Absolutely. Disney IS the disposable corporate culture that only exists to sell something, and so naturally attracts fascism. Gilroy, and ANDOR here by extension, is to the film making world what the Clash was to the music world. Demanding of authenticity, demanding of reflection, demanding of reduction to only the essence of the medium, and demanding of critique of those in power. Andor is Punk Rock
Andor has not only expanded the star wars universe, its deepened it. You feel as if you're a part of the day to day grind of the average person. Its an overall excellent production.
This show is the best thing Star Wars has done. It is a spectacle, deep, powerful, engaging masterpiece from start to finish. Each episode is so engaging to watch, filled with great arcs and memorable characters. Stellan Skarsgard chews up every moment as Luthen and he is probably the best character in the show. I don’t care that there are no Jedi and Sith because this show told a good story. The Narkina 5 arc is among my favorite storylines from any TV shows I have seen and the ending speech from Luthen is incredible. In short, this show is practically perfect and makes Obi-Wan and Boba Fett much worse in comparison. Let’s hope season two is just as good, if not better!
Agree 💯. It's one of the best written series in all television, right up there with Breaking Bad. What some consider slow, is character and plot development. Telling a story takes priority over action.
The writing in this show is exceptional. Unlike Boba and Obi Wan, where I can only name a handful of lines that genuinely moved me, with Andor I can name so many.
That's kinda the ultimate test right? Stuff from Andor, LINES, stick with you and stuff from Obi-Wan and Boba...like I can't even remember a damn thing about those shows.
@@allocater2 But that's not true. 1. May the force be with you/The force will be with you, always/every force related quote 2. You can't win Darth. Strike me down and I will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine 3. Wars not make one great 4. Do or do not. There is no try 5. I am your father 6. It's a trap! 7. The ability to speak does not make you intelligent 8. There's always a bigger fish 9. Always 2 there are. A master, and an apprentice 10. Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, HATE... leads to suffering 11. You wanna buy some death sticks? 12. This party's over 13. So this is how liberty dies, with thunderous applause Need I go on?
I love that you actually dove into Syril. His growth is just as important as Andor. It seems like he has an altruistic reverence for authority, but he really just has a power fantasy because of his life with his mother. He has zero problem going above rank or law (or breaking the law) as long as it fits his power fantasy. THANK YOU. so many reviwers cast him off as just a dweeb.
Also, their relationships with their mothers. While Syril’s is dominant and shows desdain for his son, Andor’s is caring and proud of him. That reflects on them both.
I kinda disagree about Syril Karn. He is not some evil fascist crony... rather it seems to me it is a perfect opposite of Andor, perfect foil if you will: Andor - does not accept the call to adventure vs. Syril - accepts it immediately in spite of hurdles thrown by his superiors and with no promise of any reward whatsoever Andor - for his refusal of call, he is thrown repeatedly into worse predicaments until he accepts the call vs. Syril - for the failure of his adventure, he is thrown into "underworld" (home of his mother where even the light of the Sun does not reach him) where his growth is petrified and from which he must break free Andor - is charismatic and likeable - everyone likes him but he is not in position of power vs. Syril - is awkward and emotionally stunted, hard to like for this reason, but initially in position of power Andor - initially driven by self-interest vs. Syril - is driven by righteousness Andor - has a loving mother figure who accepts him despite his flaws no matter what he does vs. Syril - has a toxic mother figure that undermines him under the guise of caring and points out each and every one of his flaws to clip his wings Then only characteristic those two men have in common is this - when motivated they are very brave.
@@void-creature Maybe he will really do so in season two. I mean there has to be characters who switch sides. From the rebels it could be Vel because of her love to Cinta lost to the cause and what her cousin Mon is doing to her family. From the empire side it would defenitly not be Dedra. So maybe ...
Agreed. Even Tony Gilroy has said in interviews that he doesn't consider Syril an outright fascist. My read is that he's a person desperate for a sense of self-worth (a lot to do with his upbringing) and keeps looking for it by dedicating himself to an institution that doesn't deserve such earnest loyalty.
None of this contradicts Syril being a fascist crony, though. The "rightousness" he so adamantly believes in _is_ the Empire. Fascist don't come out of nowhere, nor do they wake up one day and say "Imma do a fascism, now", they come from people like Syril.
I find it interesting that Andor kind of returns to the roots of Star Wars shows. There's a lot of similarities in it to the first and arguably the best long episode SW series. (The Clone Wars) The emphasis on every character, the long slow journeys for each character, the whole format of 3-episode arcs, making the small feel big, the emotion through music, it all feels very reminiscent of The Clone Wars while being its own thing.
Clone wars had a sense of mysticism, awe, it was other worldly especially in terms of setting, very much fantasy while also tying in deep political themes into its messaging. Andor was a sci fi political drama, and it definitely exceeeded in that aspect, but in capturing that star warsy tone of mysticism and fantasy, it was just completely lacking. Which is why i just can't get behind this show. If it didn't have Star Wars attached to the name, itd probably resonate with me more. But because it's tied directly to the franchise, i just cant get over how offsetting and out of place it feels. I hope disney doesnt convert star wars into this gritty blade runner shit because that just fundamentally isnt what the franchise is about. People want to see sith, jedi, the force, old republic, high republic, whatever. Constantly dwindling in this era of PT to the OT is rly starting to get boring as we all know what's ultimately going to happen. Were literally just filling every single gap we can, I swear one of these days were gona get a show about when anakin Skywalker took a particularly long shit and itll be called: "The Push" cuz we jus gotta fill in EVERY GAP
@@thechuube8442 I am worried about that too. Not enough people are horrified that an F bomb made it to filming before it was cut. Some people are even MAD that it was cut. There's a reason why Star Wars is Star Wars, though I do personally like Andor
@@arthurr.r.lucasspublicdoma5621 that's why I said the first LONG EPISODE SW tv show. Who knows, maybe those shows had longer ones, but I didn't want to get all the previous shows like the 03 Clone Wars and what you mentioned confused
So, as a former member of the intelligence community, I can tell you that Dedra (and all the other Imperial Intelligence officers, and their interpersonal relationships) was spot on.
This show absolutely came at the right time and reinvigorated some enthusiasm and gave us something we never knew we wanted and more and better. There’s something about it that I think is gonna stay with us for a long time to come. It was definitely a beautiful gift wrapped up in a bow and it’s not even Christmas yet. Who’s ready for 2023
My favorite line from Rogue One is when Cassian asks "do you think anyone is listening?" Cassian and Jynn gave their lives not even knowing if their plan succeeded. A sunrise they'll never see.
I love during Skeen's death scene the choice to have him look away thus making his body a faceless mirror of what Cassian was...it's just so symbolic ❤️
I liked that in Cyril’s introduction into story, he technically isn’t wrong. Andor *did* murder at least one of those corp cops (self defense could be argued for the first). We really haven’t seen that in Star Wars: “little” people dying and it MATTERS. A similar thing could be said for Dedra: she’s not wrong in her assessment of the larger rebellion and initially we kinda root for her to prove the wormy climbers around her wrong. But then we realize “oh shit! Her being good at her job is a BAD thing because her work is EVIL and being competent is bad for our heroes and freedom”. I wish Tony Gilroy had written the prequels 😢
The deaths of Owen and Beru hit Luke pretty hard. "I want to come with you to Alderaan. There's nothing for me here now." You are bang on about two things: 1) Characters die, anyone can at any given moment with the exception of a few whose fates are known, and it matters. The deaths of the two Pre-Mor guards is the driving force for almost every character's actions throughout the first act. 2)Wishing Gilroy had written the prequels.
