Andor (Disney+)

Just going by the beginning, that was a little harder and grittier than I like my Star Wars. But I'll tell you what compels me. This (so far) is not an action show. It's a drama. Specifically a crime drama. It's for that reason I suspect it will not set the Star Wars fandom on-fire the way the Mandalorian and Obi-Wan Kenobi did. But there were a ton of individual elements that intrigued me for the precise reason that they had never been done in Star Wars before.

For example I very much like the implication that at this stage of the game, Imperialist bureaucrats are outright lazy. The Inspector completely nailing the specifics of the crime, and suggesting a death by misadventure was freaking riveting, as was Cass' friend's completely credible alibi being made up off the top of his head. The stuttering Droid is fun too, and the notion that is takes a lot of power for a Droid to lie is neat too.

To make a long review short, I hated the opening scene, but found everything past it fascinating for the fact that these were all scenes Star Wars never shows us of behind the scenes of lower ranked Imperialists and civilians. It was cool for that reason. The office politics of Star Wars are something Randall and Dante seemed to wonder about in Clerks, and we actually see a bit about it here. 3 1/2 stars.

First sex scene in Star Wars history. We don't see anything good, and it cuts away before it even really begins, but it's significant in this chaste franchise anyways.

Cassian was apparently an Ewok growing up.

Interesting the Deputy Inspector has zero charisma. But he still gets the applause and the kudos for the boring speech anyways. That's seems real-world familiar. Still, sweet gig.

I liked the scene of Andor dickering with the guy over the price of transport. The last scene of the two guys on the transport was cool too.

I mentioned this won't set the Star Wars fandom on-fire already, right? 3 stars.

I am about to pay this the highest compliment I can give an hour of television: That was interesting.

I also get the logic of the three episode premiere drop on Disney+ now. People might have checked out due to lack of interest without the context of this episode. Episode 3 is make-or-break for the series, and Disney+ damn well better have it in the can from the outset.

First s-bomb in Star Wars? I believe so.

The Imperialist police force is beyond not ready for prime time. Buncha Keystone Cops there.

Timm paid a high price for his treachery. It's admirable he rushes to Bix's defense when he sees the cops have roughed her up. But they wouldn't even BE here yet if not for him.

I like this Rael cat. His discussion with Cass about the fat and happy Imperialists did not fall on deaf ears by me. I do notice that most of the cops are ridiculously overweight considering their profession.

I'm knocking off a half-star the final grade for the ridiculous notion that perhaps kid Cass has never seen his reflection before. Even if Mirrors aren't a thing on Human Endor, reflection pools obviously are. Come on, man. Cass couldn't have been THAT much of a Luddite.

Also I must note that humans are called humans in the Star Wars Universe. I repeat: Interesting.

That went places. Mostly interesting ones. 4 1/2 stars.

It's not an action show. It's a straight drama. And an interesting drama at that.

I both like and dislike the prissy old Imperial Major we met at the beginning and the end. Him discussing their security duties as health care workers fighting viruses from the outside and within was an entirely unpleasant allegory, but I DID like him giving encouragement to Meera at the end. This is the first show or movie to suggest that not everybody who works for the Empire is necessarily malicious.

Rael's scene at the gallery with the Senator was interesting, as was her argument with her clueless husband. Rael's debate with Vel over Cass joining her team was similarly riveting.

Karn is in the doghouse. The fact that he's a Mama's Boy is no surprise.

Saw Guerrera was mentioned here. I doubt we'll see Forest Whittaker though.

I liked it. ****.

I'm going out on a limb and declaring this show the most interesting Star Wars project I've ever seen. Supplanting (ironically, I might add) Rogue One in that specific department. Every bit of this show fascinates me and raises questions (and the right questions). This is not the best Star Wars show. The Mandalorian has more thematic resonance to me for Mando's relationship with The Child, and Obi-Wan Kenobi has better melodrama and action. But I feel like this is the first project in this Universe I have seen with real people in it, and not just George Lucas cardboard matinee archetype cut-outs. I mean, when the guy "apologizes" to Andor and describes the death of his farmer brother due to the Empire, Cass' first immediate question is to ask what kind of farm. That right there is not great writing. It's GOOD writing, which is WAAAYYY better. If feels real, and credible, and as if these are real people nervously waiting it out until their important life-and-death mission, and finding some way to trust each other as they steel themselves for it.

