Last week’s episode might have been an tribute to absent mothers, but “Hana Komo Pae” was an ode to overprotective fathers. Both Danny and Lou get some time in the spotlight after last week’s Steve-centric episode and, naturally, the episode revolves around their protective instincts and love for their children.
The show starts with a stellar cold opening. At first, all is normal as the camera winds its way around the halls of the conference center where the Leeward Academy Winter Formal is being held. The camera goes from admiring the decorations to following an unknown man. As the ballroom doors open, the music suddenly cuts out and is replaced with silence as we process the horrific hostage situation underway. It’s a great scene on both a technical and narrative level. It immediately ups the tension while allowing us to get to know the general layout of the center. When more and more characters start running around the halls and air vents, it will become useful to know where everything is relative to everything else.
Anyone who saw the scene last week of Lou grilling Will about the identify of Grace’s boyfriend could probably guess the twist this week – Grace’s boyfriend is Will and Danny is not happy about it. When Rachel’s flight is delayed, he has to take over chaperon duties for the dance and is using it as an opportunity to spy on his daughter.
The best comedic moment of the episode is Steve’s face when Lou suggests that maybe Danny won’t overreact to the news about Will. No one at the poker game can keep a straight face about Danny treating the situation with tact and diplomacy.
Although Will being Grace’s boyfriend is basically the best case scenario for Danny, he still starts fuming about their relationship and takes Will away from the dance to confront him about his intentions with Grace. It’s at this point that the after-school special (complete with Will Just Saying No to pot) gets replaced with a Die Hard homage, complete with disgruntled cop and structurally stable air vents.
If last week’s episode was about Steve’s identity as a son, this one is about Danny’s identity as a dad, and he’s a pretty good one. Sure, there’s the constant embarrassment he subjects Grace to, but when he realizes the hostage situation, he immediately takes charge and forms a plan to protect Grace. Any annoyance he had toward Will is gone and he treats him as his own son, with safety the top priority.
Too bad that Will won’t listen. He’s his father’s son, and Lou would never stay put if there was someone in need of saving. It’s funny and sweet the way Will keeps popping up at the exact right moment to save Danny’s life, despite repeated warnings to stay in place. The two even bond over zip-tying the bad guys, the exact same thing Steve and his mom were arguing about last week. The actor who plays Will, Chosen Jacobs, usually doesn’t have to do much in an episode, but he was definitely up to the challenge tonight.
Danny and Will skitter through the air ducts and change the sign in the front of the center, but one of the bad guys smoothly fixes the problem. He is the bodyguard of Jeremy Ramos, the son of a Filipino diplomat. A terrorist group hoped to kidnap Jeremy at the dance to trade for their imprisoned leader. Luckily for Jeremy, he was getting high in a maintenance room instead of hitting the dance floor. Danny and Will find him, just in time for the terrorists to realize who Danny is and demand a trade – he will bring Jeremy to the ballroom or they’ll shoot Grace.
Danny doesn’t even have to think about it and now Danny and Grace are both trapped with the terrorists. Lucky for them, Lou has his own overprotective dad instincts and came down to the dance to stop Danny from scaring Will to death.
Danny’s freaking out about Grace, but at least he can do something about the situation. Chi McBride does an amazing job of conveying Lou’s mounting horror when he tries to enter the building, finds it locked, and hears gunfire. His frustration over the danger Will is in was palpable and the relief when he hears his voice over the phone was a deep emotional moment that McBride nailed.
Lou calls in reinforcements. Steve, Chin, and Jerry immediately answer his call from their poker game. As for Kono, I assume she is off having amazing adventures with Adam and occasionally drops in whenever a hostage crisis arises.
There’s another great twist when it’s revealed that the Philippine government can’t give back the terrorist leader because they’ve already executed him to prove a point. Steve has no choice but to go in. Will helps him plan a successful rescue and earns Danny’s begrudging respect, not to mention a bump in his social status for saving his entire class from terrorists (they should give him a class protector award at the next dance). The two teens are even allowed to have a dance at the local ice cream shop, and Danny gets some kudos and a sandwich for his trouble- which was all he really wanted in the end.
Maybe I am biased, but I tend to favor episodes where the team stays on the island. The episode from last week was good at tying up loose ends, but this one was better about capturing the heart and spirit of the show. It’s thrilling, goofy, and a whole lot of fun.
What did you think of tonight’s episode? Let me know in the comments!
