Masi Oka in Hawaii Five-0

I know I did not mention it last year when when Masi Oka would appear in Hawaii Five-O as I did not know just how recurring his character, coroner Dr. Max Bergman, would be. But I spotted his name in the the opening credits and am so pleased he’s now regular cast.

In the season premiere, we got to see much more of Max as it was in his house Steve McGarrett sought refuge when he was wounded and escaped from prison. I cannot remember all character details revealed in the first season but you can imagine that being a coroner is lonely work that one could develop a quirky personality. Within a couple of scenes, Max was firmly endearing to me from wearing a unabashedly green button-up shirt which lead McGarrett to call him “Kermit”, his geeky vanity plates (I cannot remember exactly what), and the Original Series Enterprise figure on his keychain.

While the Five-0 task force was just four strong throughout the first season, at the end of the season premiere, a few more people have joined to handle the case load. And I must say I like how the task force is rounding out. Masi Oka as Max Bergman. In the second episode, Officer Lori Weston played by Lauren Germann is assigned by the new governor to make sure the task force plays by the rules. And for a while Jenna Kaye, played by Larisa Oleynik, was a honorary member although it looks like she is a mole for the triad….

Recently I saw the Gilmore Girls episode (season 2) where Masi Oka plays an unnamed college student at Harvard when Rory drops into a class. Of course, I watched him rise to fame like a meteor in Heroes. And, best of all, I think in my parents’ home we still have that 1987 issue of Time magazine where he is a cover child for a cover article about “Those Asian-American Whiz Kids”!