#mcdanno sunset

[teruel-a-witch]

'even if we are not together, we'll be together still'

'just two guys on the beach watching the sunset'

'always'

[cowandcalf]

Tonight in Italy they'll air the final two episodes of H50 and I'm like....not ready, despite knowing exactly what I'm going to see. You know what the saddest thing is? I'm reading a s10 codas fic by flowerfan, and knowing that the show was ending, all people in the comments were hoping just for this (despite the somewhat awkward Steve's babbling about the sunset in 10x18): they they would keep Steve and Danny together, drinking beer in the sunset by the ocean, like they did at the end of the pilot. Nothing else. Together at peace. Nothing big or life changing. Nothing homo, even. Just....let them have peace, together.

I know you brilliantly explained and interpreted the (thankfully!) open ending we got, but honestly? We didn't even need an open ending, and we didn't need to see Steve taking that plane, if they really wanted him off in case of a s11 renewal which didn't happen. They wrote off Danny with zero explanation so many times, that Steve "waiting to take off on a plane for his soul-searching trip" would've been way better!

Hi there😃thank you so much for your message. I enjoyed reading your thoughts and I feel your heavy heart. I know the ending is not what the fandom wanted and it hurts. I also know that I’m one of the few who are okay with it and understands Steve’s intentions to leave. And I just look at the ending as a version of a fanfiction written by someone. I can’t change it but I feel you! And I’m thinking of you when you‘ll be watching the final episodes. It will hurt and cause anger and the never ending wish that it had happened differently. If you know the TV show Grimm you know that that pairing was canon and got the perfect ending, happy and marvelous, after six seasons. In my mind, the ending was McDanno. I always fix it to my liking. You hang in there, love.

[beiguangtits]

mcdanno sunset beach date

[h50europe]

Why the myth about Steve's PTSD doesn't add up and other inconsistencies

In the last few episodes of H50, PL tried to sell us a mentally broken Steve suffering from PTSD. Only the whole thing came a bit too late. The clip you see is from season 4 and ended up - no, not in the series - but somewhere on the floor of PL's editing room. And why? after Kurtzman and Orci departed, along with their writers, PL took the helm and started turning Steve into a super-soldier. He stylized him into something that wasn't meant to be. Instead of developing the characters, PL began to incorporate more and more hair-raising action sequences into the series and then let Steve fight on the front lines. There was no mention of Steve's mental state, and a lot was explained by PL with: it just happened "offscreen." Yeah, sure. PL can't create a decent character. He can only produce stereotypes and one-dimensional beings. Like Adam. What potential would that character have had had he been turned into Five-0's antagonist? But no. So his role remained diffuse and monotonous. Sometimes even tragicomical.

Back to Steve. When SEAL Team started on CBS, PL also lapsed into SEAL mania. If someone who writes fanfiction were to produce as much garbage as this man did, he would be chased away from every writers' platform in disgrace. PL's Super SEAL also had to rescue his team members from a blazing inferno. Not man by man, no, he flew a helicopter right into the danger zone and lifted a whole cabin out of the burning jungle. If lunacy had a name, it would be PL. While the action became more and more exaggerated and unrealistic, the same happened to the protagonists. After the departure of Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park, PL completely lost his mind. And please, don't blame the writers for the nonsense that was thrown at you. A series stands and falls with the showrunner. He dictates what he wants and passes it on to his staff.

And so, lovable Steve became a soulless robot who only showed feelings here and there. Danny diminished more and more into a sidekick. McDanno became a ship that drifted anchorless through a stormy sea and threatened to capsize again and again. From season 8, it became a reboot of the reboot. PL tried an ensemble show and failed more than miserably. Often the actors just stood around bored. At least that was the impression. The only highlight was episode 8.10. A feast for all McDanno fans. But even here, the outcome of "who shot Danny" was more than insubstantial.

Wait, there was something about SEALs... Oh, yes. Junior appeared on the scene and became Steve's lapdog. I really wondered when there was going to be an episode where he would fetch sticks for Steve. Luckily we had Eddie for that. And because he thought he was so clever, PL invented the episode speed dating. How many subplots can you squeeze into one episode at the same time? In some episodes, you couldn't even take a look at the bag of potato chips without losing the thread.

The case of the week became the yawn of the week. There were so many loose ends that PL then came up with something called retconning. That's what you do when you're no longer satisfied with what was once established in the series years ago, or it no longer fits. But PL went one step further and did the same with the characters. The more the series was dragged out, the more the characters deteriorated and became OOC. It means, often, they were not recognizable at all. And that's where we come to Steve. Because PL, in his desperation, didn't know what else he could do to Steve, and so he killed Joe White. He did it in such a cheesy way with a fake sunset that it made you sick.