Karn's scenes with his mother were similarly riveting. Her disappointment is palpable, I think justified, and frankly a bit gleeful. There is a sadistic streak in Mama Karn gloating over her son's predictable failures. It's great characterization, and we've never seen a mother like this in Star Wars before. And she makes the franchise richer for her presence. Bonus points to the scene for introducing the idea that the Star Wars Universe DOES contain mundane things like dry, sweetened, cereal. But because it's Star Wars, the milk is actually blue.

The stuff about reorganizing the troops based on what hand they favored was neat too. It also made sense, and was something I never thought about, which made it even cooler.

I think the most impressive thing about the show to me, and why it's unlike every other Star Wars project, is because the people in the Empire we see are good people, trying to do their jobs as best they can. We aren't dealing with Dooku or Tarkin. Part of me is rooting for the Empire characters every time they make a discovery and rise above their mundane jobs and stations. What a fascinating and horrific idea it is to make me feel that. That's amazing to put me in these specific people's shoes, even if it only winds up for this specific series. I'll never forget it for that reason.

I can't stand the Senator's husband. I think she might have divorced him ages ago if that wouldn't have added an extra level of scrutiny to her. She's doing her best to keep from getting found out, and her entire family killed, and he seems to be deliberately sabotaging her and her political position and career while unaware of how precarious it is because she's an actual traitor. But could you picture her warning him about that? This is not a guy you can trust with a secret that large. He'd tell it to impress the people at the first bar he got drunk in. This poor woman has the crappiest family and personal support system possible for somebody helping the Rebellion on the downlow. I feel truly bad for her. I understand why her daughter is upset, and I hated her husband for enjoying winding her up and setting her against mother for kicks. This crap AMUSED this jag. And it's infuriating. He's stupid. And stupid people are dangerous because they can't be predicted or controlled. Which could potentially be the Senator's entire undoing.

I am currently enjoying She-Hulk: Attorney At Law for the slight comedic romp it is. But still, even if it's one of the few Marvel Studios shows I've enjoyed, I look at this and Obi-Wan Kenobi and I wonder why the HELL I am not permitted an amazing Marvel Cinematic Universe TV show. Those seem to be all about the cash grabs, and building the brand, and tying into the movies. Andor's arc is a literal dead end. We know his actual future. Why is it his show, not even the BEST Star Wars Disney+ show, is better than every single Marvel Disney+ series? I think the best thing that ever happened to Star Wars was them pulling back on the big screen stuff once people become oversaturated with it. I hope Kevin Feige makes a similar decision with the Marvel stuff on the TV end. Marvel's spiraling is not sustainable, and each new Star Wars show just makes that stuff look worse and worse by comparison.

That was some interesting television. My highest praise possible. *****.

That was majorly unsatisfying. But let's get real. This specific show was never built to give easy answers and a cookie cutter happy ending. It is the Star Wars project with zero good guys and zero bad guys. I feel like if the finale had made me happier by the end, it would have been unusual and out of character for the show. I would have preferred it, yes. But it's not just an unrealistic expectation on my end. What I wanted might not be in the best interest of the message of the show.

I love that the Imperialist of color that we been secretly rooting for these past few weeks turns out to be a Rebel. Of course. That's how they "escaped his noticed". Because they didn't. The fix was already in there.

I love that Andor just shoots the dude unexpectedly at the end when he broaches the subject of stealing the bounty and ditching the Rebellion. I liked that because if he was going to refuse to do it (and he was obviously) that was the right moment to kill him. And he'd definitely need to be killed for that (because he'd want to kill Andor before he revealed his treachery). He was not on his guard. He was putting feelers outs to see what "Clem" thought about it. If he sensed an actual danger Cass would rat him out, his guard would be put up. Cass kills him before anybody else would firmly decide yes or no. His murder is Cass' real final decision.

That spaceship escape scene at the end was a real quality Star War if ya ask me.

I mentioned I'm going a bit off-topic, but even if I was not completely satisfied with the finale, it was damn solid. And the first season of Andor will be left with a favorable impression in my mind. I love that it's basically a drama with limited action. What tension exists is due to nerves before the battles, or hostage situations (and yes, the Rebellion takes innocent kids hostage at this point). You can tell the both the Rebellion and the Empire itself are in their infancy in how bad and unprofessional they are as this is going on. The actual leader of the mission actually almost refuses to say "Go," for a mere case of nerves. It's all interesting stuff.

