My thoughts:
If V.V. is really Cornelia's uncle, then what does that make C.C.? Is she related to Lulu in some way by blood and is that why she needs him for her request (which I strongly believe is going to be some way to let her die).
I've always believed Lulu and Suzaku will eventually come to terms to save the world at the end, and that one innocuous comment by Shirley about forgiving people certainly helped to reinforce that belief. That said, I still despise Suzaku and in my fantasy world I'd like to see him suffer and suffer and suffer forever. Side note: that is about the most homosexual (hey, nothing wrong with being gay, just calling it like I see it) ending sequence picture they've had at the very end with Suzaku and Lulu together.
It looks like Cornelia will have a chance to deal with her feeling over Euphie's death real soon if the Order is heading to where she is imprisoned. I can't see her really ever forgiving Lulu for killing Euphie, but I can see her, in her own way, fighting against the Emperor just as Lulu is doing; I just don't see her going out of her way to coordinate/cooperate with the Order while doing so. Which is why it'll be interesting to see how she manages to get freed without joining the sissy women of Lulu's harem. Also, I loved that shot of her brusquely throwing the knife into V.V.'s head as he was entering the typical evil guy speech mode. Just cements how Cornelia is about the only strong woman in this series and further reinforces my hope she isn't relegated to becoming a simpering Lulu harem member.
Also, it was difficult to see as there weren't any good body shots of her in this episode, but it still looks like her left arm has issues (like how it was folded across her abdomen in the previous episode). Considering how badly she was injured in season 1, and apparently recovering completely off the radar, I guess I wouldn't be surprised if she's not really 100% recovered. I'm still trying to think of any remotely reasonable reason why after that fight at the end of Season 1 she would go slink off on her own for a year (if we're supposed to accept simply to look into Euphie's death..I'll do so since this is an anime but it'd be a really lame reason considering the amount of resources that were at her disposal if she'd stayed around).
Kallen may become Nunally's knight. This will force her to work with Brittania's Knight of Rounds for a few episodes I think. Lulu may even be able to live with Kallen working with Brittania if it means she's protecting Nunally. He got an ace pilot with a super mecha to replace her anyways from a purely cold, objective view. It would certainly put all that emphasis on Kallen's booty and her feelings for Lulu into better perspective if they had meant for her to be seperated from the Order for most of the remainder of the series (I imagine whatever her fate is, she'll be back with them by the very end).
I think there's a lot of wishful thinking amongst those who think there's going to ever be a real romance from Lulu. "Romance" is used as a gag in this anime, and I don't see it changing. C.C. is increasingly likely to be related by blood to Lulu; plus she's like a gazillion years old. Lulu will, in the end, fulfill C.C.'s request and help to allow her to die. There will be an ending in which everyone can fantasize about the future of Lulu and crew in which everyone can imagine their own happy endings, but there certainly isn't going to be an ending where Lulu magically turns into a skirt-chasing boy and tells Kallen, "I love you let's make babies".
I'll end this by saying Shirley's death was really sad. Dying by a gut wound to be left slowly bleeding to death; that is just a really sad and crude way of taking her out of the anime. I really doubt Lulu will ever learn the truth behind her death, so even if Rolo is killed at some point, I know I won't feel like real justice has been done. Possibly the worst ending would be if there is a moment where Lulu, Rolo, and Nunally are together and Nunally's gentleness somehow manages to save Rolo from his insanity and they end up becoming a real family together. It'll certainly make Shirley's death just that much more poignant, but boy oh boy Rolo will just cement his place as one of the most despicable characters I've ever watched for all time.
