"Hawaii Five-O" Sweet Terror (TV Episode 1969) Poster

(TV Series)

(1969)

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8/10
An odd and somewhat illogical plot...but it's still pretty good.
planktonrules20 November 2009
Theodore Bikel is obviously not a nice person. That's because in the beginning of this episode, he kills a Federal agent who is aboard the same plane as he is--and does it in such a clever and amazing way that no one realizes this has occurred. Despite looking like an ordinary man, Bikel is one bad mutha. And, when McGarrett meets with the Feds, they indicate that the guy is a bit of a cipher, but they think he's an ex-Nazi assassin working for the Red Chinese!! Apparently, based on this and many other episodes, Hawaii has more Chinese spies than any other place on the globe (and this includes China)! This is yet another reason I have never visited Hawaii--and probably never will! Apparently, this evil swine has come to the Islands in order to infect the local sugar crops--thus destroying the economy. How this will destroy Capitalism is beyond me--especially since today Hawaii no longer produces sugar, as it can be produced more cheaply in many other countries--and the Hawaiian economy is not in shambles.

Linda Marsh is one of several other Communist agents in the film. Her odd accent accent is beyond me. She is supposed to be from South America but sound more Russian than Hispanic--though not exactly Russian either. To make things worse, her death scene is pretty cheesy as well. Where was the director in this--they should have caught all this.

Overall it's an okay episode. Although there are some logical errors and Ms. Marsh, it is quite entertaining and worth seeing.
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10/10
I like this episode
colorsflashing16 May 2018
Warning: Spoilers
In another review, I said the original Hawaii 5-0 is a time capsule. This episode bears that out. At this time, Hawaii is no longer producing sugar or pineapples. But when this episode came out in 1969, Hawaii was one of the world's greatest sugar producers. Also, we were right in the middle of the Cold War. The plot involves the conspiracy of Communists from around the world to wreck Hawaii's sugar crop with a deadly fungus, so that Cuba can step up to the plate and take over that industry. Cuba isn't mentioned specifically, but it is clear what the show's characters are talking about, and one of the conspirators - Esteban - is meant to be from there. One thing I really liked about this show is how it put mercenary motives (of Erich Stoss, played by Theodore Bikel) side-by-side with "true believer" motives (of Lao, played by the late, great Soon-Tek Oh, and of Mariana de Nava, played by Linda Marsh). The conspirators plan to surreptitiously release the fungus here and there in various fields. To do this, they need air transport, which they get by blackmailing a Chinese immigrant who owns a helicopter, threatening the safety of his family back in China. Another thing I liked was the presentation by the expert (Bill Bigelow, who appeared numerous times on this series) on things that can wreck sugar crops; when the fungus is discovered, he instructs the farmer to set the field on fire to kill the fungus and save the other fields. All around a good episode with strong performances.
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1/10
Red Scare Continued...
DerekLostEverything7 July 2023
A fun, if ridiculous plot is brought down completely by an overtly ahistorical representation of Soviet agents. I get it to a point. The Cold War and "commie" hate was still in full swing. So the show makes these agents look like mustache twirling villains, as well as begging cowards. A have your cake and eat it to presentation of events. I can usually overlook the propagandized entertainment of the past, (I love the 'mission impossible' series); but this was just flat out ludicrous. Even down to the Soviet government making cyanide tablets purposefully painful. You know... because "communists are beasts!". So take this episode with an enormous grain of iodized salt. Where shows such as M:I handled the subject matter with just a little more finesse, this episode of 'Hawaii Five-0' in particular is nauseatingly flag-waving.
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