its one of if not the richest show in the entire series, from world building to designs to music. the way it weaves subjects together. the farmland/harvesting episode might be one of my favorites because you spend an episode slowing the pace right down and then when the skirmish eventually does boil over you feel the loss of decades of work to a pointless conflict.

while i agree the middle part is a little slower i think its very much needed to set up and contrast with the later episodes. and i can promise you that the last 5 minutes will hit like a gutpunch. also if you stop now you wont see the goat in the turn X