#h50 analysis

[agentbootyreportingforduty]

this scene in 3x23 of doris doing magic for steve is really sweet at first and then I started thinking about it more and it actually became really angsty and sad to me because I’m mentally ill✨

because think about it. steve hasn’t had a mom for over 20 years, he got sent back to the mainland after he lost her and later on, he enlisted really young. but he grew up and he’s this big navy seal now. and he refuses doris at first because of this and because they’re in a serious situation but then he actually plays along. and just lets himself remember what it was like when they did magic together and he was young and didn’t have everything on his shoulders. before he’s been through everything that he has. and he gets all smiley and giddy and it’s so cute but it actually broke my heart at the same time. the “blowing magic breath” part and “how’d you do that” in the soft voice is especially so sweet and innocent like this is a man who didn’t get to have a fully normal childhood and it makes me wanna CRYYYYY

and on doris’ end. she left her kids when they were really young and she hasn’t seen them since and she’s been on the run this whole time. and she doesn’t know how to act or behave around them anymore because they’ve grown up so much without her, and so on both sides of the scene it becomes genuinely sad if you analyze it a little deeper. like she only thinks to show him magic tricks as if they’re kids again. because she doesn’t know how else to act like a normal mom, after he mentions that earlier in the episode. anyways I’m sorry if I forever ruined this scene for you guys because it’s such a cute scene fr but alas, my brain craves angst and can’t shut up.

let me know if yall have any thoughts but please no spoilers for the rest of the show, I just started season 4! :)

[teruel-a-witch]

If Steve didn't want his co-workers to assume he was taking a vacation to 'reconnect' with his partner perhaps he shouldn't have looked at Danny like that and touched him in a way that indicated that this decision to take days off is directly related to him. Subtlety, thy name is not McDanno.

[ellena-asg]

@neanderthal-pessimist

Babe, you asked about Danny's suicidal thoughts/attempt so here it is.

In 1x18 there is a moment when Danny and Steve have a talk with FBI guys and later, when boys are alone, Danny is devastated by the news about Matt's financial crimes and Steve's "what if Matt is really guilty?". Danny wants Steve to have faith in Matt (or: Danny tries to still believe in his own brother, he wants to be loyal) and there's his confession.

Very dark and painful confession: once Danny thought about suicide (and I guess/interpret that he TRIED to kill himself - and that's why Matt was always there, was there almost 24/7).

Why? Because of damn Rachel. No, it wasn't because of the divorce (he could live without her, he would be happier without her and his mental health would be much better when she's away from him). It was because of Rachel's plays. GRACIE. She used Grace against Danny, she wanted to ruin his fatherhood. She took Grace away from him and was like "You'll lose her, Daniel. I swear" ("I'll punish you, Daniel"). Once she and her mother behaved in toxic and abusive way towards Danny and then, after divorce, Rach ruined Danny's mind again. She knew well what would hurt him, what would really hurt him. She knew well that Grace was Danny's everything. Danny's forever-love. Rach knew where to hit so she hit.

So in 1x18 we can see all Danny's pain. All painful memories. It's a double pain cause it's about Gracie and now also about Matty. Matty saved him. We can say about Matt many things but yeah, he saved Danny's life. He helped Danny to be strong again. He helped him to fight for Gracie. Danny almost lost Grace, almost lost his life (literally and metaphorically) and in this moment he fears that he will lose his brother - a brother who helped him so much.

Gosh, Steve's face. He's shocked. He's terrified. He tries to stay calm but he can't - he's shaking inside. His Danny, his beloved Danny, his angel, best friend, his best human ever, sunshine of his life... Danny almost died. Almost killed himself. Danny. Suicide, fuck. Yes, Steve understands Danny's loyalty and love for Matthew BUT THIS. SUICIDE. Steve can't think about Matt now. He is focused on Danny. On Danny's old pain. He can't believe that his boy tried, thought... His strong, "there's always hope" boy... Fuck. No. God, why? Why Danny had to suffer? Why Danny has to suffer? Oh, Steve knows well that part of the pain is still there - cause Rachel still wants war. She is still mean to Danny. Her smile can't hide it. Steve knows her. He observes. He listens to Danny and believes Danny, not her.

Steve is pissed off. He was pissed off earlier when he saw Rachel's games. When he heard Danny's bitter words, Danny's fears. But now Steve has such a face like... It's the face "I wanna go back to the restaurant and...". Shout at Rachel. Tell her that she's the worst. Gosh, Steve looks here like he wants to punch her. He can't do this, he knows (plus: he doesn't want to ruin Danny's fatherhood). But in his mind he is punching her. He is shouting at her (well, maybe one day he will tell her, one day he will punch her with his bitter words, one day when Danny and Grace are safe).

