>>149836139
Most stories will start out feeling episodic because that's essentially what the world building part was. You introduce your characters and world in lower stakes bits that are easier to digest, start slowly peppering in the bigger mystery and then BAM you pull the rug out from under people when it's time to to get serious. That was the basic elements of story telling. Even Lord of the Rings starts out with the hobbits getting into comparatively more mundane challenges before they get to the prancing pony. It's like modern audiences are so lacking in exposure that the seconds they see even the most basic pattern they have to make a fuss out of it and try to attach it to t he thing they just watched.