Of course, one episode later, there had to be another gig of PL's favorite Barbie. He stuck a fake beard on poor Steve/Alex, so he couldn't even hug Danny/Scott properly. The episode also raised more questions than it answered any. And Steve? He still didn't suffer from PTSD, even though he had now lost Joe White and a fellow SEAL. Everyone is dropping like flies, except for Steve, who is standing like a rock. No matter what. He doesn't need in-depth talks with Danny, nor psychological care, nor any sleeping pills. No, he's doing great. He also opens a restaurant with Danny because apparently, the carguments are already getting on PL's nerves. Unfortunately, this plot device leads into nirvana. The idea was nice, but nobody thought it through to the end. And the merry-go-round continues. Until we get to season 10, where it gets even more absurd. Now PL is almost bombarding us with McDanno episodes, or at least it should seem that way. Oh well, he's already planning for season 11, so a new character has to come on board quickly. While in the beginning, Steve's mother, Doris, dies.

Alex was allowed to take on the subject. Of course, only under the strict eyes of PL. He then nullifies Alex's idea that Steve kills his mother. Because a good soldier and Super SEAL won't do that. Little does PL know. THAT could have been the opening of a PTSD scenario for Steve. However, apart from that, this episode would have had any potential for a multi-arc. Just imagine Steve chasing his mother across multiple episodes. Again, PL stepped in and butchered Alex's episode. You can really feel sorry for the guy. PL at his best or worse? He just can't help it. And then, on the very last meters of the series, he brings someone new, who is allowed to cruise around with Steve most of the time. Because Danny was kidnapped by Wo Fat's widow, PL also invented quite late to have some villain at his disposal. This wannabe mastermind must really have been living under a rock somewhere if she wasn't even mentioned by her husband or appeared earlier.

Because towards the end, PL obviously ran out not only of steam but also of ideas, everything culminated in a wildly illogical scenario. Steve has to live through a dramatic day with Eddie, who stands as a metaphor for Steve (as I said, PTSD was never a thing for Super SEAL), Danny bangs his brains out in a ladies' room with a complete stranger, who dies shortly after that in an accident with Danny's rental car. Apparently, there was no budget to turn the Camaro into scrap metal. Danny then also goes home alone, ignoring the incoming emergency vehicles. Everything remains open at the end of the episode. While Steve expresses his gratitude to Tani and Quinn and says, he would be just as lost as poor Eddie without the dog and all of them. The strange thing is that you never notice anything until that sentence. A few forced dialogues are supposed to make the drama visible, but they all happen way too late or are so poorly written that you miss them.

PL had decided early on to make Steve a Teflon hero. That also means he didn't need to put much substance into the character. Which you can clearly see if you compare the first three seasons to the rest of the series. But towards the end, PL wanted to turn the tide and forcefully rewrote Steve's past. There is a huge difference if you compare Steve from seasons 1 to 3 with Steve from season 10. It is only a sparse remnant of what made this character so great. This change in Steve's personality also affects his relationship with Danny. The witty, affectionate banter degenerates into a snappy, humorless bitch-fest that takes all the joy out of it.

The final two episodes could have been written for any other crime show. As mentioned, we have Cole, who even gets a book'em Cole from Steve, which can only be described as out of line. And it begs the question, was that what Lenkov originally had in mind? Danny out of the show and Cole in? Was the last episode, which mainly featured McCole, something of a test run? Did all the McDanno moments happen only to tear the two apart eventually? Was the real final scene the one where Steve and Catherine take Danny's coffin back to Jersey? Was Danny not supposed to survive? Was that the real reason Steve wanted to get out of Hawaii because he wanted to pay his respects to Danny? And would he really have returned to Hawaii later? Or would he have turned his back on Hawaii? To me, this ending is more plausible than what PL served us. Then, Steve handed over his credentials to Cole instead of Danny, his second in command. Honestly, you can't make the end of a series any more sloppy and dumber than that. And I won't even lose a word about the last 1:30 minutes because I think everything has already been said.

No PL, mission absolutely not accomplished. You created Teflon-Steve. You never wanted him to show any weakness. You turned him into a superhuman who can survive anything. Only to pull the rug out from under him on the last few meters to the finish line and spit on his legacy. How can you dismantle such a great series and its characters like you did? How much do you have to hate something to do that? In the final interviews, the showrunner didn't exactly cover himself in glory either. Everyone who grew up with the series from day one knows that its end was wrong on all the possible levels and that the showrunner is solely to blame for that. It takes a fair amount of egoism and carelessness to drive 10 years at full throttle against the wall. Not many people can do that. Whether you can be proud of that, however, I doubt.

My respect if you have made it this far. Each of you gets 10 extra brownie points for it.

[redgoldblue]

um I can’t believe one of my favourite McDanno songs was played at SOTB? insane

[thekristen999]

First Lines of Last 20....

I was tagged by @amandagaelic and I finally had some time to play :)

Guidelines: List the first lines of your last 20 stories (if you have less than 20,  just list them all.) Choose your favorite opening line, tag some friends!

The World Is On Fire And No One Can Save Me But You  9-1-1 (Buddie) Traffic was snarled, red lights were ignored, people slammed on their cars horns, and all three rigs were stuck in the middle of it. “What’s the latest, Cap?” Eddie asked over the radio.

