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Is it just me, or does the conclusion of episode 5 completely undo all of the character progression which was set-up for her character?

I mean, in the previous episode, we see her become a “true warrior.” I took this to mean the rejection of her comfortable, affluent lifestyle prior to becoming a Jetman, and the total devotion to the responsibilities part and parcel of being a member of the Choujin Sentai. This, episode 4 leads us to believe, culminates in her rejecting a marriage proposal which stood to make her life of ease even more prosperous.

This is then completely subverted by the end of the episode, when Kaori once again fails to successfully pilot her Swan Jet and execute the coordinated team attack which almost caused her to completely discard her life as a Jetman in the beginning of episode 4.

In the next episode, this leaves her without the use of her legs, which she only recovers when Ryu, who grabs ahold of her lest she fall into the abyss beneath her formed by Maria, is on the verge of being incapacitated.

Why? Just, why? What possessed the writers to make this decision? Now it just feels as though the writers undid an entire episode’s worth of amazing character progression, only to squander it all by rendering Kaori’s the typical Japanese female character: a hollow shell, only given life through a meaningless desire to have the male lead pat her on the head. I’m so disappointed because she was everything but; she’s no longer on a personal journey of self-discovery, but instead, is now relegated to what, a Ryu fangirl? She no longer comes across as a fleshed out, individual, and equal member of the team with unique character traits of her own, but a damsel in distress whose progression comes not from her own desire to defeat Vyram, and by extension help save humanity, but from wanting Ryu’s approval like some hollow caricature of the male-crazed female manga character.

What do you all think?