After last weekend’s fabulous “Hawaii Five-0” Sunset on the Beach event, fans around the world have started their final — and long awaited — countdown to the television broadcast of the “Hawaii Five-0” season six opener. Not to worry, friends, it’s only a few more days until McGarrett (Alex O’Loughlin), Danno (Scott Caan), Chin (Daniel Dae Kim), Kono (Grace Park), as well as the rest of the Five-0 crew return to our small screens.

Many loyal viewers were thrilled to be able to attend the special red carpet event on Sept. 12 and meet their favorite stars after they walked the red carpet. From the looks of the great pics, it was obvious that everyone loved the fact that the cast came out to meet the thousands of fans lining Waikīkī Beach.

Yet for those who did not get a chance to fly in for the weekend and enjoy the event, I hope you all were brave enough to read the Pulse’s review of the episode. Of course, there’s a big spoiler alert, but if you can’t wait until next Friday’s return of “Five-0,” then check out the review.

If you are determined to see season six begin to unfold in front of your eyes without reading reviews or social media spoilers, then you may need a bit of a refresher before Friday’s television premiere. This week, CBS replayed the season five finale to remind us how things left off.

So before we watch ”Mai Hoʻoni i ka Wai Lana Mālie” (“Do Not Disturb the Water That is Tranquil”), let’s check in where we left off with each of our favorite characters before we head into another 25-episode season.

MCGARRETT FACES MOM, MARRIAGE

We left McG in a bit of a relationship quandary. Yes, his relationship with Danno is as strong as ever, as both men had been though quite a lot together in season five. And while he’s made peace with his sister, Mary Ann (Taryn Manning, who is doing time on “Orange is the New Black”), his mother (Christine Lahti) is still in the wind.

After all the questions McG was left with when he killed Wo Fat (Mark Dacascos), McGarrett still needs closure on the story of Momma McG. His relationship with Joe White (Terry O’Quinn) has mellowed, and while there’s still a level of distrust of Joe, after he helped the team get Danny out of prison, McG seems to have re-embraced their relationship.

Yet the elephant in the room seems to be his relationship with Catherine (Michelle Borth) and where they stand as a couple. The end of season five left us with the two trying to talk to each other about the fate of their togetherness, and this has creeped into season six. If you have seen the promos on CBS you know McGarrett is going to ask Cath to marry him, so the question is, will Catherine say yes?

It’s an interesting question as pre-season spoilers have indicated “Falling Skies” actress Sarah Carter will be a recurring cast member this season as the new love interest for McG.

So what does that mean about McGarrett’s marriage question? I suppose we will find out within the first few episodes. Still however that goes, we know that if nothing else McG’s relationship within the Five-0 crew is as strong as ever, and If we can keep McGarrett and Danno together for a majority of the season, everyone will be more than satisfied.

DANNO DEALS WITH DADDY ISSUES

So now that Danno has gotten closure on what happened to his brother, Matt, and dealt with the repercussions of killing Marco Reyes (Anthony Ruivivar), his life should return to relative normal, right? So the drama surrounding Danno and his ex-wife Rachel (Claire van der Boom), and the fact that she has basically lied to him about the truth about their son Charlie for the last three years, I guess should not come to us as a surprise.

Really, Danno having a mellow, drama-free life only happens in alternate realities with aloha shirts and goodbye hugs.

So when Rachel dropped the double-bomb about Charlie being his son and about his illness in “Luapoʻi” (“Prey”), I think we all knew that Danno will, of course, help his child and work to create a bond with him this next season. I can only hope that he can also find some peace with Rachel in order to keep his relationship with his now teenage daughter, Grace (Teilor Grubbs), as strong as we have seen it to be.

We also don’t really know what this means for his relationship with Melissa (Lili Simmons), and while it seems that they were really great before Rachel re-entered the picture, no matter which relationship he chooses, we really just want him to be happy. Let’s hope that can happen on some level for our intrepid Danno.

CHIN’S NEW NEMESIS

Where Chin left off last season, with a gun and a brother-in-law on his case, was not the way we like to see our best man. Chin is our big gun, the big brother in the team, the one who always has everyone’s back.

So when he is targeted, the entire team is really effected. Think of what happened to his wife, Malia (Reiko Aylesworth) and Kono when Frank Delano (William Baldwin) wanted to torture him? So now that Gabriel (Christopher Sean) is back and seems to want Chin to bless his return, we know that Chin, and everyone he loves, is in danger.

If you’ve read the season spoilers, you know that Gabriel will terrorize Chin by torturing beloved cousin Kono and her new husband Adam (Ian Anthony Dale). You might also know that Chin will have a new love interest this season, when actress Julie Benz will guest star as a visiting detective from San Francisco. Fans wondered what happened to his last girlfriend, but Lindsay Price, who played Leilani, had a baby last September, so I think that is why she has not been on the show since season four.

I’m sure we’ll all love to see Chin find a steady girl, but with a detective from San Francisco, it may not last more than a few episodes. That’s just my guess, and not any insider information. Let’s just hope Chin gets a bit of happily-ever-after for once in his life.

KONO AS A MARRIED WOMAN

So it looks like the start of Kono and Adam’s marriage will be as rocky as their courtship. I guess we all knew it as going to be hard for the son of a Yakuza boss to marry a cop, but I always believe in love conquering all.

Since Adam fished Kono out of the ocean and saved her life in season three, to the moment when Kono found Adam hiding out as an anonymous dish washer in season four, I’ve loved their star-crossed romance. The only reason I read the season six spoilers was to find out for sure that they were going to be married, because season five left me with a tiny bit of a cliffhanger.

While I am not a fan of the thought that Gabriel will terrorize our new couple, and that Adam’s past will return to bite them back again, I am a fan of seeing Ian Anthony Dale return to the “Five-0” ʻohana. Iʻd love him to become a series regular. He certainly has paid his dues. And wouldn’t it be lovely for one of our team to have a strong and steady relationship?

Bottom line is folks, I’d like to see lots of action this season — with a balance of happiness and healthy relationships. Let’s let the police procedurals bring the drama, and leave the Five-0 team to bask in the glow of love and aloha for a few episodes. The bad guys will always be around to keep things interesting.

REDUX SIDE NOTE

During last weekend’s red carpet festivities, “Hawaii Five-0” actor Dennis Chun, who plays Sgt. Duke Lukela, sent me pictures and messages via text.

“Saturday was truly magical,” he said later by phone. “It was an extraordinary evening. And the fact that the skies cleared was amazing. I’m just always humbled by the fan’s aloha. They make this journey special.”
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Wendie Burbridge is a published author, playwright and teacher. Reach her via Facebook and follow her on Twitter.