“Reports are sporadic,” Bobby replied. “Crowds are heading toward City Hall and counter-protestors are marching up Grand Avenue and Broadway.”

Are You With Me?  9-1-1 (Buddie)  Eddie stared at the assorted box of teas, picking up one and scanning the label before putting it back down. Each box said the same thing: calming, relaxing, soothing bedtime formula. He settled on chamomile. His mother used to drink it when he was a kid, and his father was away on business. Funny—it was made of flowers, not leaves.

There Goes My Hero, He's Ordinary  9-1-1 (Buddie) Eddie couldn’t shake the feeling of unease it stirred up, how his body tensed in anticipation of a fight that never came, or how memories he’d tried hard to forget kept popping up like flashes of a YouTube video. Whooshing rotor blades, muzzle flashes, the lingering smell of cordite. He rubbed a hand over his face, the physical sensation chasing away the phantoms.

We Found Each Other (Over There) 9-1-1 (Buddie) Omaha Beach 0100 June 6, 1944

At midnight 7,000 ships left Britain under the cover of darkness: Destination Normandy. Specialist “Buck” Buckley had no idea how many troops were aboard. Tens of thousands. More people in one place than he could ever imagine. His aunt had been to France once; she’d sent him postcards, causing his imagination to run wild. This wasn’t exactly how he imagined visiting.

Black and Blue and Broken Bones  Hawaii-Five-O (McDanno) The sunset painted the sky in hues of red and pink, capturing the moments before the day disappeared and night descended. Danny had to admit, it really was beautiful.

Beat Me To The Sacrifice Hawaii-Five-O (McDanno) Steve eyed the hamper full of clothes with annoyance when he walked into the bathroom. Thank goodness it was almost the weekend; the chores were piling up. After turning on the water to the shower, he got out his aftershave and razor and pondered if he wanted to brush his teeth at the sink or not.

The Call Hawaii-Five-O (McDanno) Given his status as the head of Five-O and the long list of people who would like to see him dead, Steve always took an extra moment to study his surroundings when returning home. While nothing seemed out of the ordinary, his gut told him otherwise.

The Quiet White Hawaii-Five-O (McDanno) Danny made arrangements with Lou to keep an eye on the team and ensure morale would remain high while they were gone. Walking into Steve’s bedroom, Danny dumped the duffle bag from his house on the bed to help pack.

Just You and Me (and Your New Best Friend)   Hawaii-Five-O (McDanno) Danny didn’t live with Steve, per-say. Yes, the third drawer in Steve’s dresser belonged to Danny, the red toothbrush and Ultra Edge razor was also his, and maybe he kept his favorite snacks and food in the fridge.

Hold The Line Hawaii-Five-O (McDanno) Junior listened to the break-down of the mission and bit his tongue. He ran the numbers, calculated resources, and time. This was at minimum a four-man operation. Two-man was too risky. Solo was just-well, McGarrett type of stacked odds.

Anchor In The Storm Hawaii-Five-O (McDanno) All the bones in Danny’s body ached, his limbs heavy with fatigue. Not from exertion, or a foot chase, no.This was simply because he drank too much red wine. Stupid.

Leaning back in his chair, he plopped two Alka Seltzer and watched them fizz.

In The Blink Of An Eye Hawaii-Five-O (McDanno) As far as raids went, this was one Steve would like to forget. He balled up his fists to settle his shaking hands. Shit. That had been close. Blue and red lights flashed in the background as he walked away from the scene. Standing near a dumpster, he waited for the adrenaline rush to fade.

Past Tense Hawaii-Five-O (McDanno) Danny stared at his computer screen and debated buying the airline ticket. It’d been three months since he’d seen Grace. Too long. Distance and money were evil restrictions when it came to his daughter attending college on the mainland. Skype and weekly phone calls did little to ease the ache in his heart. He moved the mouse over the purchase icon.

Stay Loyal to the People You Hold Dear Marvel- Avengers:Endgame Dwelling on your mortality won’t change the inevitable. Live for each day and appreciate the time you’re given. Thor breathed in scorched metal and dirt, climbed and leaped over fresh craters. Blood pounded in his eardrums as he destroyed his enemies.

It should taste sweet; it should feel glorious -- it should have filled the hole inside him.

Split Seconds, Split Decisions Hawaii-Five-O (McDanno)

Junior was a SEAL, the best of the best, loyal to Team and Country.

He’d found fulfillment in the Navy, in serving his country, in the comradeship with his fellow SEALs. Waking up each day meant conquering another challenge; thriving on every adversity, earning the privilege of wearing the trident on his sleeve.

Then one day it all fell apart and he became unmoored.

Touch My World With Your Fingertips Hawaii-Five-O (McDanno) Every third Saturday of the month it was the same ritual. The mattress shifted under Steve’s weight as he crawled out of bed and Danny rolled onto his side to watch him.

Steve was a creature of habit. He adjusted himself. Rubbed his eyes. Stretched his arms into the air, treating Danny to the muscles of his well-defined back. And yeah, Danny wanted to join Steve in the shower, give up some shuteye for an amazing blowjob. But not this weekend. That was the rule.

