Ha'alele (episode)

"Ha'alele (Abandoned)"
Season 2, Episode 20
Air date	April 9, 2012
Written by	Elwood Reid
Directed by	Jerry Levine
Episode Guide
Previous	Kalele
Next	Pa Make Loa

Ha'alele (Abandoned) is the 20th episode of Season 2 in the remake version of Hawaii Five-0.

Synopsis

With Steve having gone to Japan in search of Joe White, Danny takes charge of the team as they investigate a case of a serial killer known as the Trashman while Max reveals shocking information from his past that is connected to the case.

Plot

The letter Steve leaves for Danny.

Danny Williams arrives into his office and finds a letter that his partner, Steve McGarrett has left for him with Steve explaining that he's gone to Japan to find Joe White and as long as White is out there, Steve can't devote himself to the job.

Unfortunately, there's no time for Danny to cope as the Hawaii Five-0 Task Force finds themselves investigating the death of Angela O'Hara with the death leaving Dr. Dr. Max Bergman unusually stunned and emotionally distant.

The team soon discover that Angela's death was connected to a serial killer known as the Trashman who abducted his female victims, murdered them and dumped their bodies alongside trash bags and that at the time, HPD who were under intense scrutiny ultimately arrested Richard Branch who was sentenced to life imprisonment although Branch has continued to protest his innocence to this day.

Things get intense when Max reveals that his biological mother was one of the Trashman's victims.

The team soon find a link between both the victims in the past and present: all the women gave birth and left their babies at the same parish.

The team believes that the caretaker may be the killer but once they've brought him in, they discover that the caretaker is suffering from arthritis which means that the caretaker is innocent. Max realizes this while the team learns that the caretaker had an airtight alibi at the time of Angela's kidnapping: he was at the hospital with his mother while she had dialysis. He tells them that McKenna's assistant Sam also had access to the truck used to abduct Angela.

Max soon returns to the parish and finds that Deacon MacKenna is the true killer due to the fact that MacKenna was abandoned as a baby.

As Chin Ho Kelly and Kono Kalakaua arrive, Max manages to break free and kill MacKenna in self-defense by stabbing MacKenna with a piece of glass.

Thanks to the evidence, Branch is finally released from prison with Max being there to greet him and the two men shake hands.

Meanwhile, Kamekona Tupuola arrives to ask the H50 team for help in finding his shrimp truck. The team investigates and discover that the trunk has been impounded by the City of Honolulu as Kamekona forgot to renew his license.

Later, at an airport in Tokyo, Japan, Steve receives a phone call but ignores it as Steve prepares to board a plane.

Notes

• It's revealed that the team now have new tac vests, i.e., ones that give their names, the fact that they're a member of Hawaii Five-0 and also Special Investigations.

Deaths

• Dr. Max Bergman kills Deacon MacKenna in self defence.

Trivia

• Steve heading to Japan was written into the series due to the fact Alex O'Loughlin was entering rehab at the time of the episode's airing to receive supervised treatment for prescription pain medication due to a recent shoulder injury which limited his appearance in the episode and forced O'Loughlin to miss the two crossover episodes with fellow CBS crime series, NCIS: Los Angeles.

Cast

Main

Name	Portrayed by	Role
Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett	Alex O'Loughlin	A Navy SEAL and the leader of the Hawaii Five-0 Task Force for Governor Sam Denning.
Detective Danny Williams	Scott Caan	2nd-in-command of the Hawaii Five-0 Task Force and Steve's partner.
Lieutenant Chin Ho Kelly	Daniel Dae Kim	A member of the Hawaii Five-0 Task Force.
Officer Kono Kalakaua	Grace Park	Youngest member of the Hawaii Five-0 Task Force, and Chin's cousin.
Dr. Max Bergman	Masi Oka	Chief Medical Examiner for the Hawaii Five-0 team.

Recurring/Guest Starring

Name	Portrayed by	Role
Kamekona	Taylor Wily	An associate of the H50 team, and owner of The Shrimp Truck.
Dr. Charles Fong	Brian Yang	Forensic Scientist who works for the HPD and H50.

Others

Name	Portrayed by	Role
Deacon MacKenna	James M. Connor	A man who is also the infamous killer nicknamed the Trashman.
Al Shepard	Kevin Dobson	A man who appears in the episode.
Creepy Guy	Michael Gueso	A man who appears in the episode.
Nancy O'Hara	Stacy Haiduk	Angela O'Hara's mother.
Cal Litoa	Keahu Kahuanui	A man who appears in the episode.
Angela O'Hara	Elise Levin	The murder victim.
Frank	Bill Ogilvie	A man who appears in the episode.
Sam Sherman	Max Perlich	A man who appears in the episode.
Richard Branch	Pruitt Taylor Vince	A man suspected of the Trashman serial killer but who is later found innocent and released from prison.