In a way, Nemic's "Just try" also makes me think of the recurrent line from Jojo Rabbit, "They did what they could". It's the sum of all anonymous people's actions that pave the road for the revolution against terror.
Andor's Season Finale is probably one of the most powerful pieces of Star Wars media we have gotten in over a decade. Sure Star Wars has had it's moments here and there, but Andor took the series back to it's roots of standing in opposition to evil no matter the odds. I had Goosebumps during that final battle.
Solo is a very low bar to follow, so it pretty obvious that Andor would be superior, even you would be bored to death after the second episode with meaningless speeches and plot lines that go nowhere.
Solo could have had the story that we saw Cassian have in terms of quantity and depth. There really should have been 3 movies for SOLO. If you enjoy reading, I really recommend the AC Crispin SOLO trilogy of novels. They start Solo out as a 16 year old kid who escapes serving under an abusive captain, and at the end of the third novel, the character is sitting in some sleazy cantina on a desert planet.
@@artboymoy I only read the Wookiepedia version of it before Disney buy Star Wars, and sound much more interesting than the movie, Solo being a Imperial pilot pass to be a criminal because he ended hated his superiors and the things that they made him do. But I have, what it say now at days? OT fatigue? Lucas already done this with dozens of movies set in the OT era way before Disney, why Disney not do something original for ones and not do the fucking OT era over and over, and over again.
relish that till it lasts , the only reason why andor turned out great is because tony was given a laissez faire treatment. unlike many other star wars shows or disney show in general , they have given gildroy freedom from corporate management and he made the best of it
Andor is about a desperate rogue with questionable ethics but a good heart who's being hunted by another man and ends up falsely imprisoned. Upon his escape there are major changes to his life and the ultimate climax of the show results in an army of musicians starting an impromptu uprising to overthrow a tyrannical Empire. How is this not 'Les Misérables"?
Griffin, I just want to go out of my to say this, but thank you for doing this. Andor, struck a cord in me that I never knew I had in the first place. It holds a very special place in my heart, and your video validated that to me on so many levels and I've never been more grateful for it. This is not the only time that I felt this way though, your video on Rogue One, reminded me just how much I love the nitty-gritty, down-to-earth, realistic side of Star Wars, and, in turn, made me not be ashamed of it, even if some people really do prefer the fantastical side of the Star Wars franchise. Again, thank you Griffin for doing this. More power to you.
@@Gnaritas42 They've only planned two seasons, there's not going to be a third. The original plan was for five but they realized there's only enough story for two. It only needs to do well to encourage Disney to invest in more mature content, but I'm pretty sure after this fans aren't going to settle for kids shows like Obi-Wan anymore.
@@Gnaritas42 We don't know that yet. It could usher in a new era of prestige television, or Disney will revert to the usual. But either way it'll stand as the height of what Star Wars can achieve.
Is not only the writer, but the actors, the music composer Is that kind of show where everything goes correct, like Breaking Bad or Better Call Saul If the music in Andor was different, it may have lower quality
Felt the same way. It's not only the best among Star Wars, but among the best for any series, up there with Breaking Bad. The writing, acting, character development, music, on and on. Truly a masterpiece
Totally - and mentioning the music, did anybody else find it weird that they didn’t credit the music composer in the initial “big text” end credits? I actually couldn’t find it in the small text, had to search who did the music
Great review! Andor is a work of art, a masterpiece. Love the symbolism, for example during the prison arc, how major characters were in their own prison. Obviously Andor, but Syril as well working in that cubicle farm for the Empire, and Mon who felt trapped in her surroundings. She even alluded to this in one of the episodes. Luthen, a prisoner to his own equations.
I love what they did with Ferrix. It is such a unique community and planet that we don't usually see in any star wars. There's such a strong emphasis on the working class of Ferrix, how everyone gets dirty to make a living, yet have each other's backs no questions asked
What made this work was that Tony is not what our idea of a "StarWars Fan" After Rogue One I felt like you, I was emotionally stirred, I felt the way people who watched A New hope back in the 70's said they felt. Rogue One and Andor feel like there is an actually WAR happening in STARWARS. Seriously unless Mando Season 3 knocks it out of the park everything is going to feel cheap to me after watching Andor. I had a "meh" feeling before I started watching it, but I thoroughly enjoyed it I have 0 complaints except that I wish Disney had released at least 7 episodes at once, I think this would have brought viewership way up.
There is a reason this show does poorly in media. First this is a prequel of a prequel. About the character who has know to be dead. Like this is the cards we have at the start. Second there are two bad shows that came out before this show, and they were so bad people actually don't care about another. The only show people are sure to be good is mandalorian, and that show is not even half as good as andor. And last but not the least. This show is not for the immature. There are really dark scenes, suicide, and lots of mature stuff that basically cuts half of the fanbase( kids and teenagers who don't give a shit about story and care more about fan services, lightsabers, judies, fights etc). It's the litteral gold, right under the dog shit that Star Wars have become so far. And you can't blame people, we had enough of betrayal from the Disney.
@@dmitriimekh6288I agree 99% with what you say, except for the statement “we can’t blame people for not wanting to watch Andor because of the bad stuff Disney has put out”. I believe that there are now enough positive reviews and positive UA-cam discussion about Andor that if someone who refuses to watch Andor because of the poor treatment of other presentations that Disney has forced upon us , well, that is just plain stupidity. I know many friends that have taken that road (I am working hard to change their mind) and I call that thinking childish. But everything else you say is right on target. Nice post.
Andor is the show I dreamed about as a teenager. No space wizards, no grand emperors, no black & white good guy bad guy princess saving huhu BS. Just the everyday evolution of a a rebel soldier/spy/agent. I loved the realistic portray of the empire and the prison segment and the political intrigue with Mothma too. And shit, the ISB female officer and her actress were so fucking on point.
It's bizarre to me that there are still people out there that think TLJ wasn't a disaster for Star Wars. You can pretend that the wave of mediocrity began with Solo, but somewhere deep down you know it started earlier than that. At least we can agree that Andor is fantastic.
Small little spoiler detail that I kind of loved about the finale btw: The fact that Maarva's stone ends up being used to bash Imperial goons over the head, rather than simply being placed where it would normally be, is at first sight such a disrespectful way to treat it, I mean just imagine bashing a robber over the head with your grandma's urn. But at the same time, after that speech, I cant think of a more fitting way for it to be used, and I imagine she would have been more than happy to see it being used that way.
I am glad to hear someone who shares the same interested I had in Cassian from Rogue One. I loved him in Rogue One and wanted to know what he was all about. So many folks say going into this show they didn't care one way or another about him and that he wasn't even the star of Rogue One. I love Andor and hope we get more shows like it.
No is not, because it has the pacing of slug, Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul you can see how the character break down, Andor fall off the ratings by the fourth episode, and now the only episodes that people recommend me after that is the either, ten and twelve episode, and in the end, they made the whole rebellion a human affair, it seems that the other hundred aliens races didn't participate.
@@Lobsterwithinternet I known that, you can see that in A New Hope and Return of the Jedi, but is weird that they only focus on the human aspect of it. Other aliens species didn't suffer the oppression of the Empire? Like the Wookies, that were used like slave labour, but no, they only focus in the humans.
