Episode 7.17 was probably as anticipated as the Valentine’s Day episode but for different reasons. Last week for some fun and light moments and this week the more intense continuation for one of the better storylines that Hawaii Five 0 has done; the chess piece killer. Here is the recap from Susan.
We begin with Dr. Gray walking into HPD with her hands literally covered in blood. She was visibly upset and asking for help. In one of the shortest openings we have seen to date, it seems she believes her name is Lauren Parker from Eagle Wisconsin and doesn’t know how the blood got on her. Seeing this all, officers draw their weapons and Duke advises them to call Five-0.
Next we are at the opening of Kamekona’s expansion of his shrimp truck business where we get to see Nahele, our old friend Dog the Bounty Hunter, and Max Weinberg from the E-Street Band. Danny is beside himself and star struck and Steve can’t believe Kamekona pulled getting Max to show. Kamekona explains that he knows a buddy who’s dating a friend of Weinberg’s so he called in a favor.
Danny immediately goes over to Max and begins a conversation which you can hardly make sense of due to his stumbling over every word. It seems that Danny, just like the rest of us would be if a celebrity was in view, goes instant mush mouth. It is a good thing Steve was there for a good save and gets a photo of Danny and Max together, as a couple of jersey boys.
However, during the big reveal of the new truck, Kamekona is not happy when he sees that Flippa has put his face on the truck instead of Kamekona. I don’t think we’ve heard the last of this for the future, but meanwhile while they are battling it out; Steve gets a call from Chin about Dr. Gray.
We next see Steve and Chin at HPD with Chin filling Steve in on Dr. Gray and how she just came in to HPD with the bloody hands. She’s still claiming that she’s a tourist from Wisconsin with no memory. Chin informs Steve they are running DNA on the blood but it will take twenty four hours.
As Steve enters the interrogation room he’s clearly uneasy and his guard is up. Apparently getting stabbed in the back and left to drown can leave long term effects. He sits down at the table Dr. Gray is handcuffed to ready for the games to begin. She says she doesn’t recognize Steve, insists her name is Lauren Parker, doesn’t remember the last 24 hours, and wants to know why no one believes her. Steve, not falling for any of it says she’s lying. She maintains her story to which Steve leans in and asks if she really believes he’s going to fall for this. At that point she reaches out for him and he recoils back. He gets up promising to figure out what sick game she’s playing and leaves.
He goes into the next room to watch behind the two way glass as a psychologist interviews Dr. Gray. As he’s watching, he calls Alicia to tell her they have Dr. Gray in custody and leaves a message for her to call back. As Steve finishes the call Chin comes in to let Steve know about the information on the name Lauren Parker. She has been living in Wisconsin for the last four months (about the same time Dr. Gray disappeared) and has a driver’s license and a credit card with that name back to that time.
Steve thinks there is a reason she chose Wisconsin to set up in and that she does nothing without a specific purpose. The psychologist gets up to leave the room and Steve and Chin go out to meet with him. He tells them that in his professional opinion that Lauren Parker is suffering from dissociative identity disorder, or multiple personalities each unaware of the other. Chin and Steve both are not buying it and the psychologist disagrees. Based on this they decide to give her a polygraph test. As Steve and Chin watch they are amazed at how convincing she is. The result is she passed completely.
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Back at HQ, the team discusses why she would have come back and what her motives could be. While gathered around the table with theories, Kono walks in with the info on the blood. The blood belongs to Alicia Brown.
Next, we see Steve and Lou entering Alicia’s house. As they do, Steve’s calling out to her with no reply. As they search they find her in the back with earphones on attending to her plants. When she sees Steve she seems very happy to see him but also knows something’s wrong.
All sitting in her living room Steve and Lou fill her in on Dr. Gray. Alicia tells them Dr. Gray never expected them to believe her, that she is there to continue the game, she isn’t done with any of them, and none of them are safe. When Steve tells Alicia that the blood Dr. Gray had on her hands was Alicia’s she is shocked saying it can’t be right. At that point Alicia wants to go and see her. At their reluctance Steve and Lou take her to the police station.
