It was the start of a new era.

On Hawaii Five-0 Season 8 Episode 1, Five-0 after Chin and Kono was revealed. So far, so good. But it's early yet. 

The possibilities of departures by Chin and Kono were set up toward the end of Hawaii Five-0 Season 7, which made the transition easier.

Chin is now heading up a task force in San Francisco. And Kono, rather than being AWOL, is part of a federal sex-trafficking investigation.

Like most fans, I'd rather they had stayed, but apparently, the numbers just didn't add up for Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park. I understand why their characters' departures were handled so matter-of-factly, rather than having a video montage. So now we must all move on.

I think Tani Rey is a good addition to the team. She's an outsider and a rule-breaker. She can handle herself in a fight. She listens to no one. She may even be crazier than McGarrett.

There were a couple of really funny moments. One was when she asked McGarrett if he could drive any faster. The other was when she shot Duclair in the leg rather than watch he and McGarrett dance around any longer in the middle of a raging forest fire. More practical, less macho.

The big question is can she play well with others of, shall we say, similar temperaments.

There's lots of room for her character to develop. So far we know that she got kicked out of the Police Academy for assaulting her training officer, she's an Army brat, and she has a do-nothing younger brother.

We know she's smart enough to recognize a good opportunity when it's presented to her. She got a good taste of what Five-0 is all about in a short period, and she still came back, so she's courageous as well.

Other than the ability to make quick decisions, her skill sets have yet to be explored, so she's pretty much a blank slate in that regard.

Now that Kono's gone, I figure that everything computer is Jerry's realm now, so we could be seeing more of him this season.

Tani got a good case to be broken in on, with a nutcase arsonist lighting up the forest around Oahu.

So in the convoluted setup, hacker Aaron Wright freed arsonist Jason Duclair, for the express purpose of having Duclair analyze the work of another arsonist who torched a profitable drug lab. Then Duclair turned around and burned the drug lord and his sons.

Who couldn't have seen that coming? Didn't said drug lord do any research before hiring a certifiable loon such as Duclair? Apparently not.

Not being any kind of expert on aerodynamics, I'm a little skeptical about a helicopter hoisting a cabin. It was great for dramatic effect, but is that actually feasible?

Of course, Aaron Wright is the younger brother of cyber-criminal Ian Wright, who held Grover's daughter Samantha in a cage in Hawaii Five-0 Season 4 Episode 22.

Am I the only one who was amused by one of the Lawrence brothers (Joey) playing the younger brother of one of the Jonas brothers (Nick), and that another Lawrence brother (Andrew) is a recurring character on Hawaii Five-0? That still didn't get Andrew much screen time.

I'm still not sure of the purpose of Grover taking his daughter to see the brother of the man who held her hostage. For her peace of mind, wouldn't ignorance be bliss in this case?

I'm also not getting Danny's rapid attachment to Tani. Is it just guilt about having dragged her into this? Is it fatherly, or something else?

Whatever the reason, he had a nice talk with Tani, which revealed quite a bit about his relationship with McGarrett, which he would never admit to the man himself.

The way Danny feels about McGarrett was also shown by the fact that he wants them to be partners in Danny's dream project: a restaurant called Steve's. I'm surprised McGarrett caved as quickly as he did.

This just isn't a good idea. It's not only because they constantly bicker. It's also because restaurants are constantly failing, which isn't going to be helpful to their relationship.

So Five-0 is starting to rebuild after its losses. Another new member, Junior Reigns, is set to join in Hawaii Five-0 Season 8 Episode 3. Also, Adam Noshimuri, Kono's husband, is supposed to be helping out Five-0 later this season, but I don't know how that works with his background.

Duclair is gone (maybe), but another favorite returns on Hawaii Five-0 Season 8 Episode 2, as British agent Harry Langford drops in to lend a hand.

To watch your old favorites, or to check out the new direction, watch Hawaii Five-0 online.

How do you like Tani? Can the series handle a different path? Are you glad Duclair's gone? Comment below.

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