My reactions Mea Makamae

[kapuahi]

So, I haven’t felt compelled to jump up and down bemoaning the things that were wrong with Mea Makamae (which apparently means Look we’ve remembered how to do this right!).

It wasn’t back to season 1 standards by a long shot, but it was so tantalisingly close that it didn’t matter.


My high and low lights?

• That kid with the shark fin hat, seriously needs to be held under the water. Speaking as someone who hasn’t been in the ocean since their first viewing of Jaws, that was not cool. However, the whole scene was a nice nod to Jaws. Kid finding the hand, that would be the long arm of Karma kid, no sympathy at all.

• Max wearing the Vic’s hand was priceless if only for the fact that it creeped out Steve who had no compunction with pulling ‘Jack’ out of his box in He Kana Hewa’Ole.

• Lori remains to me difficult to warm to, didn’t like her scenes with Patty Duke at all, empathy was totally missing.

• Danny and his adorable crush on Gabrielle. Was it just me or was she Rachel’s softer doppelganger?

• Finally a decent cargument. Okay so not so much a cargument as a discussion, but they’re together and they’re in the car and there was words involved so I’m apparently really easily pleased.

• I adore Catherine. And I have no issues with Steve describing her as old friend. Girlfriends/sexual partners wouldn’t mean as much to Steve as good friends he can trust do. Clearly he trusts her, and I’d wager even more than he does Danny or maybe just in a different way. Besides why does he have to go full disclosure with Lori, none of her business. He takes things to her that he doesn’t take to anyone else, even Danny. It’s a shame to see her go, but with Combat Hospital possibly tanking there is a big wide door opened. Also am more than a little in love with Steve’s everybodyIloveleavesme face.

• I don’t think Mumbai was a random name mentioned. This show doesn’t (or it didn’t) do random, whether we know it at the time or not, every single thing has a purpose. Don’t believe me? May I present Jenna as exhibit No 1.

• I love that all my favourite semi regulars were back in this episode.

• Lori’s questioning at the bar was awkward and a little forced (those two words seem to match Lori the same way adorable fits with Steve don’t they)

• Wow blink and you miss Peter Fonda. That’s what you get for a revolving mega guest star door.

• Really starting to irritate me how Lori is the one who saw the picture, recognises the ring, knows how to find whatever. We get how she’s supposed to be wonder girl, please to be not beating us with the clue stick, ok?

• Every scene with Chin and Kono is awkward and painful and absolutely perfect for what they’re going through.

• Billy Baldwin is skeevy and I need a shower after every scene he’s in, But he’s perfect for his part.

• I love anytime Max and Danny interact, they are gold. Also Max’s reaction to JPAC? Any fan of anything completely got his whole reaction. And? I want his camera.

• I get why Steve confronted Joe at the repatriation scene, and I think it was effectively done on his part but how stupid is Joe for even thinking that he’s going to let it go.

My biggest beef? Why was Lori with him for the shootout? All four of the operational team members were there when they decided to go after him, why did she go with Steve. He already has a partner. Doesn’t NEED a new one. Please to stop meddling with the partnership arrangements show.

Comments

[azziria.livejournal.com]

I agree, this was a much better episode. Still room for improvement, but this one I'll watch again (unlike 2.02, which I'm going to pretend never happened, and 2.03, which I will only watch selected bits of).

I loved that final scene with Catherine, even though it broke my heart. He called her an old friend because that's what she is - they're two career military people who have always known that their jobs could take them anywhere at any time, so they've never officially acknowledged themselves as boyfriend and girlfriend, however deep the feelings between them might be. And because they've never had that conversation, of course Steve won't call her his girlfriend. I read that farewell scene as two uptight and correct military types who didn't know how to say the things they really wanted to to one another. I thought the hug was more meaningful than a kiss would have been, because a kiss is sexual whereas that hug was all about wanting to keep something dear close to you. Some people have said that Alex and Michelle were stiff and emotionless in that scene; personally I thought they were completely in character and knocked it out of the park.

I also loved the way they handled Max in this episode. In 2.03 he was in danger of becoming a figure of fun; this week he was funny but not in a cringeworthy way. He's very intelligent, and his geekery is eccentricity not stupidity, and this week Show gave us that :)

Also loved that Steve is standing up to Joe, and not just doing the unconditional father figure adoration thing.

