I just watched episode 11.5, and it just made me hate the other 2 Hyouka members more. Calling Oreki boring and annoying is not the best way to cheer him (or anyone for that matter) up, especially if part of the cause of his depression lies with the people insulting him. If it weren't for Chitanda, things could have ended up worse.

I still want to know if any of the club members actually knew that Oreki was screwed over by the Empress. If I were in their shoes (Oreki's friend), I would get royally pissed at the Empress and get some retribution.

Chitanda scored some major points for me. It was almost like the other characters were used as a foil to make her shine and shrink the distance between her and Oreki.