As always, this is a spoiler-free review.
When Masters of the Air was first introduced to the public, all thoughts went to Band of Brothers and The Pacific. Both, but particularly the first, were pioneers in shaping a new kind of landscape for what 'epic' mini series are supposed to be. With the exemplary vision of epic storytelling from Spielberg, and the craft of nuance and emotion from Hanks, the foresight of having yet another similarly styled mini series was promising. But, as far as expectations for an entire series from a first episode can go, Masters of the Air lacks the same flair and overall excitement of watching something epic.
Directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, whose greater work we can first endearingly behold as prime director for True Detective Season 1, episode 1 sets the stage for what Masters of the Air will entail. But while True Detective's first season is one of the most critically acclaimed pieces of TV entertainment to date, the stage set for Masters of the Air is weaker than that of its brothers in arms. Cary's style of building up tension with clear setpieces throughout the episode works well when you can smear it across an entire season. To create the same flow in one episode results in convolution of the storyline. At the end of a first episode of a mini series you want to leave the viewer with a thought of "My world, this is going to be great". While I can say "My world, this is going to be good", I can't predict great.
All this is not to say that Masters of the Air is bad television. Not by any means, in fact. Episode 1 features as a sort of summary of what the entire series will entail. As said, it sets the stage. There's a little bit of all; brotherhood, conflict, action, loss and decision-making. There are enough silver linings to an otherwise mediocre first impression, to make you 'ok' with another episode. One silver lining is the music score, because oh my, is it good. From the main theme's song to the trumpet-blaring intersections, the score does not miss. Another lining that is indeed silver is that the series is aesthetically beautiful. From the indoor set pieces to the flashy but comprehendable action scenes, the budget on finetuning the aesthetics was not mild, to say the least.
Rated 7 out of 10 knots, episode 1 of Masters of the Air sets the stage of something that cán be good, not great.