What's off-topic is I watched and enjoyed that AFTER I saw the hot mess that was the She-Hulk finale. Why the hell can't Marvel Studios give me ONE decent TV show? Okay, Loki, but like, that's IT. I'm not okay with Star Wars routinely impressing me on Disney+, while Marvel Television is busy making me cringe in embarrassment. It's not right. I admire the Star Wars shows for having creators and showrunners with an actual vision, wanting to tell their own story, instead of being hype projects to pass the time between movies. And maybe I would have preferred a less ambiguous ending for the season. But it was damn solid ending, which is more than I can say for this Marvel Studios garbage. I don't know what the answer is about this. ****.

This episode made things a little too complicated to follow. It's going to be hard to describe my thoughts because I can't remember any of the characters' names (and the cast list was no help).

I liked the Imperial lady getting a promotion for taking initiative and essentially getting the guy who's had it out for hers' job. I though it was interesting the Colonel told her to watch her back. His tone suggested it was a helpful tip instead of a threat and that he was rooting for her.

It's interesting the Senator lady says her husband can't be trusted.

What was up with Cass' arrest at the end? It struck me as patently ridiculous.

This show is getting hard for me to keep the players straight. ***.

This is the most ambitious Star Wars show of all time. The prison is not something any previous incarnation would have attempted. The notion behind it is so dark I believe this is the first Star Wars project I wouldn't allow a little kid to watch.

I mean, I knew the Empire was BAD, but not THAT bad. And it's really interesting to put Meera, a character we had half been rooting for in recent weeks, in charge of the incoming torture Bix is about to suffer. There were no good guys or bad guys in the previous weeks. This episode is different because it's starting to draw the lines.

I cannot overstate how horrific the idea of the prison is. I think the thing that brings home to me how hopeless and cruel it is is that for a reward, the second best team gets taste inserted into their food goop. The best team gets flavor. I can't picture a prison in our Universe sadistic enough to do something like that. It's like they are doing Concentration Camp parallels, but because of the cleanliness of the prison they can keep things TV-14. But it certainly is a horrific level of torture and abuse these people are facing.

Say what you will about Luthen, the dude can believably go toe to toe with Saw Gerrera. I loved Forest Whitaker's surprise cameo.

I'm not going to say this is the best Star Wars show. What I will say it's the one Star Wars show that is swinging for the fences. In the same way Rogue One was the one Star Wars MOVIE that did that. It is no surprise the most shocking Star Wars series is so heavily tied to the most shocking Star Wars movie. *****.

Whoa. That was rough. I said earlier on that this is the first Star Wars project I would not let a little kid watch. Stuff like that is why.

Also, great episode title. It's not remotely a Star Wars title, which is why it's great.

Bix's torture was horrible. And I'm horribly reminded that just a few episodes ago I was half-rooting for Meero in her game of Imperial office politics, even knowing what she was. Seeing what she is is far more instructive here than knowing what she is. Before it was all theoretical, and I could be wrong that every person in the Empire is a monster. But when Bix tells her she seems like she's enjoying herself, that's accurate.

Kino finally tells Andor what he needs to hear at the end. After that? I don't blame him.

Val being Mothma's cousin gives both their roles in the Rebellion added context.

I can't tell if Karn's mother is supposed to be comedic or frightening. I find her both. Also, she's crazy. She's right to make Cyril speculate on whether or not she had a meltdown while he was gone. What is left unsaid is that she clearly did.

Karn is beyond pushing his luck. I think the problem is he fell in love with Meero from afar. The thing that disturbs me is that even knowing he's stalking her, there is something about Meera's reaction to him that says she's a little bit compelled there too. She shouldn't be for hundreds of reasons (not the least of it being risky for her career). But truly, it's almost flattering, isn't it? I don't know how I feel about that.

Also, that painless, peaceful death that prison doctor promised the poor guy who had a stroke... was not. I love that fact.

This continues to be the riskiest, most un-Star Wars, Star Wars project of all time. I don't know if I'll wind up liking it when all is said and done (I certainly did not like Bix's horrified screams when having to listen to the torture on the headphones) but it sure as hell held my interest. ****1/2.