Warring Across the Stars...With their...Wars....and Stuff

[Lord Varys]

The show continues to be pretty great, although I must say I don't like the injection of 'independence talk' into the Rebel movement and their sympathizers. They want the Republic and their freedom back, they don't want to free (their) planets from evil colonizers. Reframing the Rebellion by introducing this kind of thing seems like a new element, which, if being protrayed as a dominant tenet in the Rebellion, would more or less mean to abolish any Galactic government altogether.

Also, of course, really don't like squeamish Mon Mothma from Rogue One. She and Bail Organa worked against Palpatine since before he proclaimed himself Emperor, so after fifteen (twenty, in RO) of treason she should really have planned, executed, commanded, authorized, or approved her decent share of ugly or questionable missions. This woman doesn't need to be lectured by some antique arts dealer.

I'm kind of intrigued what the story of her daughter will be, but I doubt her husband will betray her. He is already pretty much at the center of Imperial politics considering he can invite Palpatine's innermost circle to a dinner, so a nice twist there could be that he always knew or suspected what she was doing, but was using whatever influence he had to maintain the public image Mon Mothma created for herself.

Mon Mothma's lines about she taking inspiration from Palpatine in the creation of her own public persona were brilliant.

2 minutes ago, Ser Scot A Ellison said:

I’ve been trying to figure out where they are going with Syril.  He has given indications of being obessed with Andor… but it hasn’t gone anywhere.  Just showing him as how caring citizens get ground down is an interesting idea…

That cannot be the only purpose of the character. There must be a reason why they decided to move him to Coruscant. I imagine his plot will eventually either intersect with Mon Mothma's or Luthen's plot, or, perhaps more likely, the ISB plot. Dedra could eventually realize that a guy involved in the Ferrix mess is on Coruscant now. He might also approach the ISB on his own if and when it is publicly revealed that Cassian Andor took part in the Aldhani raid.

They could also have him as a character who ends up with the Rebels due to his own experiences with the Imperial machine, but if that's the case then the hints in that direction are, so far, very subtle.

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

4 minutes ago, Lord Varys said:

They could also have him as a character who ends up with the Rebels due to his own experiences with the Imperial machine, but if that's the case then the hints in that direction are, so far, very subtle.

That would be really interesting given his starting point… and somewhat unusual in the SW mythos.

[SpaceChampion]

On 10/18/2022 at 12:06 AM, Kalnestk Oblast said:

This is apparently why we can't have nice things.

 

Those aren't "ratings" however, or number of minutes streamed.  It appears to be some odd calculation of audience engagement, which includes a measure of how much people are talking about it on social media, making memes posted on photo sharing sites, making comments on platforms, etc.   Not sure what it means, but it doesn't mean people aren't watching.

[karaddin]

5 hours ago, Ser Scot A Ellison said:

I’ve been trying to figure out where they are going with Syril.  He has given indications of being obessed with Andor… but it hasn’t gone anywhere.  Just showing him as how caring citizens get ground down is an interesting idea…

 

4 hours ago, Lord Varys said:

They could also have him as a character who ends up with the Rebels due to his own experiences with the Imperial machine, but if that's the case then the hints in that direction are, so far, very subtle.

This is what seems most likely to me. The story arc about how even an enthusiastic participant can be ground down by the complete repression of any individuality or personal initiative to the point that they realise they the zeal they had was misplaced. The other option is he conducts a personal investigation and either finds Cassian in the prison or winds up being critical to how they catch Luthen. He's got to play a role in one direction or the other or he wouldn't have continued after the 3rd ep.

[Werthead]

Interesting set photo leaks.

Spoiler

We will see X-wings this season, and for some reason they look old and banged up, even though the X-wing should be a relatively new model at this time. Possibly the first X-wings stolent/procured from Incom are roughed up or camouflaged in some way.

 

[Slurktan]

4 hours ago, Werthead said:

Interesting set photo leaks.

  Hide contents

We will see X-wings this season, and for some reason they look old and banged up, even though the X-wing should be a relatively new model at this time. Possibly the first X-wings stolent/procured from Incom are roughed up or camouflaged in some way.

No links?

 

[Martell Spy]

Quote

 

This is what seems most likely to me. The story arc about how even an enthusiastic participant can be ground down by the complete repression of any individuality or personal initiative to the point that they realise they the zeal they had was misplaced.

