This is the obligatory backstory episode. We see our protagonists, Ed and Al, as kids. We see them learning alchemy. We see the death of their mother. They quickly cover their training and plans to bring their mother back. We see their failed attempt to bring their mother back.
Something I noticed in the first episode was that every time the philospher's stone was used or even discussed, the screen had a red filter over it.
In the '03 FMA the philosopher's stone was associated with human transmutation and the death, so assuming that those things are also connected in Brotherhood, the red over the Elric house before their attempt to bring back their mother not only creates a foreboding atmosphere, it also potentially foreshadows what they will learn during their search for the philosopher's stone and a way to get their bodies back.
We see a little of what happens during their failed transmutation from Ed's perspective. He meets "God," who is all things. It is a representation of everything that exists in the world, which when including ideas and things on conceptual levels is very vague--maybe this is why it is essentially a blank figure with only a suggestion of an outline.
There is also the door. In the '03 anime this was a one way ticket to Germany. In Brotherhood, it is a doorway to truth. The tree on the door is reminiscent of old alchemical manuscripts or possibly the Biblical reference to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (although I believe both of these are historically related on some level).
In the present Mustang, while under the pretense of discussing the report for the events of last episode, brings up alchehestry. Then he gets to explain how Ed got to be a State Alchemist. I liked the way Riza and Roy kind of finished each other's sentences when she was talking with Winry and he with Ed. I'm a firm supporter of the Roy x Riza ship. We fast forward through Ed getting his automail and get our first hint of the Ed x Winry pairing with the playful and flirty bickering, and Winry declaring that he was stuck with her as long as he had her automail.
We also get another nugget of information hinting at what's to come. Al mentions that Ed can transmute without a circle just like their teacher, and Ed seems a little surprised that Al can't.
Next we move on to Ed taking the exam, Ed wins his position by being brash and showing off that he doesn't need a circle.
Yep, attacking the Furor is a brilliant idea, not that Ed could likely even lay a finger on him. Between this scene and the Furor's fight with the Freezing Alchemist in Episode 1, it's pretty clear there's more to him than meets the eye. At the very least, he is a very capable and very agile fighter.
I'm pretty sure this episode covered at least 5 episodes from the '03 anime. I do have trouble watching the '03 version now because so many of the episodes just feel like filler after having watched Brotherhood--and admittedly some of the filler episodes were excellent (Fullmetal vs Flame and Warehouse 13 being 2 of my favorites). I remember my mind being blown the first time I watched this episode. They were flying through everything that had been familiar from the first anime. At the time, I expected Brotherhood to either be very short or have a lot of new content. This excited me because I had not been satisfied with the ending to the '03 anime--either the series or the additional ending provided by the movie. I also wanted more of the characters. Anyways, I'm rambling now, so I think I'll stop here.
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