A Light to Guide Me Home Hawaii-Five-O (McDanno) Steve pulled into his driveway. Resting his head against the steering wheel, he tried mustering the energy to finish the last part of his journey. He’d been in too many time-zones in too few days.

Safe Harbor  Hawaii-Five-O (McDanno) Steve studied the first four names on the false intelligence report.

Leo Bernard: Paris Torres Cantor: Madrid Hugo Bartlett: Berlin Drew Goff: London

Closing his eyes, he pictured the letters, listened to the cadence of vowels and consonant sounds.

Give Up, Give In, Or Give It All You’ve Got  Hawaii-Five-O (McDanno)

1992 McGarrett Home

Steve walked through the living room and toward his dad’s office. He noticed a half-empty glass of bourbon on the desk.

“Your Uncle Joe got you into the Army/Navy Academy,” Dad told him as he walked in. “And I’m sending Mary to stay with your aunt.

From The Ashes  Hawaii-Five-O (McDanno) The air inside the Camaro was stagnant despite the low hum of the air conditioner. Danny adjusted the seat to stretch his legs and tried to get comfortable. He was restless; all he could smell was the lingering odor from the burgers he and Steve had eaten hours ago. His stomach growled at the memory.

I tag: @thisissirius @renecdote @missslothy @stephmcx ​@agentlemuse @stellarm @tari-aldarion @cinematicnomad @matan4il @bgharison

and whomever wants to play!

[benka79]

Something to make you come back.

McDanno One Shot. Post 10x23. Fix it Fic. AO3.

Danny stood up again, while Steve turned around to leave.

"Wait, I'll give you something to make you come back." The blonde uttered, almost rushing his steps towards him.

Steve frowned, but he waited for his friend.

"What is it?" he asked. He didn't want to sound he was almost off of minutes to get to the airport.

Danny placed himself in front of him, and gave a deep breath... Then bitting his lower lip, he waved his hand at him, "Come one, came closer."

Steve tilted his head, but he did as Danny said, maybe his friend needed another goodbye hug, but he was wrong...

Danny wrapped his hands around Steve's neck and pressed a shy, clumsy kiss on his lips.

Steve remained frozen in his place, eyes wide open.

Danny pulled away, avoiding Steve's gaze, blushing furiously, "Is this enough to make you come back soon?" He stuttered.

Steve was still speechless, watching his friend being so shy, but at the same te, brave enough to give that first step no one of them was able to give until now. Crossing that thin line, McGarrett was just too much amazed to believe that wasn't actually a dream he was having.

So he blinked, and shook his head slightly, "I... I think is... More than enough, but, let me try again." Steve didn't wait for his friend to react, he copped Danny's face in his hand and kissed him softly, and slowly, moving his lips sweetly, because Danny was still hurt. And Williams responded to that kiss, smiling in his lips, and touching one of Steve's hands placed on his cheeks. This kiss last longer. Then they stared into each other's eyes tenderly, and grinning like two dummies.

"I think now, that's enough to come back, as soon as possible to Hawaii." Murmured Steve, still copping Danny's face.

The blonde smiled, "Because you don't want to miss watching the sunset with me." He joked sheepishly, lowering his eyes.

"Yes Danny, if each sunset will come with this."

Danny chuckled, and they pulled apart slowly, "Come back and we'll see what else we can do while watching sunsets together."

When Steve sat in his seat on the plain, the phone vibrated, and he picked up, it was a message from Danno, "I miss you already." It made Steve smile, dreaming about how many kisses he will find, the day he will return to Hawaii with him.

[just-fandomthings]

10x22 Uplifting McDanno updates

I think we can all use this right now so here's a few uplifting things from Lenkov himself about Steve and Danny's ending:

"That next chapter may be a family with Catherine [Michelle Borth], may be running the task force and letting some of the younger guys handle the heavy lifting, but I think the idea of those two sitting in the Adirondack chairs as old men looking at a sunset…that is definitely the future if we were going to continue the show. And leaving is not goodbye forever. It’s just a temporary escape to decompress, and to get away from everything, from all the trauma that he’s faced over the last couple years, especially losing his mother, and Joe White.." (X) 

And this one: 

“I always felt that the end game would be him [Steve]...retiring, sitting on that Adirondack chairs with Danny — all those things that would equate to happiness for him were always a part of sort of the finale for me.” (X)

And: 

“People are confused, ‘Why would he ever leave Danno?’ He’s not leaving him. He’s going away to sort of clear his head, because he came to this island with such a trauma, and he’s been moving in one direction like a white shark ever since. He needs a moment to breathe, so the idea is that he will go away and then come back. And then if we were coming back for Season 11, he would at some point come back, and we may have done the first couple of episodes without him. (X)

This too:

