EPTI feel like the show has definitely improved, if not as much as I'd hoped. The acting by the core cast is as decent as it was in the first few episodes. This time the supporting cast is a little better, though still not particularly noteworthy.
I haven't talked about the fighting scenes yet, even though I'd say they do play an important part of the show. The overall choreography for the fights is pretty good. The characters actually look like they're fighting, not like in many modern depictions of sword fighting where the characters always seem to be pulling off ridiculous moves nobody in their right mind would use in real combat. However, the excessive use of short cuts, odd angles, and slow motion doesn't help the fight scenes. While the short cuts give the fights a sense of urgency, the odd angles and the slow motion really detracts from the overall feel of the fights. While Richard is supposed to be a good sword fighter, in the early books, he has moments of brilliance in combat where the sword gives him the insight necessary to survive. The use of slow motion for every combat scene serves to cheapen it's effect and ultimately cheapens the fight scenes as a whole. Instead the slow motion should be used as a device to show when the sword is helping him, emphasizing his ability, rather than just serving as another tool in the editor's arsenal (and an overused one at that).
The atmosphere of the whole show still has a campy, self-indulgent feel like the first few episodes had, and I don't see that changing. But, I do feel like the show has improved somewhat. I'll keep watching, and keep writing about it.