As for Lori, I've given the character enough chances now. I know she hasn't had the best writing (I think the writers can't decide what to do with the character) but the acting of what she has been given has been wooden and unconvincing. As for backing up Steve on the boat... that should have been Danny or Chin. So, for me she's not working, she's getting in the way, and even giving her favourite lines from the last series to rework ("How long have you two been married?") isn't convincing me about her. I do feel sorry for the actress, because the odds were kind of stacked against her from the start, but if TPTB were going to force a new team member onto us then they should have made sure that the new team member was a strong and unique character played by someone who is a really good actor. Lori is starting to put me off watching the show, and that's not good.

Can't wait to see what happens with Kono next week, I think it will be painful but please, please let's have our team back.

[kitmerlot1213.livejournal.com]

I don't think it's that Steve trusts Catherine more then Danny but rather that Catherine has military resources to break the code that Steve needs and he brings it to her, knowing she'll help him because of their friendship.

I don't mind Lor's shown to be investigating clues and interviewing suspects and I'm glad that she was able to back up Steve in the shoot out but I do mind her acting as Steve's partner--that grates almost as much as Joe's sharing all of Steve's time outside of the office.

[rocsfan.livejournal.com]

I totally agree that Lori was awkward in both the scene in the bar and the scene with Patty Duke. And even she seems to realize that. Steve is adorable because he doesn't even seem to know that he's missing something. Like that elevator scene in season 1, with the kid and the hippo?

Max and Danny were great together! I think Max is getting used to Danny now, and they spark!

[kapuahi.livejournal.com]

I don't think he would consciously use her like that just because she has the resources, but I do think that he does take advantage of it. I can't remember exactly what it was, but there was an occaision in S1 that I thought it was odd that he went to/told her something that he didnt go to Danny for. Maybe it's not a matter of trust but of differing skill sets.

I don't like the way that they've introduced Lori but they're not quite sure what they want her to do. So far she's been in three episodes and she's filling Kono's spot (indirectly or not that is what she is doing), she was doing Chin's thing at the tech desk, she's been cargumenting with Danny and trailing Steve around like his shadow/new partner.

It's wholly the fault of the writers and the network that many in fandom are against her, they've written her poorly, subsituted her into situations that are frankly H50 lore and introduced her while Kono was awol. The network's first words (before they had even cast her I believe) were she was a female McGarrett and possible love interest. Now as much as they all rebuke that now, that's how they initially described her. So far I haven't seen any female McGarrett tendencies. They have made life difficult for the actress from day 1, so she's battling to gain fandom acceptance before she even starts.

And don't even get me started on Joe. He's only off the hook with me because Lori is irritating me more than he is.

[kapuahi.livejournal.com]

I don't know if it's Lauren or the writers or a mix of both, but I haven't seen a scene yet that she looks totally comfortable. You're right with Steve, even when he is awkward, he's so hard ass and so completely oblivious that it just comes across as adorable.

I think that Danny and Max have lovely comic interations together, without painting either of them as comical.

[kapuahi.livejournal.com]

Much of fandom seems to have painted 2.02 and 2.03 as an abherration only to be viewed again under duress.

I've loved Catherine since the first time we saw her. She's a good match for Steve and the two of them obviously have a lot of affection and good chemistry together. You're right about them both being military, and honestly they would both have following regulations ingrained in them. It's regulations that they aren't physically affectionate (even with spouses) whilst in uniform. That's what I put the initial awkwardness of the hug down to.

Max I think is still finding his feet as a regular, but he's starting to hit his straps, and I think that he and Danny are going to provide many amusing times.

I don't think that no matter what they do with Lori that she is ever going to 'fit' the way they wanted her to. They painted themselves into a corner before she even got there and now that she is they don't have a solid place for her and it's not going to get any better, especially after Kono is back. I think he biggest problme is the way they first described her that put most of fandom off. Then they brought her in while Kono was missing and it doesn't matter what how they paint it, she appears to be replacng her, whether she is or not it doesn't matter. Then they've tried to put her on the fast track to popularity by sharing her between Steve and Danny and all thats done is alienate the few people who were left.

I too can't wait to see how they bring Kono back.

[rocsfan.livejournal.com]

I think that Danny and Max have lovely comic interations together, without painting either of them as comical.


Excellent point! I'm glad they aren't turning Max into a characature. He's just unique!

[stellarmeadow.livejournal.com]

When Steve is awkward, though, it's Alex playing Steve as awkward. Lori is just Lauren looking awkward, like she doesn't know how she should stand or look interested or move or speak with inflection...y'know, like a robot. I think I'm going to start calling her the Loribot 2000.

[kapuahi.livejournal.com]

Perfect name for her. The best we've done so far is her or 'newbie' but that implies far more affection than we actually have for her.