Yeah, in fact it was a splendid and much needed break in the sense this time it wasn't a foolish pilot single-mindedly thinking he/she can surely beat Galactic Pretty Boy in a fight unlike all the others trying and failing before. It was more like a simple test to see if the dude could be beaten approaching from a dead angle. If it works, good, if not, nothing was lost.
Although it seems like they didn't mind Takuto and Wako getting closer to each other, either. I'm not sure what's the relevance there - it's not like anybody but Takuko had ever managed to stop them. Maybe they intend to hurt and discourage him through Wako.
When watching this ep I came to think Takuto is kind of similar (in personality) to Eden's Takizawa.
The Kara no Kyoukai teaser was a nice addition. The only time lately I didn't curse gg for leaving commercials in the release.