“The idea of Steve and Danny on those chairs, looking out at the ocean, was always in the cards as well. That friendship will always be there, those two guys will grow old together...If somebody was going to take a step back and look at all 240 episodes, those guys started off this journey hating each other, and they end by McGarrett sitting besides Danny's bedside, holding his hand, telling God, "Take me, not him." It really shows the arc that those two have gone on, and they really became brothers. They're as close as anybody can get and they genuinely love each other. And that really was the engine of the show, and at the end of the series they can't live without each other. For me, that's satisfying and feels like a good arc for people to have gone through over so many hours of television.” (X)

So here’s where I’m at. Lenkov (and as a McDanno fan, I am reluctant to admit this) is the overall producer of the show so in the end, if he saw it fit for Catherine and Steve to become a couple... that was his call to make. No, we don’t have to be okay with it!! But we need to not let it ruin the show for us because as Lenkov pointed out over and over again- Steve isn’t leaving Danny. (It did feel like that when he left while Danny is still healing but...) Steve’s going to come back home and he’s coming back for DANNY. They WILL grow old together and retire together. And yeah, we got the hetero-normative plot (that we were all expecting, tbh) but we also got a pretty solid McDanno episode- the chapel scene, anyone?? The sheer amount of love that radiated from Steve bc his Danno was hurt.... ignore the last three mins of canon if you have to or change the ending with the plane- But no one can argue the fact that this was a McDanno episode. 

I know a lot of us are pissed off right now and, considering the queerbaiting... rightfully so. However, I love Steve and Danny and I love this show and I’m going to try and make the most of this finale by keeping in mind Steve and Danny do retire together, they did get a final I love you in, and that there’s also fanfiction and our own fanon ending if the plane scene just doesn’t work for us. All I know is, I love this show and three disappointing minutes from an otherwise stellar 57 is not going to stop me from shipping McDanno or being in this fandom. 

[mcdannohmygod]

H50 finale

To be blunt, I'm irritated at the thought of Steve leaving Hawaii because I'm tired of him leaving Danny. This isn't about shipping McDanno. This is about how Steve chose Danny for his friend, for his partner, for his Ohana. It's about how he forcibly pulled Danny into his life and then proceeded to push and pull at him for the next decade. He's been willing to die with and for Danny, but at the same time, he keeps leaving over and over on his lonewolf missions.

I want Steve to choose a path to healing that doesn't involve taking off and leaving his family behind again. Let him visit Mary. Let him take some vacations. Let him retire. Let him start restoring another car. Above all, get him the intensive therapy he so desperately needs. Whatever it is, let him do it with Danny still in his life.

I'm not saying he should put Danny's happiness over his own. I'm saying I want a world where he realizes Danny isn't part of the problem, he's part of the solution. He literally has part of Danny inside him keeping him alive. Steve has to find a way to heal, but I want him to heal where Danny is. Danny who's been choosing Steve over and over for almost 10 years. If Steve rides off into the sunset alone or with Cath, then that means Danny gets left behind once again. Even if there's hope Steve will come back someday, that's not a happy ending to me.

Danny deserves some happiness too. Danny's alone too. Danny has been giving everything he has to his job and his family, and he just keeps getting kicked while he's down too. "Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten." I'm tired of that not applying to Danny.

It's irrational, lacking nuance, projecting onto Danny, and a whole host of other things, but it's the best I can say about how I feel without writing a full essay. Thank you for coming to my Steve Talk.

[rafael-silva]

(long) thoughts on 10.22, mcdanno and the ending

Okay, so. The finale. It took me a while to digest everything and turn my thoughts into coherent sentences. Also, this is long. Like an essay. Literally. If you read till the end, bless you.

I have mixed feelings, and they’re tugging at each other. Part of me wants to scream but another part of me is like, there’s more to this. This is me trying to make sense of the whole thing without my heart shattering. So you’ll definitely get glimpses of each side during this essay.

First, here’s a scene I imagine happening after the series finale ends:

It fades back in. And we’re in Steve’s house. We don’t know how much time has passed. Keys rattle, and the front door is pushed open.

Offscreen, we hear, “you better not have forgotten the malasadas.”

It’s a little raspy, a little slow, a little croaky, but so unmistakably Danny’s voice.

A chuckle. And then, comes the reply, equally raspy, “right here, Danno. Come and get them.”

“And you better have bought a lot. Clara is coming over in a bit. You know how much she loves malasadas. And no, you come out here, the breeze is nice,” Danny replies.

And Steve goes. And sits in his chair next to Danny as they look out into the water. He opens the box and Danny grabs a malasada.

They’re home.

Fade to black. Roll credits.

In my opinion, the ending was supposed to be about McDanno. And as much as we did get so much McDanno in the finale, I’m talking specifically about the last thing we see on the screen. And I’m not talking about them becoming canon. The chances of that happening were slim to none.

I’m talking about their friendship, their partnership, their bond. I’m talking about the two men who put their lives on the line for each other, time and time again, without hesitation; the two men who traveled to the ends of the earth for each other. That is what the ending should have ended with.

From the full-blown panic Steve was in when Danny was being followed. Steve's only priority is saving Danny’s life. The person you care about most in the world. Steve holding Danny on the way to the hospital. Steve constantly reassuring Danny that he’s right there, to hold on. Steve holding Danny’s hand. He thought he was going to lose Danny and it broke him.

