This was no A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.

Still, there was a heartfelt examination of family holidays on Hawaii Five-0 Season 9 Episode 8.

We got to spend most of Thanksgiving with the extended Grover family, who seemed to be right out of a Tyler Perry film (the Madea ones, not his serious works).

Then there was that other extended family, Five-0 (minus Danny), and Kamekona and his staff.

Even the case of the week had a Thanksgiving connection. It was largely a victimless crime, despite the accidental death which drew Five-0 into it.

With Lou Gossett, Gladys Knight and Clifton Powell portraying them, how could anybody not like the Grover family?

Related: Hawaii Five-0 Season 9 Episode 7 Review: The Smoke Seen in the Dream Now Rises

Gossett maturing into granddad roles makes me feel old, but he was a hoot as the forgetful old man who still slyly dispensed pearls of wisdom  (I also enjoyed the quick nod to "An Officer and a Gentleman"). 

Gladys Knight was also fun as Momma Ella, although I was disappointed that the only singing in the episode was by Lou. They couldn't find some way to give Gladys a chance to sing, perhaps in the restaurant scene at the end? I know there are few (any?) Thanksgiving songs, but still ...

Renee did seem to indicate there had always been tension within the Grover family, and the chaos that followed was to have been expected.

Still, the way Percy Jr. had been the protector of his little brother Lou ("Chubster") when they were growing up, I was surprised at the animosity between them.

I get that Percy Jr. was still trying to find himself decades later (and doesn't every family have one of those?).

But why was Lou seemingly holding that against him, after all that Percy Jr. had done for him? Lou has a loving family and an established career, so why wasn't he more supportive of Percy Jr.? Percy Jr. was dishing it back just as hard.

Granted, he got Percy Jr. a job as a baker for Kamekona with that sample of kouign amann. Who carries French pastry in a Baggie in their pocket, anyway? After Googling kouign amann, I was wishing I had some.

Related: Watch Hawaii Five-0 Online: Season 9 Episode 7

So this may not be the last we see of Percy Jr., now that he's joined up with Kamekona's merry band of reformed rogues.

But that had to come after the food fight, including their tussle in the backyard and the kitchen set on fire. Why can't they all just get along?

All in all, it was an effective, loving spotlight on Grover and his kin, warts and all.

Football, that other Thanksgiving feature, also got its time in the spotlight, as McGarrett et al played that rowdy game of flag football.

It was great to have Al Harrington, the only returning co-star from the original series, recur as Mamo, who served as referee. (Dennis Chun [Duke] guested as three different characters in the original series as well.)

It's always a positive getting to see Five-0 members in their off time. Was anyone shocked that Tani was ultracompetitive (nope, me neither.)?

The case was almost an afterthought, as it should have been on a holiday-themed episode. It featured the world's dumbest criminal, who killed himself by dropping a safe on his own head. That's hard to do.

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I'm sure many in the audience, just like Tani, were scratching their heads about the prize in the robbery, a 1948 Stan Musial baseball card.

One of the funniest scenes was having the pairing of Jerry and Adam come up with a believable cover to approach the suspect sports-memorabilia dealer, only to have him slam the door in their faces. It's good that Adam was there to do the chase down.

It's been a couple of episodes since the storyline of somebody trying to frame Adam has popped up. McGarrett must be in the loop by now, right? So that's got to surface again.

Even the villain of the case didn't seem like a bad guy. Patrick just stole the card to pay for Thanksgiving dinner at his homeless shelter, after the card's owner ceased funding the event after finding a bigger tax loophole.

Tani and Junior did the right thing by letting Patrick finish serving dinner, and even helping out, before arresting him. I'm betting the rich guy never presses charge so that he looks like less of a douche.

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And, hurray, Steve and Danny are out of the restaurant business, and they almost broke even.

Still, it doesn't look like Kamekona's Italian Bistro is going away. It's a great place to hold bigger, more formal gatherings that just don't make sense at the picnic table outside his food truck.

Just let McGarrett and Danny stick to what they do best -- argue incessantly.

To track the history of the restaurant, watch Hawaii Five-0 online.

How did you like the Grovers? Was the robber, Patrick, morally in the right? Why can't they assure that Danny is there for the holiday episodes? 

Comment below.

Dale McGarrigle is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow him on X.