This hour of Rescue: HI-Surf is less about the rescue and more about the personal drama, which makes the event unbalanced.
We’re more than a third of the way through season one, and there’s still a lot we don’t know about these characters. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to scale back the action (it’s still there, but not at the forefront) in favor of character development, but that doesn’t necessarily work either.
The Rescue: HI-Surf Season 1 Episode 7 may have had a bigger impact on certain characters, but it also reminds you how desperately this series needs a rescue to get things back to normal.
There’s a reason The Rescue Season 1 Episode 5 is one of the best episodes of the season: The action is intense and the kind of stuff you don’t usually see on broadcast television.
It’s not perfect, but it’s a great mix of action and drama. That’s what’s great about this show, they blend the two together and keep you hooked.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with that, and I appreciate the effort as someone who bemoans the lack of character development. But things are moving slowly, which is quite unfortunate.
In typical Sonny fashion, Sonny was affected both physically and emotionally by his motorcycle accident; he avoided talking about it.
His wife is a better woman than I am because he will not be welcome in that house unless he finally tells me what is going on. Clearly, things were not going well for him, and the motorcycle accident was a clear sign of that.
Sonny has reached the point where he can admit he’s not okay but doesn’t know what to do about it.
He asked Mayor Emerson for something he promised, which felt like a way to show his team that he was a captain trying to make things better for them. He honored the favor because it was owed to him, but you can tell there were other factors at play.
When have we seen him impart wisdom to the young men in the tower? It was never his job, but when they had him go out with Sheena and Kainaru and then go out on his own to rescue a woman in danger, I knew he was quitting.
The writing was on the wall for the whole hour, and it was clear that he had taken Em’s request to heart.
In his current state, he cannot give the job his due. With life and death on the beach at stake, Sonny’s mind is filled with grief and pain, which doesn’t always put him at his best.
I’m glad he got to talk to Em and Hina because they’re two people worth talking to.
Em has seen through him for a while, but he’s avoided her every time. She deserves to hear him tell her she’s right while also acknowledging that being captain is hard work.
He gave his all to this job, and she would see that when she inevitably got promoted one day. She would see him always trying to do his best for the team and the people of Hawaii.
Sonny’s conversation with Sheena was one he should have had sooner, but he was still enveloped in anger and pain. Sheena did make a mistake, but it likely won’t be her last. But as her superior, it’s important to help her get through it, not to warn her about it.
Sheena is a good lifeguard. I’m glad he reminded her of that. She always has to rely on what she’s learned, and while this may sound like a given, it’s also easy to forget in the heat of the moment.
Your captain should always remind you of this.
Whether Sonny is truly no longer captain remains to be seen. I have a feeling we haven’t seen the last of Mayor Emerson and he might be more interested in working with someone like Sonny than Emerson.
Also, let’s be honest. The series has just begun. There’s no way Sonny could just leave like this!
While Sonny is stocking up on supplies and saying goodbye to the beach, Em’s personal life is struggling.
Do I believe Em really likes Sean? Of course, I thought. We haven’t seen enough of the people to know for sure that one moment they’ve met and the next they’re in what seems like a very serious relationship.
But with all that in mind, she doesn’t feel wrong about her reaction to Sean possibly taking the new job. Does he want her to beg him to stay, never leave her or what?
Her reaction is very much in line with what we’ve seen of Em: pragmatic. It seems she didn’t break up with him right then and there. She more or less tries to be supportive and realistic.
I’m not sure why she had to apologize to him later, or why he felt so slighted.
However, this sweet apology may also have something to do with Will’s residual feelings and his not inviting her to his wedding.
Will is by far the most confusing character on the show because what’s his deal?
He appears distressed whenever his upcoming marriage or even relationship is mentioned. He looked almost embarrassed. If Julie was a fly on the wall in the lifeguard’s house, I think she would be very upset by Will’s behavior.
But maybe he’s always been like this.
Additionally, he makes a bet with Raka on how long he can stay awake when he seems to be making a sincere effort to stay awake. It just doesn’t work for me.
He’s still obsessed with Em, and she’s obsessed with him, but he’s the one actively engaged to someone else.
This may be an unpopular opinion depending on how you feel about the idea of exes being friends, but it makes perfect sense to me that Jolie wouldn’t want them at her wedding.
Finding out that Will and Em had lived together for three years, that they worked together every day, and that they were so close, made me understand Julie’s perspective even more.
I still think giving an ultimatum would be bad for either party in the long run, but Julie also has eyes and must have known that Will wasn’t done with them just yet.
So why did she marry him? Why did he marry her?
I know nothing about Jolie other than her family’s wealth, so I have zero stake in their relationship, but it feels like a waste of time. That’s just a hindrance to playing Will and Em’s “exes who still love each other but can’t get together yet” story, and it’s not very interesting.
When Will runs back to Em with Julie at the altar and sees her and Sean passionately making out on the beach, it will be the least surprising thing about this show.
Additional rescue instructions
- Please make Sheena’s aunt a regular as her scenes are always great. Thirty seconds around Kainaru and he’s never been more likeable.
- Kainaru and Sheena don’t discuss their boundaries much, but the important thing is the effort! I’m just surprised it’s taken them so long to talk about their shared living space, but as we’ve seen for weeks, their communication is non-existent.
- Laka finally goes on a date with Jenn, and bringing a friend just to see the broken look on his face is low-key savage. I almost told Raka to be careful with people like this, but you can tell he likes it.
It wasn’t the best of times, but not everything is a home run!
What are your thoughts on delving into everyone’s personal lives?
Did you miss the rescue?
Let me know what you think in the comments!
You can watch Rescue HI-Surf every Monday at 9/8c on FOX.
Watch Rescue HI: Surf Online
