I think you've done the best analysis of FMA:B so far--and I took a second viewing of it last night and I really see what you are talking about--Notice Ed isn't the one to win the big battle in the first episode--it's Bradley. Ed is not the big driving force he was in the first Ep of FMA. Roy comes across as weak, they are trying to make us too suspicious too fast--in the original I loved how Bradley came across as a jovial, almost loveable leader with a kindly manner--which made the revelation of his true nature all the more shocking. Kimblee was brought in---why? He does nothing in the episode. The whole 'arrays around Central" would have been a good idea but not thrown out in a one-shot. After all ,they built up Scar so well...they should have done better. Period.