Hookman

Season 6, Episode 121
Original air date: 9/11/73

Written by: Glen Olson and Rod Baker
Directed by: Allen Reisner
Music by: Morton Stevens

"Hookman" is one of my favorite episodes of the series and many other fans seem to feel the same way. It's one of those episodes that sticks to your memory - the show's direction, acting, music, and writing all come together very effectively. The "reboot" of the show is going to remake "Hookman." Due to this fact, I decided to review this episode now and have put a little more effort into my recap of this episode (and it may take a little longer to load the screen caps).

Any episode that begins in a cemetery is setting a dark tone right off the bat. We're left to wonder who this man is and the mystery is only deepened when it is finally revealed to us that he has hooks for hands. That doesn't stop him from being an effective sniper.

I have a guitar just like this.

His target is a cop escorting a funeral. I've read that the casket coming out was improvised during filming. The repeated extreme close-ups of Hookman, Kurt Stoner, are very disconcerting. Jay J. Armes is unnerving in the role.

Beau van den Ecker sighting!

With a slain police officer, Five-O wastes no time getting to work on the case. McGarrett is edgy, snapping as the mental gears grind away. He tells Duke to go over the entire area "inch by inch." He's never short on doling out the mind-numbing tasks, but I'm pretty sure Duke is eager to take this one on.

A peculiar trademark for a killer.

McGarrett speaks to Keoki's partner to see if there were any personal issues that led to his murder. He asks as tactfully as he can if Keoki was into any gambling or the like.

Stoner savors his success (but probably not his dinner). He listens to a police radio while he meticulously documents his first kill and prepares for his next.

The extent of Stoner's murderous plan is revealed in this chilling sight.

Che reviews the evidence with McGarrett and Danno. He says the letters were "hand-stamped."

We watch the oddly compelling process of Stoner creating his next victim's nameplate. Morton Stevens's score here is terrific.

Danno, Chin, Ben, and Duke arrive at a shootout, the kind that drives your neighbors crazy if you have the TV volume too loud. They debate whether they've got the man who killed Keoki. The shooter's name is McKinney, which I resent as a matter of family pride.

Officer Ookala, Keoki's partner, is killed in the shootout. Ookala's fellow officers and McGarrett grieve for another sudden, inexplicable loss among their ranks.

Doc Bergman provides McGarrett with the autopsy results which are puzzling in that they reveal Ookala was shot from above, not from the house where McKinney went down in a blaze of glory. They also learn that McKinney just got out of prison and can't be Keoki's killer. This prompts a return visit to the scene of the shootout.

Gun #2 is found. Props to the prop department for not getting any fingerprints on the nameplate.

If I worked in Hawaii, I'd conduct all my conferences on rooftops. McGarrett is really pissed off. He yells, "Right under our noses!" and declares the killer a "psycho."

The governor summons McGarrett and asks if he can help take some of the heat off over these police killings. McGarrett says "I've felt heat before." He says he's "coming down hard on this guy, harder than I've ever hit before."

Stoner is already working on target #3 and we discover who that is in a startling fashion. It's a quiet, potent scene.

Che provides McGarrett with shreds of additional evidence. Danny interrupts them to report that they've had a call about the gold nameplates from a local vendor.

In a scene that has stuck with me ever since I first saw it, McGarrett and Danny interrogate the vendor, Norm, hoping his records reveal the identity of the purchaser of the nameplates. He says its been about five years (has Stoner been planning revenge all that time?). They have no luck and as they leave Danny thanks him for calling them. In a gut punch moment, Norm says, "Call? I didn't call."

Stoner is ready for his shot at McGarrett.

Sorry, Norm doesn't take American Express.

McGarrett has the luck of the Irish. Stoner is interrupted by a painter. That's right. He gets the hook.

Steve and Danno have a frightening moment of realization. I think it's smart of the script to not have them say anything to each other. They just have this moment of, "are you thinking what I'm thinking?" And then they quickly duck down just as Stoner fires at them. It's a nice small touch showing the high level of teamwork they share.

The crowd looks pretty calm given there's just been a shooting. Folks in Hawaii are so chill.

And thus begins a great Five-O car chase in which Stoner nearly runs down McGarrett. I like that Lord was willing to hop on the car for the punch-in.

I know it's a small island, but only 190 miles on McGarrett's car? Surely he tripped that thing. Commendably, he has a full tank of gas.

McGarrett may have been saved by the pesky painter but Stoner gets away due to a very convenient bit of road construction.

Stoner staggers back home as McGarrett reviews the autopsy of the painter with Doc Bergman. The corpse is a bit gruesome.

Stoner's Mustang is lifted out of the water. Finding one of Stoner's artificial limbs in the car, McGarrett pieces it all together and rushes to warn victim #4, Larry Thompson, but it's too late. Danno arrives to give him the bad news. Danno is quite the grim reaper's errand boy in this episode.

Some very nice shots.

And McGarrett finds the only clue he needs to know at last who he's dealing with.

McGarrett reviews the facts for the Governor. His plan is to sweep the cheap rent districts in search of Stoner who he believes is "scratching out an existence." An interesting choice of words. He points out that a man with hooks for hands can't hide them very well.

A great shot of McGarrett and the Guv. McGarrett isn't all that discriminating about which window he stares thoughtfully out of.

The hunt is on while Stoner prepares to take out his last victim, McGarrett.

I love that Steve carries a magnifying glass around with him.  Add that to the gun, the badge, the plastic bag, the handkerchief, and the pencil we routinely see him pulling out of his jacket, it's a wonder he doesn't look like he's wearing a life vest.

The next 3-4 minutes, I think, are some of the best of the show. There is no dialog during this time, just McGarrett methodically honing in on his adversary's path and studying what he finds. It's an impressive bit of direction and acting on Lord's part. And it doesn't hurt to have Morton Stevens helping out.

After all this silence, it is jarring to the viewer (and McGarrett) when the phone rings in the room.

Stoner tells McGarrett he has something for him in the dresser. The grisly gift triggers another "oh, shit" moment for McGarrett. Again, he ducks just in time to miss Stoner's bullet.

This is McGarrett's super-cool shiny gun (chrome-plated?). I only remember seeing it in one other episode.

McGarrett and Danny, and the rest of the Five-O crew, display more excellent teamwork to take down Stoner once and for all.

 

Badass Ben provides McGarrett cover as he tosses the sniper rifle to Danno.

Pau.