Steve is here (and always will be) for Danny. He touches him. This touch is like a touch of guardian angel. And in the end he is looking at Danny and there's so much love and concern in Steve's eyes. Rachel can't hurt Danno anymore, no fucking way, he thinks.

It's such a strong scene. Danny opens his heart. Oh yes, Steve is the only one - Danny lets only him to know. To know about the darkest moment in Danny's life. Danny knows that Steve will understand. That Steve will treat this seriously. Steve is like him. And Steve is the opposite of Rachel. There's no shame, Danny. Steve loves you. Your pain is his pain. All what is yours is his.

I love that they're together SO MUCH. They're together so it will be all right. They're strong together. So strong.

I'm not a fan of Matt but it's so good that Danny had him around. Matt saved Danny and all what he did for him as a brother... It's touching. It's beautiful. All that beer, all those talks, all this time... Thank you, Matthew Williams. You saved an angel.

But... I can't believe that this Matt, this Matt that saw his brother's pain, deepest depression, that witnessed Danny's suicidal attempt... Why the hell Matt still tries to be nice (SO nice) to Rachel? Why the hell he wants her around Danny? (and Grace) Why the hell he invited Rachel for his family dinner with Danny and Grace? Why the hell he told Danny "You love Rachel, I see this"?! Why the hell he behaves like he wants to see Danny and Rachel together again (knowing well about Danny's pain and seeing well how much Steve means to Danny)? Why sometimes he behaves like HE is in love with Rach? (well, sometimes she looks at him like "I chose the wrong brother" so... hmm...).

And Rachel, geez. Why show's plot is on her side? Why no one sued her for what she did? She's guilty. She (and her mother) ruined Danny's mental health. After divorce she ruined Danny's mental health even more. Her toxic/destructive behaviour (and using Grace in her war against Danny) was the cause. Her behaviour and toxic deeds, her "I'll take Grace" pushed Danny to suicide attempt. Why didn't she face any consequences? Why are people still kind to her? Why the hell Grace lives with her? Where's "I'm sorry, Danny?" (oh, okay, there's no apology cause Hollanders are never sorry, right?).

Six months. SIX MONTHS! Six months full of deepest anxiety and depression. Six months WHOLE of that. Six months without light. Six months, for six months Matt tried to change Danny's mind. For six months there was a danger - that Danny would do it. I can imagine Matt's fear when he went to work and for those few hours per day Danny was there alone... Six months with darkest thoughts. And before and after that? Still dark. She made/makes Danny's life dark (and Steve's too, by the way).

Where's the law? Where's the justice for Danny? What an irony - he fights for other victims' justice but he as a victim got no justice.

Yeah, I know. Writers hated Danny. And Lenkov wanted Danny/Rachel so badly...

"I would not have gotten through that"

It hurts. It's blood-curdling. Danny, our bamf!Danny said that. It's generally scary to hear such words. To see other person's pain and feeling of total loss. Gosh, I can't 😭 This line kills me. It kills my heart.

(Thank you, Matthew for saving the life. Thank you, Steve for saving this life again. For giving Danny a real good life, safer and colourful. Life full of love).

[itwoodbeprefect]

some combination of @actingcamplibrarian's advent calendar fic (hidden in plain sight) and @redgoldblue's recent due south watch has got me thinking about starsky and hutch's hutch canonically not carrying the key to his own apartment but hiding it on top of the doorframe vs. due south's rayk in mountie on the bounty naming the whole bundle of keys he's carrying, telling fraser that the ones he's holding up are, in order, the keys to his old car, to his apartment, to his old apartment, to his locker, and "don't know. ... don't know", meaning that at any time he has at least six keys on him of which four are either obsolete or entirely a mystery, and that's while they were looking for a seventh key (to ray's handcuffs). i don't have a point here except i guess. the blond part of a buddy cop duo. he'll either carry zero keys (bad) or ALL the keys (also unfortunate).

[nobigsecrets]

Hey dear, I made myself sad+angry again by writing about 10x22 and especially that stupid line they put into Steve’s mouth about his father.

Wondering if you ever made some sort of collection about h50 and mcdanno meta, especially episodes analysis (I know you came in later, but I suppose you caught up?), and especially some good, balanced, professional dissection about the finale.

Thanks anyway, mahalo

Hey there! Aw man, sorry to hear you've written yourself into a mood but I understand very well how that can happen in regards to the H50 finale!

