MovieChat Forums > Hawaii Five-O (1968) Discussion > Wo Fat

Wo Fat

posted 10 years ago by nlfan-1
8 replies | jump to latest

I liked just about every episode that had Wo Fat in it (gotta love Khigh Dheigh!). One thing that always had me puzzled was why the Chinese kept sending him back to Hawaii despite many failures. Surely he was well known to Mc Garrett yet they kept sending him back. Even more strange is that the Chinese didn't simply execute him after one or two failures-in Mao's time that seems rather odd. He certainly should have been executed after his failure in the last episode of the show (if he escaped) because THAT one was most inexcusable!

[–] alpha128 10 years ago

I liked just about every episode that had Wo Fat in it (gotta love Khigh Dheigh!). One thing that always had me puzzled was why the Chinese kept sending him back to Hawaii despite many failures. Surely he was well known to Mc Garrett yet they kept sending him back. Even more strange is that the Chinese didn't simply execute him after one or two failures-in Mao's time that seems rather odd. He certainly should have been executed after his failure in the last episode of the show (if he escaped) because THAT one was most inexcusable! - nlfan-1

There was a great webpage that analyzed the Wo Fat episodes that is sadly no longer available. That analysis pointed out that, after Nixon visited China, it no longer seemed appropriate to have an evil Chinese agent on the show. So between Seasons 5 and 7, Wo Fat went rogue, and started working against the Chinese government instead of for it.

Therefore, in Season 7 we have episodes like "Presenting...in the Center Ring...Murder", where Wo Fat tries to assassinate the Chinese foreign minister who Wo describes as "a foolish dove."

Likewise, in the Season 9 opener "Nine Dragons", Wo intends to use a deadly toxin to wipe out the existing Chinese government so that his rogue faction can assume control.

[–] nlfan-1 10 years ago

Ah yes-that's true. I really need to go and watch the show again as it's been a while. It's marathon material as I have the whole series on DVD.

[–] happipuppi13 10 years ago

Strange thing abou Wo-Fat.

He keeps failng every time he & McGarrett meet ,so.....

1. Why does he keep coming back to Hawaii?

2. Why haven;t "his" superiors killed him for his failures?

3. Why does he never kil McGarrett when he has the chance?

P.S. - I live here in in Phoenix,AZ and Khigh Dhiegh ,lives the remainder of his life in the smaller burgh of Mesa (about 20+ miles from where i live).

August 25, 1910 in Spring Lake, New Jersey, USA
October 25, 1991 (age 81) in Mesa, Arizona, USA

(Hard to beleive with his role ,that he was from Jersey ,huh?

Go for it or just be a gopher!
(MR.) happipuppi13 🐕 *arf,man!*

[–] kelzan 9 years ago

I am a big fan of the Wo Fat episodes, except the Series Finale "Woe to Wo Fat" which was too cartoonish.

[–] mister-mike 9 years ago

The WWW page which analyzes the Wo Fat episodes is still around:

https://spycommandfeatures.wordpress.com/blood-feud-mcgarrett-vs-wo-fat/

[–] alpha128 9 years ago

The WWW page which analyzes the Wo Fat episodes is still around:
https://spycommandfeatures.wordpress.com/blood-feud-mcgarrett-vs-wo-fat/
- mister-mike

Yes, that was it. However, it used to be located at:
http://www.hmss.com/otherspies/mcgarrett/

I'm glad to see that it moved rather than disappeared. Thanks for letting us know!

[–] happipuppi13 9 years ago

Well ,asa far as the finale goes ,it's from Season 12 and we all know how that went. 

Still ,at least the show gave us a finale and
wasn't simply pulled in 1980 without tying up some loose ends.

(James M. could have at least come back for that 1 show. 
Still ,ntohing we can do about someting that happened 35 years ago .

I'm on Season 10 and just watehd the ep. where Danno gets brain-washed by an Asian faction (meaning I can;t say if they were Chinese or not,so please pardon me. I'd never seen it either.)

I wondered ,"Why wasn't this a Wo Fat show? " ..but concluded
it would be too much like the one where Wo Fat brain washed Steve.

Go for it or just be a gopher!
(MR.) happipuppi13 🐕 *arf,man!*

[–] jameshoran8 9 years ago

After decades of not seeing the character, I saw him last night in the episode where he steals the ballistic missile part and Mc Garrett has to let him go at the end in trade for the captured U2 pilot. He is.....delightful.