It's typical. That's because Brad is changing direction LITERALLY every day. And he seems to think this is modern. It literally feels like he is sitting and reading forum boards or facebook and saying to himself - Hmm... should I anger this fan base THIS week to make the ratings pop....Then... the next day he is - Oooh, maybe this was not a good idea, let me change that... and then he reads something else and is - let me return to it again, since these people seem bothered by it. He is acting like he is the daytime Madonna who pushes people's buttons and triggers the viewers... all while he is daytime's Kim Zolciak. The sheer amount of absurdity, stupidity and over the top camp he had to write so he can REDEEM Sheila Carter is a proof how out of touch with reality he is.
A normal, adequate writer would have redeemed her without needing Sugar, toes, dungeons, homeless men, slasher-movie tricks and etc. And she is still not redeemed. He could have written in James and her daughter... given her something real to deal with, not cut her toes and watch us cringe when her body double is stalking Steffy.
Sometimes I watch and am shocked of how deranged the plot is. The show is chaotic and boring at the same time, and I don't know how both things can be possible at the same time. Brad should get an award for this.