JeffH - you hit it on the head about where the show went down.

Ringfire - from what I've seen and read about "jumping the shark" is that a series does this really bang-up episode or two, which is arguably the best in the series. It becomes a watershed mark in that everything else behind it is either sub-par or downright awful compared to anything before that point.

A Death In The Family does see a return to McGarrett's old persona. The one who doesn't take prisoners (metaphorically) and zero crap from anyone, whether they're criminals or other cops.

Season 11 and 12 were completely different. I'm sure television censors also played a part along with the change in staff. The part that makes me really crazy in those 2 seasons is that suddenly McGarrett is the only competent one of the bunch. Viewing earlier seasons, this is obviously not the case. In order to be part of the Five-O team, an officer had to be top-notch and they were. It's as if they suddenly lost their brains in the last 2 years. The best episodes, generally speaking, were those where the team worked together and McGarrett wasn't the only one with good/great ideas.