I don’t know about you, but I was so excited about the premiere of Hawaii 5-0. I remember watching the original show as a kid and loved hearing the theme song and watching the opening sequence.
So how do I feel about the new Hawaii 5-0? I think it has a lot of potential and I actually find it entertaining. There’s lots of eye candy to make both male and female audiences happy and the amount of gratuitous skin being shown doesn’t hurt either. The show is beautifully shot and makes Oahu look spectacular. I’m positive that when it starts snowing in upstate New York, people will be booking their trip to Hawaii after watching an episode.
My gripe with Hawaii 5-0 is simple. They are trying too hard to be local and it isn’t working. I appreciate their efforts to keep it real but if you’re going to do this, then commit to doing it right.
How hard is it to hire a Hawaiian culture/language advisor to provide guidance on Hawaiian customs and to help with proper pronunciation? There also should be a local casting person who is familiar with Hawaii’s diverse cultures. Last week’s episode focused on a Filipino terrorist and the actor didn’t remotely look Filipino or even Asian for that matter.
Last night’s episode provided a ton of laughs for my Twitterverse friends. First, the scene with the moke sitting in a bar in Waikiki drinking a Blue Hawaii was hysterical. Brah, mokes do not hang at Waikiki hotel bars and they certainly don’t order frou-frou drinks. Where’s the green bottle? And then the pidgin sequence when the local surfer guy talks to Danno? Wow lau lau! I’m local and even I didn’t understand the dialogue.
Of course, there are other gaffes such as going the wrong direction on Ala Wai or heading to the airport via the H-3, windward bound. I can forgive some of the geography mistakes because I know I’m not the show’s target audience but I think they should try a little harder. What’s really starting to bug me is the creative license being taken with the Hawaiian language and even our beloved Pidgin English. For example, since when is kapu used as a gang name? Or saying “flip flops” instead of slippahs” or “Katonk Jeep and Bike Rentals.” Did anyone tell the writers what katonk means?
I have to admit that these faux pas are giving local Tweeps a lot to talk about. It’s even spawned several cottage industries with t-shirts memorializing infamous show lines or bringing to life a fictional Kukui High School boasting famous (and not so famous) alumni. Some of the references are just plain hilarious and make for great fodder. Others are starting to make me cringe. Especially those that misrepresent, even if unintentional, Hawaiian culture and language. There are a lot of local people working on this production so I’m not sure I understand why it’s so hard to get it right. Perhaps I don’t know enough about Hollywood to know what works in prime time or maybe the producers just don’t value local input.
So if the show’s producers are reading my little blog, Hawaii 5-0 is a great show but you can make it better. Try giving us some back stories on the characters and establish more connections to the original show. Show respect for our host culture and language. Finally, lose the “bird.” It’s not being done well and frankly, it’s a distraction.
Book ‘em Danno! By the way, I’m available for hire if you need a local consultant. I even admit to being a katonk!
