I should like this more than I do, but I don't?

Season 1 feels like it drags a lot, and not only that, but it reminds me too much of other things:

1. The Dragon Prince -- I enjoyed the first 3 seasons? Then the show went all the way downhill for me and I stopped watching it completely.
2. Harry Potter -- For that one scene, which is "fine", but "Oh, it's the 'put the doohickey in the water' scene!" was a bit much on top of #3.
3. The Legend of Vox Machina -- Obviously, it's the same voice cast, but beyond that, did we seriously need Grok and the supernatural sword subplot again, with the whole "I'm not gonna explain what's going on with me to the rest of the team" thing, again? Why?

I like The Mighty Nein characters, for the most part. I like how effortlessly the inclusivity exists in the story. But everyone else, every other plot character, is despicable and needs to have their comeuppance.