To be honest, I had low expectations for this show. I’ve been disappointed with the recent hype surrounding new shows, only to have them turn out to be disappointing. Thankfully, that’s not the case with this show.
The adventure begins at the very beginning: Oahu’s North Shore, although beautiful, is known for its dangerous surf, as one unlucky tourist soon learned. This is where the show started to grab my attention. We’ve seen how some of these shows try to depict realistic rescues, but you can almost always tell these people don’t know what they’re doing. Where is this crew member? You can’t tell me these actors aren’t lifesavers from another world. I found myself holding my breath as I watched Emily swim out of the choppy waters, grab the distressed surfer and pull him to safety. As the rest of the crew followed closely to assist with the rescue, I momentarily forgot that this was a TV script.
“Pilot”-Rescue: HI-SURF. Image: Arielle Kebbel as Emily “Em” Wright, Kekoa Kekumano as Laka Hanohano, Adam Demos as Will Ready Photo: Zach Dougan/FOX ©2024 Fox Media LLC. all rights reserved.
Now let’s take a look at the stories. The lifeguard recruitment process is intense, but what about this test? I’m exhausted just hearing what these new hires have to do to get certified. Now that the exam is over, Sheena, the only female recruit, ranks first, followed by Kainaru and others. Whoever comes in first can work in the area they request, and Hina chose Area 7 (Where’s the badass lifeguard?). Fair enough, right? Kainaru’s father, a councilman running for mayor, stepped in and promised some improvements to District 7 if they let Kainaru join them. I can’t believe this is all (I didn’t know this meant Sheena was out now).
Captain Jennings, who was Sonny to most of them, seemed to be struggling a bit. He was focused on what was important, but something was weighing on him. We learned that his nephew Zion died in an accident a month ago. We don’t have many details about the accident, but Sonny didn’t handle it well at all. I think this is a problem.
“Pilot”-Rescue: HI-SURF. Pictured: Zoe Cipres as Hina and Alex Aiono as Kainalu. Photo: Zach Dougan/FOX ©2024 Fox Media LLC. all rights reserved.
Kainaru is assigned to tower duty with Emily, Will, and Raka, where he gets his first call and then… makes a mistake. Oh, Kainaru, what have you done? He was responsible for calling emergency personnel, but sent them 100 yards away from where the rescue team was located, making the rescue effort more difficult. What if this is a time-sensitive rescue? Emily showed Sonny a clip of the epic fail (I can’t believe it went viral on social media), but he didn’t seem too concerned and made excuses for Kainaru.
Sonny goes to visit Zion’s memorial and gives him an update on what’s going on, but boy is it hard to watch. When he said, “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you,” my heart broke. Coupled with the fact that he no longer speaks to Zion’s mother, I can only imagine the pain he is going through.
“Pilot”-Rescue: HI-SURF. Pictured: Kekoa Kekumano as Laka Hanohano, Adam Demos as Will Ready, and Alex Aiono as Kainalu. Photo: Zach Dougan/FOX ©2024 Fox Media LLC. all rights reserved.
Back at work, Sonny is on the phone with the Chief, who ultimately takes responsibility for Kainaru’s mistake (I wanted to scream because why would he do that?). It turned out to be a good decision, though, because based on the circumstances of this rescue, the chief approved funding for additional towers and new rescue skis. Not only that, he also got approval to add an additional employee, and Sonny also made a request to Sheena. So glad she’s back (She shouldn’t have sacrificed her position, but I’m giving it up now). Are there tensions between Sheena and Kainaru? I’m already seated! He knew he was taking her place and really tried hard to get along with her.
Part action, part drama, the show leaves viewers wanting more. There’s still a lot to unpack about some of the storylines and I’m looking forward to it.
Fraction: 9/10
what do you think “pilot” plot To the Rescue: Hi Surf? Please share your thoughts below or contact me on Twitter @chenfordhugs
