Andor

I have to say that I was really looking forward to Andor ever since I first heard about it. Then when I saw the trailers I got even more excited. I just finished watching it and it not only met my expectations but even surpassed them. It actually might be the best Star Wars series so far, or at least right there with The Mandalorian. The entire cast is great but Diego Luna is obviously the real star here. He is just fantastic as the lead. This may start a little slow but stick with it because it picks up in a hurry and the next thing you know you're completely hooked. It's already been renewed for a second season so I can't wait until next season and more of Andor!

Andor is everything I didn't know I needed to fall in love with the Star Wars universe. It'll never get the recognition of the original movies. The prequels. Or even the underwhelming sequels that couldn't stick the landing. But for what it is, Andor is one of the biggest accomplishments in tv for what it accomplished in the small window of opportunity they had in terms of material.

Andor is not only a prequel, but a prequel to a movie that's not even deeply connected to the main Star Wars story. Yet what it accomplished was one of the most grounded takes on corruption, manipulation, and abuses of power in all of television. Turning a mission of taking the plans of the Death Star into a series that embarks on all of these strong ordeals that are occurring in our world as we speak and putting a spotlight on them is something I didn't think I'd get from this universe.

Stay with me here but to me this show is what Severance and Succession / The Newsroom are to Apple TV+ and HBO. For the topics that are covered to the awful things that these multi billion dollar companies do and are apart of, it's extremely ironic that these shows would air on these platforms and go to show how much they don't care. But I am thankful that shows like this can exist and go about these topics in a way that feels earned and gives hope.

I didn't think a prequel would be even remotely close to Better Call Saul in a very long time, but when BCS ended in 2022 Andor began. And with its conclusion 3 years later despite it only being 2 seasons, Tony Gilroy and company proved me wrong.

"And know this: the day will come when all these skirmishes and battles, these moments of defiance will have flooded the banks of the Empire's authority and then there will be one too many. One single thing will break the siege.

Remember this. Try."

This is, minute for minute, some of the best television on today. Not a ton of FX. Just a compelling story and great acting. It is certainly more adult than other CGI laden spin offs. I don't think any cute cuddly toys will emerge from the series. But the story shines.

The plight of the rebels feels real. We're drawn into the characters one by one. The acting is first class. The writing succinct. And the ever enigmatic Andor keeps the tension taught and mysterious.

Though the series seemed in no hurry to gain traction, it's totally forgivable as we approach mid season. We're drawn to the next episode as we anticipate the the rage sure to be drawn by the empire.

The writers seem merciless with the characters and Andor himself has a sharp unscrupulous edge not quite on display in Rogue One.

Big thumbs up.

Andor is why I pay my Disney+ subscription. This is Star Wars for those who have grown up with the franchise and are yearning for a more mature take on the Universe. It's hard to use the work 'realistic' when it comes to sci-fi, but everything about Andor feels real. The characters act sensibly and their actions never feel like they are purely made to drive the plot forward. I think the last time I used the term 'sci-fi that transcends it's boundary' was when talking about Battlestar Galactica. I think I can safely use that term here too. It's not a action sci-fi, so it's audience it probably smaller, so I hope it will not get cancelled. I hope Disney can find the courage to front a show based on quality and not just audience numbers. I believe that quality shows will always be good revenue earners over time as they are appreciated by more people, even if they are not the most popular out of the box.

There were a few episodes I didn't like in both seasons, but after finishing up season 2 I can say this show is truly a masterpiece. The writing and acting were phenomenal. This was an adult story that Star Wars fans always wanted. Characters that had many dimensions to them. Good and evil were blurred as they can be in real life. Almost all the characters had many different sides to them. Bad things were done by "good" characters. You felt the pain of many of these characters. You felt like the stakes were real. Appropriate humor as well. No your momma jokes or drinking blue milk from alien nipples. You felt the weight of the story. Watching this show brings so much more context to Rogue One(the only good Disney SW movie). A show like this will have lasting impacts on the fanbase. We are not toxic as Disney always claims. We just want a good story with developed characters and no Agenda being forced down our collective throats.