OK, that was an interesting twist.

There's a new player in organized crime on Hawaii Five-0 Season 8 Episode 12, but so far, McGarrett and Five-0 only know who it isn't.

It's unlikely anyone from the gangs whose bosses wound up dead on the floor of that makeshift holding area. Granted, it could be an ambitious lieutenant, but it's unlikely he would have the brains or the resources to pull off a scheme such as that. 

Whoever the new player is has been playing law enforcement like a fiddle. First, this person blew up the FBI agent who was making bold pronouncements about stopping organized crime.

This led McGarrett to sweep up all the gang members on the island and cage them in one place, which ultimately made them easy pickings for this new crime boss.

But plans were in motion long before Agent Fischer proclaimed he would lay down the law. There was Michelle Shioma's death in prison. It had the dual effect of causing the Yakuza to pull back and regroup and simultaneously look guilty because its members weren't in the midst of gang violence.

This new power is someone very cool, calculating, and ruthless. Are we sure Wo Fat is still dead?

Now, as a result of the holding-cell massacre, there's a hole at the top of Hawaii's underworld. And nature abhors a vacuum.

This is a good development. After half a season of integrating new characters, in which the most consistent storyline has been Danny and Steve's Italian restaurant, the squad has a nemesis again, a mysterious figure to chase.

Also, it should serve to keep Five-0 rooted to, you know, Hawaii. Not jetting off to Mexico or Columbia or somewhere in Asia. Going somewhere where they have absolutely no jurisdiction is acceptable now and then, but once a year tops.

Besides, it has more of a cops-and-robbers feel than chasing a terrorist or an international assassin. It gets back to the heart of the genre.

But let's get rid of the remaining FBI agent, who appears incapable of independent thought, chasing Adam, the predictable target. But I have a bad feeling that the fed is here to stay a while, like Isler on NCIS: New Orleans. After all, the governor invited in the FBI in part due to a lack of confidence in the local cops.

Mostly, this was a chance for the newcomers to shine during the extended sweep of the criminals.

First, there was Tani. She was loyal to a fault, defending Adam, and immediately tattling to McGarrett about the FBI's visit.

Then she went to collect a crime boss who was an old boyfriend. When nostalgia didn't work, and she was confronted with Damien's crew coming, Tani pulled a perfect McGarrett move, tossing Damien off a high balcony into the swimming pool, then following. It was a hoot watching his crew try to figure out where he'd gone.

I want more Tani backstory. It's evident she comes from a poor part of Oahu and maybe has had some brushes with law herself. Now she's trying to save her brother from that life. What happened to her parents? I'm just curious how she made a turn in the right direction.

Junior, not surprisingly, handled himself well in the field. I guess that SEAL training paid off when the time came to tackle a thug armed with a machine gun.

It's a shame he blamed himself for the cop getting killed. He was supposed to be backup, but the two cops he was with walked right into the fire. He ended up saving one, then killing the bad guy. Not a bad first day's work.

It was nice that Tani helped Junior rally, even though she had the difficult task coming of informing Damien's mother. It's looking more and more like those two are going to become a couple. 

And finally, finally, finally, the writers found a way to get Adam more formally aligned with Five-0. McGarrett recruited him to head a division looking into organized crime. He must be a consultant of some sort because I can't imagine McGarrett could hire him otherwise with his prison record.

But he's done his time, so why not use his unique skills set?

Poor Grover was upstaged by a dog. First Eddie shot him mean looks for setting up front in McGarrett's truck, then Eddie actually gets the collar after locating the criminal.

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To see the development of the new characters, watch Hawaii Five-0 online.

Do you like this new storyline? Does Adam get a badge out of this? Did you mind having no mention of the restaurant? Comment below.

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