WDYTYA Premiere Problems

Awkward? That's the word that comes to mind when I think about this episode. Martin's ancestors were involved in some very interesting historical events, and I think it all could have been presented in a more interesting way with better transitions. We moved from 1920's Ireland, to 1940's Spain, and then quickly back to the 1700's. All of this wasn't woven together very well.
I also had difficulty understanding which sides the in the Civil Wars his uncles  fought on? I was a history major in college, and I am familiar with these Civil Wars so I did finally catch on ( my great-grandparents lived in Ireland during the Civil War).
Now that I've seen most of the British series episodes I have a framework to compare with. The original is the best model to follow; which the American show doesn't always do well. Their formula consists of  rich, interesting historical detail presented in an understandable way. They use great location shots of ancestral locations. Research library and archive footage are nearly always shown, and are fun segments. It's fun to watch individuals do their own research, and make interesting discoveries on their own. This adds excitement to the shows, and makes genealogy look like an adventure. I thought last night's show fell flat as far as showing the excitement of the research chase. Martin did very little of the research on his own.
Not enough cliff hangers, and just plain not enough substance to build a show around last night. They could have brought in more ancestors and more pictures. They could have visited family churches, and cemeteries. The church where his earliest ancestor was buried would have been interesting. More excitement, and just plain more of everything would have been better!