I had high hopes for this show when it first started. For the first couple of seasons it was interesting and I thought they handled the deaf thing very well. It didn't feel preachy and was a natural part of the show. I thought it was a nice touch that when the deaf people were "talking", most of the background sounds were muted (and the background music was stopped). It really helped to see the scene from the "deaf" perspective.
The high hopes, however, have been pretty much trashed. The characters have become stereotypes. Kathryn Kennish is either whining/pouting or cajoling ("c'mon. It'll be fun"). Everyone is quick to condemn and jumps immediately to indignation mode at the slightest provocation. As soon as someone disagrees with a character's position it becomes "why are you taking his/her side?????". The writers have gotten lazy to the point where every episode seems to have the same plot:
Bay/Daphne/Toby/Regina
a) discovers a secret about someone b) is told something about someone ("but you can't tell anyone") c) blabs a secret after being told not to tell d) makes a complete idiotic or out-of-character decision
Bay/Daphne/Toby/Regina
apologizes with the phrase "I should have told you".
That last one can appear multiple times in an episode.
The coincidences pile up one on top of another to the point that credulity is stretched beyond all human capacity.
And above all, no one ever seems to learn anything or experience any personal growth. Daphne, especially is guilty of this. She has made so many bad decisions and has shown such bad judgment that there is no way she should ever become a doctor. I had also hoped that Katie Leclerc would show some growth as an actor, however, she seems to have only four facial expressions in her repertoire and none are very convincing.
The high hopes, however, have been pretty much trashed. The characters have become stereotypes. Kathryn Kennish is either whining/pouting or cajoling ("c'mon. It'll be fun"). Everyone is quick to condemn and jumps immediately to indignation mode at the slightest provocation. As soon as someone disagrees with a character's position it becomes "why are you taking his/her side?????". The writers have gotten lazy to the point where every episode seems to have the same plot:
Bay/Daphne/Toby/Regina
a) discovers a secret about someone b) is told something about someone ("but you can't tell anyone") c) blabs a secret after being told not to tell d) makes a complete idiotic or out-of-character decision
Bay/Daphne/Toby/Regina
apologizes with the phrase "I should have told you".
That last one can appear multiple times in an episode.
The coincidences pile up one on top of another to the point that credulity is stretched beyond all human capacity.
And above all, no one ever seems to learn anything or experience any personal growth. Daphne, especially is guilty of this. She has made so many bad decisions and has shown such bad judgment that there is no way she should ever become a doctor. I had also hoped that Katie Leclerc would show some growth as an actor, however, she seems to have only four facial expressions in her repertoire and none are very convincing.