To be honest, I hated this idea at first, but the more that I think about it, it made me realize it is still consistent to the show's lore. These Eyecons are souls stuck in an eye-shape piece of plastic, which our heroes can use to fight bad guys. Since these are souls, each one of them has personality, something that the series barely explored until now; exploring this aspect without giving us some clear hints about it in earlier episodes feels a bit wrong, like they decided to bring this one up because the plot demanded.
It is thanks to this scene that we got a clear idea on how strong Makoto is now that Kanon is back, and boy, he was easily beaten up and if didn't arrive just to save him, Makoto might end up in a more messed up state. It is thanks to this situation that Makoto finally decides to take Takeru's advice and instead of trying to befriend it, he takes the hard route of well, trying to tame it, giving us this show's most badass moment. So badass that it involves Houdini chaining Makoto and having a bike trying to kill him.
After multiple attempts, he finally tames the bike and with that in mind, it is time to save Kanon. Just like the time Makoto is in chains, Takeru decided not to help Makoto in this one. This is his fight and he's just here to support him. The least that he can do is let Makoto do the heavy lifting and what he can do is at least watch over Kanon while Makoto is fighting Javert, which now has a snake-like form. It is thanks to this fight that Houdini has acknowledged him and allows him to use his Eyecon in battle.
What I love about the form's debut is how it emphasized on flight over the fact that Houdini can do escape tricks. Showcasing the form's flight capabilities helps sell the toy and gives us this cool sequence that we will likely not see again until a movie. So right now, we can savor the form's unique debut. Another thing worth pointing about the form is its use of chains in combat. It looks really neat and I wish the form will showcase more of this chain use for it to differentiate itself from the other 2 Heroic Ghost Eyecon forms Makoto has.
Meanwhile, a mysterious Eyecon is revealed, the Necrom Eyecon, and yes, it will debut in the next episode. Come on Bandai and Toei, give us some time to savor Houdini Damashii's debut before debuting a new Rider! I get that you guys are selling toys in a certain time frame, but please, give us some time to savor the new form!