Act One
A man (Dane Clark) stands at the front desk of an apartment building waiting on another man (Jack Denton) calling the apartment Sergeant Cooper wants to visit. The man explains he just spoke to Mrs. Chadway (Alice Lemon) and Colonel Chadway (Morgan Sha'an) isn't in. The man offers Jesse to leave a message but Jesse knows he saw Colonel Chadway walk into the building. When he's not getting anywhere with the guy at the front desk, Jesse walks to the elevator to go to the apartment, 403, himself. Waiting on the elevator Jesse pushes the front desk guy away from him who then goes to call the police.
HPD responds to the scene with the two officers talking to the front desk guy. The first officer (Dennis Chun) tells his partner Frank (Bernard C.K. Ching) that he'll take it trying "friendly persuasion". Meantime, Jesse makes it to 403 only to be stopped by Mrs. Chadway who tries her best to tell Jesse the Colonel isn't home. She has the door open enough that the chain allows but she slams it shut on Jesse's fingers throwing him back into the officer. The pair wrestles in the hallway with a gunshot being fired! Downstairs, Frank runs upstairs with his gun drawn to find out what happened. Jesse slowly gets up as the officer remains motionless with the gun in his hand going to the elevator but the front desk guy shuts off the power to it keeping it on the second floor. In a near panic, Jesse grabs the ammunition belt off the fallen officer running into the stairwell where he sees a teenaged girl (Linda Purl) who is playing with a kid but passes them running downstairs only to be forced back upstairs with Frank closing in on him. Jesse turns around, snatches the girl and they run up to the fifth floor while Frank stops on the 4th floor.
Colonel Chadway steps out of his apartment telling Frank to hold his fire. Frank kneels beside his partner telling Colonel Chadway to call an ambulance and he already has. Frank asks where Jesse is and Colonel Chadway doesn't know right when they hear three shots above them. Jesse shoots his way into an apartment dragging the girl inside with him.
More HPD units show up as McGarrett drives to the scene at 1109 Euclid with Chin in the passenger seat. The Oahu Civil Defense truck shows up too. As the ambulance drives away, HPD Captain Glover (Scott Brady) instructs residents of the apartment building to stay in their apartments through a bullhorn. At the same time, the front desk guy calls as many residents as possible to stay in their apartments. As Captain Glover continues his instructions, Duke (Herman Wedemeyer) and two HPD officers talk to the little boy who was in the stairwell with the girl. Duke reports to Captain Glover they believe the boy is saying "Ruth" not "roof" and that Jesse may have a hostage. Captain Glover comes unglued on Duke saying there is no hostage because no one has seen a hostage.
McGarrett and Five-O arrive with Duke saying they have a cop shooter in apartment 523 that is the far right window. When McGarrett asks if he's holding anyone, Duke answers a teen girl but Captain Glover cuts him off. Captain Glover doesn't want the shooter thinking he has the entire department pinned down and is about to give an ultimatum when McGarrett stops him telling the captain they'll check for the hostage first. McGarrett tells Danno to get Officer Pearson (Chuck Couch) into position and Frank (Douglas Mossman) follows to help in that endeavor. He then asks Chin to try "the pole bit" from the adjacent apartment. McGarrett then asks for a patch to the apartment switchboard asking how Officer Wade, the one shot by Jesse, is doing. Captain Glover answers, "critical". McGarrett asks about ammo and Captain Glover goes to check.
In apartment 523, Jesse reloads the gun then looks down at the gathering crowd. He then struggles to close the apartment door and blocks it with a chair; all the while Ruth stands by. Outside, McGarrett talks to Ben to confirm some information including Ruth's name. The front desk guy says the girl doesn't live in the building and Ben's mother is "kind of a flake". McGarrett tells him to talk to the families with children and see if anyone knows a babysitter named Ruthie.
At another apartment, Danno and Frank help Pearson put on his flak vest with Danno telling him he has no choice when Pearson tries to resist. Meantime, Chin moves a mirror outside the apartment to hopefully have a look inside with no success. Colonel Chadway approaches McGarrett and Captain Glover with McGarrett telling him they a preliminary identification of Jesse Cooper. Colonel Chadway verifies he's the man they're dealing with and the colonel was his commanding officer (CO). McGarrett wants Jesse's personnel file and Colonel Chadway leaves to make that happen.
In apartment 523, Jesse moves a desk into a defensive position to protect the door. Jesse forces Ruth to sit on the couch while Pearson moves into position to see if Ruth is actually in the apartment with Jesse. Danno tells him "no heroics". Jesse tries to write out his demands struggling to do so as the crowd grows larger. Pearson reports "a young girl" is in the apartment and she's looking right at him. Jesse looks up at Ruth noticing she's looking at something and starts shooting! Pearson falls but he's roped so he doesn't fall to the ground. Jesse then turns the gun on the crowd emptying it of rounds including taking out a squad car strobe light!
