Full Fathom Five

Season 1, Episode 1
Original air date: 9/26/68

Written by: Ken Kolb
Directed by: Richard Benedict

The first "regular" episode of the series following the pilot "Cocoon". James MacArthur jumps right in as the new Dan Williams.

In the first indication that the show wasn't going to water down its baddies, we begin with a story about a husband-and-wife team of depraved, heartless killers played by Kevin McCarthy and Louise Troy, both of whom are great. They prey on lonely wealthy women.

The opening shot puts us on the water and greets us with a pleasant boat (seemingly) named the "Aloha Baby". It's as if the show is saying aloha to its audience at the outset. The warm feelings don't last long.

The "charming" couple at work, moving in for the kill on their hapless victim.

They stuff her dead body into a barrel, toss it overboard, and watch it sink. It is a haunting image. Just moments earlier, she giddily declared, "this is the happiest day of my life."

The title of the episode comes from Reese's paraphrased recitation from Shakespeare's Tempest:

Full fathom five thy father lies;
Of his bones are coral made;
Those are pearls that were his eyes;
Nothing of him that doth fade,
But doth suffer a sea-change
Into something rich and strange.
Sea-nymphs hourly ring his knell:
Ding-dong.
Hark! now I hear them — Ding-dong, bell.

McGarrett gets a visit from a thoroughly uptight and useless lawyer who has come to the Islands seeking a missing wealthy woman. The guards at the front are never seen again on the show so far as I can recall. That's a shame. They're pretty cool.

McGarrett's edgy energy shows as he slaps each cubicle when he quickly walks past them.

I love the Five-O team, all of them. Here is Steve's secretary, May, taking care of business with the men. She was a great part of the team.

McGarrett introduces his team to the lawyer. Each of them look thrilled to make his acquaintance.

And he shares the sentiment.

McGarrett gets to business, attacking his team with questions, possibilities, and tasks.

Kono gets best line of the episode when McGarrett tells him to use his imagination - "you're a rich haole woman who doesn't want to be found - where would you hide?" Kono retorts, "That would take a whole lot of imagination." The lawyer isn't as charmed by the Five-O team as I am. He thinks McGarrett is getting nowhere, but he's wrong. Of course.

McGarrett in a shot we'll see countless times throughout the show's twelve seasons - staring out his office window. I like the backdrop of the state capitol building.

"She either doesn't want to be found or she's dead."

McGarrett seeks out the Governor with the help of his secretary Millie. She's apparently more loyal to McGarrett than her boss as she snitches on the Gov's location. Of course, we'll see her emerge a couple of seasons later as Steve's secretary Jenny.

I love this scene of McGarrett walking over to the large tree where the Governor is eating lunch and their subsequent meeting. It's an interesting way to begin a great key relationship that will last the entire run of the series. It is certainly an innocent contrast to what happens to the Governor in the fourth season episode "Rest in Peace...Somebody" after which we see him under better security.

Denning's recurring presence added so much to the show and gave some interesting and sometimes fun contours to McGarrett's character since this is the one person McGarrett must answer to. And I confess to a Gov crush. And to think that Denning had retired.

This is an unusual camera angle with no clear purpose.

Serious business is at hand, it seems. The Governor gives his "we have two million tourists a year and we have to protect them" speech for the first time. He will make it many times in the future.

There's a side show as McGarrett takes the lawyer to the wealthy woman whom his team has found living in a hippie commune on the beach. He finds the whole situation amusing and leaves the lawyer behind before he can realize that he's been abandoned.

This is a beautiful shot.

If this was your portrait, would you find another artist?

Pepito, financial advisor.

Danny tries to keep a straight face.

Once in awhile, McGarrett gets to have a laugh at someone else's expense. He tells the lawyer, "there's no rule that the rich have to get richer." The lawyer, in exasperation, says there should be.

Steve and Danny have a disagreement about assigning a police woman to catch the killers. Unlike later episodes when Steve seeks out his team's opinions, here he just shuts Danny down.

Another unusual camera angle.

I think Danny is smoking in this episode. I don't think we see him smoke again.

This is Steve's when-I-want-your-opinion-I'll-give-it-to-you look.

Danny gets it.

Steve preps police woman Joyce, played well by Patricia Smith. This is the first of several occasions where Five-O used police women to help out on a case.

Joyce and Danny lure in Reese aboard a cruise ship.

Back at the ranch, the team follows up on a lead from Danny. It's a Chinese laundry label from Reese's clothing.

A new lead is like Christmas to Steve. Look how happy he is.

Chin's "Uncle Chang." Chin appears to be related to every other Chinese person on the Islands.

"As Confucius say..."

"...we got a winner!"

Steve meets Danno at the ship, looking very inconspicuous.

Danny has no trouble spotting him.

A fun shot.

"Man, that shirt is blinding me!"

I'm sure folks had no clue they were cops and probably figured they were brothers.

Most awkward TV kiss ever?

"Sorry to startle you."

Oh, no, I'm not startled at all. Don't be silly.

Setting up the scam.

You never know where Steve will show up. He might have blended in better if he wore the Hawaiian shirt he had on when he met Danny at the ship.

Herman Wedemeyer! But not as Duke yet. Here, he's Lt. Balta. The lighting in this whole sequence is amazing.

I always enjoy McGarrett's car hood conferences. That's why he has a car with such a large hood. It's like a conference table on wheels.

And again McGarrett and Danny argue about the danger Joyce is in. McGarrett just keeps coming back at him with hard-nosed practicality. He accepts the situation, but Danny can't.

No DP can beat this lighting.

I don't know why I even talk to you sometimes.

Methinks this isn't really a 3-seater.

Hey, Steve, you left your map!

There's no counting the number of helicopter shots on Five-O over the years. I'm not complaining.

Diamond Head on the left. Danny's head on the right.

The final take-down.

I can't help it - I think Steve looks like a matador in this shot.

Another day at the office.

The way Jack Lord buttons up his jacket always struck me as a nice bit of work that really adds to the character. Reminds me of John Spencer always buttoning up his jacket in The West Wing before he would go into the Oval Office to address the President.

Pau.