The downer from this week’s episode for me wasn’t the somewhat mundane Shelburne reveal, but rather that as a result, Joe White will be lying low for a while.

Considering that I was afraid Joe had been earmarked for an untimely demise at the hands of Wo Fat in Pu’olo, the news isn’t all that bad!

Although Terry O’Quinn is this season’s most effective cast addition, it’s probably good to give that nerveracking storyline — and us poor fans — a short break.

I’m relieved that the writers didn’t make Shelburne seem larger than life. No Doris McGarrett alive and well, tucked away in a witness protection program or running a crime syndicate of her own. No faked death for John McGarrett, and Joe isn’t Steve’s real father…

None of this, at least, as far as we know.

The reprieve from this particular story arc will definitely be temporary, because Peter Lenkov promises on Twitter, “More reveals (THE BIG ONE) coming up in finale…” Don’t forget that we are still in the dark about who Joe was talking with on his cell phone when he said in 2.11, “Steve is getting too close. We’re gonna have to move you.”

According to Peter, “Answers coming soon.”

Mr. Lenkov also shared with Michael Ausiello at TV|Line that “It’s not over yet. It’s going to wrap up at the end of [the season] and it’s a pretty significant turn in our show.”

That definitely does not bode well for someone… 

To off-set the serious tone of Pu’olo, the episode also gives us plenty of laughs and “awww” moments.

“Holy Mullett!” Sang Min makes a welcome return to the show — it’s hard to believe that Will Yun Lee is quite a head-turner in real life, even though he was turning heads for completely different reasons on Monday night… 

Even the most blatant product placement so far is woven well into the show and draws as much laughter as it probably raises eyebrows.

And Danny, who is clearly so not over his ex-wife, definitely deserves a special spot in our hearts. His scenes with Rachel are well-crafted without being overly sentimental.

I also like that Adam Noshimuri appears to be an ally… this prospect paves the way to more great storytelling!

Five-0 Redux:

Much of what McG learned this week would never have been discovered if he hadn’t taken action by confronting Joe and the yakuza. As dangerous as both actions may have been, McG is never one to turn away from a tough fight — just like his father. But perhaps he was right; maybe action was the best way to figure out what secrets Joe was hiding. Sort of like trying to track down a lost UPS parcel with their handy tracker number. Only McG’s number seems to have been altered many times by Joe and others so he would not find out the truth.

Five-0 Undercover:

Another thing I loved about this episode was that Kamekona finally got to throw his weight around, and remind the fans of how “street” he was before he went legit.  Actor Taylor Wily has played Kamekona as such a big teddy bear that is was a shock to see him man handle another street boss.  But how legit is he?  Peter Lenkov mentioned in the HIFF interview that he wanted some moral ambiguity with Kamekona, in that he might be playing both sides of the law, and this episode may finally reveal that he isn’t as clean as he claims to be.  Was he paying lip service to Nicky Chang (Dante Basco) when he said he was laundering money, or was that actual truth?  Keep in mind that Kamekona does keep a stash of illegal firearms in his back yard, so I see some room for giving Kamekona another, possibly more sinister dimension.

Daemon’s TV:

Is it wrong that a part of me is sort of happy to put this Wo-Fat, Shelburne thing away for a little while? As much fun and intriguing as it was, I’m excited to get back to the team just working on some cases. I feel like Danny and Steve haven’t worked together all that much in a while and I miss it. I want some carguments and more of that team camaraderie I fell in love with in season one. Danny’s bit in this episode, helping Rachel deliver her baby, was adorable and I loved it, but I want Danny back in the action. So though I will miss Joe, and I really will miss that guy, I’m happy to see him go for a little while. Besides, I have no doubt that he will be back again soon enough.

Crave Online:

Operation “Shellburn” has been revealed and it was just that, a codename Joe White and Daddy McGarrett came up with to take down the Yakuza. Sounds pretty rudimentary, considering their line of work, except it ultimately led to the death of Wo Fat’s father at the hands of Joe White. Ah, so now it all makes sense…

TV Fanatic:

Is anyone disappointed that Joe is going into hiding? I know I’m not. After the months of cat and mouse over Shelburne and the disappointing reveal, I’m ready for him to not be the focus – at least for a while. Then again, Joe called someone a few episodes back about Shelburne. I suspect it was Hiro Noshimuri, but it could be a loop hole for a better answer to this ongoing question.

PopStar:

Despite the overloaded father issues and the anvils that Rachel’s kid *might* end up being Danny’s (God forbid), this was a pretty strong episode.  It was yet another example where the case didn’t overshadow the character driven plots and the two wove together a nice story in the end.

When Peter Lenkov shared a few weeks ago that Shelburne would be revealed in episode 2.14, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for episode 2.13.

However, the central investigation in “Ka Ho’oponopono” (or “The Fix”) turns out to be more engrossing than I had first expected. Complex as it is (a trademark of any Five-0 case), the sex-tape/jury-tampering plot holds your attention and doesn’t allow itself to be eclipsed by the current backstory.

Alex fans will appreciate yet another face from his professional past — the sleazy principal, played by Christopher Cousins, once portrayed a sleazy politician in Moonlight fan-favorite episode “Fated to Pretend”, and Losties recognized in the jury consultant Bernard Nadler, the dentist.

