Pretty meh episode, very short and nothing really happened, not a fan of how long that combat was at the start.
I can see why, if you didn't like the combat this episode woul feel pretty underwhelming. I kind of liked the fight though. It was refreshing to see them fight a new type of creature after so many encounters with shade creepers. There were a few moments that looked pretty dicey for some of the players, and we got some fun lore implications with Laudna's patron. It felt like Matt made some smart choices. The swallow and aoe stun attack helped deal massive damage and worked as a bit of crowd control. His creatures are doing at least some damage that bypass Ashton's rage mitigation, and legendary actions help even out the action economy.
The short second half of the episode did make the episode feel really lopsided though. It had some okay bits though. This possible rival group seems interesting. I am also weirdly invested in Ashton and Fearne's pickpocketing contest, so him buying the bracelet Fearne was looking at seemed kind of cute.