Act Two
Danno and Frank pull Pearson back inside as he's been shot in the shoulder but he tells them he's okay. Danno radios down to McGarrett on the latest. McGarrett acknowledges the report and tells him they'll set up on the fifth floor. Duke is in the front of the defense truck, used as a command center. McGarrett orders him to get some flak vests and take them to Danno on the fifth floor after telling Captain Glover to get some men to bring a heavy table to Danno so they can set up. Captain Glover wants to take Jesse out right now because of the hostage and the two tangle again. However, McGarrett is tired of Captain Glover's attitude and tactics becoming hostile with Captain Glover explaining the number of lives at stake. McGarrett yells his order at Captain Glover to get the table up on the fifth floor "on the double!" McGarrett radios Danno to let him know the table is on the way trying to calm himself after his confrontation. Colonel Chadway enters the truck with a bunch of handwritten notes passing them to McGarrett explaining St. Louis Records Center was sending the rest. McGarrett notices Jesse was in combat at 15 because he lied about his age, receiving several high medals and there was a court-martial. Being his former CO, Colonel Chadway feels like he can give Jesse an order and he'll surrender. McGarrett asks Colonel Chadway if he was in his apartment when Jesse called up and he admits he was explaining Jesse had been stopping by his health club mooching money. Colonel Chadway tries to explain Jesse has always been a little off being "excitable" but McGarrett only wants two things from Colonel Chadway: memories of battles they were in together with things Jesse would remember and to stay out of the way. McGarrett feels Colonel Chadway had a chance to talk to Jesse but blew it and if he forces the issue, Jesse could take it out on Ruth.
KGMB-TV mobile van arrives on the scene as Jesse continues to work on his list. Ruth asks if she can turn on the TV but Jesse yells at her, "no!" He tells her to stop whining and "shut up" but she says she's not whining.
As McGarrett exits the command truck; he shakes his head at the TV van. Chin walks up to McGarrett introducing Mrs. Martin (Joan K. Young) who is Ruth's mother. McGarrett wants to know about Ruth: she's bright, emotionally stable and maybe cool in a crisis. Mrs. Martin goes on saying Ruth is a competitive swimmer and she's on the debate team. As McGarrett gleans this information, Jesse polishes off a milk bottle putting his demands into it and throwing it out the window. McGarrett runs over to the note as Captain Glover picks it up. Jesse wants a parachute, an Army plane, clothes with a suit and tie, shoes and $500 cash. McGarrett takes the note running inside and ordering Chin to stay with communications.
McGarrett makes it to the fifth floor where Danno and Frank are taking covering behind the table on its side. They've already tried talking to Jesse with no success pointing out the door won't stay shut and there's a chair propped against it. McGarrett tries to get Jesse to open up and makes a little progress with Jesse responding: get the stuff he wants and stop talking! Frank wants to try to get the door further open and McGarrett agrees. As Frank goes to retrieve a short pole, McGarrett tries to open a rapport with Jesse telling him they have a call into the Air Force for a plane. He explains Jesse probably has more experience with the military than they do.
Captain Glover radios up with Danno passing the radio to McGarrett: he has Richard Holden (James Kahoano Jr.) an applicant with HPD who is willing to trade places with Ruth. McGarrett tells them to chill for now because that's the last thing any of them need.
Frank returns with a pole and they come up with a plan for Frank's approach with Danno suggesting they ring the apartment. McGarrett tells Chin if Jesse answers it to tell him they're working on his clothes. Frank makes his move into the hallway as Danno covers him with his rifle. The phone starts ringing and Jesse eventually rips the wire out of the wall. Jesse then focuses on the door seeing Frank in the mirror! As Frank tries to push the door open, Jesse fires two shots hitting the mirror. As the door swings open, Jesse has Ruth in front of him with the gun yelling to close the door!
Act Three
Frank retreats back to the table saying Ruth didn't even look scared but Jesse is scared. Chin calls up saying the parachute and some of the clothing is on scene. McGarrett asks Jesse how he wants to handle it with Ruth telling him McGarrett is trying to be nice. Jesse agrees to them trying to push the stuff into the door but not trying to do anything funny. He then tells Ruth to see if there's coffee in the kitchen. As McGarrett and Danno prep the clothes to drop them at the door, Danno sees Holden in the hall and tackles him around the corner. McGarrett is not pleased trying to figure out if Captain Glover sent him up but he entered on his own. After they secured Holden, McGarrett tells Danno to get people on the roof and in the apartment below to ascertain Jesse and Ruth's positions in the apartment with directional microphones. He then takes Holden back downstairs.
