McGarrett, the Compassionate Cop

Steve McGarrett was known as the compassionate cop, the cop who cares.  Nowhere do we see evidence of this better than in “Strangers in Our Own Land” (Season 1).

 

A department store bookkeeper, Lester Willoughby (Milton Selzer), comes into the Five-0 office and claims to have killed state land commissioner Nathan Manu (Lord Kaulili). He claims to have done so under a contract with a mainland mob due to Manu owing $75,000 in gambling debt. When asked why he came to Five-0, he claims to need protection from the mob, himself. After all, as would be said in Season 8, “loose ends get hit,” and Lester Willoughby was a loose end – or so he said.

 

It did not take long for McGarrett and Danno to uncover the truth. As McGarrett said, “You no more killed Nathan Manu than I did.” Willoughby said he threw a paper bag containing the bomb through the open car window. In actual fact, the bomb was contained in a briefcase, which the man who delivered it handed to Mr. Manu through the open window. Willoughby also said he got Mrs. Manu (Ann Barton) out of the car before the blast by telling her that she had a telephone call; in actual fact, Mrs. Manu was not at the airport when the incident occurred.

 

McGarrett uncovered the fact that Lester Willoughby had come to the Islands in search of a more exciting life – except that the life of a bookkeeper is just as routine and ordinary in Hawaii as it is anywhere else.

 

As Danno was about to escort Lester Willoughby to Queens Hospital for psychiatric evaluation, Willoughby explained his actions by saying, “For once in my life, I wanted people to notice me. I wanted people to know who Lester Willoughby was. You understand?”

 

McGarrett replied with an understanding smile and a nod that showed enormous compassion for a very lonely man.

 

How many other television detectives do we know who would respond in that manner? None that I can think of. Most would say something like, “Get him outta here” and, after the door closed behind Willoughby, would mutter some unkind words.

 

McGarrett was a cut above, and “Strangers in Our Own Land,” which was the second episode in the first season, showed exactly that.