I don't care as much for episodes going to the history of the character. Was it "coincidence" that NCIS NOLA also did an episode with Brodys history?
Without the back stories and life experiences of the characters , the story line would be very mundane and boring. The characters are more real to me if you know where they came from and what they have been through. This week alone we discovered Tony's bad teen years, and the prep academy he was attending. This explains more about Tony and why he thinks the way he does.