Claire and Topher absolutely made this episode for me. "Because I don't want to die" -- last season I wasn't huge on the idea of Claire as an Active, but I'm amazed how much more relatable and heartwrenching she is than her counterpart, Echo. I think it has to do with Amy's acting, like you said, and also the characters she has to bounce it off of (Topher and Boyd). I find I like Echo better when she's interacting with Boyd, Claire or Topher, as well, than when she's interacting with Paul or random guest stars.