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The Best Episodes of Hawaii Five-0 Season 1

Every episode of Hawaii Five-0 Season 1 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Hawaii Five-0 Season 1!

Binge this in 17h 12m•Peaking at 8.9/10

Steve McGarrett returns home to Oahu, in order to find his father's killer. The governor offers him the chance to run his own task force (Five-0). Steve's team is joined by Chin Ho Kelly, Danny

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    Hawaii Five-0 Season 1 Episode 24 - Oia‘i‘o (Trust)
    8.9/10(1067 votes)

    S1:E24

    When Five-0 gets too close to the truth about Wo Fat and his associates, the criminal mastermind retaliates by trying to destroy the team. They've always played by their own rules, but when the Governor can no longer protect them, it's time for Five-0 to pay the consequences of their actions.

    Director:Brad Turner
    Writer:Paul Zbyszewski

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  2. Hawaii Five-0 Season 1 Episode 13 - Ke Kinohi (The Beginning)
    8.3/10(830 votes)

    S1:E13

    McGarrett discovers new clues in his mother's murder when his sister is kidnapped.

    Director:Brad Turner
    Writer:Nicole Ranadive

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  3. Hawaii Five-0 Season 1 Episode 16 - E Malama (To Protect)
    8.3/10(826 votes)

    S1:E16

    When the sole witness in a high-profile murder case disappears, Five-0 must head into the jungle to locate and protect her from assassins who are closing in fast.

    Director:Brad Turner
    Writer:Carol Barbee

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  4. Hawaii Five-0 Season 1 Episode 12 - Hana ‘a‘a Makehewa (Desperate Measures)
    8.2/10(852 votes)

    S1:E12

    It's Christmas in Hawaii, but instead of celebrating, Five-0 is negotiating a hostage situation when the man who killed McGarrett's father resurfaces. The murderer, Victor Hesse, threatens to detonate an explosive that he's strapped to Chin Ho's chest.

    Director:Chris Fisher
    Writer:Carol Barbee

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  5. Hawaii Five-0 Season 1 Episode 23 - Ua Hiki Mai Kapalena Pau (Until the End is Near)
    8.2/10(806 votes)

    S1:E23

    With the invaluable information that was shared by Agent Jenna Kaye, Five-0 is closer than ever to capturing Wo Fat. Their mission takes an abrupt turn, however, when Danny is exposed to a lethal neurological agent that presents an even greater threat: bio-terrorism on the island.

    Director:Steve Boyum
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. Hawaii Five-0 Season 1 Episode 8 - Mana‘o (Belief)
    8.1/10(913 votes)

    S1:E8

    When Danny's ex-partner is found dead at a Hawaiian luau the Five-0 team's investigation leads them to some dirty cops and a powerful cocaine cartel.

    Director:Matt Earl Beesley
    Writers:Jim Galasso, Paul Zbyszewski

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  7. Hawaii Five-0 Season 1 Episode 15 - Kai e‘e (Tidal Wave)
    8.1/10(825 votes)

    S1:E15

    Five-0 struggles to stay a step ahead of a major tsunami that has the island evacuating its shores as they investigate the disappearance of the head of the Tsunami Warning Center.

    Director:Duane Clark
    Writers:Melissa Glenn, Jessica Grasl

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  8. Hawaii Five-0 Season 1 Episode 9 - Po‘ipu (The Siege)
    8.0/10(866 votes)

    S1:E9

    When a member of the security detail for an upcoming Aid Summit is murdered before he can reveal the details of an assassination plot, Five-0 is brought in to investigate the murder and protect the target, a ruthless dictator.

    Director:Brad Turner
    Writer:Unknown

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  9. Hawaii Five-0 Season 1 Episode 10 - Heihei (Race)
    8.0/10(862 votes)

    S1:E10

    Five-0 is baffled when a highly skilled ring of thieves pulls off a heist of an armored car, killing two security guards but leaving the money behind. Their only lead in the case requires Danny to reluctantly ask his ex-wife for a favor.

    Director:Elodie Keene
    Writer:Sarah Goldfinger

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  10. Hawaii Five-0 Season 1 Episode 1 - Pilot
    7.9/10(1618 votes)

    S1:E1

    Steve McGarrett is summoned home to the island of Honolulu to bury his father after he is murdered by a madman. Governor Jameson wants Steve to head up a new elite police unit and she will give him full authority to get the job done. Initially he turns down the job, but when he meets the man in charge of the unit, he changes his mind.

    Director:Len Wiseman
    Writer:Peter M. Lenkov

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  11. Hawaii Five-0 Season 1 Episode 7 - Ho‘apono (Accept)
    7.9/10(898 votes)

    S1:E7

    When a Navy SEAL, who's on the run for a murder he swears he didn't commit, takes hostages and safe haven aboard the U.S.S. Missouri memorial battleship, McGarrett must use every SEAL skill in his arsenal to diffuse the situation.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Jim Galasso

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  12. Hawaii Five-0 Season 1 Episode 11 - Palekaiko (Paradise)
    7.9/10(818 votes)

    S1:E11

    The wife of a newlywed couple is found disoriented with amnesia in Kahana State Park with the husband currently missing. The mother of the husband suspects the wife for staging the whole thing although Five-0 & M.E. Bergman may have discovered a potential newlywed serial killer.

