This is an example of what you can do with an episode that has good acting talent, good writers and enough of a budget to string it all together. A show which seeks to deliver a story, rather than just a message or dumbing everything down for the audience so they don't have to think too much. This episode in particular was heavy on evoking real emotion.
The opening was brilliant with the lady being led to her heart weighing ceremony. It was otherworldly and gives you shivers. I felt genuinely invested in her fate after only knowing her a few minutes. It was then contrasted with Laura's encounter. Set up and pay off.
Think snow was great. It keeps you wondering how that was possible, and mixes enough humor in to keep it light enough to be fun.
The sisters and Czernobog were amazingly portrayed.
This whole episode manages to weave the real world with mythology, and keep a strong storyline instead of leaning too far into relying on special effects to do the lifting.
I had so much hope for this series. Season one is one of the very few TV series I'd say was actually better than the books it was based on. Shame it fell apart over the following two seasons. (Season 2 is very patchy, season 3 is a mess.)