[Zolda]

As I hypothesized last week, the top brasses from the AU appear in this episode, although only one appears. The one sitting is the top brass, while the other two guys standing beside him are probably elite advisors or guards. I think these hooded, mysterious leaders are only upper middle of the hierarchy, not the top one. I think they could be part of some kind of council/board. And they're all middle aged man, so I don't think they will transform into Riders, haha.

The top brasses state that they haven't received any reports regarding Shiori's espionage activities, her connection to The Sisters, the appearance of KR Dread, and the resulting hostage situation with Sabimaru. Licht definitely smells fishy here as he's supposed to report to the top brasses in regards to Shiori's espionage activities. Or, Licht probably did report it, but was dismissed by them. They prioritize capturing all 101 Chemies above anything else. They seem to consider hostages like Sabimaru (and probably also other victims) as collateral damage to their top priority. It seems like they already have a plan of what to do with those RCC's, probably like the one I hypothesized last week. They also seem to prioritize bureaucracy and formalities, a fact derisively mentioned by Spanner @ 04:37.

From Houtarou's dream, it seems like directly using the X Gotchalibur to defeat KR Dread will result in Sabimaru dying along with the destruction of the Dreadriver. Clotho says @ 07:16 that Sabimaru could be dead the next time he transforms into Dread. Lachesis says @ 07:22 that an alchemist at Sabimaru's level can barely use the Dreadriver. Does this mean that an alchemist with a much more advanced level skills can use it well? Perhaps Spanner, Minato, or Licht could be the permanent/final user.

Another look at the obscured face of Houtarou's dad @ 08:17 and 08:45. Looks like something important regarding Houtarou and his mom actually happened in the past like I mentioned here.

Kajiki has finally managed to channel his UFO-ria to summon a UFO. Although unfortunately, he doesn't get to see it because he's knocked unconscious before UFO-X actually appears.

UFO-X also has the ability to kidnap a human into the Ouroboros world, like Steamliner does. My analyses on how the X Gotchalibur worked here were largely correct. What I got wrong was where the Level 10 RCC would be inserted. I thought that the Level 10 RCC would be inserted into the front slot, but it turns out that it's inserted into the top slot. No wonder all Level 10 RCC's have no helmet patterns on their rear sides, only an identical X pattern. So, the Level 10 RCC's can be used in tandem with any normal RCC combination. Super Gotchard Cross UFO-X has arguably the goofiest armors in the whole history of this franchise. Looks like the SHF is gonna have limited articulations around the shoulder and neck area. I still like the color and the shape of the X Gotchalibur, though. As expected, the X Gotchalibur has power similar to the Kougouken Saikou aka the sword of light that can separate a human host from a dark entity, although in this case Houtaro is required to access the Super Gotchard Cross UFO-X form to properly separate them.

KR Dread looks amazing. The only mediocre thing about him is his gun props that look low-quality. I hoped that Sabimaru could be the sole user of the Dreadriver, but it turns out he's only a hostage. It seems like the Dreadriver is gonna be this season's Kaixa Driver/Delta Driver. I'm not really a fan of this one-Driver/powerset-being-used-by-several-people trope. And how the heck is Sabimaru still connected to Isaac?

It seems like the writers are taking their time and don't rush the plot. It seems like they're still obliged to show the appearances of the 101 RCC's. Spanner's backstory, Minato's backstory, The Sister's backstory, and major plot points like the truth about Houtarou's dad, the truth about the AU, the identity of Glion, the true nature of the Ouroboros, etc are still shrouded in complete mystery.

Next episode: Clotho and or Lachesis will transform into KR Dread. I hope Toei will use an actual female suit actor, not male one, and make actual female-sized suits and armors, like when they made the female KR Calibur. I think their altered physique is more suited for the Dreadriver. Houtarou will get a new Level 10 form, Cross Rex. At least this one doesn't look goofy like the Cross UFO-X.