acting wheelhouse.

Awesome Moments:

• McGarrett totally hits on an ornithologist that tells him that the feathers used on the tiki presents are from a super endangered bird with only 2 nests left. And having handed him this clue on a sliver platter, he does nothing with it!
• Steve seemingly knows everyone on the island. When he walks into the natural history building, the director gives him a hearty welcome.
• McGarrett is generally annoyed at hippies, and a running joke is that none of these pencil neck peacenicks could physically have pulled off these acts.
• Man, them are some mighty fine posters.
• You can further see McGarrett’s view of the ecological movement in a fake Kahili who wears a mu-mu, and turns himself in to “spread the word”. Get a load of this, Dano!