Pearl Harbor: Don't miss 'NCIS-Hawaii' episode 9 of the first season

Scene from "NCIS: Hawaii's" ninth episode, "Imposter."

OPINION

NCIS: Hawaii, episode 9, titled "Imposter," is really special. If you don't watch anything else on TV this week, watch this episode. It is chock-full of AAPI history and what the AAPI community is experiencing now with this current  surge of anti-Asian hate.

Seeking an hour of escape, I was caught by surprise by this history lesson offered by NCIS: Hawaii. I'm reminded of the lyrics of a Mary Poppins song, "A spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down." Maybe this is the way to "educate" the non-Asian audience about our history and how we feel about being the perpetual foreigner in the room and just to remind people we've been here for a long time and we're here now and we're not going away. Just by casually watching an American TV detective show viewers can get a brief history lesson and for a few minutes of walking in another person's shoes. 

During the hour-long show, the viewer learns about Pearl Harbor attack on Dec. 7, how the Japanese Americans were incarcerated, the exploits of Japanese American during WWII, how Hawaii imported workers from Asia, the Japanese Exclusion Act of 1907 and how AAPI feel about being questioned about our Americaness. 

My favorite scene was the scene when leading character, special agent in charge Jane Tennant (portrayed by Vanessa Lachey), explains to her 10-year old daughter her own experience of being told to go back where she came from.  I'm still waiting for Tennant or her kids say that they are Filipino Americans or that their racial roots trace back to the Philippines.

That's a lot to pack into a few minutes while telling an inspiring fictional story, of a Japanese American hero.

Kudos to the writers and producers who created this episode for doing their homework and willingness to make a statement by linking it to the current season of anti-Asian hate. To gain the episode's specific perspective and the messages that emanated from the show, it probably helps that Asian Americans are part of the producing (Larry Teng) and writing teams (Yalun Tu).  

The episode easily could have been heavy-handed and turn off a lot of viewers who don't like being lectured to, but they were able to pull it off and entertain at the same time. It was a risk to worth taking.

And I'll admit to getting a little teary-eye watching the final scene of the show. To cap it off, it ends with white letters on black background: "Dedicated to all those who were impacted on December 7, 1941, and to those who served - of all race, ethnicity, creed and citizenship status," thinking of the Japanese Americans who fought and died for America even though their own families were incarcerated; and all the men and women of color (including my own father) who served a nation they loved despite the racist slurs and barriers thrown at them. Oh, my!

After a slow start, the freshman series has gained momentum and CBS ordered a full season. A second season is up in the air.

It stars Vanessa Manillo Lachey, the second Filipina American to lead a U.S. TV series, and features an AAPI supporting cast. (The first Filipina American to star in her own series is Vanessa Hudgens in the short-lived Powerless.) It's refreshing to watch a show filmed in Hawaii with its cast reflecting the diversity of the Aloha State.

NCIS: Hawaii airs on Mondays, on CBS at 10 p.m.. Past episodes available for streaming on Paramount-plus, or click here.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me at Threads.net/eduardodiok, @DioknoEd on Twitter or at the  blog Views From the Edge.