I agree, this episode was all setup, hardly any payoff. Miyu was written as a completely passive observer of the world around her and the unfortunate personal dynamics in her life. Her father is almost the same way; he's either incredibly busy to be inattentive to the child(ren), or just a milquetoast that lets his second wife have whatever she wants. I do give him a point for the way he "invited" Miyu to the family conference, and hope it's a foreshadowing of future 1-1 interactions between the two.
The only two story elements that are bringing me back are the period this is set in, Mejei year 30, an era of rapid social and economic change. We're starting with arranged marriages, traditional clothing. Even her friend Kouji transitions from traditional to western clothing mid-episode. Hopefully this will foster a similar empowering of Miyu. The other thing is that Kiyoka is a smoke show.