(Also, All For One playing during the scene where Steve sits next to Danny’s hospital bed and holds his hand? Yes, I cried.)

I knew the Catherine part was coming, from the moment she was brought up, I knew what was going to happen. I just didn’t want the Catherine scene to be the final scene of the series. 

Because the truth is, while Catherine kept ducking in and out of Steve’s life, the one constant thing in Steve’s life was Danny. And they didn’t do that justice.

And I think that’s what I’m mad about most. I knew the chances of canon McDanno were slim to none (even though the first half of the episode was screaming McDanno, as should have the entire episode been and a part of me was like, hold on...maybe...because 95% of the episode? McDanno.) 

All throughout season ten, we were constantly shown how important Steve and Danny are to each other, that they can’t live without each other. It truly was a love letter to each other and to McDanno fans. We know the love is there, but I wanted to see Steve choosing Danny. Yes, we got a heart to heart, some of their classic banter in there, I love you’s and a powerful hug, which I am grateful for and will always cherish…but I wanted the last scene of the series, to be of Steve and Danny.

And it breaks my heart, because at the end of the day, Steve left Danny.  After everything.

Hawaii. Danny moved 4,948 miles away from his home to be close to his daughter. He hated Hawaii. But then he met Steve and Steve chose Danny. Then he slowly began to love the Island. Until the Island was home. Until Steve was home. Danny was alone in the beginning and what hurts so much, is even after ten years, the last time we see Danny, is him, sitting on his best friend’s private beach, alone. It breaks my heart.

And I want to say that Danny hops on a plane and goes to Jersey to Steve but I wanted Steve to pick Danny. I wish Steve had realized that going away isn’t always the answer. That healing can happen with the people you love. Should happen with the people you love. Because that is what the show is about. How to save and be saved at the same time. Heal, and be healed.

My hopes are for a Steve and Catherine friendship. I have a few issues with how Catherine treated Steve, and how she hurt him. And for me, it seems out of character for Steve to just dive back into a relationship with her, after everything they’ve been through in the past. Especially after clearly saying how much Catherine is like Doris. And how he’s done with Doris. Because if Steve is just repeating history, I feel like during those final two minutes, the writers went, Steve’s character development? Don’t know him.

I get needing time away. I get that there’s so much history and pain for Steve in Hawaii. And I wholeheartedly agree that Steve needs a break. I just have a little problem with the timing.

Danny is recovering. Plain and simple. While yes, Danny doesn’t need Steve to hold his hand and hover during his recovery. But he nearly died and Steve nearly lost his mind at that thought. And yet, a mere week later, Steve just leaves.

And just like Steve needs to heal, Danny needs to heal, too. It’s been a hell of a year for both of them. Danny’s been through so much too, and the person who helps him through it and who Danny leans on, has left. And I hate how they undermined Danny’s hurt, his pain, they put him through hell and then take away his number one support system. I think Danny needed to get away, too. And with the whole “if you’re out, I’m out” thing that’s been going on between Steve and Danny, I doubt Danny will remain in Five-0 without Steve.

Whether anything comes out of Steve and Catherine, it doesn’t change the fact that Danny was left behind. And that just angers me so much. I just had hoped that Steve would have chosen Danny, just like Danny has been choosing Steve time and time again for a decade.

Steve says Catherine was the one who got away. Because, yes, she got away. And when he tells Cole that he’s good, I believe him. I think he accepted it long ago, that maybe it would have worked out. But it didn’t. And I think Steve deserved some closure, and that’s why Catherine showed up at the end.

The first time I watched the episode and the ending, I thought, “yeah, why did I expect anything different...” but then after really thinking about it, I realized nothing is set in stone. And I started thinking, maybe Catherine is there to support Steve, maybe this will lead to them mending their relationship and becoming friends. Because I honestly pray and hope Steve’s development isn’t gone. He’s lost, he needs to find himself again. The few times we’ve seen Catherine since she left the show was either because she needed Steve’s help or he needed hers. Maybe it’s still just that. And it’s just purely that. A friend helping a friend.

And I suspect Steve couldn’t do that with Danny because it’s all still so fresh, and it’s eating at Steve. Danny almost died. Because of something Steve had. And it shook Steve to his core. He almost lost the person he cares about most in this world, and it would have been his fault.

Catherine’s last words were, are you ready? And I think they meant, are you ready to heal?

I don’t mind a Steve and Catherine friendship, just not a romantic relationship. She can help Steve with his PTSD, they can talk and get closure. Maybe that hand holding was Steve saying, thank you for being here. Thank you for helping. That hand holding felt more like holding hands in support, rather than romance. I think if it were romance, he would have intertwined their fingers together. He tells her how much he appreciated her help and that she will always mean a lot to him but they’re history. They had their shot. It didn’t work out. Romantically, at least. And maybe they’re better as friends.

