So, I rewatched the very first episode of the show and an episode from the final season...

More than a subtle difference!

The first episode looks cinematic... the lighting, the slow camera moves, the framing and medium shot compositions... They look great, shot on film... The silences and quite moments... The sense of place... Quality.

The final season, looks good for a TV show.. In particular the exterior shots, but it does look like a TV show overall... While they've managed to get rid of any digital harshness, it still has a digital/video feel... The skintones, the lighting, the eyes in particular don't measure up to the high standard of the pilot episode... It's shot more conventionally, less of the 1950s movie style... Less glamourous in keeping with the later time period, which is fine, but still there is something less ambitious about it.

It still looks like the same show, but a lesser, more ordinary, version of it. Still far better than most TV in terms of looks.

I think the pilot episode, the very first of the show, is worth revisiting. It really is great. Even compared to shows today (and some movies).