BY WENDIE BURBRIDGE / Special to the Star-Advertiser

It’s been roughly three months since we saw our “Five-0” team pulled apart by forces seemingly beyond their control. And it’s been three weeks since we’ve had a “Five-0 Redux” post, but fear not, both the “Redux” and the team are ready for season two — and plan to celebrate this weekend at Sunset on the Beach. I know many of you have been counting down the days until the season premiere, and for those of us attending “Sunset on the Beach” this weekend, the wait is only days away.

If you are thinking about heading down to Waikiki for the world premiere of “Ha‘i‘ole,” or you are one of the many folks traveling from places as far away as Hungary and as close as Kaua‘i, I can’t wait to see all of you and hopefully meet a few of you this weekend. There are several fan events planned and I’ll be taking pictures and posting them here next week.

And not to worry, if you can’t make the event, or have not booked your flight yet, the Pulse and Honolulu Star-Advertiser will be your gateway to all the “Five-0” fabulousness you can possibly handle. You can find out more about our coverage here, and be sure to bookmark the “Hawaii Five-0” interactive page here.

As for me, it’s been very interesting these last few weeks ramping up to “Sunset on the Beach.” Last Saturday, Sept. 3, super fan Lisa Woo threw a Tweetup at Big City Diner Pearlridge for French fan @Ludy94 and her pal Aymeric. Some of our regular “Five-0” Tweetup gang showed up — amidst UH fans watching the kick-off of the Warrior Football season — and Ludy got to see how crazy Hawaii fans are for both their football and their “Five-0” team.

Merci, Ludy and Aymeric for joining us all the way from southern France — you join our international friends who love our home and our favorite show.

I’VE ALSO been contemplating the title of the first episode of season two, and there has been quite a lot of interesting (read: heated) discussion about the meaning of the title online. So, I thought I would make a few things clear.

The title of Saturday’s premiere episode is “Ha‘i‘ole.” Note the ‘okinas placed before and after the “i.” In Hawaiian language, the ‘okina is used as a consonant. It can change the meaning of words regardless of spelling. Hā‘iole is a completely different word than ha‘i‘ole — with just the add of another ‘okina. According to my friend and Hawaiian language expert, T Ilihia Gionson, “Ha‘i‘ole” means to be stubborn  and inflexible (haʻi = break, ʻole = not going) or not going to tell (haʻi also = speak).

CBS has the title written two ways on their website, but primarily the spelling of “Ha‘i‘ole,” with their translation as “Unbreakable,” seems to work if both ‘okinas are added to the word. If only one is used — as in “Hā‘iole” which means “the breath of the rat,” that could really change the theme and point the writers were trying to make for this season starter.

I think I’m going to go with “Unbreakable” as the correct translation, as this means our “Five-0” team will perhaps come back together and continue strengthening their bonds of ohana and loyalty. If anything I’m up for the team not breaking up ever again. So here’s to a great second season and a fantastic premiere. The wait is almost over.

Redux Side Note

I wrote about the Saturday, Sept. 3 episode (“Na Me‘e Lāua Na Paio”) in “Return of the Villain,” and I wrote about Lisa Woo and her experience on the “Hawaii Five-0” set in “Designing a Five-0 Extra.”

I covered the Monday, Septermber 5 episode (“Ma Ke Kahakai”) in “Diving into the Truth.”

If you can’t make it to this Saturday’s Sunset on the Beach premiere, tune in to CBS on Monday, Sept. 19, and watch “Ha‘i‘ole” during the regular “Hawaii Five-0” timeslot.

But don’t miss my review Sunday, Sept. 11 — I promise it will be a sweet treat.
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Wendie Burbridge is a published writer, playwright and a teacher of literature and fiction writing at Kamehameha Schools-Kapālama. Reach her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.