Steve has his face in his hands, and he’s terrified. The look in his eyes during the entire episode speaks of fear, worry, concern, pain, guilt. When Danny wakes up, Steve lets out a long, shaky breath. He was holding his breath. Literally. Then Steve says, “she used you to get to me, she almost killed you...” and that realization, it flipped something in Steve. He couldn’t handle history repeating itself.

So I’m going to believe that that’s the reason Steve left, because otherwise, I see his leaving as out of character. He needs to heal away from Hawaii, away from seeing Danny’s battered body and knowing he was indirectly the reason for that. So he heals. And he returns to Hawaii, to Danny. And they continue healing together.

Maybe, after receiving the miss you already text from Danny, and if Steve wasn’t getting off the plane, maybe he could have texted back, “me too, Danno. But I’ll be back.” (But, come on, the way Steve looked back at Danny sitting on the beach, the look of longing already in Steve’s eyes…yeah, I thought he was getting off that plane.)

Bottom line is, I hope Steve and Catherine rebuild their relationship as friends. And maybe Steve could start rebuilding his trust towards Catherine, too. I think that would be good for him, to heal that part. Because I know how much they mean to each other. And honestly, I think there’s so much romantic history, and just history, good and bad, maybe even too much, for them to move past on the romantic side.

When Danny woke up in the hospital, he said, “you can’t get rid of me that easily.” Even after being kidnapped, beaten and shot, Danny is never leaving Steve.

So I hope Steve returns to Danny, and to their beach, and they do grow old together. As husbands or platonic life partners, either way, I hope they end up sitting side by side watching sunsets. I’m praying they both get the happy ending they so deserve. 

My true ending to the show is Danny’s final dream in 8.10. Steve and Danny have grown old together, Danny’s granddaughter had called and Steve forgot to tell Danny. And Danny saying he wouldn’t change anything about his life, there is not a single thing he would change. If he had to do it again, he’d do it the same way. That’s my ending.

[teruel-a-witch]

while i was making my mcdanno+sunsets graphic i tried to google steve's quote about two guys on the beach watching sunsets, the first result was @stephmcx's post about 10x19, but it was the second that amused me greatly

(unsurprisingly there's a whole separate page dedicated to the examples of HoYay in h50 on TVtropes, if you don't know what HoYay means here's the main article)

the entire article is psychic damage worth of reading when it's all laid out so plainly even tho it only covers 8 seasons and isn't even very complete but here's the rest of the blurb that google matched to the search

nice to know it wasn't just me who thought the sunset setting is romantically coded.

steve and danny assigned not just romantic, impossibly romantic by google/TVtropes and the universe from the pilot. (not to mention the whole they dig each other bit)

[a4everfangirl]

Tonight’s episode left me with a sinking feeling, especially those last 5 minutes, and this is all I can think about for how they’re going to wrap up Steve’s story.

Steve is sick. Steve is SICK. He’s not sleeping, he’s pacing at night, he’s waxing poetic about sunsets and taking things for granted. Danny thinks Steve’s doing worse than he was when Danny first moved in right after everything went down with Steve’s mom so whatever it is is BAD. They’re gonna give him fucking cancer from diffusing that dirty bomb. It hasn’t come up in ages and they’ve been sleeping on it waiting for the “right” time to be like “hey, remember that time Steve got radiation poisoning that they said was most likely gonna be an issue later in his life? Guess what? It’s later.”

They’re going to end the series with him “retiring”, telling the team he’s just tired and wanting to pass on the legacy, likely making Adam leader to get him back on the team, and after a big party with the ohana it’ll just be him and Danny on the beach in their chairs and he’ll finally tell Danny and Danny will promise to stay with him through it all and we’ll be left with the ambiguity of how long Steve has and never knowing how much of their retirement they got to spend together but we’ll know they spent it together because no way will Steve start a relationship with someone with this sword hanging over him and no way will Danny start a relationship while Steve is alone and sick, he’ll make Steve his priority and it’ll be CBS’s way of giving us McDanno without GIVING US MCDANNO. Y’all, I so desperately want to be wrong but I just can’t shake the terrible feeling that this is how this is all gonna go down.

[angelealias]

#Feelings A couple of old guys sitting on a beach, watching sunsets. That sounds very great to us Steve & Danny are the So, no matter the end tonight In fans hearts, the ONLY viable finale is #McDanno #Forever We can do that. #H50 #FinalAloha

[he-is-lightning-in-a-bottle]

I get your angst, and I understand your feelings. I had my own share of feeling similarly last night after I let Tumblr spoil the ending for me.

But then I watched the episode.

And, honestly, what more did I expect?

I already *knew* McDanno wasn't going to be explicitly canon (we all did).

I already *knew* we'd all need to write and read a bunch of fix-it fics to give us the ending we deserved (we all did).

I already *knew* that Lenkov was going to give us lots of McDanno fic fodder. He's been doing it ALL SEASON LONG. The implied bed sharing. The fact that Danny just... moves in with Steve because he doesn't want him to be alone (even though Junior is literally RIGHT THERE). The fact that Danny's STILL living with him at the end of the season. The implied co-parenting as Steve attends Charlie's parent-teacher conference alongside Danny. The way Steve can't date a woman without saying he loves Danny and is basically married to him. The way both Steve and Danny explicitly agree with each other that their dream ending is the two of them retired old men sitting on their beach watching sunsets together. The fic fodder kept coming, all season long.