Your ask made me smile though. While I never thought of creating a collection of metas, it's a great idea (like a rec list for metas) and it sounds like a thing I might have tried if it ever occured to me, lol. (I've been into H50 since 2018. S8 had just wrapped up but I was there for all of S9 and S10.)

I do, however, try to tag my posts and reblogs somewhat consistently, so what I can offer you is to browse through the following tags on my blog: #meta and #episode review and #h50 finale. (Just click on them. You may find occasional posts about other fandoms in there, but it should be H50 mostly. It should be sorted chronologically, so you might have to scroll back a bit for the older stuff.)

As for some balanced reviews on the finale, I actually do have a rec for you! My friend @cowandcalf wrote a great meta series on the finale and she even posted them to AO3. Her views sometimes differ from the general fandom opinion and she's never shy to speak her mind (which I love about her). I value her opinions very much and always find them inspiring (even if we don't quite agree about the finale! :))

[Meta] PART I - The Goodbye Scene S10E22 – Steve and Danny [Meta] PART II - The Goodbye Scene S10E22 – Steve and Danny [Meta] PART III – Steve and Catherine (as in Steve & Catherine) 10.22 - The Scene on The Plane

[teruel-a-witch]

mcdanno - a study in touch (with a little help from quora)

Steve isn't a particularly touchy-feely person before he meets Danny and even after him initiating physical contact is usually very precise and deliberate. He ushers Danny the way one does with a date. A wooing and guiding gesture.

When it comes to Danny, Steve is all of those things: protective, possessive, reassuring. He lets Danny know he's got his back and he really means it, as evidenced by above caps from 7x17 when Danny was babbling and embarrassed but couldn't stop himself so Steve stepped in and interrupted him fondly. Having his back doesn't just mean in a life or death situation, it's all the little things too. Based on body language alone it's obvious Steve has feelings for Danny and isn't shy about showing them.

[mayberrycryptid]

My headcanon is when Steve found out Danny was claustrophobic, he went full SEAL. Pulled out all the Intel on the subject and committed it to memory. For example:

Steve knows to the day how long they have been partners

Steve knows everything about Danny's college record

Steve knows Danny's favorite animal

Danny should've never ever told Steve he wasn't paying attention

H50, Season 6, Episode 9 thoughts...

Oh be still my beating heart - WHY do glasses just make some men so much sexier? Why?

(Also, is it bad that I knew it was Danny by his forearm? Since when can I recognise someone by their forearm? Sorry Steve, I be also looking at your man)

Like Danny, I'm not quite sure whether to be charmed or offended that Steve knows stuff about him that isn't even in his file. Eh, it's fiction, I'll go with charmed.

Love Kono teasing Lou about what Steve knows about them.

Ok, please tell me that Nahele's father coming back means Steve is going to step up more and move this mentorship into a guardianship.

Girl in Danny's class, I understand your need to hit on the hot new professor, but wait until you see him interacting with Steve and you'll understand (Also, Danny is the kind of guy who would never engage while he's in a position of authority, and he'd worry about the age difference, but also... Steve)

Oh dear. This girl is back flirting with Danny.

And now Danny's phone is ringing and he knows exactly who it is. Let me guess, Steve?

It was!

Danny is rocking this professor gig. I'm guessing there were a bunch of professor AUs written after this aired?

Aww. Steve talking to Nahele's dad.

Steve: but maybe I'm being overprotective, you know. I just wanna do right by this kid.

🥰

And now we have even more students saying how hot Danny is.

Poor Eric having to listen to this.

Noooo. Poor Nahele.

Aww.. he went to hang out in Steve's car that they fixed up together.

Steve: I will always protect you, all right. All right?

🥰

Yes, tell him, Nahele!

Deleted scene:

Okay, the way Danny lights up at the fact Steve knew his favourite animal is a giraffe. ❤️

Danny: How did you know that?

Steve: I know everything about you.

[ellena-asg]

This moment when Jerry is singing Presley's song: 🎶treat me like a fool, treat me mean and cruel🎶

and after hearing 🎶but love me🎶 boys are immediately reacting:

They're always like this. They catch "love" word and then look at each other. They're like "you are love, love has your face".

And this moment when Steve is like "Hey, honey, it's our song!" (oh, "they're playing our song" is a popular trope, romantic trope mostly, isn't it?).

Also, this moment of Steve's pure joy and Danny's "Oh yeah, you're right. This song is about us. Every song with "love" word is about us".

This moment of their physical closeness and mental intimacy.

These two exploring (and enjoying so much) romantic feelings together.

They're even sitting "like a couple".

And their delight, gosh.