Chin meeting Joe at the airport on his return from yet another mysterious trip to Japan, like a protective big brother looking out for Steve, serves to remind us (and Joe) that Five-0 is not just a crack investigative unit — it’s also a family.

The Lori-Kono combination is one that I wouldn’t mind seeing repeated. These two know how to deal with thugs and a disturbingly creepy high school student is no match for them.

Despite the gravity of the case at hand, McGarrett’s innovative interrogation of the planted juror on a rocky beach adds an appropriate moment of hilarity. And I suspect Danny secretly appreciates Steve’s unconventional methods, even though he feels compelled to mutter, “You’re an animal”. I am, however, missing their carguments, although the nicely delivered “Book ‘em, Danno” goes a long way in making up for that.

Although I wasn’t expecting any advancement in the Shelburne matter, the show does throw us a meaty bone when Joe reveals that he helped to fake Hiro Noshimuri’s death. It makes you wonder if he has assisted anyone else in their disappearance, doesn’t it? 

To give Joe his due, he does seemed pained by it all. Whatever he is hiding, you just know that it will have a tremendous emotional impact on McGarrett. Even if Joe isn’t ready for the reveal, fans are champing at the bit for the moment when the real Shelburne stands up in 2.14.

Five-0 Redux:

This week’s episode, titled “Ka Ho‘oponopono” (translated as “The Fix” by CBS), was definitely an episode of corrections. Joe being branded, at most, a killer — or at least, a kidnapper — was fixed, and Hiro Noshimuri being hunted down by Wo Fat was conveniently resolved so he wouldn’t have to look over his shoulder for the rest of his new life.

A few of the show’s characters also tried to fix things this week; Emily tried to fix her friend Karen’s blackmail problem, which led us to the fixing of a jury to hide a more serious issue. And not only was the theme carried out within the episode’s storyline, but in the overall story arc of McGarrett and his quest for the truth — about his father, about Shelburne, about Wo Fat, about his entire life.

Five-0 Undercover:

The chatter on twitter was mixed on the episode.  Some thought it was brilliant, while others got lost in the storyline of a murdered teen, sex tapes, blackmail, insurance fraud, unions, mobsters and hitmen.  As one who dabbles in writing, I give credit to story writer Stephanie Sengupta who I thought managed to construct a procedural that only gave you a little bit of information with every step in the case, and the final crime wasn’t truly revealed until the very end.  That’s exactly  the kind of procedural that I want to watch, one that keeps me guessing and with no obvious finger pointing right off the bat.  The story’s subplot of Joe getting man handled by the Yakuza fit perfectly into the whole episode.  The episode also took on some pretty touchy issue: a murdered child (albeit a teen), privacy violations in the internet age, and  sexual relations between students and teachers.

Crave Online:

You know what? I’m gonna go ahead and slap a big fat 10 on this baby. ‘Ka Ho’opono’, which means “The Fix,” had it all; a Mark Zuckerberg-inspired hacker, a barely legal sex tape, McGarrett in psycho-cop mode, yakuza, a former ‘Lost’ castmember, Ted from ‘Breaking Bad’ and a few more cryptic hints on the Wo Fat saga from Joe “You’re getting too close, dammit” White.

This week’s case was twisty, turny and surprisingly dark (see the barely legal sex tape and the sleazy jury fixer coming to a fitting end with a sub-par Chinese steel spike through the chest). Oh, and the results of Joe’s White’s interrogation by Noshimuri’s men was also a bit nasty. It’s not always 75 and sunny in Hawaii…

PopStar:

Is Steve finally taking stock of all that has been sacrificed in purist of this White Whale of his? I tend to think he’s getting the picture, but I don’t expect him to stop.  What I am surprised about is his insisting on defending Joe’s tactics to his team mates even though, from all we’ve been led to believe since the middle of this season, Steve has pretty much moved Joe to the “treat with caution and distrust” pile.

Daemon’s TV:

Meanwhile things are really coming to a head with Joe and the whole “did or did he not kill Hiro?” thing. Steve is still trying to give the guy the benefit of the doubt but when Hiro’s men attack Chin’s car and then go so far as to kidnap Joe and try to beat the truth out of him, he’s had all he can take. I’ve been on Joe’s side all along but at that point I was about ready to punch him myself just to find out what the heck was actually going on.

TV Fanatic:

In our first offering of 2012, Steve and Five-0 took on a complex case that ended up being about more than was initially believed. I really enjoyed the twist and turns that it took, as I kept changing who I suspected and never saw the truth coming.

Sadly, that was the majority of my enjoyment for this episode, as there were some moments that forced me to yell at the TV is disbelief.

To start, I’m really done with Shelburn. I was hopeful that when Joe and Chin Ho were in the car after the Yakuza drove by, we would get some sort of information. Sadly, nothing. Then, at the end when Steve pointed out he was tortured and Jena Kaye died and he wanted answers, I thought we might finally get the next bread crumb . Nope, nadda. I’m so tired of the show bringing up Shelburn but not moving the plot forward that I’m at the point where I simply don’t care anymore.