I also already *knew* that Alex didn't renew his contract as a season regular and that Lenkov was setting things up to write Steve off the show. It's why we were introduced to Lincoln (who would have been his replacement, had the show kept going) and why Steve's been hinting about needing a trip for the last month or more.

And I already *knew* that they literally didn't find out the show wouldn't be renewed until they were filming the last episode. And guess who'd already wrapped all his shooting like a month before that because of his weird ass limited filming schedule (Scott Caan, that's who)?

So that means I also knew that we wouldn't get a good Danny finale, because the last scene he shot was meant to carry him over into a potential season 11 storyline. I figured he'd do what Jerry did, get better in the first couple of episodes of season 11 then retire from 5-0. (Because Scott Caan has had one foot out the door since season 4, and only kept sticking around because Alex did.)

It also means that Lenkov didn't have the power to change very much of the finale, as they'd basically wrapped filming already. It'd be interesting to ask what he changed/added, but I think he maybe added Steve saying goodbye to Eddie (telling him to take care of Danno) and the Steve getting a text from Danny on the plane (so that the beach hug wouldn't be their end). Maybe Cat was his last minute addition? But I think not. I think he'd always planned for the season to end with Steve flying off (to explain his absence at the beginning of season 11), and I think he didn't want Steve to fly off alone as that would be a disservice to the character. Being the big McRoll stan that he is, it makes sense he'd give them an ambiguous ending that could be interpreted as hopeful. But IT WAS AMBIGUOUS. There was no I love you exchanged, no kiss, no talk of the future. She clearly surprised him, and he was clearly in need of a friend, so.

I'm not trying to tell people how they should feel, and I agree Lenkov is doing a poor job interacting with disappointed fans right now.

I just feel like we got a pretty good ending for it not being planned to be THE ending, and I feel like it left us with SO MUCH POTENTIAL for beautiful fics.

[h50europe]

Incorrect quotes by McDanno

Danny: Hello, Steve!

Steve: Hello, Danny, what's up?

Danny: Just call to tell you, I wanna ride into the sunset with you.

Steve: So, you like horses?

Danny: Nope...

[heat-starved]

So, I watched the series finale of Hawaii 5-0 last night, and honestly, the last five minutes of Lou Grover was me for most of the episode.

I had seen some spoilers, so I vaguely knew about Cath, and I knew about Danny getting hurt, but I didn't know they were going to go as far as they did with his injuries, and I didn't know that they were gonna end it so ambiguously.

I cried for about twenty minutes during the whole search and rescue for Danny, not because I thought they were going to kill Scott, or leave Danny irreversible changed, I cried at the thought of Steve having to go through yet another close friend/family member's death.

I cannot believe that Mary and her little girl made it through the whole series with the way they were treating people who were close to Steve as inevitable plot points who's only purpose was to provide another weight that Steve had to carry.

Did John have to die? Maybe, because what else would have gotten Steve home?

Did Doris have to die? Probably not, but at the end there, I really didn't care if she lived or died with how much she jerked Steve around over the years.

Did Joe have to die? Absolutely not, especially because the way they set it up would have had Steve inadvertently blaming himself for Joe's death for the rest of his life.

Could they have killed Danny? If they were ever thinking of doing another season or a spin-off, no. Because if they would have killed Danny, while Steve was already thinking of leaving, and while he was already thinking of everyone else that he had lost in those ten years...

He would have killed himself.

I know it's not something we want to think about or even entertain, but people can only take so much, and losing Danny the same way he lost his dad would have killed him, I have no doubt.

So was the series finale perfect? No.

Did Cath need to show up at the last second for no reason? No.

Did they even need to intro Lincoln to 'replace' Steve like he's never coming back with how vague that ending was? No. (Also, isn't that dude in Macgyver as a completely different dude, and aren't H50 and Macgyver in the same universe? So how would that even???)

But am I glad that I got to go for this ten year ride and meet these amazing characters that I will love and cherish for the rest of time?

Hell yes.

Side note: I know there's a lot of things going on that have to do with queerbaiting and the fact that Lenkov basically shite in the faces of everyone who stuck with the series because they thought that McDanno was endgame, and it made total sense from the viewer perspective that they would let Steve and Danny run off into the sunset together, and I know it hurts a lot, but what were we expecting, honestly?

For those of you who have been through Sterek, or have any ships where two people seem perfect for each other, but the writers only write them into situations where it looks like they could get together, just for the sake of keeping their audience, but will never do it because they're the same sex; I feel you.

Do I wish that was different? Hell yes.

But luckily for us the show is over now, so fanfic writers, those of you that thrive off of fix-its? You guys now have the opportunity to make whatever world you want out of non-canon material, and in that world Steve and Danny can ride off into the sunset and never looked back.