One long-open case was closed, and two new storylines opened, all wrapped up in a Halloween-themed episode.

There was a lot happening on Hawaii Five-0 Season 8 Episode 5.

Remember back on Hawaii Five-0 Season 7 Episode 17, when Alicia Brown was holding a gun on serial killer Madison Grey before a gunshot rang out as the episode faded to black?

The storyline just kind of evaporated, and you were left to wonder what happened. I figured "Serial killer breaks into your house, so it's self-defense, weapon or no weapon." 

But apparently, the Honolulu district attorney didn't see it that way, putting Alicia on trial for murder in what really should have been seen as a public service. 

McGarrett told her just to tell the truth on the stand, and she'd be fine. That's when she told him what really happened, and he told her not to take the stand.

McGarrett halted her trial when he recruited her to find the folk-tale serial killer, which came at an awfully convenient time. She was quite profiler-y in helping to explain the killer and what her next move may be.

McGarrett's solution for Alicia's legal situation was the dubious argument that Five-0 essentially deputized her and the shooting came in the line of duty.

But as news reports show, police shootings in the line of duty have no kind of immunity, with more and more cases resulting from police shootings going to trial.

In the end, Alicia miraculously got off with 18 months probation, as long as she's on call for Five-0. I don't think McGarrett had time to arrange this.

Rather, I think the D.A. saw the wisdom of not prosecuting a woman who helped save a 7-year-old girl from a serial killer. Public opinion wouldn't have been in his favor.

How much more Alicia does this mean? While McGarrett and Alicia fit well together, I don't need too much of that pairing. Also, there's only so much room for serial-killer storylines. 

However, this is one serial killer still on the loose, Marissa Walker.

Marissa is the saddest kind of serial killer, one who was a victim herself. Criminal Minds is rife with such killers. After hearing what happened to her, it's not surprising that Marissa had gotten a little twisted.

There is a lot of unanswered questions about Marissa. Does she blame her sister, Hannah, for what happened to her? Based on her kidnapping Lacey and later skulking around Hannah's home, that's a big yes, and she's probably justified.

What's up with that pretend family in the cabin in the woods? I know Alicia laid down some psychobabble about it, but there's got to be more clues to be garnered from it.

Why did she kill the first two men? Was it just to set up the folk-tale mythology? Or was that explained and I missed it?

Will this storyline be stashed away until quite late in the season, or will it be more front and center? I suspect it will be the latter so that Alicia will be more present. It's part of the effort to distract viewers from the absence of Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park.

Then there was Grover's mind duel with hitman Sebastian Wake. I'm in favor of any excuse to use James Frain, who is a master of creepy characters (the exception being Sarek on Star Trek: Discovery.)

Having Grover and Wake verbally joust back and forth was fun. Also, it was rewarding to see Grover get the information he sought while Wake still got what he deserved.

So the Clay Maxwell murder case is back. Great.

I understand that Grover is due for a spotlight. But was there anyone clamoring for a resolution to Diane Maxwell's murder on Hawaii Five-0 Season 5 Episode 20? I'm not so sure.

Some other thoughts:

• Why do they let Scott Caan go home if he's going to come back injured? At least they found a funny way to blame the injury on McGarrett. Also, they needed Danny there to play the clueless haole, although Eric did an equally good job of that.

• Kudos to Jerry for attempting to keep Max's Keanu Reeves costumes going. But are we to believe that Jerry would have forgotten what Max wore three years ago and that Danny didn't?

• Junior and Tani's talk is going to come back to bite McGarrett on the ass. I can see why Junior would think it unfair that he has to undergo training while an academy washout is already on Five-0. Do Junior and Tani become an item? No, I'd bet more like brother and sister.

•  And let's not forget the real hero of this episode: Eddie! Junior must resent his housemate making it onto Five-0 first.

SPOILER ALERT: Remembering me wondering about Alicia's status in what seems like three pages ago? Well, she's back on Hawaii Five-0 Season 8 Episode 6, as the team tracks a man with multiple-personality disorders. Crossover with Criminal Minds? Nah, that's why Five-0 has its own profiler. Plus the vibes wouldn't jibe.

To catch up on this early season, watch Hawaii Five-0 online.

What do you think of Marissa as a villain? Do you want to see more of Alicia? Do you care about proving Clay Maxwell murdered his wife? Comment below.

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