Mark Dacascos- Hawaiian Mobster and Iron Chef Chairman
SPOILER alert- if you watched this week’s holiday episode of Hawaii Five – O “Hana ‘a’a Makehewa ” you saw the return of James Marsters as arms dealer and general bad guy Victor Hesse. Like the best bad guys he has already survived being shot in the chest twice, killed our lead Steve McGarrett’s father in the pilot and has caused a lot of mayhem. After spending some time this season building up the characters on the show and helping viewers feel attached to them this week the writers threw some big bombs out there. In a literal sense Chin Ho ( Daniel Dae Kim) was threatened with the worst piece of bling ever- a dog collar armed with C4 explosives and a remote detonator. That was Hesse’s calling card. Hesse demanded ten million dollars in trade, when the governor said no to dealing with terrorists the Five-O team did something really stupid. They took the money from the cold case lock up evidence locker at the Honolulu Police Department with the intention of returning it before anyone would find out. Hesse foiled this by throwing the money on his version of a holiday fire. McGarrett stopped him and saved Chin Ho but the damage was done. I predict this will bite them in the butt around the time of the season finale.
In the finale scene we had a big villain reveal and a shock. A man visits Hesse in jail. Hesse looks down and is quiet and respectful. The well dressed man asks him how close McGarrett is to finding out what his father was looking into. Hesse tells him- close. OH NO! Who saw that coming? Steve’s dad being a real target from the get go and not a bystander in the Hesse thing means there is more going on in paradise.
Wondering why the well dressed man calling the shots seemed familiar? Erika takes the cake in our house for being Queen of the TV for identifying him. It is Mark Dacascos playing Wo Fat. Mark is best known to cable tv viewers as the fictional chairman’s nephew who opens every episode of Iron Chef America! His Iron Chef pedigree is fake but he an accomplished martial arts champion and made an appearance on Dancing with the Stars. Watch for him to have some stunt work if he appears in upcoming episodes.
CONGRATS to Scott Caan for his Golden Globe nomination as best supporting actor in a dramatic television series. His characterization of Danny “Danno” Williams has been a treat from the get go. He is the kinder gentler cop who is tough but tender. His scenes with screen daughter Grace are highlights of every episode. This week Danno went to all kinds of trouble to give Grace their kind of Christmas in their new place so far from their old lives in New Jersey.
