User Reviews

My summary isn't really a criticism of the episode--more of a commentary on the style. Stylistically, this is one of the stranger ones from the series and it played more like a made for TV movie. And, like another astute reviewer stated, it's rather reminiscent of the movie "Laura".

Before I get to the actual episode, there are a few observations about the cast. French-Vietnamese actress France Nuyen makes an appearance. Trekkies will immediately note her as "Elaan of Troyius" from the original "Star Trek. Herbert Lom was the perennially perturbed Chief Inspector Dreyfus from the Pink Panther films. Two interesting acting jobs done by future Five-O members were Herman Wedemeyer ("Duke") playing a judge and Moe Keale ("Truck") from the final (and pretty sad) final season.

The show begins with some archeology students coming upon an old Hawaiian burial site. Most of the bodies are hundreds of years old--but, inexplicably, two are very, very recent--having been murdered about a decade earlier! McGarrett has to try to piece together who they are and who killed them. The problem, however, is that no one is cooperative in the investigation and it's obvious that the mystery is very deep.

Overall, an interesting show but also one that really isn't particularly great. I mostly was annoyed at the idea of a picture of a woman that is so remarkable that people become captivated with it--even McGarrett to an extent. This seemed a bit silly. I did, however, like the solution to the mystery and who the actual killer was. I guessed this correctly about halfway through the episode, but still thought this was pretty clever.

I should probably start by saying that I really enjoy this episode, perhaps a bit more than most. I agree with another reviewer here that this show feels more like a "movie of the week", rather than a typical Hawaii Five-O episode, but maybe that's why I like it so much. Tonally it's very different in a way that's hard to describe.

The episode is focused on the mysterious death of a man and a woman, whos bodies resurface during an archeology dig. The story takes an interesting turn, as not all is what it seems.

As other reviewers have stated, there is a focus on a portrait done of the deceased woman, one that garners an infatuation from everyone, including McGarret. The woman's beauty seems to cast a spell on all those who gaze upon it. It may seem like a silly writing choice, but it added an element of mystery and intrigue to the episode that I particularly liked.

My favorite aspect of this episode though, is the stunning musical motif that follows discussion or scenes with the portrait of the woman. The theme is a beautiful melody that sounds nostalgic, sad, pondering and quiet all at the same time. Not surprising coming from the talented composer Morton Stevens. In fact, there's a great scene in this episode between Steve and Danno where the soundtrack really gets to shine in a quiet moment between the two characters.

Overall, an enjoyable start to the season. The resolution to this one was a bit unexpected and clever.