    Director:Frederick E. O. Toye
    Writer:J.R. Orci

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  13. Hawaii Five-0 Season 1 Episode 14 - He Kane Hewa ‘Ole (An Innocent Man)
    7.9/10(795 votes)

    S1:E14

    After a high-speed chase, the team makes a gruesome discovery; Chin Ho and his ex-fiancee are awkwardly reunited.

    Director:Chris Fisher
    Writer:Paul Zbyszewski

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  14. Hawaii Five-0 Season 1 Episode 18 - Loa Aloha (The Long Goodbye)
    7.9/10(789 votes)

    S1:E18

    While Five-0 races to stop a mad bomber before he kills again, Danny gets an unexpected visit from his little brother, Matt, a fun-loving, Wall Street broker. The family reunion is cut short, however, when Danny discovers the real reason that Matt is in Hawaii.

    Director:Eric Laneuville
    Writers:Paul Zbyszewski, Mike Schaub

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  15. Hawaii Five-0 Season 1 Episode 3 - Malama Ka Aina (Respect the Land)
    7.8/10(1018 votes)

    S1:E3

    An escalating gang war spills into the stands of a high-school football game, killing several people; an unlikely partnership arises.

    Director:Alex Zakrzewski
    Writer:Alex Kurtzman

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  16. Hawaii Five-0 Season 1 Episode 5 - Nalowale (Forgotten/Missing)
    7.8/10(942 votes)

    S1:E5

    When the daughter of the U.S. ambassador to the Philippines is found dead, the governor tasks Five-0 with finding her abducted sister.

    Director:Brad Turner
    Writers:Alex Kurtzman, J.R. Orci

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  17. Hawaii Five-0 Season 1 Episode 17 - Powa Maka Moana (Pirate)
    7.8/10(813 votes)

    S1:E17

    Five-0 is first on the scene when a pirate attack turns an afternoon pleasure cruise into a kidnap-and-ransom nightmare for a group of wealthy spring breakers.

    Director:Brad Turner
    Writer:Unknown

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  18. Hawaii Five-0 Season 1 Episode 19 - Ne Me‘e Laua Na Paio (Heroes and Villains)
    7.8/10(780 votes)

    S1:E19

    Five-0 combs a convention to find the killer of a sci-fi fan who was thrown out of a high-rise window. A CIA agent who's interested in the Yakuza that killed McGarrett's parents shows up in town to meet with Steve.

    Director:Matt Earl Beesley
    Writer:J.R. Orci

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  19. Hawaii Five-0 Season 1 Episode 20 - Ma Ke Kahakai (Shore)
    7.8/10(766 votes)

    S1:E20

    While hiking in a remote area of the jungle to see the famed petroglyphs, McGarrett and Danny instead find a homicide victim. Meanwhile, their aunt's failing health leads Kono and Chin Ho to visit home, where Kono finally learns the truth about the scandal that ended her cousin's career with the Honolulu Police Department.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  20. Hawaii Five-0 Season 1 Episode 21 - Ho‘opa‘i (Vengeance)
    7.8/10(824 votes)

    S1:E21

    When a crime lord moves against the family of an undercover NYPD detective who infiltrated his organization, it's up to Five-0 to stop the policeman from exacting revenge.

    Director:Duane Clark
    Writer:Unknown

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  21. Hawaii Five-0 Season 1 Episode 2 - Ohana (Family)
    7.7/10(1157 votes)

    S1:E2

    Following the abduction of a former NSA cyberterrorism expert, the team must rescue the man and prevent a breach of national security.

    Director:Brad Turner
    Writers:Sarah Goldfinger, Paul Zbyszewski

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  22. Hawaii Five-0 Season 1 Episode 6 - Ko‘olauloa (North Shore of Oʻahu)
    7.7/10(895 votes)

    S1:E6

    When the CEO of a successful surf company is murdered, Kono revisits her past; Five-0 is thrown into the varied but interconnected worlds of North Shore surfing.

    Director:Matt Earl Beesley
    Writer:Carol Barbee

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  23. Hawaii Five-0 Season 1 Episode 22 - Ho‘ohuli Na‘au (Close to Heart)
    7.7/10(768 votes)

    S1:E22

    It's the worst kind of overexposure when world-renowned photographer Renny Sinclair is murdered while on assignment in Hawaii shooting the annual swimsuit edition of a top sports magazine.

    Director:Brad Turner
    Writer:Unknown

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  24. Hawaii Five-0 Season 1 Episode 4 - Lanakila (Victory)
    7.5/10(957 votes)

    S1:E4

    A violent convict escapes from prison and kidnaps a young couple on vacation; McGarrett's estranged sister comes to town.

    Director:Alex Zakrzewski
    Writers:Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman

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Season 1 Ratings Summary

"Oia‘i‘o (Trust)" is the best rated episode of "Hawaii Five-0" season 1. It scored 8.9/10 based on 1067 votes. Directed by Brad Turner and written by Paul Zbyszewski, it aired on 5/16/2011. This episode is rated 0.6 points higher than the second-best, "Ke Kinohi (The Beginning)".