Episode was good.
Flashback with Ulti was a bit too lengthy, but overall, it passed like a breeze. I think the extended recap at the beginning of the episode helped a bit.
I'll say this much, if the episode didn't have as highlights as good as it did, it probably would have been a bit more of a slog, but the animation and action, as well as the generally decent direction even during the stare downs made things pay off well enough.
I know there was a bit of staring, but I think it did a good enough job of setting up tension for the action to come, and didn't overtly overstay its welcome before something else happened, and action that was actually being stared down to was actually really solid.
Overall, really solid episode. Would have been a lot more of a slog if it wasn't so well animated and directed.