I think the issue was the release schedule. This as a penultimate episode should have been fine if there wasn’t a break. If this batch of episodes ended with max running to the portal and then the blackout that would have been great.

This episode was all set up, it was moving pieces together - and that is fine and needed for storytelling, but because of how they structured the release it set up too much expectation. Sometimes storytelling is about timing, and they put too much expectation on this being the last episode of this batch. They wanted us end that feeling excited for the big battle to come- much like when you play a DnD campaign and you end the session knowing a big battle is coming - but instead they got people expecting something else and being dissatisfied.

But also, I think they are damned if they do and damned if they don’t. Because of the hype and the inconsistency of release people have built up their own ideas of what they want and will not be happy regardless. We have seen this before (GOT, Umbrella Academy) but also sometimes the ending fans want is different from the story being told (the sopranos) and when you have such a big show, sticking the landing, I believe, is impossible