Hussie is doing that thing where every time something dramatic is about to happen, we switch over to somebody doing something boring and build up to an exciting thing, and the cycle repeats until we're out of characters and have to see something interesting. I doubt he pioneered the technique (it is, after all, merely a refined series of cliffhangers), but he's certainly made it a signature part of Homestuck.
You'll also notice it's like he's skimming the first 3 Acts, trying to recreate the feel of several iconic moments from the original kids, but with their new counterparts; namely when John alchemized and bit the apple (Jane just got the punchcard), when Rose discovered the lab beneath Jaspers' meowsoleum (Roxy stumbled into a secret tube that will no doubt lead somewhere mysterious and explorable), and when Dave was challenged to meet Bro on the roof (Dirk is on his way now, Cal in tow). I suspect he's going to do a big flash with callbacks to the original flashes, but somehow subverting events from each of them, kinda like he did to rehash Dave's bit
here with Terezi.
In other news, I'm trying to find a good flash animation to sell a few friends on Homestuck. Looking for something that catches interest, and is semi-understandable without giving too many spoilers away. I'm thinking
EoA 3, since it shows SBURB in action, and touches on some major themes that help in explaining why it's cool... the whole coming-of-age story for the internet generation, the Sims-like nature of SBURB, a bit of character interplay (STRIIIIIDERRR!), sufficient zaniness, some epic moments for Rose and John, etc.