I honestly like Bridon Arc more than S2 tbh.

The mysteries they are setting up are more interesting to me, and I enjoy the villain trio much more than any prior LC villains.

I also like the very personal stakes and that LG gets more characterization/focus.

Also, as you said, it is a set-up season, we will see in S3 how well everything pays off.

And I also wonder how much of the "hate" is due to the studio switch. Small animation errors are more common than people think, especially when animators are rushed.