User Reviews

Look, love me some "Hawaii Five-O". I have many great memories of watching it as a kid and enjoying the good v. Evil construct of every episode. However, this was the worst-written of the episodes I've seen through the first 7 seasons.

Like most "message" episodes of 70's shows, they are not content to make their point when they can repeatedly jam that point into your skull. The point is not an invalid one- guns in the wrong hands can be powerful tools of personal destruction- but did they ever pour it on thick! Like I said, I'm not looking for shades of gray when watching 5-0 but the "Afterschool Special" level of explanatory excess was a little much. I felt the episode could have made its points much better if they weren't so concerned with putting exclamation points on each of them. A disappointing entry in the series.

As the previous reviewer asks, please don't judge this wonderful series by this terrible episode. This episode is a preachy, schmaltzy, heavy handed propagandistic sermon in favor of gun control. It is reminiscent of those film strips schools used to run in grade schools, with all the sublety of a sledge hammer. I am open to gun control laws, but I really hate an entertainment series becoming self-righteous as this episode does.

The summary in the prior review does not need to be repeated, but let me add that the script makes Five O and the cops look plain stupid when they apprehend the apparent shooter perhaps 200 feet from a mailbox, see that they guy has no gun, but do not think to check the mailbox for the gun....amazing....

Yep, it's a stinker....

SPOILER ALERT:

What this episode seems to be saying: A demon-possessed handgun with a mind of its own causes people to do crazy things. The gun sees innocent people, and shoots them at random.

In an early scene, the gun convinces a lost tourist to ask some troublesome gangster types for traffic directions. The gun jumps out of a punk's pants, then shoots the tourist.

The gun hides itself in a U. S. Postal Service Mailbox. It is found by a mailman, whose name is Letter Carrier (according to the tag sewn on his shirt). Mr. Carrier's wife is a good-looking young thing (where did he find her?). But she is a mean one... she starts griping and squawking. Postal Workers are highly paid Union members, but Ms. Hot Legs is complaining that Mr. Carrier doesn't bring home enough cash.

After his wife stomps out the door, Letter Carrier sees some guy's name on a bar napkin. He tracks the guy to a fleabag motel, and of course Mrs. Carrier is there, too. The gun gets out of Letter's pocket, then shoots the cheating couple dead.

The evil gun then shoots a child. As the Mom carries the kid off to the hospital, the gun calls out to a janitor. Eddie the janitor enters the apartment and picks up the gun.

The gun takes Eddie to a bar, and what are the odds on an island with a million people, the guy who first sold the gun to the punk kid is tending bar. And Eddie knows him!

Eddie offers to sell Gun for anything that bartender wants to give him (may I suggest, trade it for a hairbrush?). Bartender introduces him to a guy fresh out of the slammer who wants the gun. Eddie hands it to him (didn't anyone tell Eddie to take out the clip with the bullets before handing over a weapon)? You know what the gun is going to do now... BANG! Eddie RIP.

The gun tells Bad Guy to take the hot girl and run. More shots are fired at a gas station robbery, then at a liquor store (anybody counting bullets here?).

The show is approaching the end. Danno and Chin are searching a warehouse for the friends of the wicked gun. They know they are here somewhere! H5-0 regular guest Tommy Fujiwara is grinning as the State Police frantically break open the boxes, but the grin turns to a frown when they hit THE box.

Simultaneously, HPD has road-blocked Bad Guy and the hot girl. But those cops are such good shots, they hit the rear gas tank of a Lincoln Continental while shooting at the front of that car!

The car blows up and rolls over. The Evil Gun gets into the hand of the bad guy, and keeps shooting and shooting (even though it was never reloaded).

The wicked gun finally surrenders, throwing itself to the ground. McGarrett picks it up with a ball point pen, and holds it for a close-up shot.

* Okay, if you made it this far, you know that this is not a John Carpenter movie. It is not "Christine" or "The Car" or some other film where an inanimate object gets demon-possessed. But the writers of this pathetic episode sure try to portray guns as pure evil.

One final note: I own a .25 caliber handgun. It is the exact same make and model as the one they are using in this episode. My gun has never shot anyone; it is peaceful and well-behaved.

This is somewhat entertaining, even if it is pure propaganda and totally over the top. So I award it a whopping 4 stars.

* * * * 4 Stars for "Diary of a Gun" * * * *

Florida Fred.