I bet that they're dreaming of Jerry singing at their wedding (Jerry, be prepared!).

[just-fandomthings]

Don't know how many people will see this but I love the H50 fandom

[cowandcalf]

Hi! I would like your thoughts on the ep where they force Steve to go undercover w/ Rollins as a married couple. Could just be me but like...Rollin's acting felt so damn forced. It felt like the dude only accepted the drink b/c it was in the script & not cos she pulled off the 'sexy minx willing to cheat on my husband with a richer better man' thing they were sort of going with her cover???Idk that scene just really felt too forced & really took me out of.

Hi, dear anon!

Thank you so much for your ask! God, it has been a long time since I’ve got an ask like this. Mahalo for this precious question. And I apologize for letting you wait. After the Covid19 lockdown and the easing of the list of strict measures, RL is crazy. But here I am, trying to answer your question.

Okay, I assume you talk about H50 9.11, right? Where Harry Langford pulls two wedding bands from his pockets and hands them over to Steve and Cath to complete their cover. It’s that episode where Steve revenges Joe’s death, up in Montana. That’s the one, correct?

Yeah, I get why you feel off watching this special scene. I wrote three huge summaries, meta-like analysis on this episode. And I also wrote my thoughts down on the chemistry between Steve and Cath. That was one hell of an episode with so many interesting hints, telling us how Steve has moved on - without Cath and how done he is with Cath. (Wow - just want to jot down a short note how the series final wasn’t ending with Steve and Cath, it was ending with McDanno...but that’s not what you’ve asked for - sorry, got carried away.)

This is my review on 9.11 concentrating on the vibes between Steve and Cath. Maybe you wanna read it. It gives you some sort of closure and it might help you to see this scene in the casino with the drink in a different light. As I see it and it’s totally clear for me: Rollins played her role well. They were undercover, meaning they had to convince their audience. It was an act, also from Steve’s side. Nothing more. Everything they did at that table was played to come across real. And don’t forget, even if you might not like Cath Rollins that much, but she and Steve had some successfully completed missions, together as a team during their active duty. And this moment at the casino was part of the plan, the important mission to revenge Joe’s death. So, Cath did a great job pretending this  'sexy minx willing to cheat on my husband with a richer better man' as you described it so accurately. That was part of her cover and had nothing to do with her trying to draw a reaction from private-Steve. It was all work.

I hope I could answer your question. Thank you again for your ask. I wish you a wonderful time. Take care!

[mayberrycryptid]

@merlin-wolfgang-trades-hale

great addition @merlin-wolfgang-trades-hale ! ramble away!!!

[ilikemcdanno]

I actually studied to be a Charlie Fong / Eric Russo type so I'm totally with you here about wanting to be on that side of investigations. The problem with studying forensics is when you watch forensics in shows you either go "What the hell was that analysis? That's not even possible!" Or you sit there sighing whistfully WISHING it was that easy and fast. I started off as the fist one but the years have mellowed me out into the second one. -Beast

Hi!

Not gonna lie, as it is, I already see some of the stuff the shows do and think “that’s unrealistically easy”

One example is when - on h50 - they catch a picture of the license plate of a suspect’s car. Then they zoom in, and the picture is clear as day. Like? It was a blurry ass picture, how does that work? But it’s all a part of a bigger plan to get the team to solve the case within 40 minutes, lol lol.

Also that’s awesome you studied forensics!! It seems like a cool thing to do, like I’ve kinda mentioned. I’m sure you enjoyed studying it.

[trickster-archangel]

@teruel-a-witch nailing the core of the situation as always.

Danny is the oldest son, probably not the oldest sibling because Stella surely is older, butcas a male son it was probably worst, because some subtle hints make us believe that there was a veiled undercurrent of old-style patriarchy mood in his family, and he could've been raised with the suggestion that his needs and troubles were secondary to the well-being of the whole family, and that he had the important task of being a reliable pillar both for his father and his mother, and a protector and role model for his siblings. His role was to support, not to be supported. So, when Rachel one day decided he wasn't fit, he wasn’t enough, and simply replaced him with the garish, flashy, loud example of self-made, rich, influential businessman, Danny's world and self-esteem probably collapsed in a miserable heap: he had failed in providing what support he had always been taught to provide, and what was worst, he had also failed himself, ending unhappy, unsatisfied, and angry.