The point about how locals don't necessarily appreciate the rebellion rings really true to me. I read a book about the IRA while I was watching Andor and it added so much layers to both the book and the show. Probably my favorite experience of consuming media ever. I want more of synergy like that where a fictional universe I love is complimented by historical inspirations.
i DEFINITELY feel bad for syril. i mean with the info he had he was just trying to solve a murder, and continued even when his higher up didnt want him to, if he didnt work for the empire that would be considered a heroic trait.
Just wanted to note that the there were a few goals of the heist such as securing additional funds and hurting the empire, but one of their main goals stated in the series was to provoke the empire into overreacting knowing that such an overreaction would push more people to support the rebellion. It's part of the whole morally grey aspects of the show. They are themselves knowingly engaging in actions which they understand will increase the suffering that innocent people face.
I thought star wars was dead, but this show has brought it back to life, I absolutely love it. True star wars has a deepness and layered thought to its story, and this brings exactly that. 👍
Absolutely great commentary. I too was struck by how different Rogue One felt emotionally and from a story telling aspect from all the other Star Wars films when I watched it when it came out. My favorite too. Now comes Andor. What a fabulous effort. And you've done a great job and laying out why this series is just so well written, acted, paced, and filmed. Thank you!
The show was very refreshing. The plot was unpredictable, subverting expectations on multiple occassions. Characters will just die randomly sometimes, and Andor getting arrested right after the heist was unexpected. The dialogue is realistic and people feel like real humans interracting. The prison episodes just make you feel completely hopeless, as you come to realise there is absolutely nothing you can do, you are a slave to the empire now. Great show.
I watched rogue one again after finishing Andor and it makes me like Cassian much more. I liked the characters of rogue one even though they didn’t get much backstory but now that I’ve seen some of Cassian’s backstory it really makes his character that much more interesting in Rogue One
15:00 I could be wrong on the timing but if Cassian is around 30ish years old, the mining disaster on his planet took place during the republic. It highlights that at its end the republic had become an unwieldy, unaccountable bureaucratic mess that was capable of atrocities. (I mean, we already know this, just look at the clone wars)
I agree whole heartily. Sadly. Not sure how much more we will get like this... I loved the characters, how it truly makes the empire evil, music, acting, writing. So much I loved. Plan to rewatch this show again. That prison break. Wow! Wish and hope we get more Star Wars content like this. Would love to see KOTOR made by this team.
At first I thought the description of The Last Jedi was hyper sarcastic... but then the narrator maintained the same tone while spitting facts about the train wrecks that were TROS, TBOBF and Kenobi. I can't take anyone who still thinks TLJ is good seriously, so that was where I stopped watching. Andor is fantastic though. It's the Star Wars us original fans have thoroughly deserved after the last decade.
Wait, you were serious about the state of Star Wars after TLJ? That's rich. I mean, I have zero problem saying Abrams did more damage overall than Johnson, but it was all a train wreck, with TLJ being the worst of the three. Even the basic plot of TLJ is broken.
One thing I really love is that Andor isn't arrested and enslaved for the murders, theft, or other crimes, he is imprisoned for looking suspicious, it farther amplifies the empires tyranny (I also love how one of the only star wars shows to actually push leftwing messages is one of the few to escape the tirades about "wokism")
I am a liberal and even the anti-woke/ red-pill crowds love this show. And I always hate it when my show is preaching - this one is just showing both sides and let the characters and stories unfold with building momentum. I disagree the villain works harder because she's a woman - she's just a psychotic hard-working character.
I genuienly have no idea where he got the idea that the ISB was sexist, like nothing even implies that there was any form of discrimination. Maybe I am wrong, but I think the constant paralels to the US and the real world in the video are very forced
@@norberthiz9318 totally agree. I was rolling my eyes and this kind of interpretation is boring as hell. Take the story as it is. ISB is not sexist - it's elitist. Most military or defense agencies are consisted of 99% men because that's the nature of things. CDC or similar research-driven desks like CIA or FBI will have more females. Next thing the channel will also say fire department is sexist because the proprietor of male versus female firefighters is drastically disproportionate. My daughter's kindergarten is made up of 100% women, literally. 50 staff => 50 ladies. Must be a sexist school then
Awesome Video!!! This Show is Absolutely Incredible!!! The Acting, The Writing, The Music and The Character Arcs, Everything is just Brilliant!!! Not just One Of The Best Star Wars Shows, But also One Of My Favorite Shows Of All Time!!! This Show is Perfection!!! I Can't Wait for Season 2!!!
All the previous Star Wars attempts have been like Saltine Crackers. We've been eating them all along and thinking, these are ok. But along comes Andor and we are like, What the fuck is this Ritz Cracker. I want more of this!!!
Denise Gough ... the twitch under her eye when she interrogates Bix. And that was - as she admitted in an interview - intention. This is so much better than everything else Disney gave us aside of Rogue one.
The sequels are terrible and Andor is a masterpiece. This is just an opinion of a lifelong Star Wars fan. They never had a reunion with Han, Leia, and Luke, and that is unforgivable.
Nicely done on the video essay!! I was on the fence when they announced Andor. It ended up to be the Star Wars we didn't know we needed. I also liked the Rogue One movie. It seems that they DO know how to write a great show! In your essay you only mentioned very little about The Mandolarin. I liked what they did for that show as well. The Skywalker family tree is overplayed, we need a fresh take on this expansive universe. I only hope they do justice to Asoka...
I’m shocked at how good Andor is. I’m really hoping Disney is paying attention and puts out Star Wars content this hood going forward. Now if they can only redo the sequel trilogy 😂
Thank you for this celebration. This is the first time I’ve really loved Star Wars. I had no idea this kind of storytelling was possible. I’d love recommendations for other Star Wars content that might hit as hard as this.
Andor succeeds because it uses Star Wars as a set to tell another story. It plays into the world and intricacies of SW but doesn’t depend on it. Every other SW show relies on fan service and cameos. Please, make more like Andor
12:50 I actually dont even think its accurate to call Cyril (is that how you spell it?) a bad person per se. He is, at least initially, genuine, idealistic, driven, clearly not the most socially skilled, but not inherently malicious. Instead he is misguided, controlled by, presumably, years of Imperial and corporate propaganda that lead to him becoming a member of the corporate police, and never thought to critically examine any of it, instead letting what started off as a sense of duty turn into a personal obsession. And in that, his character arc is kind of the reverse of that of Andor; Cyril starts off as a true believer of a cause, overzealously willing to do whatever it takes for what is his twisted idea of justice, failing, and then when abandoned by the system he basically pledged his life to, he still fails to question those ideals and forms a kind of personal obsession around it to keep himself going. Andor starts off selfishly motivated to do whatever he has to for him, and perhaps the few people close to him, to survive, and after succeeding there but losing a number of those around him, decides to pledge himself to a greater cause. Theyre foils for one another, both their own shades of gray, one becoming brighter over time as the other darkens.
I noticed that but since the actors they've chosen do such a good job I don't mind it too much. Having Alien characters would make it far more different to deliver the feelings the characters have and thankfully there's a lot of this in that show compared to other Star Wars media.
That's pretty much my only major criticisms as well! And as much as it saddens me, it goes to show how great this show is, when this is the major upset
i know its not in the show but in the comics but it should be mentioned that the rebel leadership tried to bury rogue 1 and its accomplishments because it embarassed them by showing they were weak only luke tried to carry on rogue 1 by creating rogue squadron
This show also showed something I haven't seen in many other places in Star Wars - something called Quiet Rebellion. The act of doing little things that don't align with the local authority. In the real world, it can be anything from using weird slang to using traditional/old methods of doing things to graffiti. This show showed so many of these little rebellions - from the gloves hanging to the larger than normal funeral procession to the locals celebrating the meteor shower to the very first scene in an unsanctioned district. These little rebellions not only show that people don't like the system they're forced to participate in, but also that they can and do fight against it in a real and tangible, but still subtle way. It's progressively reasonable that these small things slowly become greater and greater to the point where active rebellion can happen.