 

I think the point of Syril is to comment on housing inequality in the West and the plight of millennials. Forced to return home and not only be berated by the Baby Boomer parent, but then having to rely on help to find new work.

I don't see spoilers in the title, so I'll tag the rest of this.

Spoiler

Really excellent episode and it really shows the quality of Andor as a show. Given last week's heist this could have easily been a low-key throw-away episode. It was so cool to see all the aliens right before Cas is captured and also the very efficient and vicous imperial justice system at work.

 

[Raja]

I'm on episode 4 on Andor, and I only had one reaction when one of the crew came on screen

COUSINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN ( those who know, know)

[felice]

On 10/20/2022 at 10:00 AM, Frey family reunion said:

I love this show as well, especially the second three episode arc.  But, I do have to ask if this is good episodic story telling.

Nope; it's not making the slightest attempt to be episodic. It's one long story divided into arbitrary chunks because a ten hour movie would be too much for most people to watch in a single sitting. Even the three-episode "arcs" run into each other pretty seamlessly. I don't think that's a problem, though.

[Raja]

Finished the 7 episodes over the last week or so, some stuff off the top of my head

The show overall is really good - The show is literred with things from movies like the Bourne Series, and it's hard not to sometimes make comparisons to those set of movies. That isn't a negative though, I think what has worked really well is Gilroy has made you care about the characters that have really small roles - my favourite moment of the series was probably marva & andor's scene in the house at the end of episode 7 where andor says 'i'll worry about you forever' and she says something like 'that's just love' - it's meant to be emotional and it really hit me.

Some things I wasn't the biggest fan of

I don't think episode 6 is that good at all, I had seen some comments here about it being perfect but I think the heist was okay without any really stand out moments except for when they're flying into the eye. I don't think Andor is a show that needs these big action sequences, it's excellent without them - of course, if these set pieces are good then it doesn't matter but I dont really think that episode connected with me at all. I'm still working through my feelings as to why I didn't like the episode, I think it's probably because I just don't think it's a good heist scene? It's very by the numbers.

Andor getting arrested was also..odd. Not too critical of this because I'll see how it plays out.

Also, Nicholas Britell's score is excellent, especially on those title cards. It's understated but perfect.

[Corvinus85]

6 minutes ago, Raja said:

Finished the 7 episodes over the last week or so, some stuff off the top of my head

The show overall is really good - The show is literred with things from movies like the Bourne Series, and it's hard not to sometimes make comparisons to those set of movies. That isn't a negative though, I think what has worked really well is Gilroy has made you care about the characters that have really small roles - my favourite moment of the series was probably marva & andor's scene in the house at the end of episode 7 where andor says 'i'll worry about you forever' and she says something like 'that's just love' - it's meant to be emotional and it really hit me.

Some things I wasn't the biggest fan of

I don't think episode 6 is that good at all, I had seen some comments here about it being perfect but I think the heist was okay without any really stand out moments except for when they're flying into the eye. I don't think Andor is a show that needs these big action sequences, it's excellent without them - of course, if these set pieces are good then it doesn't matter but I dont really think that episode connected with me at all. I'm still working through my feelings as to why I didn't like the episode, I think it's probably because I just don't think it's a good heist scene? It's very by the numbers.

Andor getting arrested was also..odd. Not too critical of this because I'll see how it plays out.

Also, Nicholas Britell's score is excellent, especially on those title cards. It's understated but perfect.

Andor does need action moments, because it's still Star Wars, but the fact that the show takes the time to carefully build up to them is what makes it stand apart from any other Star Wars show, and so far the payoff has been solid.

If you think about it, the big action moment wasn't that big - 3 TIE fighters chase a flying bus across the sky. Simply giving it this description makes it small in the context of what we've seen Star Wars produce. But it's made to look big with little; there is careful design and writing. I think that makes this an outstanding piece of visual story telling. 

Cassian getting arrested was both an allusion to how innocent minorities in RL are often accosted by law enforcement (talking about the US here), and proof that Marva was right that the oppression of the Empire is everywhere and can no longer be escaped or ignored.

