Interesting.. "Part 1" does feel episodic but...
The article I read said "a whole lot more Eternity with more companions, a level cap increase, more dialog, etc. It will be more than the first game."
If there's actually more content in The White March: Part 1 then the base game then this must be a hell of long story arc they're building. If I'm getting 70 hours out of it .. like I did base game playthrough, then that doesn't feel so episodic.