Also it was nice of them to explain why a Republic Star Destroyer was loitering around the planet and why it would let a ship from there just land on it.
That was established last week. The shuttle that D-Squad took up to the star destroyer was the one that the droids on the planet were loading with the explosive fuel. Presumably it was meant to be bringing the last shipment of explosives aboard and thus was expected, though I have to wonder why the Separatist forces didn't bother to meet it when it arrived.
The main benefit of this episode was that Artoo got to play a more central role than he has in most of the arc. Other than that, the main benefit is that it's finally over. Hopefully this is the last we'll see of Gascon and D-Squad.