Ruth found some coffee but it's instant and hard in the jar. However, she uses the trick her mom uses to make a cup for Jesse. She is able to get Jesse to drop his guard, at least temporarily. Meantime, McGarrett shoves Holden toward Chin telling him to keep Holden out of the way. Colonel Chadway has been working on his part with six pages saying he could write 20 more. After getting the pages from Colonel Chadway McGarrett looks at the crowd telling Chin to clear everyone out. At the front of the truck, Mrs. Martin fears for her daughter asking McGarrett if he believes she's been molested. McGarrett is taken off guard thanks to Captain Glover again who told Mrs. Martin Jesse has a "sex offense" on his record. McGarrett asks what charge but Captain Glover doesn't know but McGarrett does setting Captain Glover on the task. He then apologizes to Mrs. Martin telling her all their efforts is to get Ruth out.
McGarrett returns to the fifth floor with Danno reporting the crews are in place and they can hear Jesse breathing. As McGarrett calls out he directs his conversation to Ruth and they're able to pinpoint her position. McGarrett keeps going making up a story he met Art Flores at a convention in L.A. Art was Jesse's buddy and they worked construction on the mainland after the war. Jesse begins opening up telling McGarrett a story about a bullet going through Art's helmet liner with McGarrett sharing that happened to a buddy of his in Korea and he served in the Navy during that war. Jesse gives the Navy a hard time until McGarrett reminds him it was good until the ship sunk under them. They keep talking with McGarrett suggesting some food with Jesse agreeing.
Walking downstairs, McGarrett talks to Mrs. Martin explaining a VA psychiatrist shared that Jesse is having emotional and family problems but isn't prone to violence. McGarrett tells her as long as no one triggers him, they'll make it and Ruth is being cool under pressure. As McGarrett walks away from the command truck, Wiley Sheppard (David Palmer) introduces himself along with Mrs. Cooper (Wisa D'Orso) and Reverend Craighill (Edward Sheehan). Before they go any further, McGarrett asks Captain Glover about the charge against Jesse and he says it was "a bum report". The trio is pushy about Jesse and wanting to talk to him but McGarrett is skeptical asking when the last time Mrs. Cooper lived with Jesse as husband and wife or the last time the reverend tried to truly counsel Jesse or the last time he was in church. McGarrett tells Sheppard what he can do with his plans because if these people were serious about their communications with Jesse the situation wouldn't be happening. Suddenly, three shots are fired with everyone scrambling for cover. McGarrett runs for the fifth floor.
Act Four
On the fifth floor, Danno briefs what happened: Holden waltzed down the hallway telling Jesse to take him and let Ruth go before Danno could stop him. Once at the door, Jesse shot Holden with Holden pulled around the corner. McGarrett I every which way ticked because this was the trigger they didn't need! Frank and an HPD officer take him to the stairs as Frank takes the headset from Danno who confers with McGarrett around the corner. McGarrett vents because police departments everywhere pool their intelligence and experience to devise the best way to resolve these hostage situations but some "idiot" will try something every time. What's worse, McGarrett noticed how much Holden got a kick from being shot. Danno takes it all in as McGarrett cools off.
Jesse goes through the clothes delivered and starts to change making Ruth go into the closet. The crews pick up the movement with Chin calling up to Danno saying one of them left the room and the TV has been turned on. Danno listens in having a tough time picking up movement. McGarrett hands Danno the cash to have him count it again because they can't afford to have that wrong. McGarrett tries to get Jesse talking again with Danno confirming all the cash is there. McGarrett tells Jesse they have the money and he's walking to the door with it. McGarrett drops it by the door then backs off.
Downstairs, Sheppard tries to convince Mrs. Martin in talking on camera but she refuses until she can talk to McGarrett about it. Meanwhile, Jesse opens the door enough for Ruth to crawl out to get the money and as soon as she hands to Jesse he counts it. He yells to McGarrett he has it all and his admiration for Ruth who hasn't cried. Jesse goes off about guys he fought with not coming back and the fact he couldn't get a job. McGarrett calmly suggests the drinking may be an obstacle to him getting a job. When Ruth points out that his wife is on TV, the pastor is talking and pushes Jesse over the edge as he shoots the TV and starts destroying everything else but doesn't go after Ruth. McGarrett, Danno and Frank move in with guns drawn. McGarrett gets Jesse to stop and asks him to put the gun down. He then tells Ruth to go outside but she asks if it's okay with Jesse quietly nodding knowing he's defeated. Ruth walks out with Danno escorting her down the hall as Jesse asks about Officer Wade who McGarrett says is going to be okay. Jesse finally gives up the gun as Frank stands at the door. They go downstairs where Ruth is reunited with her mother and Jesse gives McGarrett the money back before Captain Glover takes him away.
This plot summary Copyright Bobbi Baker ©2020. No reproduction of any kind without permission.