I appreciate how Seven clarifies that Meteor Nightmare is twisting Seiya's subconscious desire. Seems like some people took the whole "this terrible thing is totally what the dreamer wants" too literally.

Agreed. It's sweet how Baku and Seiya were able to inspire each other. While the national secret arc did a good job of honestly framing the dreamer Atsumi as a plot device rather than pretending he's worth our emotional investment, I think the meteor strike arc did a good job of setting up Seiya for that investment and actually following through.

Fujimi needs to work on his critical thinking skills if we wants to become a great detective. Sure, intuition is also important for the job and it's okay for him to want to believe in Odaka, but when the field agent is reporting his involvement in some way and there's no evidence to refute it, then that's time to accept there's probably more to his buddy than he once thought. We can't just believe what's convenient.

No, I think you're pretty much spot on here. On his pride as the invincible agent, Baku is someone who strives to truly live in the moment and expose the truth through his own deductions, a quality that the cunning Zero has been encouraging, to likewise discourage difficult questions. Odaka had a reason to become an agent other than wanting that thrill, so he couldn't be manipulated so easily.

Well, my favorite is Baku. Him getting swept up in the agent fantasy is exactly what makes him interesting to me.

Something I think makes that heated exchange between Baku and Fujimi a lot more three-dimensional and interesting is that the opposite of this is also true? Fujimi might not know NOX, but Baku is the one who doesn't know Odaka, as anything other than a frequent obstacle in his missions, and it definitely seems like his need here to continue viewing NOX as a sort of absolute evil is another big factor keeping Baku from thinking more deeply about what's actually going on around him.

I agree. Baku is an extremely charming protagonist. His absent-mindedness and desire to escape reality are portrayed as flaws, but that's precisely what brings the character to life. If last year viewers forgave Shouma for his reticence and avoidance of difficult conversations, then Baku deserves similar leniency. Yes, the roots of his shortcomings aren't as clearly illustrated as in Gavv, but they're still quite justified and understandable.
I think the main reason for such harsh criticism of Baku is the rift between the viewer and the protagonist. Many people don't like happy-go-lucky characters, but these characters, upon noticing something suspicious, begin to unravel the mystery that interests the audience. It's slow at times, but that's also a plus, because it makes the viewer feel smarter. But Baku simply ignores all the red flags, and that's annoying because the viewer would have behaved differently. To accept such behavior you need a top-down perspective, but that's not everyone's cup of tea.
Here I'll take this opportunity to compare Baku to my favorite Kamen Rider. Touma also accepted his assigned role as a hero, but the villain's words were enough to make him doubt the much less mysterious and more friendly organization. But the difference is that Touma is a writer and thinks accordingly, so he's subconsciously prepared for dastardly twists and plot complications. On the other hand, Baku knows how to be a hero in dreams and a loser in real life, so he wants to remain an agent. Plus, he hasn't yet had the time or opportunity to properly study CODE and Zero. Ironically, NOX, while calling for this, becomes the main obstacle, distracting Zeztz with Nightmares.
When I talk about Zero, I find myself thinking that his appearance prevents me from judging his actions clearly. My thoughts go something like this:
"Zero prioritizes the mission and is willing to sacrifice a lot for it. As expected for a robot. Oh, no, he's not..." So I think it will be easier for me to form a final opinion about him after getting to know his human form.

Baku surely could've phrased it in a more clinical way than, "This is all Odaka's fault!" It would've still provoked Fujimi, but not as severely. Of course, Baku losing his perspective as an agent made him unable to consider the deeper meaning of Nox's actions. And Nox himself could also have helped his case, if his exposition wasn't so evil-sounding and ambiguous. If he has a point, he should really just make it.

More like happy-go-unlucky in Baku's case, at least as it appears on the surface. The viewer should understand though that if they'd ask too many questions outside of mission parameters, then Zero, as well as intelligence leaders in general even, would see them as a liability and not put them in the field. In that sense, Baku is a professional, as he prioritizes the integrity of the mission and the welfare of the dreamers above personal matters.

Yes, he may not have received proper MI6 training like 007, but being the secret agent otaku that he is, he's probably been taught well enough through all that consumption of spy fiction. And he's getting actual hands-on experience now.