As they walk up to the interrogation room, Steve insists on going in with Alicia telling her he’s going in there with her. The minute they enter the room Dr. Gray is alarmed and insists that Alicia is the woman who tried to kill her and that seeing her brought the memory of it back. She says she had to fend her off with a knife before running off and that Alicia has a cut on her forearm to prove that it actually happened. She says if they don’t believe her to just look. With that Alicia pulls up her sleeve revealing a cut.
Alicia explains that she fell while on her run that morning and that Dr. Gray must have been following her. Alicia tells Steve Dr. Gray is lying. Thank God (sarcasm) Officer Pua is there to reason with them and tells Steve that they should at least detain Alicia to question her. Steve says he will take personal responsibility in questioning her himself. Not sure when Steve answered to Pua but maybe the writers have a plan we do not know of. (end of sarcasm) As Steve is taking Alicia out to save her from Pua, Dr. Gray looks straight at Alicia and smiles an evil smile. Guess that clears it up for all of us!
Once out of the room Alicia is livid. Steve is telling her to calm down and that Dr. Gray is trying to get in her head and it’s working. He says they have to figure out what she’s up to and he needs her to be on her game. He also tells her he’s coming to her house later so that he doesn’t worry about her even though Alicia says she can take care of herself.
Later that evening Steve is cooking again and it looks great. After a little banter and opening up about each liking their solitude, Steve says he can stay the night for protection. Alicia says that’s a little forward to which Steve answers he meant on the couch. Alicia burst out laughing and Steve now knows she was just messing with him.
After most of the night’s sleep, Steve is awakened by a noise. He looks at the time and its 4:06 am. He gets his gun out and quietly calls for Alicia while searching the house, but she’s gone.
We next see Alicia at HPD headed for the interrogation room where Dr. Gray is being brought to. As she enters, it looks like Dr. Gray has been waiting for her and it’s now confirmed that Lauren Parker was all an act. Alicia wants answers and threatens to kill her with a razor blade she hid in her shoe. Ultimately Alicia can’t do it. Dr. Gray tells her she has a secret that will change her life and if she doesn’t take her out of there she will never know her secret.
Next we are taken to HQ where the team is discussing where Alicia has taken Dr. Gray and why. Steve insists that there had to be a reason that Alicia would do such a thing and are watching the video of what happened and how. Alicia overpowered the officer, made her un-cuff Dr. Gray, switch clothes with her, and walked right out the front door. Steve is determined to find Alicia and steadfastly insists that Dr. Gray said something to make her want to get Dr. Gray out of there.
Out of concern, Danny takes Steve aside and tells him he’s not being objective and that he realizes that Steve and Alicia almost died together so that could be why. Danny says that maybe Alicia just wants revenge. Steve listens but isn’t buying it.
Lou interrupts saying they have a hit on some info. It seems Alicia’s car was found at the airport and they both went to Madison Wisconsin. Steve has Kono run Alicia’s background on anything involving Wisconsin and finds that Edward Sears is in a prison there which Steve does recall after it flashes up on the monitor. Steve remembers that Alicia believes that Sears was involved in her daughter’s murder but it was never proven. Sears is the serial killer that she locked up and he said Alicia believed that he orchestrated it from the inside so someone else had to actually be the killer.
So now Steve thinks that Dr. Gray was in Wisconsin all that time to be near Sears who knew the killer of Alicia’s daughter and to get that information. He believes that Dr. Gray knows too and is taunting it over Alicia. The team believes that’s why Alicia broke her out so Dr. Gray could have Alicia kill the killer of her daughter. Steve says they need to find out whom that is first and get to Alicia before she acts on it.
