Ellcrys

Despite not having read the books yet, the 1st season got me interested so far. The first eight episodes ranged from above average to pretty good with standard fantasy cliches, but nice CGI/visuals and decent characters. Ellcrys is not only another near perfect episode much like Safehold, but it's a great season finale in it's own right. The writing and story have improved as it provides some character depth to Amberle who has a choice to make a sacrifice that would ensure the end of this war and save the four lands at once. The acting is very good so far the best coming from Manu Bennett. Even the characters themselves have been getting better particularly Ander who has lost other people he loved including his father King Eventine which makes one feel sorry for him. The action is also great, the pacing is still very good, the CGI/visuals continue to be well-made and the music score is still beautiful. Not to mention it left a cliffhanger to a 2nd season which makes things quite interesting than I thought. So, overall, another near perfect episode that improves over the earlier episodes. Thumbs up. :)