This episode, it definitely outdoes the climax of the previous arc by a long shot. In terms of overall characterization and interactions, this episode was gold.
Firstly, this episode even managed to top the character development Houtarou got last week. If anything, this episode clearly spells out that he should open himself to everyone else instead of doing everything by himself. A major conflict here lies in his inability to interact well with others which here led to him disregarding the author's intent, as well as the input of the rest of the team. What I'm saying is that he was too self-absorbed to see the bigger picture, partially thanks to Irisu's machinations. The way I see it, this incident is a good step for him in finally coming out of his self-imposed isolation.
Houtarou aside, other characters also managed to shine in this episode. Satoshi, in particular, was notable in that his passionate outburst was a surprise given his usual lackadaisical demeanor. And of course, there's Irisu, the queen of manipulation herself.
The solution to the mystery with Hongou wasn't too much of a surprise since I had a vague feeling, but the circumstances behind it were bit startling. I couldn't have guessed that they were all just puppets moving along to Irisu's strings, and honestly, I don't quite know how to feel about her. That's not to say I dislike her. I enjoy good antagonists as much as anyone else, but her agenda is still too vague.
For what end did she have to deceive everyone just to complete a single movie?
I'm pretty sure that this isn't the last we've seen of her.
On another note, I really have to credit this show for its excellent use of its BGM to create a suitable atmosphere for each scene. Without it, much of this show's addicting tension would be missing.
EDIT:
Quote:
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What I can't help but still wonder why this arc was named "Why didn't she ask EBA?"
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It's because that's the question we should have been asking ourselves instead of deciding how to solve the movie mystery. That's the one question that Oreki failed to ask himself. In a sense, you could even say that the whole movie mystery was just a huge red herring for what was happening behind the scenes.