We are next taken to inside the Columbia Correctional Institution in Wisconsin where Steve and Chin are questioning Sears. They show Sears a picture of Dr. Gray and tell him according to the log she visited him once a week for the past four months. Steve tells Sears he knows he planned the murder of Alicia’s daughter from inside the prison and that he told Dr. Gray who the actual killer was. Steve gets Sears to say he will give them the name and Sears says as proof he cooperated he would write it down. Steve sends in a pen and paper through the drawer in the window. Sears takes the pen, writes on the paper and sends the paper back with the sentence on it that says THAT WAS A MISTAKE! Sears then stabs the pen into the artery of his neck and by the time they get into the secured cell Sears is already convulsing and bleeding out.
We then pan into a scene with Alicia and Dr. Gray who are driving on the snowy back roads of Wisconsin with Alicia telling Dr. Gray that if this is all a game she will kill her this time.
Back to the prison, Steve and Chin tear apart Sears’ cell looking for any clue to lead them to the killer. Steve finds letters inside the mattress all signed Benton Jones. The letters are back to the date where Alicia’s daughter disappeared and mention that they will never find her. Therefore, Steve is convinced this is who murdered Sienna, Alicia’s daughter. So now they are off to find Jones before Alicia does.
We are then taken to Alicia and Dr. Gray who are pulling up in front of a cabin. Dr. Gray tells Alicia this is it and says “glove compartment”. Alicia takes out a gun, checks to see if it’s loaded and it is. She gets out and makes her way to the cabin door and goes in.
Meanwhile Steve and Chin are hot on the trail behind them but Steve is afraid it might be too late. While driving, Kono calls and tells Steve that they got the blood tests back and that that blood did not belong to Alicia but they would not believe who it did belong to.
Back to the cabin, Alicia goes through the cabin room by room and she sees Dr. Gray drive off. After checking all the rooms there’s just one left. She pauses to gather courage and opens the door. What she sees is unbelievable. It’s her daughter and she’s alive.
Obviously at this point we all know that the blood that was on Dr. Gray was Alicia’s daughter’s blood. Alicia’s daughter Sienna tells her they have to get out and that he will be back. As they make their way back to the front of the house to leave, Jones, (a big guy) comes in and goes after them both. They get to a room and struggle to get the door closed. Jones pushes it in and is almost in the room (reminding us of a scene from the Shining) when he is shot. Steve calls out to Alicia. Our hero always has perfect timing, doesn’t he? Making sure Alicia and Sienna are all right he helps them out of the cabin and to the car.
Back in Hawaii three days later, Steve is about to leave Alicia’s home. He had come by to check up on them both. Before he leaves, Alicia suggest that they all go out for dinner when Sienna is better. Steve makes a joke about that being very social and he wouldn’t want people to get the wrong idea. Alicia laughs. Steve tells her he will keep her posted on the search for Dr. Gray. He then walks back over to her for a tight heartfelt hug. As he leaves he says they will find her.
Alicia then goes to the kitchen to make tea when she hears Dr. Gray saying hello and standing there pointing a gun at her. Dr. Gray tells her she’s there to finish the game. Alicia tells her she doesn’t have it in herself to kill either and that is why she has others do it. Dr. Gray tells Alicia she is going to kill for her like the others did. Dr. Gray puts the gun on the counter and Alicia grabs the gun and calls the police. Dr. Gray tells Alicia that the only way her daughter will ever be safe is to kill her right then and there in the kitchen. The police on the line keep asking what the nature of the emergency is. Alicia trembling and pointing the gun at a very much alive Dr. Gray, says she’s calling to report a murder. The screen goes black and we hear a gunshot.
I really got into this one. There were no other cases going on and it was so nice to see Steve seeming to genuinely care for someone without all fun and games. The back and forth of who Dr. Gray was or wasn’t and how Alicia was involved also kept us on the edge of our seats. There were a lot of twists and the acting was great by the three main characters Elisabeth Rohm, Caire Forlani, and of course, Alex. The women played crazy and twisted to a tee. I wish there had been previews for next week. Now I’ll wonder if we get to see what happens after that gunshot. All in all for me this one was a solid 9.
Next week brings us the return of the uranium bomb and Danny and Steve are in charge of saving the whole island again. It should be another good one adding to the incredible batting average of the season so far.
