Reviewer Rating: 4.2/5.0
4.2
Lifeguards on Rescue: HI-Surf Season 1 Episode 5 saw the biggest wave in years, but it also brought another tragedy.
So far, the series has shown what it means to be a lifeguard in dangerous waters. But so far, lifeguards have managed to pull everyone out of the water, allowing them to live to see another day.
Unfortunately, that record came to a shocking end.
The big waves meant Sonny and the team had to go all out. The beach is closed and only experienced surfers are allowed out.
There was tension and nervousness in the air, even for those who had worked like this the day before. When everyone knew about the dangers of the ocean, he didn’t act like it was no big deal.
Raka may have played with Kainaru to his extreme, but when it came time to treat the water and keep people safe, it was all business.
Waves are no joke and can cause numerous injuries to even the most experienced surfers. You can do everything on the water and still find yourself caught in the wrong wave at the wrong time.
They’re very lucky with the injuries and rescues they have to make over time, mostly because they don’t leave anyone on the water.
Sonny decides to bring Orson’s little boyfriend to the surface and nearly bites him again, but Noah only suffers a broken nose, lost teeth, and a bruised ego.
We’ve seen the tumultuous relationship between Sonny and Ocean, not much, but enough to know that it exists. They were all still grieving the loss of Zion, and the last thing Sonny wanted to see was for the person his daughter was carrying to get hurt.
Even if he only became aware of Noah’s presence that afternoon.
Sonny has accomplished a lot this season, but he knows exactly what he is doing on the water. He’s captain for a reason, it’s not like we haven’t seen him be good at his job, but we’ve seen him distracted at times.
We saw that he was a little uncomfortable, but he was as focused and determined as we could see to keep people safe, knowing what kind of day his team was going to go through.
Em’s absence as his lieutenant seemed a little confusing to him when she first told him she had the day off, and I fully expected her to give in and help.
Will would have loved that, because he’d spent most of the day looking at Em, talking to Em, and just being around Em.
This hour was probably the first time I fully understood why his fiancée wanted him to get up and quit that job, because he can’t even help himself when it comes to things Em cares about. Now, of course, he’s still doing his job, but if there’s any opportunity to connect with his ex, he’ll definitely take it.
Will remains an enigma compared to the others, which makes it difficult to invest in this pairing because we know so little about it.
What does Will like to do? What made him want to be a lifeguard? What’s his favorite color?
I would do anything at this point.
On the other hand, we know enough about Em to know that she lives and breathes a lifesaver. She obviously plans to become captain one day, and she’s dedicated so much of her life to her job that there doesn’t seem to be much else for her to do.
They’ve been preparing for Em and Sonny’s showdown since The Rescue: HI-Surf Season 1 Episode 1, and it’s finally here, but in a way I didn’t expect.
When the day is over and things seem to be going well, that doesn’t mean there won’t be people on the water, and it’s a good thing that some of them decide to stay.
When Sheena told Sonny she wanted to ski rescue, I knew it was going to happen at some point that day. With Laka’s approval, she was ready to play.
Of course, hindsight is 20/20, but Sheena has proven she has the skills and smarts to get out there. I believe anyone on the team would vouch for her, not just Laka.
She’s new, but she’s proven herself more than capable of holding her own and, perhaps most importantly, keeping her cool.
I can’t imagine the adrenaline rush of being in the surf and having to make split-second decisions while also respecting the open water in front of you.
Sonny and Sheena make a good team, but when they try to rescue Rocky, things go so wrong.
Poor Loki kept popping up in random places this hour and I should have guessed what was going to happen. But I didn’t see it coming at all.
When the wave swept away nearly all the surfers, Rocky was sprained and unable to resurface on his own.
During some rescues it can sometimes feel like things are moving so slowly, you forget how big the ocean is.
Loki struggled underwater, but no one saw him. Sonny and Sheena discovered him as he floated on the water.
Sonny and Sheena have a few seconds to get in and catch Rocky before another wave arrives and they may lose his sight forever. They get there in plenty of time, but everything happens so fast that Loki is gone before he’s actually under Sheena’s protection.
From that point on, hell breaks loose and Sheena nearly dies.
She was acting on instinct and emotion, which is normal human behavior. Yes, she disobeyed Sonny’s orders, but in that moment, she felt like she could still help and do her job.
But that’s not the case, and I can understand Sonny’s frustration. However, I can also understand why Sheena did this. She already felt bad enough that she didn’t need to scream in front of the whole team.
Sonny has been out of his mind from the moment we met him, and I don’t envy his situation. He had to be the one to tell Loki’s family, and he had to live the rest of his life in grief, guilt, and what-ifs.
But so does Sheena.
Em is right to tell Sonny everything about himself because he’s been needing a wake-up call for a while. People have been wary of his feelings, and for good reason, but his ability to lead his people responsibly has been compromised, and well, you can’t simply sit back and let that happen.
I dare say he needs to do more than just put things together, but it’s certainly a start.
My heart truly broke when Sheena broke down in front of Sonny and no one wanted to comfort her.
She needed Kainaru’s hug more than anything else. She must have given some people a complete meltdown, and this physical comfort probably helped her avoid having a complete meltdown in the middle of the living room.
Speaking of Kainaroo, he spent an hour being his father’s dutiful little son until he had enough. I always hoped there was more to Kainaroo than meets the eye, and I still think that’s true.
Dad Emerson told his son more than once that everything he did for him was to keep him in line, and when Kainaru finally fought back, it was a big moment for him because you could tell it was Something he had never done before.
He was used to smiling and doing what was asked of him, but it was clear that his father forcing him to give up his job on the day the team needed him seemed to be the final straw.
Now, Dad doesn’t look happy with Kainaru’s decision to give up the car and start paying rent, and I have a feeling he won’t be content to let Kainaru go easily.
Dad Emerson clearly needed to build an image, and Kainaru was part of that. I expect more friction between father and son as the season continues, and I’m here for Kainaru’s Rebellion!
Additional rescue instructions
- I noticed that sometimes there was at least one super random scene in an episode. This week’s topic is the battle that broke up Will and Raca.
- I believe that when Raqqa and Zhan have the proper dialogue, they will become an important character.
- How many more episodes are there before Will and Em admit how far apart they are from each other? I give it three.
It’s a heavy moment, but probably one of the best since the show premiered.
Let me know how you felt after this in the comments so we can discuss!
You can watch Rescue HI-Surf every Monday at 9/8c on FOX.
Watch Rescue HI: Surf Online