I'll be interested to see if we get more exploration of Luthen's back story in season 2. He alludes to a whole bunch of things in his monologue with Lonni. However, I also don't get the impression that Tony Gilmore is wed to the idea of tying up every supporting character's story with a little bow at the end. He may leave us to speculate on the fate of several characters (like Lonni) who we don't see in Rogue One. I'm fine with that, though I'm sure it will drive a few fans nuts who need a sense of certainty and completion in their shows. In any case, I can't imagine neither Luthen nor Lonni have happy endings. It's also entirely possible that we never find out what happens to Kino Loy. There will be a million voices crying out in anguish if that happens LOL but, narratively, Kino Loy's fate just isn't crucial to the story after the prison break.
I was thinking the same...how about Disney giving us the backstory of Lutheran in a separate spin-off series...ie what made him ignite the rebellion etc etc. Darn, Andor has opened up a whole new world of material. Something about Lutheran says his backstop is worth a read.
“It feels so good to love Star Wars again.” Really hit home for me. This show, as you said, is NOT the Star Wars we grew up with. It has, as Yoda said, ‘grown beyond.’
It's funny how one projects their own politics into this. I'm an immigrant who escaped communism and dictatorship. So I recognize a lot of what happened on the show. In fact, my mother, who is an activist, is very much like Marla. The government tried to use her father's funeral as a trap to catch her. But to claim that the Empire is implementing "far right" policies shows that you don't really know what that is. I'm as far right as they come. What does that mean? It means I want to dismantle government power as much as possible. If I was king for a day I'd shut down 95% of what the federal government does. I'd clamp down on politicians getting in bed with corporations (a problem in both parties) and I'd dismantle our military/industrial complex to a pre WW2 level. That is what "far right" looks like to me. It's a toothless federal government that has little presence in our lives. Nemicks manifesto is much libertarian than "progressive." This show is about fighting tyranny and those that want to control us.
I think its important to say many Disney series are cutting corners with development these days, but Tony Gilroy has stated that he loves development, and he's an old school guy who tends to go by the usual filmmaking standards, so it means there was extensive development and they took time to make this, and slipped it under the radar instead of pushing it to the finish line in hurry. Development matters, and Tony Gilroy and his team put the work in. Who knows how many edits the script got, how many meetings were had? It took time, effort and money and they did it.
I completely thought you were being sarcastic talking about the disgrace that is The Last Jedi at the beginning of the video. I completely disagree with those sentiments. Hell, as bad as Solo was, it was leagues better than TLJ. Although, I wholeheartedly agree with you about Andor and Rogue One.
Same I thought he was being sarcastic. Completely agree Solo shouldn’t have been a film honestly it should’ve been a television show. Sequels I’ll always awful but Andor has made me love Star Wars again.
Could not have said it better. Well done. What bit me and got me hooked was the pacing and character development and lack of glamour. I also appreciate that they haven't thrown K2 at us. Everything that happens, we have to wait for, and it's worth the wait.
Just be honest....Rian Johnson is a solid director but TLJ was a messy movie. Directors have bad movies sometimes, it's okay to admit it. TLJ was the beginning of the current downward spiral. Luckily Andor is climbing out of it and saving Star Wars for those who have seen it.
Hot take, Johnson is anything but a solid director. Guy's portfolio is not only fairly short, is also not that impressive. People preach he is director of best rated Breaking Bad episode... but they never mention he also is director of worst rated episode. Looper? Movie is a mess.
Star Wars still has a long way to go if you browse the many Star Wars lore channels and judge by those and their commenters. Also, Andor seems to be the minimum of what a story in any setting should be. To quote, "Characters? It has them". That doesn't mean Andor is bad, just that it should be the standard and the standouts should be surpassing it. Regardless, I have noticed one important victory: Andor is advertised with Disney Plus to draw in new subscribers. Hopefully this means someone on the marketing team gets it.
**chefs kiss ** well said i couldn't have said it better the depth of thought and clear detail as to why Andor is one of the best shows this year, the writing and performances really had me coming back every week
There's something we never get to see that I've recently become fascinated by. They always show us behind the scenes and how the effects are done and casting the actors. In the DS9 documentary 'What We Left Behind' one of the framing devices they keep cutting back to is the head writers in a room breaking the first episode of a hypothetical 8th season. It was interesting to see the glimpses of how an episode is broken into segments and what is left in and out. Then She Hulk came along and we got a very brief look inside their writer's room which also had random phrases on whiteboards all round the room as a way to create stories. In the last few days there's been some drama around the upcoming Marvel series 'Echo' and the fact it's going to be delayed by at least 6 months to a year. The showrunner talks about how she came on as a co-producer but was made executive producer. She'd worked on 'Better Call Saul' and made a point to say that the way they broke their stories there was completely different to how it was done at Marvel and that there was actually far less time to figure everything out because they were on a schedule that meant things needed to be shooting soon. Having had these looks inside how a series is created has made me so curious how many different ways there are to break a story or a season arc, why the schedule or premiere date is given either before the show will be ready or on a date that means they're going to have less time when there's really no reason for it to be so. I mean, you have a show like Andor that they've worked on for a couple of years now and even though they knew they were getting a second season that won't be out for a full year to give them time to do it well. Then you have things like Book of Boba Fett which are made so quickly in a way where it's very obvious they rushed it as well as not having the story fully developed before they began filming so plot points sometimes just end or amount to nothing even when they do conclude. Why isn't everything created in a way that at the very least allows the writers to come up with the entire season and the basic beats and stories for each episode before putting it into production. Makes me think of 24. Only a single season of 24 was fully broken down before they began filming. It was season 4 I think because that came after the WGA strike so everything was delayed which gave them extra time. Every other season they would have maybe 3 or 4 episodes head start and they'd be shooting multiple episodes at a time to keep up with the production schedule so if they came up with an idea that needed to be seeded earlier it was too late to go back. Especially for a show that's playing out in real time and everything needs to track perfectly it's insane that they had to crank out episodes with such a small buffer between filming and the episode going to air. OK, I'm done now. You can go on with your life if you made it to the end. Congratulations.
In the case of Star Wars, _Book of Boba Fett_ and _Obi-Wan_ started out as movie scripts. Around _Rogue One_ Disney announced a series of movies, including those, as well as _Solo, Ashoka,_ and a few others. Then for some reason(s) we can only speculate about they got shelved. Anyway, _The Mandalorian_ became a hit and the movies became shows they started pumping out fast. You can clearly tell in _Book of Boba Fett_ and _Obi-Wan,_ they're severely stretched out with lots of filler that goes nowhere, tonally inconsistent, and oddly paced and structured. _Andor_ is the first show that tells a meaningful story instead of trying to sell me more Baby Yoda merchandise. It makes me kinda worried for _Ashoka_ tbh but we'll see.
Andor (and now X-Men '97 as well) proved that Disney is capable of a higher form of entertainment by ironically doing nothing and just letting the creative people create!
Gilroy already tells us why Disney allowed Andor to happen, "they're not listening".
