Who would have preferred all eight episodes released at once?

I would have preferred all eight episodes released at once. Prime is a streaming service and the main benefit of streaming is the ability to binge content. Netflix has been good about dropping the whole season all at once.

The writers are playing a game with the identities of Halbrand and the stranger. They are using elements of mystery to make up for slipshod stories. Tolkien Middle-Earth stories were not mysteries so it's inappropriate to make the viewers play guessing games regarding the identities of these characters. Their little game would not work if they released all the episodes at once. Another mystery is the chest that the dwarves open at the end of episode two BUT they could just show the viewers what is in the effing chest. They tried to play the same game with the identity of the dragon in Wheel of Time BUT the identity of the dragon was never in doubt.

The element of mystery will work short-term for episodic content but it will fail once people can binge all of the episodes in a day. If the story stinks, the element of mystery will just turn viewers away.