[Raja]

12 minutes ago, Corvinus85 said:

Andor does need action moments, because it's still Star Wars,

I agree with that, I guess where I disagree is I wish it was executed better. The heist seemed very by the numbers, I'd compare it to the heist sequence in Solo, which I wasn't a fan of either. I agree that it needs 'action moments', I specifically stated I don't think it needs these *big* sequences, or if they're there, it needs to be executed better.

12 minutes ago, Corvinus85 said:

. But it's made to look big with little; there is careful design and writing.

I think the scene with the fighters & the frigate in the sky looks stunning, but everything else before that didn't work for me. It felt like a video game heist scene and with Gilroy, I expect better ( And I'm someone that *loves* heist movies, so it is supposedly right up my alley, so to speak)

It's not shot in an interesting way. The shootout itself isn't particularly memorable and like I've stated above, besides the shot with the fighters & frigate in the air, there aren't any memorable shots in it - that bit I will concede looks stunning, but that's a few seconds in a 50 minute episode.

12 minutes ago, Corvinus85 said:

Cassian getting arrested was both an allusion to how innocent minorities in RL are often accosted by law enforcement (talking about the US here),

Yeah, I obviously get that - it's not exactly subtle given the judge states 'new directive' or whatever, but again I don't think it's executed well, especially his conversation with the storm trooper. It felt like a really weak piece of writing tacked on at the end of the episode, but we'll see how the plot line plays out.

Edited October 21, 2022 by Raja

[Corvinus85]

Btw, the shoretrooper that accosted Cassian was played by Sam Witwer.

 

[Argonath Diver]

Oh man, I am just thoroughly enjoying Andor. I somewhat agree with Raja that the robbery sequence was a bit uneven, but I otherwise loved that episode in and out. Then Episode 7 has a harsh slowdown to some serious politickin'. Then easily my favorite line in the show, when Maarva says "That's just love". That actor gives her role more gravitas than any single person in the entire Rings of Power series (or Witcher or WoT as were discussed upthread). 

I generally have completely abandoned waiting for weekly new content, preferring to binge shows at my leisure once seasons (or preferably entire series) are completed. However, I'm very much engaged with the eager wait to watch Fridays once I'm home.

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

On 10/22/2022 at 8:43 PM, Argonath Diver said:

Oh man, I am just thoroughly enjoying Andor. I somewhat agree with Raja that the robbery sequence was a bit uneven, but I otherwise loved that episode in and out. Then Episode 7 has a harsh slowdown to some serious politickin'. Then easily my favorite line in the show, when Maarva says "That's just love". That actor gives her role more gravitas than any single person in the entire Rings of Power series (or Witcher or WoT as were discussed upthread). 

I generally have completely abandoned waiting for weekly new content, preferring to binge shows at my leisure once seasons (or preferably entire series) are completed. However, I'm very much engaged with the eager wait to watch Fridays once I'm home.

I hate binging.  I much prefer a normal life to shutting myself in a room and endlessness watching television.

[Raja]

Very happy that Lindelof is writing a star wars flick ( though it's gonna make people angry for sure lol)

[DaveSumm]

I won’t hold my breath until it firms up some more. How many SW films have been announced that didn’t end up with the initially announced director, or didn’t happen at all? Rise of Skywalker, Solo, Rogue Squadron, Untitled Rian Johnson project, Untitled Benioff/Weiss project. Not a good track record.

[Frey family reunion]

On 10/21/2022 at 10:25 AM, Raja said:

Andor getting arrested was also..odd. Not too critical of this because I'll see how it plays out.

Yea, I agree the whole thing just seemed kind of random.  At first I thought they were giving us another flashback scene.

[Jaxom 1974]

1 hour ago, Frey family reunion said:

Yea, I agree the whole thing just seemed kind of random.  At first I thought they were giving us another flashback scene.

I gathered he was scoped up because he was in the area of where those others were running past...but it wasn't clear.  

[Corvinus85]

Another solid episode. The prison stuff was terrifying despite and probably in part due the lack of violence. Everything about the ISB and Mon Mothma continues to be great, and I'm glad that there was at least a short joining of the storylines between Dedra and Siryl. OTOH, I wish there was more to the scene with Saw and Luthen, as Saw still remains somewhat of an enigmatic character despite seeing him in various properties. But this new arc will likely show more of him.

I like to see the scope of the show slowly expand. Cassian Andor is still the main part, but the Rebel Alliance picture is starting to come into focus.