Absolutely. Disney IS the disposable corporate culture that only exists to sell something, and so naturally attracts fascism.
Gilroy, and ANDOR here by extension, is to the film making world what the Clash was to the music world. Demanding of authenticity, demanding of reflection, demanding of reduction to only the essence of the medium, and demanding of critique of those in power.
Andor is Punk Rock
Look up Mark Fisher interpassivity
So Andor explains why the average real person supports fascism via Disney support. It worked in WWII and it'll work again now.
😅😊 by
@@maxfowler9476 The empire could in this show is a good allogry for Disney.
Andor has not only expanded the star wars universe, its deepened it. You feel as if you're a part of the day to day grind of the average person. Its an overall excellent production.
Nope. Boring show.
@@Fidelio116 go outside and get out of these comments
Hopefully it’ll get better from here but my expectations are low.
Andor is so well written
well said, and very true
“It feels so good to love Star Wars again”. Yep, that’s EXACTLY how I feel.😊
This show is the best thing Star Wars has done. It is a spectacle, deep, powerful, engaging masterpiece from start to finish. Each episode is so engaging to watch, filled with great arcs and memorable characters. Stellan Skarsgard chews up every moment as Luthen and he is probably the best character in the show. I don’t care that there are no Jedi and Sith because this show told a good story. The Narkina 5 arc is among my favorite storylines from any TV shows I have seen and the ending speech from Luthen is incredible. In short, this show is practically perfect and makes Obi-Wan and Boba Fett much worse in comparison. Let’s hope season two is just as good, if not better!
No. It’s horrible.
Agree 💯. It's one of the best written series in all television, right up there with Breaking Bad. What some consider slow, is character and plot development. Telling a story takes priority over action.
@@Fidelio116 no lol
@@Fidelio116 it’s amazing
@@CYKenny02 it’s amazingly boring.
The writing in this show is exceptional. Unlike Boba and Obi Wan, where I can only name a handful of lines that genuinely moved me, with Andor I can name so many.
That's kinda the ultimate test right? Stuff from Andor, LINES, stick with you and stuff from Obi-Wan and Boba...like I can't even remember a damn thing about those shows.
@@FilmSpeak Right? That line Brasso said to Cassian: "I love him more than anything he could do wrong." Man that fucking hit me.
@@FilmSpeak Very Lucas. There's a million lines from episodes 1-6 and even Clone Wars that I can quote all the time
How many good quotes does Star Wars have outside of Andor?
Never more than twelve.
🤣
@@allocater2 But that's not true.
1. May the force be with you/The force will be with you, always/every force related quote
2. You can't win Darth. Strike me down and I will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine
3. Wars not make one great
4. Do or do not. There is no try
5. I am your father
6. It's a trap!
7. The ability to speak does not make you intelligent
8. There's always a bigger fish
9. Always 2 there are. A master, and an apprentice
10. Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, HATE... leads to suffering
11. You wanna buy some death sticks?
12. This party's over
13. So this is how liberty dies, with thunderous applause
Need I go on?
I love that you actually dove into Syril. His growth is just as important as Andor. It seems like he has an altruistic reverence for authority, but he really just has a power fantasy because of his life with his mother. He has zero problem going above rank or law (or breaking the law) as long as it fits his power fantasy. THANK YOU. so many reviwers cast him off as just a dweeb.
Also, their relationships with their mothers. While Syril’s is dominant and shows desdain for his son, Andor’s is caring and proud of him. That reflects on them both.
@@IvyHilts great point!!
I kinda disagree about Syril Karn. He is not some evil fascist crony... rather it seems to me it is a perfect opposite of Andor, perfect foil if you will:
Andor - does not accept the call to adventure vs. Syril - accepts it immediately in spite of hurdles thrown by his superiors and with no promise of any reward whatsoever
Andor - for his refusal of call, he is thrown repeatedly into worse predicaments until he accepts the call vs. Syril - for the failure of his adventure, he is thrown into "underworld" (home of his mother where even the light of the Sun does not reach him) where his growth is petrified and from which he must break free
Andor - is charismatic and likeable - everyone likes him but he is not in position of power vs. Syril - is awkward and emotionally stunted, hard to like for this reason, but initially in position of power
Andor - initially driven by self-interest vs. Syril - is driven by righteousness
Andor - has a loving mother figure who accepts him despite his flaws no matter what he does vs. Syril - has a toxic mother figure that undermines him under the guise of caring and points out each and every one of his flaws to clip his wings
Then only characteristic those two men have in common is this - when motivated they are very brave.
Great breakdown on Syril! Syril in his own way is also a victim of oppression.
I also believe that under different circumstances, Syril would have pledged himself to the rebellion with just as much fanatical devotion
@@void-creature Maybe he will really do so in season two. I mean there has to be characters who switch sides. From the rebels it could be Vel because of her love to Cinta lost to the cause and what her cousin Mon is doing to her family. From the empire side it would defenitly not be Dedra. So maybe ...
Agreed. Even Tony Gilroy has said in interviews that he doesn't consider Syril an outright fascist. My read is that he's a person desperate for a sense of self-worth (a lot to do with his upbringing) and keeps looking for it by dedicating himself to an institution that doesn't deserve such earnest loyalty.
None of this contradicts Syril being a fascist crony, though. The "rightousness" he so adamantly believes in _is_ the Empire. Fascist don't come out of nowhere, nor do they wake up one day and say "Imma do a fascism, now", they come from people like Syril.
I find it interesting that Andor kind of returns to the roots of Star Wars shows. There's a lot of similarities in it to the first and arguably the best long episode SW series. (The Clone Wars) The emphasis on every character, the long slow journeys for each character, the whole format of 3-episode arcs, making the small feel big, the emotion through music, it all feels very reminiscent of The Clone Wars while being its own thing.
Clone wars had a sense of mysticism, awe, it was other worldly especially in terms of setting, very much fantasy while also tying in deep political themes into its messaging.
Andor was a sci fi political drama, and it definitely exceeeded in that aspect, but in capturing that star warsy tone of mysticism and fantasy, it was just completely lacking.
Which is why i just can't get behind this show. If it didn't have Star Wars attached to the name, itd probably resonate with me more. But because it's tied directly to the franchise, i just cant get over how offsetting and out of place it feels.
I hope disney doesnt convert star wars into this gritty blade runner shit because that just fundamentally isnt what the franchise is about.
People want to see sith, jedi, the force, old republic, high republic, whatever. Constantly dwindling in this era of PT to the OT is rly starting to get boring as we all know what's ultimately going to happen.
Were literally just filling every single gap we can, I swear one of these days were gona get a show about when anakin Skywalker took a particularly long shit and itll be called: "The Push" cuz we jus gotta fill in EVERY GAP
@@thechuube8442 I am worried about that too. Not enough people are horrified that an F bomb made it to filming before it was cut. Some people are even MAD that it was cut. There's a reason why Star Wars is Star Wars, though I do personally like Andor
Slight correction: technically the very first Star Wars TV shows were the Ewoks and Droids cartoons in the 80s.
@@arthurr.r.lucasspublicdoma5621 that's why I said the first LONG EPISODE SW tv show. Who knows, maybe those shows had longer ones, but I didn't want to get all the previous shows like the 03 Clone Wars and what you mentioned confused
@@arthurr.r.lucasspublicdoma5621 i used to love my ewok stuffed animal i had as a kid 🥺
So, as a former member of the intelligence community, I can tell you that Dedra (and all the other Imperial Intelligence officers, and their interpersonal relationships) was spot on.
