Actually, the intent was never to hit people over the head with whtat
(what) a nice person Ivanova is...or to shove her character down anyone's
throat. She has an arc of her own this season, which involves reconciling
some things with her family. And we need to set *up* some things in her
family in order to pay them off later in the season. You have to start
a bit early in order to get it all in without rushing it.

All of our characters have their own arcs, and their own stories, and
their own forthcoming transitions.

jms