Rescue: HI-Surf – Season 1 Episode 1 Recap & Review

Pilot

Rescue: HI-Surf Season 1 episode 1 takes us to the North Shore of O’ahu, where we meet a team of lifeguards. Their job is to save lives on one of the most dangerous stretches of coastline in the world.

The team is led by Sonny. He is still grieving the death of a close family member. His second in command is Emily, the only woman on the team. We also have Will, who used to date Emily and lastly, we have Laka, the player.

Episode 1 starts strong, with Emily saving a young tourist boy who loses his balance while surfing. After the team rescues the boy, they hand him over to the paramedics standing by.

Emily is worried about Sonny and tries to prepare together with him for their recertification. As a tradition, the team drops by the training centre on the last day of training. They usually watch the trainees compete and the winner gets to pick which unit she wants to join.

Emily is immediately taken by the only female trainee, Hina. She feels elated when Hina wins and chooses her team. However, Hina loses her spot to the son of a politician. Although Kainalu came second, his dad bribes Sonny to accept him into the team.

Sonny argues that Kainalu’s dad is their hope to get the financial support they need. He is certain that once the man becomes mayor, he will look after them. Emily is pissed but tries to give Sonny the benefit of the doubt.

Meanwhile, we learn that Will is planning to become a firefighter. Emily asks if it is because of her and he says it is not. He has moved on and has been engaged to someone else for two years.

However, he later confesses to Emily that his fiancée is uncomfortable with them working together and is also not happy to see Will leave. Still, this doesn’t affect him much. He still has the time to flirt with the new paramedics and the beautiful girls visiting the beach.

The following day, Kainalu officially reports for duty. The team tries to be cordial but doesn’t hide their disapproval of him. As the day progresses, the team saves two boys who are in the sea looking for lost valuable items.

Kainalu makes a mistake and calls the paramedics to the wrong location. This forces the team to carry the boy to the other side of the beach and waste valuable time. Sonny takes the blame and covers for Kainalu. He and Emily get into a huge fight and he insists on doing things his way.

Later, Emily tells one of her friends that she is worried that Sonny is having a hard time after the loss of his nephew. Sonny has been making a lot of questionable decisions. The scene cuts to Sonny paying tribute to his nephew at the beach. He is distraught and feels he let his nephew down. He is also sad since his sister blames him for their loss.

The following day, Kainalu reports to work but everyone is giving him the side-eye. The Chief calls Sonny to scold him but still approves the funding request for a new tower and an additional hire. Sonny believes it is because the Chief knows Kainalu’s dad will be the next mayor. Sonny requests Hina and Emily is pleased. She drives to pick Hina up and introduces her to the team the next day.

The team warmly welcomes Hina and takes photos with the family of the boy they rescued at the beginning of the episode. Kainalu also welcomes Hina and says it is good to have her there.

However, she asks if he is sure, causing the others to tease Kainalu. The episode ends with Sonny and Emily practising for their recertification. It looks like Sonny still has it and Emily will have to wait a little longer to be captain.

The Episode Review

This was a nice introduction episode to the characters of the show. We already know who will bring the drama and what to expect. I am already excited to see the enemy-to-lovers arc between Kainalu and Hina.

It will also be interesting to meet Will’s fiancée. It makes sense why she feels insecure with Will and Emily working so closely together. The way Will looks at Emily is a bit telling. Is he still in love with her? She also doesn’t seem like she has moved on from him.

We also have Sonny, who is grieving. The death of his nephew has rocked the family. His daughter is partying it up hard to get through the pain. Sonny is making questionable decisions, and his sister is avoiding him.

Hopefully, he will find a way through the pain. It won’t necessarily get better, but it might get less consuming if they talk to someone.