Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works Season 1 Episode 12 A Visitor Approaches Lightly

Shirou and Rin are still in their fight against Caster and her powerful servant, Archer. Meanwhile, Saber is still unconscious, leaving the two without her aid. Things seem hopeless, until a new character enters the scene- a woman with a mischievous smile and an air of mystery.

This woman, calling herself "Rider," interrupts the fight between Shirou/Rin and Caster/Archer, telling everyone to stop for a moment. She introduces herself as a servant of another master, and says she was drawn to check out the battle because of the powerful magic she sensed. However, she also says that she has no interest in fighting anyone directly- instead, she says she wants to act as a mediator between the two sides.

At first, Caster and Archer are suspicious of Rider's motivations. They both know that the more servants are involved in a conflict, the less likely they are to be able to achieve their ultimate goals. However, Rin and Shirou are curious enough to hear Rider out.

Rider reveals that she's actually interested in both Saber and Shirou. She notes that Saber, despite being a powerful servant, seems to be held back by a lack of strategy on the part of her master. She also notes that Shirou, on the other hand, is the opposite- a highly tactical master with a servant that isn't quite living up to her potential. Rider proposes that she could act as a "big sister" figure to help both Saber and Shirou reach their full potential.

At first, Shirou is hesitant to believe that Rider could be genuine- he's heard enough rumors of other masters using sneaky tactics to try and gain an advantage in the Holy Grail War. However, Rider seems to be sincere in her desire to help- she even offers to back off and let Shirou and Rin handle their fight with Caster and Archer, since she doesn't want to get in the way of anyone's goals. Shirou eventually agrees to let Rider assist them, and Rin, likewise, decides that having an extra ally could prove useful.

From there, the episode shifts focus onto Rider and her interactions with both Shirou and Saber. Over the course of the episode, we see that Rider really does seem to be the helpful big sister figure she promised to be. She gives Saber advice on how to better coordinate with Shirou in battle, and helps Shirou refine his own magecraft. Shirou, in particular, seems to take a liking to her- he's never really had a mentor figure before, and he's awed by how powerful and knowledgeable Rider is.

While all this is happening, Caster and Archer start to develop a plan of their own to counter Rider's involvement. Though they still don't fully trust her, they recognize that they can't just ignore her presence. Therefore, they come up with a scheme to take out Rider so that they can focus solely on Shirou, Rin, and Saber.

The rest of the episode is spent setting up this confrontation between Rider, Caster, and Archer. We see glimpses of their battles, but for the most part, the tension comes from the fact that any of them- especially Rider, who seems to be at a disadvantage- could be taken out at any moment.

Overall, "A Visitor Approaches Lightly" is a pretty mixed episode. On the one hand, it's great to see a new character introduced who is both interesting and genuinely helpful (especially given how many of the other servants so far have been either crazy or downright evil). Rider's interaction with Shirou are particularly endearing, and they help give the episode a heartwarming feel.

However, the episode also suffers from some of the same pacing issues that have plagued the season as a whole. There are several slow, dialogue-heavy scenes throughout the episode that don't add much to the overall plot, and the episode as a whole feels a little disjointed as a result. Additionally, Rider's arrival and subsequent "clicking" with the other characters feels a bit sudden- it would have been nice to see her built up a bit more slowly over the past few episodes.

Ultimately, though, "A Visitor Approaches Lightly" is a solid addition to the season. It's nice to see a little bit of hope and camaraderie injected into what has otherwise been a pretty bleak story, and Rider makes for a welcome new addition to the cast. Whether or not she can help Shirou, Rin, and Saber win the Holy Grail War remains to be seen- but for now, it'll be interesting to see how she continues to mix things up.