Well, at least Rescue: HI-Surf Season 1 Episode 19 didn’t leave on much of a cliffhanger!
After a string of solid hours in a row, this one was another decent hour, further proving that the show found its footing toward the end of its first season.
But was it too little, too late?
Considering the show hasn’t yet been renewed for season 2, we’ll have to wait and see whether or not there’s faith in the series to expand upon its successes and continue telling its North Shore stories.
The show has grown enough and seems more comfortable in the show it wants to be, but that doesn’t mean it has translated to viewers.
Had they shown more consistency initially, they may have built up a better viewership than we currently see.
Having said all that, the finale wasn’t the best hour of the season, but it wasn’t the worst one, either.
There was a great rescue, and all personal conflicts were touched upon one way or the other, though how much time was devoted to each would be a nice little discussion.
The chronicle of Will and Em has been neverending, and it was clear that Em needed their romance to take a breather, but she was recommitting to their friendship in certain ways.
When she found out he was suspended, she drove right over to check in on him, even when Will was being pretty standoffish. She’s more or less been trying to extend an olive branch to him ever since their impromptu kiss during Rescue: HI-Surf Season 1 Episode 17, and Will’s not been particularly interested.
I wasn’t sure whether his refusal to give much to Em was due to his bruised ego or his lack of emotional intelligence, but it may have been a combination of the two.
Will doesn’t think in abstracts and sees things very basically. He knows that he has Em’s heart, and so for him, their kiss should have been the beginning of something again and not the end.
But instead of actually talking to Em about his feelings, he’s been running away or shoving her away at every turn.
That only got worse when he decided to seek out Julie for a conversation that was more about cleansing his conscience than about trying to give Julie some closure.
We still don’t know much about Julie, aside from the fact that she comes from money and her dad is a very petty man, but she was the voice of the people during her conversation with Will because he is emotionally stunted.
Not only that but he’s also easily influenced. It’s a deadly combination that ultimately cost him both Julie and Em.
He knew he never loved Julie the way she deserved, and he was willing to hurt the actual love of his life to salvage a lie because he thought he owed it to Julie. She did not deserve that, and the fact that he was even willing to do something like that showed how immature he was.
Even though it was painful and humiliating, it truly was the best thing that could have happened to her because she was being fed a lie of a relationship and a man that ultimately would have cost her much more than the money she lost on that wedding.
Julie unloaded the clip on Will and sent him into a tailspin, complete with day drinking outside and apologizing to Laka, who has overstepped in every way all season. Maybe Laka was occasionally right, but don’t let him know!
I had a feeling he was either going to run again or take Julie’s words and try to be a good friend to Em like she deserved, and I was annoyed to see him run because what does that solve?
Unless he plans to go back home and work on himself and his anger, what is the point?
Will’s departure at the end of the hour could be considered a cliffhanger, but if the series gets renewed, there is zero chance Will doesn’t find his way back to the North Shore (and eventually Em’s heart) at some point in time.
If we are blessed with another season, that will also be the time to explore Hina and Kainalu, who end the season as friends, even though it’s obvious they both like one another a lot.
If you had told me the Kainalu we met during Rescue: HI-Surf Season 1 Episode 1 would have ended up being my favorite character by the end of the season, I would have never believed you. But it’s true.
Kainalu has proven himself to be a decent man. He grew up privileged and understands that privilege, but he has tried to give back to his community and just be a good human being.
Those qualities made Hina fall for him, and Rosie, for that matter.
It sucked that we never got to see them talk after what happened during Rescue: HI-Surf Season 1 Episode 18 because Kainalu said a lot after Hina’s confession, but she was too stunned to explain herself.
The outcome wouldn’t have been different, but Kainalu deserved to see the whole picture, and we were robbed of that.
Why Rosie was so hellbent on getting Kainalu to move in with her when they never even defined their relationship was beyond me, but at least the two had that little chat where they could commit to one another.
I firmly believe Hina and Kainalu are endgame, but in the interim, he gave up on Hina and has found someone he likes in Rosie. He wants to see that through and see what it could be.
But let’s not act like just because he let the Hina dream go, he’s totally over her. Rosie picked up on it, and it was easy to see when he immediately thought to include Hina in the plan to raid her place if the electricity at the yurts wasn’t up to snuff.
And even more so when he watched Hina Hula with a look of pure worship.
Give us a season two to see this slow burn flourish!
Outside of the romance stuff, the rest of the hour was devoted to the Vince situation, and this one got a little convoluted because what exactly was Sonny’s plan?
Henry came out nowhere with little explanations (something this series LOVES to do), and I assume he’s the town drug dealer. But if it was always going to take Sonny going to him and getting Vince to resign, then why didn’t he do that right away?
Why was Vince even working that day and potentially peddling more drugs out of the tower?
It didn’t sit right that Sonny sat on the information, mainly because Vince had done this in the past. He needed to get up out of there quickly, and I wasn’t at all understanding what the holdup was.
Vince won’t be missed at all!
This entire season was building to Sonny offering Laka a second lieutenant spot, but how will Em and Laka coexist as number twos?
I desperately need to see that power struggle, so TV Gods, please give us a season two so the show can lean into the messy drama, incredible action sequences, and romantic shenanigans that ultimately turned the series into a 2024-2025 television season success story.
Extra Rescue Notes
- The missing diver story was giving Open Water! I wasn’t sure whether either one would survive, and after that awful man left that woman alone, I thought the season was going to end with a tragic death.
- Hopefully, Em will still go on that yacht excursion— that’s the kind of money you can’t pass up!
- So, are Ocean and Noah riding off into the sunset now? That whole plot point was never fully concluded.
That’s all she wrote on Rescue: HI-Surf. At least for now!
The series started slowly, but they never looked back once they hit a groove.
It was a long season, and I’m very curious to hear from you now that it’s over.
Did you enjoy the season overall?
Where could they improve if they’re picked up for another season?
Drop all your comments down below, and thanks for taking the ride with me this season!
You can watch Rescue: HI-Surf Season 1 on Hulu!
Watch Rescue HI: Surf Online
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