Haha, I knew the family genes would run like this. Ushi looks exactly the same as Sanae and Nagisa (More Nagisa though, with the occasional pouting look)

It's always sad to see parents and kids treat each other like strangers, but this was by far the best way for things to go. Beeing raised by Sanae and Akki (I loved that part ), Ushio gets a proper upbringing, even if it wasn't from her actual parent, while Tomoya takes his time to get over things. When he's ready, Ushio would be there to start fresh with him.

On the other hand, if she had stayed with him since birth, who knows how neglected she'd be. We can only guess from the way Tomoya lives, and his smoking. Even if Tomoya's ready, say 5 years down the track, he'd have to repair the damage to their relationship he's caused previously.

You can say Tomoya's fallen into depression, but he's still got enough in him to clean the house and act more cheerfully when people come around. That in itself shows he hasn't completely hit rock bottom, like his Dad had. It's just when he's by himself, stray thoughts get to him, which he wards off by working, which is why Ushio occupying his time is a healthy way for things to go. (For Tomoya, at least).

It's also great knowing she refers them as Sanae-san and Akki, leaving it completely open for Tomoya to be called "Daddy" the first time (betting it'll be the climax of the series). Not only is there no identity crisis for Ushio down the track, but it also prevents Tomoya to completely palm her off and assume no responsibility over her.

Overall, a very entertaining episode, and refreshingly more to my liking than I expected last week.