This show absolutely came at the right time and reinvigorated some enthusiasm and gave us something we never knew we wanted and more and better. There’s something about it that I think is gonna stay with us for a long time to come. It was definitely a beautiful gift wrapped up in a bow and it’s not even Christmas yet. Who’s ready for 2023
Hahahahahahaha, wow
Well, Star Wars in 2023 was… disappointed
My favorite line from Rogue One is when Cassian asks "do you think anyone is listening?" Cassian and Jynn gave their lives not even knowing if their plan succeeded. A sunrise they'll never see.
yup, its like the stories I read in old canon books. They have the same vibe. Brilliant
I love during Skeen's death scene the choice to have him look away thus making his body a faceless mirror of what Cassian was...it's just so symbolic ❤️
I liked that in Cyril’s introduction into story, he technically isn’t wrong. Andor *did* murder at least one of those corp cops (self defense could be argued for the first). We really haven’t seen that in Star Wars: “little” people dying and it MATTERS. A similar thing could be said for Dedra: she’s not wrong in her assessment of the larger rebellion and initially we kinda root for her to prove the wormy climbers around her wrong. But then we realize “oh shit! Her being good at her job is a BAD thing because her work is EVIL and being competent is bad for our heroes and freedom”. I wish Tony Gilroy had written the prequels 😢
The deaths of Owen and Beru hit Luke pretty hard. "I want to come with you to Alderaan. There's nothing for me here now."
You are bang on about two things: 1) Characters die, anyone can at any given moment with the exception of a few whose fates are known, and it matters. The deaths of the two Pre-Mor guards is the driving force for almost every character's actions throughout the first act.
2)Wishing Gilroy had written the prequels.
In a way, Nemic's "Just try" also makes me think of the recurrent line from Jojo Rabbit, "They did what they could". It's the sum of all anonymous people's actions that pave the road for the revolution against terror.
I love his direct opposition to Yoda's "do or do not, there is no try"
Andor's Season Finale is probably one of the most powerful pieces of Star Wars media we have gotten in over a decade. Sure Star Wars has had it's moments here and there, but Andor took the series back to it's roots of standing in opposition to evil no matter the odds. I had Goosebumps during that final battle.
No it’s crap. It’s really really bad.
"over a decade..." I believe the powerful pieces of Star Wars ever.
@@Fidelio116 Your opinion on the matter doesn't change the objective nature of its greatness.
@@Fidelio116 Let me guess, you think the prequels are great movies right?
I’m going to get murdered for this…but Andor is a better character than Solo.
Solo is a very low bar to follow, so it pretty obvious that Andor would be superior, even you would be bored to death after the second episode with meaningless speeches and plot lines that go nowhere.
Solo could have had the story that we saw Cassian have in terms of quantity and depth. There really should have been 3 movies for SOLO. If you enjoy reading, I really recommend the AC Crispin SOLO trilogy of novels. They start Solo out as a 16 year old kid who escapes serving under an abusive captain, and at the end of the third novel, the character is sitting in some sleazy cantina on a desert planet.
@@artboymoy I only read the Wookiepedia version of it before Disney buy Star Wars, and sound much more interesting than the movie, Solo being a Imperial pilot pass to be a criminal because he ended hated his superiors and the things that they made him do. But I have, what it say now at days? OT fatigue? Lucas already done this with dozens of movies set in the OT era way before Disney, why Disney not do something original for ones and not do the fucking OT era over and over, and over again.
He is
Highly agree
Andor gives me so much of what Star Wars is about, hope.
relish that till it lasts , the only reason why andor turned out great is because tony was given a laissez faire treatment. unlike many other star wars shows or disney show in general , they have given gildroy freedom from corporate management and he made the best of it
@@arunitdeka9450 He was also given almost 5 years.
Andor is about a desperate rogue with questionable ethics but a good heart who's being hunted by another man and ends up falsely imprisoned. Upon his escape there are major changes to his life and the ultimate climax of the show results in an army of musicians starting an impromptu uprising to overthrow a tyrannical Empire. How is this not 'Les Misérables"?
Les Mis in space 🤣
Now I need someone to ask Tony Gilroy about this
@@emmakielty5552 YES, SAME! Seriously, listen to the lyrics to "Stars" Javert's solo song.
The uprising is completely pointless and moronic.
Nope, no one sings.
I haven't consumed Les Miz, but in my opinion that's an overly broad summary of what this show is about
Griffin, I just want to go out of my to say this, but thank you for doing this. Andor, struck a cord in me that I never knew I had in the first place. It holds a very special place in my heart, and your video validated that to me on so many levels and I've never been more grateful for it. This is not the only time that I felt this way though, your video on Rogue One, reminded me just how much I love the nitty-gritty, down-to-earth, realistic side of Star Wars, and, in turn, made me not be ashamed of it, even if some people really do prefer the fantastical side of the Star Wars franchise. Again, thank you Griffin for doing this. More power to you.
Andor is the new standard. We now know that it’s possible for Disney to make high quality Star Wars shows/movies.
Hopefully it improves everything on Disney+. The MCU needs to grow up as well.
@@Gnaritas42 Who gives a fuck about the Star Wars audience 😂😂😂 Let the children play with their Mando action figures
@@Gnaritas42 It's already renewed for season 2 dude
@@Gnaritas42 They've only planned two seasons, there's not going to be a third. The original plan was for five but they realized there's only enough story for two.
It only needs to do well to encourage Disney to invest in more mature content, but I'm pretty sure after this fans aren't going to settle for kids shows like Obi-Wan anymore.
@@Gnaritas42 We don't know that yet. It could usher in a new era of prestige television, or Disney will revert to the usual. But either way it'll stand as the height of what Star Wars can achieve.
Is not only the writer, but the actors, the music composer
Is that kind of show where everything goes correct, like Breaking Bad or Better Call Saul
If the music in Andor was different, it may have lower quality
Felt the same way. It's not only the best among Star Wars, but among the best for any series, up there with Breaking Bad. The writing, acting, character development, music, on and on. Truly a masterpiece
💯
Totally - and mentioning the music, did anybody else find it weird that they didn’t credit the music composer in the initial “big text” end credits? I actually couldn’t find it in the small text, had to search who did the music
Great review! Andor is a work of art, a masterpiece. Love the symbolism, for example during the prison arc, how major characters were in their own prison. Obviously Andor, but Syril as well working in that cubicle farm for the Empire, and Mon who felt trapped in her surroundings. She even alluded to this in one of the episodes.
Luthen, a prisoner to his own equations.
Excellent point!
Andor really was on another level.
I love what they did with Ferrix. It is such a unique community and planet that we don't usually see in any star wars. There's such a strong emphasis on the working class of Ferrix, how everyone gets dirty to make a living, yet have each other's backs no questions asked
What made this work was that Tony is not what our idea of a "StarWars Fan"
After Rogue One I felt like you, I was emotionally stirred, I felt the way people who watched A New hope back in the 70's said they felt.
Rogue One and Andor feel like there is an actually WAR happening in STARWARS. Seriously unless Mando Season 3 knocks it out of the park everything is going to feel cheap to me after watching Andor.
I had a "meh" feeling before I started watching it, but I thoroughly enjoyed it I have 0 complaints except that I wish Disney had released at least 7 episodes at once, I think this would have brought viewership way up.
Because it caught us off guard with how different it feels, just like ANH back then.
There is a reason this show does poorly in media.
