Annddd ... finally caught up with this series as well.
Must say that I have been really impressed with it ... it seems to ... hmm ... "maximize" the time it is allotted. Very little feels "wasted" or "unnecessary", and the story and character development moves along very steadily and at a pleasing pace - not too fast and not too slow. The folks behind this series really have done an excellent job thus far. Kudos to them!
7.5/10 vote for ep 8 and a 8/10 vote for ep 9. Well done and solid.