I agree about the pacing. This show could have used a 10 episode season. Next season will also be 8 episodes. I'm hoping season 3 and beyond are 10 episodes.
Another thing about the limited time is that they also didn't use all the time they were given efficiently. Why did we spend an so much time on Sad Warder Man when his character and the background color he adds, aren't really important enough to warrant jettisoning world building in the first season of a big fantasy show or at the expense of character bits for characters who desperately needed them like Perrin.