On the other hand, Steve has gone through something probably less visible but more cruel: he existed, but at the same time didn’t. Because he didn't matter. He didn’t have any role, not in raising Mary, not in supporting his father, not in honouring his mother's memory. He was a ghost, uninfluential, irrelevant. A bothering weight that has to be placed where someone else could look after him, unmake him, and rebuild him as someone else pleased. His needs or feelings or dreams or hopes were not just secondary, an afterthought, but plainly nonexistent, irrelevant. Like him. Not a wonder he sort of accepted as a normal course of his life, that everyone would just use the part of him they deemed more useful, discarded the rest, and finally disappeared.

So yes. Steve is jealous like a lover, because for the first time in his life he's found what he wants, what he wants to keep, and he won’t back down or give it up, biting away every rival and protecting his prey. While Danny is jealous like an ex lover, who's already been replaced and can only look inside to find where he's failed, what he lacked, and can only bite back at someone who's already robbed him of his happiness.

Steve needs to learn how to choose, while Danny needs to learn to be chosen.

1.09, 2.19 and 4.03: Yes, Steve. Yes, he is.

[teruel-a-witch]

the elevator of sexual tension

look at all that tension, for absolutely no reason, they aren't in a fight, there's no drama between them, there's no reason for this intensity except plain ol' UST. it's likely why these two never got stuck in an elevator together cause it would have probably turned into something too racy for CBS, Steve would definitely find a way to make Danny forget about his claustrophobia 😏

[trickster-archangel]

The day I won't cry over Steve’s face at seeing Danny, like all his dreams came true, like his goddamn hero has appeared out of his imaginationto save him, and Danny’s sweet, reassuring touches, like he knows Steve might not really believe his eyes but surely will believe Danny’s hands, that day I won't be human anymore.

“Just shut up would you?”

Hawaii Five-0 episode 2.10

[ellena-asg]

Okay, I don't like Dannyless episodes. I mean, I don't like when he's far away from home and we can't see him (and McDanno) on screen. BUT. I totally love one of such episodes, a "Lou and Steve eating pancakes" scene in 6x19.

I love that Lou and Steve are talking (mostly about pancakes), they're having their bro time but of course Steve can't stop thinking about his boy. So it's like:

Lou: Mmm... Pancakes. I love them. These are the best. Mmm. Coconut, I like th...

Steve: YOU KNOW WHAT DANNY LIKES?

Lou: *oho, here we go again*

Steve: Pancakes with boysenberry!

Bro talk is over. All is about Danny now.

So poor Lou asks Steve about Danny. Lou calls Danny "Detective Sunshine" and it's like, you know... Detective Sunshine, gosh. It's like a guy asking his bro: "Hey, how's your sweetheart?" ("How's your wifey?" - hubby in Steve's case).

And seriously, when they finally stop talking about Danny, Lou starts talking about Renee - don't tell me it doesn't look like two bros (Steve -> grass widower) chatting about their spouses! 😂 (I love the way the narration jumps from Danny to Renee ♥️)

And their talk, gosh. Steve's face when he talks about Danny or hears his name:

And of course Steve KNOWS. He knows well what Danny is doing in Vegas. He knows he's with Grace and her cheerleading team. And he finds Danny "chaperoning Grace's cheerleading team to a competition" damn funny (but also cute).

Oh, and when Lou says: "You mean to tell me Danny Williams is down in Vegas with a bunch of 13-year-old Beliebers? Oh, man, I wish I could go down there and see that!". Gooooosh, Steve is not like "Yeah" or just "Me too". No. Steve is like "I TRIED, man". Steve says: "Well, you know what, I tried. I checked Grace's Instagram, but she's got all her dad's buddies blocked. So I couldn't see any pictures".

Steve is missing his husband (and daughter) so much and he has to know everything, he has to see what's going on there in Vegas. My gosh, I don't know why Gracie blocked him but it was truly cruel 😂 And it's so hilarious to see Steve being like "She blocked me. Can you believe it, Lou? My little girl blocked me and now I can't stare at Danny's new photos! *sob* What if he's cheerleading with them? God, it would be so cute. He would be so sexy with pom-poms...".

But the best comes when Lou says: "Well, what the hell you think we got a crime lab for? You should get a techie right on that!".

Steve's face:

dork 😂😂😂

Lou is now his god. Lou showed him the light 😆

"You know what? I'm gonna call Eric after breakfast!", says Steve in that scene.

He said that and... what if he really did it? 😂😂😂 What if he really ate those pancakes and immediately called Eric and it was like:

Steve: I need you to unblock me on Gracie's Instagram!

Eric: Excuse me, what?

Steve: And you know what, I need an access to Danny's phone.

Eric: What?! Hack it???

Steve: Well, if you're offering. Yeah, please.

Steve can't be a grass widower. He can't be far away from Danny. Geez, Danny, come back! Cause your man is losing control 😂