[Archer]

Rather pointless to discuss the merits of the next episode using what we know from this one in this thread, since if you really knew anything about what the next episode was like you wouldn't be talking about it in this non-spoiler thread.

Anyhow, I feel that for it's own merits, the episode was actually fairly well-done. If I were to rate it separately from the rest of the series, it would've been somewhere around a 8 or a 9 due to how it was able to masterfully weave a standalone story arc with it's own resolution. However, as another episode for the Fate/Zero series, it's not that good since it feels like a complete tangent to the storyline and the character perspective doesn't really mesh with what's already been established. However, it does provide some much needed insight into Tokiomi and Kariya, the former which hasn't seen much action in the series and the latter which hasn't been seen much at all.

So, a 7 for the technical aspects.