In some ways, this story’s structure minded me of both “Family Skeletons” and “Maxima Culpa”. MC was explicitly flashback-based, and FS more switching back and forth between concurrent settings, but both used the switches to build to effect.

And, yes, Xander then (after the events of “Halloween” and “the Dark Age”) had no reason to regard Ethan with any trust or approval, but no reason for active hatred, either. Trying to find a working balance was kind of fun.