First this is a prequel of a prequel. About the character who has know to be dead. Like this is the cards we have at the start.
Second there are two bad shows that came out before this show, and they were so bad people actually don't care about another. The only show people are sure to be good is mandalorian, and that show is not even half as good as andor.
And last but not the least. This show is not for the immature. There are really dark scenes, suicide, and lots of mature stuff that basically cuts half of the fanbase( kids and teenagers who don't give a shit about story and care more about fan services, lightsabers, judies, fights etc).
It's the litteral gold, right under the dog shit that Star Wars have become so far. And you can't blame people, we had enough of betrayal from the Disney.
@@dmitriimekh6288I agree 99% with what you say, except for the statement “we can’t blame people for not wanting to watch Andor because of the bad stuff Disney has put out”. I believe that there are now enough positive reviews and positive UA-cam discussion about Andor that if someone who refuses to watch Andor because of the poor treatment of other presentations that Disney has forced upon us , well, that is just plain stupidity. I know many friends that have taken that road (I am working hard to change their mind) and I call that thinking childish. But everything else you say is right on target. Nice post.
Andor is the best thing to happen to Star Wars in decades. We need more of this!
Great video essay! I completely agree with you on every point.
Andor is the show I dreamed about as a teenager. No space wizards, no grand emperors, no black & white good guy bad guy princess saving huhu BS. Just the everyday evolution of a a rebel soldier/spy/agent. I loved the realistic portray of the empire and the prison segment and the political intrigue with Mothma too. And shit, the ISB female officer and her actress were so fucking on point.
Space wizards and grand emperors arr perfectly fine and can coexist with those other elements. In fact, it makes the jedi seem even more legendary.
@@waltonsmith7210 I agree, but this variety and the different stories and struggles make the jedi (and star wars) more meaningful.
It's bizarre to me that there are still people out there that think TLJ wasn't a disaster for Star Wars. You can pretend that the wave of mediocrity began with Solo, but somewhere deep down you know it started earlier than that.
At least we can agree that Andor is fantastic.
Small little spoiler detail that I kind of loved about the finale btw:
The fact that Maarva's stone ends up being used to bash Imperial goons over the head, rather than simply being placed where it would normally be, is at first sight such a disrespectful way to treat it, I mean just imagine bashing a robber over the head with your grandma's urn.
But at the same time, after that speech, I cant think of a more fitting way for it to be used, and I imagine she would have been more than happy to see it being used that way.
I am glad to hear someone who shares the same interested I had in Cassian from Rogue One. I loved him in Rogue One and wanted to know what he was all about. So many folks say going into this show they didn't care one way or another about him and that he wasn't even the star of Rogue One. I love Andor and hope we get more shows like it.
The fact Andor dared to be so mature and dark. I love everyone who was involved in this show. Boba Fett and Kenobi can go home.
you know its good when the show makes you want to watch the OG because it makes them even more exciting!
Brilliant video. You make a lot of great points in here
Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed it.
@@FilmSpeak The Mandalorian was a good show.
This ANDOR shit.... this IS the new BREAKING BAD/ BETTER CALL SAUL!! Fucking amazingly great writing,story telling & character building
No is not, because it has the pacing of slug, Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul you can see how the character break down, Andor fall off the ratings by the fourth episode, and now the only episodes that people recommend me after that is the either, ten and twelve episode, and in the end, they made the whole rebellion a human affair, it seems that the other hundred aliens races didn't participate.
@@TheKeyser94In legends, most of the leadership and higher-ups of the Rebellion were humans who were senators of the Republic.
@@Lobsterwithinternet I known that, you can see that in A New Hope and Return of the Jedi, but is weird that they only focus on the human aspect of it. Other aliens species didn't suffer the oppression of the Empire? Like the Wookies, that were used like slave labour, but no, they only focus in the humans.
Magnificent video, Griffin! That thumbnail is glorious!
The point about how locals don't necessarily appreciate the rebellion rings really true to me. I read a book about the IRA while I was watching Andor and it added so much layers to both the book and the show. Probably my favorite experience of consuming media ever. I want more of synergy like that where a fictional universe I love is complimented by historical inspirations.
i DEFINITELY feel bad for syril. i mean with the info he had he was just trying to solve a murder, and continued even when his higher up didnt want him to, if he didnt work for the empire that would be considered a heroic trait.
I particularly love how Andor takes up some of the early images of the Empire as a dystopian, dehumanizing machine.
Just wanted to note that the there were a few goals of the heist such as securing additional funds and hurting the empire, but one of their main goals stated in the series was to provoke the empire into overreacting knowing that such an overreaction would push more people to support the rebellion. It's part of the whole morally grey aspects of the show. They are themselves knowingly engaging in actions which they understand will increase the suffering that innocent people face.
I'm so sad this video hasn't gotten at least 100k views. Us star wars fans need to push this show to EVERYONE
I thought star wars was dead, but this show has brought it back to life, I absolutely love it. True star wars has a deepness and layered thought to its story, and this brings exactly that. 👍
Absolutely great commentary. I too was struck by how different Rogue One felt emotionally and from a story telling aspect from all the other Star Wars films when I watched it when it came out. My favorite too. Now comes Andor. What a fabulous effort. And you've done a great job and laying out why this series is just so well written, acted, paced, and filmed. Thank you!
i watch and like every review of this show in hope to help is spread
How can anyone still like the last Jedi. Did we watch the same movie?
The show was very refreshing. The plot was unpredictable, subverting expectations on multiple occassions. Characters will just die randomly sometimes, and Andor getting arrested right after the heist was unexpected. The dialogue is realistic and people feel like real humans interracting. The prison episodes just make you feel completely hopeless, as you come to realise there is absolutely nothing you can do, you are a slave to the empire now. Great show.
I watched rogue one again after finishing Andor and it makes me like Cassian much more. I liked the characters of rogue one even though they didn’t get much backstory but now that I’ve seen some of Cassian’s backstory it really makes his character that much more interesting in Rogue One
Imagine if every StarWars film and series were of this quality. What an amazing universe it'd be.
15:00 I could be wrong on the timing but if Cassian is around 30ish years old, the mining disaster on his planet took place during the republic. It highlights that at its end the republic had become an unwieldy, unaccountable bureaucratic mess that was capable of atrocities. (I mean, we already know this, just look at the clone wars)
I agree whole heartily. Sadly. Not sure how much more we will get like this...
I loved the characters, how it truly makes the empire evil, music, acting, writing. So much I loved. Plan to rewatch this show again. That prison break. Wow! Wish and hope we get more Star Wars content like this. Would love to see KOTOR made by this team.
At first I thought the description of The Last Jedi was hyper sarcastic... but then the narrator maintained the same tone while spitting facts about the train wrecks that were TROS, TBOBF and Kenobi.
I can't take anyone who still thinks TLJ is good seriously, so that was where I stopped watching.
Andor is fantastic though. It's the Star Wars us original fans have thoroughly deserved after the last decade.
Wait, you were serious about the state of Star Wars after TLJ? That's rich. I mean, I have zero problem saying Abrams did more damage overall than Johnson, but it was all a train wreck, with TLJ being the worst of the three. Even the basic plot of TLJ is broken.
It feels so good to love Star Wars again. Couldn’t have said it better!
