Narkina 5

"Andor" is utterly outstanding this week. Easily the most macabre, fiercely mature & intelligent, topical & genuinely disturbing story being told within the "Star Wars" universe, by far - & in the history of the franchise. Here, it consequently takes an unflinching look at the brutality of fascist imperialism (what "The Empire" is an embodiment of) & doesn't shy away from depicting the horrors of it in a quite unsettling manner, lensing events through the perspectives of the working classes to truly ground the events in a feeling that's authentic & tangible.

I cannot believe Disney+ actually allowed something so risky to be made for a show that's set in the reality of one of their biggest brands. Feels more akin to "Squid Game" on Netflix than anything else; a grim, cynical refutation of a broken political system (which draws direct comparisons against our own), masterfully captured by the indomitable director Toby Haynes - who truly depicts even the darkest moments that could potentially be quite triggering, respectfully - whilst skilfully juxtaposing the growing sense of hopelessness with the hopefulness of the flourishing rebellion & thus, clearly conveying to the audience just how important it is to the survival of civilization; the oppressive establishment isn't just corrupt & tyrannical, but inhuman, so the narrative is far deeper than that because it becomes a poignant reflection of the endurance of the human spirit, in spite of insurmountable odds.

I say this as a casual "Star Wars" fan but the utter genius & creator Tony Gilroy has used the iconic sci-fi Disney property to explore real-life issues, making a beautifully nuanced commentary which feels startlingly relevant. Truly profound.

For the first time in a Star wars movie or series we get to see the diabolical mechanisms of the empire in such detail....this episode in particular felt like orwell's 1984 in some parts of it...the empire is the ultimate regime and this is reflected perfect here...the character building is fantastic and the climax at the end of the season i imagine will be spectacular.,.........i believe that this series is the best star wars series ever.. and i know we have The mandalorian which is spectacular show also ..but this series has a special heart like nothing before..we are gone see for the first time how the revolution begins.

We now come to a key moment in Cassian Andor's life, which is extremely effective in showing us what it takes to radicalize a man into a rebel. That process of radicalization is adorned with frighteningly convincing performances and subtle details, all of which are cautiously presented to us.

Between radicalization, back door politics, and subtle clues to family strife, it is clear that Andor is again building a massive tower of cards, and preparing us for its climatic and eventual toppling. Yet even as it builds this tower, it manages to demonstrate predicaments in the literal and figurative prisons of the show's characters. Deedra is imprisoned by her ambitions. Syril is imprisoned by the monotony of a corporate job and a need for vengeance. Vel and Cinta, are imprisoned by their rebellion, unable to pursue their love for each other. Luthen is imprisoned by his anxiety, counting the number of days he has left. Yet all of them are tied to the ultimate prison, the Empire. And all of their fates are tied to Cassian Andor.

It is Cassian who is the ultimate prisoner, as we are introduced to a brutal new way of life. This new way of life clearly borrows from several inspirations both real and fictional, but most notably the Shawshank Redemption. There is something sadistically fascinating about watching someone such as Cassian navigate this new way of life, as hopeless, blasé, and vicious as it is. We are jarringly introduced to it by Paul McEwan's playing of an Intake Warden, whose glaring eyes and smile is about as good as Satan's. And then, I could not help but geek-out at Andy Serkis appearing as a brutally efficient manager of his fellow inmates. He incentivizes with a gleaming smile, then goes from 60 to 0 in a split second and turns it into the glare of the grim reaper of an insane asylum. After dealing with Serkis, we meet other characters and soon suspect that Andor and many others may simply have been forced into slavery. This place we see is definitely not fun and games, no matter what galaxy you're from.

As is the case with all the previous episodes, the show continues to follow the detailed interpersonal story of several characters, which is what allows us to recognize the subtle suspicions of Mon Mothma's family, or the cold, precise, brutal efficiency behind the persons of the ISB. It is perhaps this incredible detail that tends to detract from the usual things that we obsess about with Star Wars. Other than a quick shot of shore troopers at the beginning of the episode, the quirky droids that spout funky noises, the strange locales, strange aliens, the unusual Star Wars vernacular. All of it takes far less stage. But whether this episode could have achieved what it did with or without those things is a matter of debate, with some advantage to the persons who constructed this episode and series.

Regardless, Narkina 5 is an excellent investment of your time if you have followed the show up to this point. And it seems to be setting up its audience for a future episode of toppling its intricately constructed fortress of cards. I have a hope and feeling that it's going to be pretty breathtaking to behold. 9 out of 10 stars.

Damn this show keeps impressing me! I like it more and more with each episode! This episode offers some great character development! Despite the slow progress we get some great monologues that leaves you thinking and makes this show feel so real!

The actors are ALL doing an amazing job! Something that we dont usually expect from Star Wars! Some shows or movie usually have a performance or characters that are not convincing or believable! But here.. every character feels natural and you connect with all of them!

The Cinematogrophy and direction is also amazing! It looks a lot better than Kenobi and you can feel how much work they put into this!

This is Star Wars doing something new and different and i LOVE it!

I mean, I'm not sure what more there is to really say. But I will say that it's nice seeing a show that most Star Wars watchers agree on. I'm not one to let any of toxicity of this fanbase get me down, but I will admit that I rarely feel comfortable expressing my opinions of anything star wars related. It's just not fun anymore.

Anyway, that's a conversation for a different day. I'm just glad to be somewhere where most people watching something Star Wars aren't being total jerks.

Like others have pointed out, what the Empire does to people behind the scenes isn't something that's seen very much in this universe, and it's brutal. This episode was deeply disturbing, from the behavior of some of the inmates to the nature of some of the (non-rebel) scum working inside some of the the most tyrannical baddies Erin cinematic history.

Andy Serkis! What a surprise! I love that man. The rest of the acting is very solid too.

This is a very consistently done show. I don't blame anyone for favoring as much as they do.