I think one of the problems with the show is that they don’t really do big character episodes anymore. In the first season, they introduced the characters and did a lot of development with them in each episode. They just don’t do that anymore. The characters have remained static for a really long time at this point.
It is really bizarre. It is like the writers are so afraid of changing their characters and maybe upsetting the audience that they don’t do anything. Character development is key.