It’s starting to feel like everything’s getting crammed in at the last minute.
More items got marked off the series-ending checklist on Hawaii Five-0 Season 10 Episode 19.
First off was Jimmy Buffett making one last appearance as chopper pilot Frank Bama.
Last seen on Hawaii Five-0 Season 9 Episode 25, Frank wasn’t piloting anything this time out.
Instead he was making breakfast in McGarrett’s kitchen after a long night.
He listened to Junior ramble on about Tani and taught him his special waffle mix for the next time he needed to make up with her.
Unfortunately, despite a case that took Five-0 out into Oahu’s ranchlands, there wasn’t any place for Frank and his copter there, since the trees were too dense.
Still, it’s always enjoyable when there’s a historical aspect to any case, especially when it’s obscure history. That was what indirectly led to the murder of a rancher, or a paniolo, as Steve referred to him.
The poor rancher, in debt up to his eyeballs, was brutally attacked by several men then dragged by horses on the way to his death.
So the logical question being asked was what this guy could possibly have that anybody would want.
Things got even screwier when Noelani revealed that he was drunk on the night he was killed.
Stranger still was that he was celebrating something and splashing money around at a nearby country bar, The Cattle Prod.
Junior was shocked to learn that Tani was known at The Cattle Prod, an hour away from her home, for her line-dancing skills.
That cried out for a scene at the end with the team unwinding, and some line-dancing, at that bar.
That would have happened during any other season. But with the end in sight, there’s no airtime available for such niceties.
The rancher shooting off his mouth about his sudden change of fortune, then others following him home to take it from him, made a lot more sense.
But the only thing that HPD excavations uncovered (one more cameo for Duke) was a set of remains, a man and a woman.
But a couple of skeletons wasn’t anything that the rancher could cash in, was it?
Fortunately, the couple was identified and there was still a descendent who could come in and conveniently explain his whole sordid family history to Five-0.
It figures that money was at the root of all these deaths.
The ranch’s original owner (the skeleton) and his partner in crime brought back a fortune in Civil War-era gold coins, buying adjoining ranches, then had a falling out over the treasure.
How likely was it that the partner’s descendent was at the bar where the rancher was bragging about his recent find? Of course, he followed home the rancher to reclaim what was his.
On a McGarrett hunch, Five-0 broke into that descendent’s home, just in time for Grover to spot men on horses escaping up the trail into the mountains.
This lead to Steve and Danny, of all people, riding out after them, arguing as they went. Way to sneak up on the outlaws!
Danny bringing up Steve’s insomnia hinted that McGarrett is on his way out.
You just knew that wasn’t going to end well. They avoided one ambush just to walk into another one.
Finally came the eye-rolling showdown, with McGarrett sneaking out, wrestling away a rifle and killing six men in the process.
After watching that extended tussle with the giant, it’s easy to understand why Alex O’Loughlin is ready to be done. At least Danny saved one bullet to end things.
Grover was right to shake his head at all the carnage.
Steve certainly sounded like a man headed for retirement as he paused to admire the sunset. Danny lacked the soul of a poet, however.
The other storyline could best be titled, “Quinn, We Hardly Knew Ye.”
Those wanting some Quinn back story finally got some, at least as much as will be coming.
She married the wrong guy and stayed with him too long because she felt maternal toward his daughter Olivia. He appeared to be the loving father she always wished she’d had.
Except when he was busy losing all their money in card games.
So, naturally, when Quinn got a call from Olivia, she came running. Her ex had gone off the rails and left Olivia to fend for herself.
Quinn was nice enough to reach out socially to Adam, who was still being blacklisted by some on Five-0 for his rogue efforts to bring down the Yakuza.
I’ll say it again: He’s not the first member of the team to go off book. In fact, it wouldn’t be a total surprise if the governor shut down Five-0 for its latest extralegal outing on the finale.
That wouldn’t be a satisfying ending but it wouldn’t be out of character either.
Adam was there for Quinn when she needed help, since he knew the right people to check with when looking for a degenerate gambler.
In the end, Quinn made the right call with tough love for Jake, hoping he would get the help he needed so he could take proper care of Olivia.
To revisit Steve’s adventures on horseback, watch Hawaii Five-0 online.
How did you enjoy the Western feel of the case of the week?
What did you think of Quinn’s back story?
Will McGarrett hang it up in the end?
Comment below.
Dale McGarrigle is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.