Well, that's how to come back with a bang.

OA and Jubal were highlighted in the tense, action-packed FBI Season 5 Episode 1.

Sure, it was a little on-the-nose to send in OA, the Middle Eastern guy, as the bomb buyer during an FBI sting operation.

But OA certainly was believable and had the seller, Curt, sold on his zeal to buy his product, even at twice the price. OA's big bag of money also served to distract Curt.

OA continued to show his independent streak, agreeing to get into Curt's car and be driven to the bomb's location against his teammates' wishes.

Rather than view him as being reckless, look at it as OA betting on his crew to have his back. After all, they just had to follow the oblivious Curt to his hideout.

Still, OA's actions throughout the series make you wonder how he thrived in the military. Are the Army Rangers that big on improvisation?

Also, would he be making such maneuvers if he were still Maggie's junior partner? He has gotten more daring during her already-too-long hiatus.

Surely, OA's psyche will continue to be overanalyzed if he continues to get more of the spotlight this season.

The car ride was just the start of OA's derring-do this episode. Once Curt took him back to his lair, OA discovered that this case was not about to be closed but was just beginning.

Curt's bomb-making partner had been murdered, and both his killer and the massive bomb were in the wind. (The phrase "in the wind" should be turned into a drinking game as much as it's used in procedurals these days.)

All OA and his team had to show for their sting operation was one rather clueless broker. Fortunately, facing a large amount of prison time, Curt did come up with the name of another potential buyer, Nate ... Somebody. That's marginally better than nothing.

Since Curt was able to cough up the location of his meeting with Nate, it became time for FBI to do what it does best: Have Ian, Kelly, Elise, and the nameless tech geeks come up with an intel nugget upon which the episode turns while being harped at by Jubal.

They turned up a license plate nearby, which led to an accountant named Jorge, who, not shockingly, had sold the suspect car to a neighbor, Nathan. Then the action took off from there.

The team found that Nathan had shot his housemate Steven, who died before he could unveil Nathan's bombing target. Nathan's hideaway revealed his hatred for MAGA Republicans, who he felt were ruining the country.

Steven, a cater-waiter, shared that opinion. Among his upcoming jobs was a conference sponsored by the Federalist Society (the group that pulled Trump's string when it came to packing the Supreme Court with conservative activist judges). 

So OA and company raced off to the luxurious estate where that event was being held since it was Nathan's obvious target.

Misadventure after misadventure followed as Nathan slipped through their fingers. The highlight, however, was OA tossing the bomb in his SUV and driving far enough away to save lives when it inevitably blew.

Sure, that's an overused trope. But at least he didn't suddenly develop the skills to defuse a bomb from which the tech walked away.

It was a risky choice by OA, especially since he's spent a lot of time in Isobel's doghouse. But since he saved many wealthy people's lives, he'll skate this time anyway.

Jubal took over the scene after Nathan abducted a teen boy to facilitate his escape. Nathan stupidly holed up in a waterfront warehouse and insisted on a bulletproof SUV instead of, oh, I don't know, a boat, of which plenty was nearby.

Jubal did a marvelous job of distracting Nathan to allow Scola and Brittany to ambush Nathan after going through a back door.

Unfortunately, successfully closing the case was the highlight of Jubal's day, which is too often the case for the brains of the outfit.

Yes, he made a mistake when his mouth wrote a check his job would never allow him to cash, promising that he would make it to Tyler's 15th birthday party.

Then, throughout this tense mad-bomber chase, Samantha kept calling to ladle the guilt on Jubal, whining that Tyler wasn't fitting in at school in the suburbs to which she had insisted on moving him so that she could start her new life.

Never mind that Jubal was still processing the murder of his lover Rina and recovering from Tyler's bout with leukemia.

So, after helping to save hundreds of lives, including a boy Tyler's age, Jubal was made to feel like a bad person for missing the party. It just ain't right!

The most pressing question after this fifth-season premiere is when Maggie will be back. Missy Peregrym temporarily exited the show for maternity leave after FBI Season 4 Episode 18.

There is nothing wrong with Maggie's fill-in, Nina. It's just that Maggie is the beating heart of the series, and it's not the same without her there.

To revisit Jubal's hard luck, watch FBI online.

What do you think about OA stepping to the fore?

What are your thoughts about having a left-wing crazy as the villain?

Are you missing Maggie during her hiatus?

Comment below.

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