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Blaine’s criminal enterprise comes into clearer focus this week as Detective Clive Babineaux’s history starts to get filled in in a strong episode.

Cain comes back with a vengeance as Rowena’s conflicts come to the forefront, putting her in conflict with both the Winchesters and Crowley in an enjoyable yet frustrating set of episodes.

Captain Lance goes on the offensive against Team Arrow as Ra’s Al Ghul forces Oliver to make some difficult choices in an episode that brings one of the season’s key themes to the forefront.

Peyton gets some added dimensions as the show strengthens the relationship between her and Liv, while the discovery of another zombie forces Liv to make some hard decisions in a compelling episode.

The show’s second episode delved further into Liv’s identity crisis while introducing a fascinating new character in Blaine, who shows a different path that could have been taken after the boat party accident.

The pilot episode of Rob Thomas’ newest show introduces a few interesting wrinkles to its premise while giving its lead character a fair amount of depth, laying the groundwork for a number of potential storylines.

“I Love You, Goodbye” would be a relatively flawless episode–emotional and beautiful and well-done–if it weren’t for one fatal flaw: The Originals’s insistence that death doesn’t mean one is permanently dead and gone. Seriously, the episode is borderline fantastic, and it expertly welds the happy moments with the tragic, until Rebekah insists, as Kol dies, that she will do anything to bring him back. And, looking at the show’s history (even in the episode itself, where someone is literally brought back from the dead), there’s almost no doubt that she will succeed.

Not only keeping a focus on both storylines and character development, the show’s writers have used both to inform each other, building a symbiotic relationship between the two while still maintaining the show’s humour and turning its voiceover into a continued strength.

The focus on families other than that of the Winchesters, particularly the appearance of Crowley’s mother Rowena, has been an interesting turn to the season, as has the exploration of the continuing effects of the Mark of Cain. However, other storylines with potential have wrapped themselves up too quickly, getting unfairly shortchanged in the process.

With the League of Assassins arriving in Starling City and demanding answers about Sara’s murder, it’s clear from the beginning that “The Climb” is ready to kick season three of Arrow into high gear – and it couldn’t happen soon enough: the lack of delay tactics in “The Climb” breaks the show wide open, allowing characters the freedom to both emote and take action, the latter of which has been sorely missing at points in recent weeks. Ending with a series-shaking moment, “The Climb” ends an up-and-down start to Arrow’s third season on an exciting high note.

Through the season’s first six episodes, Jane the Virgin has shown a knack for effectively moving the plot along while also deepening characters. The series has also shown a similar deft touch with balancing fantasy sequences with genuine emotional beats, making for a fun viewing.

The quick resolution of the demon Dean storyline is both disappointing and refreshing, but the return of Kate and a strong 200th episode make up for a lack of a season-long arc five episodes into the season.

One would expect, given the title of the series, that Arrow would focus mainly on Oliver Queen as The Arrow (or Green Arrow or The Vigilante or whatever). And that’s true, for the most part.

Rather than shirking the long-term trauma of it all, “The Lamb and the Slaughter” confidently shows what a thing like the plague does to the characters in this series.

The series premiere of the the CW’s newest show not only crosses the hurdle of its premise, but manages to deliver a show that’s unafraid of its telenovela influences, while giving emotional beats their due weight and promising to explore some relationships rarely seen in television.

It’s not exactly surprising that Reign decides to gloss over the claustrophobia of the plague by having “Drawn and Quartered” move past it, since the series doesn’t slow down to linger on may plots.

As Castiel struggles with his diminishing grace, Dean shows how being a demon has affected him, in a strong opening to the show’s tenth season.

The pleasures of Reign don’t require a full comprehension of its history. The fun is all there to be had in the moment, and “The Plague” is anything but short on entertainment.

Of all the new offerings from The CW in the 2013-14 season, Reign outclasses its competition by delving totally and unashamedly into its melodrama.

The Winchesters turn their focus to Heaven, as the Angels’ method of coping and maintaining order is examined while Castiel and Metatron make their moves against each other in a strong episode.

The Travelers put their grand plan into action, as Bonnie reveals the truth about what the Other Side’s collapse means for her, in a thrilling episode that ends with a shock.

Castiel gains a potentially valuable new ally against Metatron, while Crowley gets a blast from the past as he squares off against Abaddon.

The continuing instability of the Other Side goes to a new level in this week’s episode, as Matt and Jeremy try to figure out how to locate and stop the Travelers following the capture of Tyler’s passenger Julian in an exciting outing.