That thumbnail is a thing of beauty 😮
One thing I really love is that Andor isn't arrested and enslaved for the murders, theft, or other crimes,
he is imprisoned for looking suspicious,
it farther amplifies the empires tyranny
(I also love how one of the only star wars shows to actually push leftwing messages is one of the few to escape the tirades about "wokism")
I am a liberal and even the anti-woke/ red-pill crowds love this show. And I always hate it when my show is preaching - this one is just showing both sides and let the characters and stories unfold with building momentum. I disagree the villain works harder because she's a woman - she's just a psychotic hard-working character.
I genuienly have no idea where he got the idea that the ISB was sexist, like nothing even implies that there was any form of discrimination.
Maybe I am wrong, but I think the constant paralels to the US and the real world in the video are very forced
@@norberthiz9318 totally agree. I was rolling my eyes and this kind of interpretation is boring as hell. Take the story as it is. ISB is not sexist - it's elitist. Most military or defense agencies are consisted of 99% men because that's the nature of things. CDC or similar research-driven desks like CIA or FBI will have more females. Next thing the channel will also say fire department is sexist because the proprietor of male versus female firefighters is drastically disproportionate.
My daughter's kindergarten is made up of 100% women, literally. 50 staff => 50 ladies. Must be a sexist school then
He was literally quoting the writer when he said that... y'all are so squeamish it's hilarious.
This IS the Star Wars I grew up with as a West End Games fan. This stuff goes back to the 90s and their sourcebooks for me.
I will double click everything Andor.
Awesome Video!!! This Show is Absolutely Incredible!!!
The Acting, The Writing, The Music and The Character Arcs, Everything is just Brilliant!!!
Not just One Of The Best Star Wars Shows, But also One Of My Favorite Shows Of All Time!!!
This Show is Perfection!!! I Can't Wait for Season 2!!!
So you think Yo mamma Jokes, Irons coming down like ships, slap stick punishment of Hux, was good? This is not SpaceBalls 2.
"The Empire's beginning to choke us so slowly we're starting not to notice."
- Luthen Real, 5BBY
All the previous Star Wars attempts have been like Saltine Crackers. We've been eating them all along and thinking, these are ok. But along comes Andor and we are like, What the fuck is this Ritz Cracker. I want more of this!!!
This is a great video, and the first one I've seen that explicitly calls out what were the probably consequences of the heist on the Dhani people.
Andor is, without a doubt, the best Star Wars since The Clone Wars
Denise Gough ... the twitch under her eye when she interrogates Bix. And that was - as she admitted in an interview - intention. This is so much better than everything else Disney gave us aside of Rogue one.
The sequels are terrible and Andor is a masterpiece. This is just an opinion of a lifelong Star Wars fan. They never had a reunion with Han, Leia, and Luke, and that is unforgivable.
Nicely done on the video essay!! I was on the fence when they announced Andor. It ended up to be the Star Wars we didn't know we needed. I also liked the Rogue One movie. It seems that they DO know how to write a great show! In your essay you only mentioned very little about The Mandolarin. I liked what they did for that show as well. The Skywalker family tree is overplayed, we need a fresh take on this expansive universe. I only hope they do justice to Asoka...
I’m shocked at how good Andor is. I’m really hoping Disney is paying attention and puts out Star Wars content this hood going forward. Now if they can only redo the sequel trilogy 😂
Thank you for this celebration. This is the first time I’ve really loved Star Wars. I had no idea this kind of storytelling was possible. I’d love recommendations for other Star Wars content that might hit as hard as this.
The last jedi thing….. you were serious?
Through me for a loop when i clicked on it ☠️
Good analysis of Andor You see deeply. Deeper than most commentators and reviewers..
The Rogue One "sub-universe" is my favorite in the entire franchise. It's the closest to feeling like the expanded universe novels.
Andor succeeds because it uses Star Wars as a set to tell another story. It plays into the world and intricacies of SW but doesn’t depend on it. Every other SW show relies on fan service and cameos. Please, make more like Andor
I was waiting for him to say sike after that frightening intro praising the Last Jedi
12:50 I actually dont even think its accurate to call Cyril (is that how you spell it?) a bad person per se.
He is, at least initially, genuine, idealistic, driven, clearly not the most socially skilled, but not inherently malicious. Instead he is misguided, controlled by, presumably, years of Imperial and corporate propaganda that lead to him becoming a member of the corporate police, and never thought to critically examine any of it, instead letting what started off as a sense of duty turn into a personal obsession.
And in that, his character arc is kind of the reverse of that of Andor; Cyril starts off as a true believer of a cause, overzealously willing to do whatever it takes for what is his twisted idea of justice, failing, and then when abandoned by the system he basically pledged his life to, he still fails to question those ideals and forms a kind of personal obsession around it to keep himself going.
Andor starts off selfishly motivated to do whatever he has to for him, and perhaps the few people close to him, to survive, and after succeeding there but losing a number of those around him, decides to pledge himself to a greater cause.
Theyre foils for one another, both their own shades of gray, one becoming brighter over time as the other darkens.
Rogue One and Andor are my favorite Star Wars things ever made
Yikes
Andor, Empire, R1; goats, all.
I don't think I appreciated Andor enough on my first watch, after seeing this video I got to go back and give it another watch
"We're gonna start at the beginning."
[Shows title card for THX 1138]
"No no no not THAT beginning. Not YET at least."
I see what you did there.
my only real complaint about andor is that there are too many human characters but other than that it’s crazy good
I noticed that but since the actors they've chosen do such a good job I don't mind it too much. Having Alien characters would make it far more different to deliver the feelings the characters have and thankfully there's a lot of this in that show compared to other Star Wars media.
That's pretty much my only major criticisms as well! And as much as it saddens me, it goes to show how great this show is, when this is the major upset
Rebellion is human!..but I get what you mean...as in other races in the Galaxy.
i know its not in the show but in the comics but it should be mentioned that the rebel leadership tried to bury rogue 1 and its accomplishments because it embarassed them by showing they were weak only luke tried to carry on rogue 1 by creating rogue squadron
Andor is not only the best Star Wars show, it’s the best Star Wars since The Empire Strikes Back for me.
We should just collectively consider sequel trilogy non-canon and wipe it from our memory.
This show also showed something I haven't seen in many other places in Star Wars - something called Quiet Rebellion. The act of doing little things that don't align with the local authority. In the real world, it can be anything from using weird slang to using traditional/old methods of doing things to graffiti.
This show showed so many of these little rebellions - from the gloves hanging to the larger than normal funeral procession to the locals celebrating the meteor shower to the very first scene in an unsanctioned district.
These little rebellions not only show that people don't like the system they're forced to participate in, but also that they can and do fight against it in a real and tangible, but still subtle way. It's progressively reasonable that these small things slowly become greater and greater to the point where active rebellion can happen.
Great breakdown. Hopefully there are spin-offs of this format. Also: The Last Jedi is an abomination.
This right here is epic...Salute to you for the great breakdown at 15:30 ...Wow, really moving and inspirational..💯💯💯
I'll be interested to see if we get more exploration of Luthen's back story in season 2. He alludes to a whole bunch of things in his monologue with Lonni. However, I also don't get the impression that Tony Gilmore is wed to the idea of tying up every supporting character's story with a little bow at the end. He may leave us to speculate on the fate of several characters (like Lonni) who we don't see in Rogue One. I'm fine with that, though I'm sure it will drive a few fans nuts who need a sense of certainty and completion in their shows. In any case, I can't imagine neither Luthen nor Lonni have happy endings. It's also entirely possible that we never find out what happens to Kino Loy. There will be a million voices crying out in anguish if that happens LOL but, narratively, Kino Loy's fate just isn't crucial to the story after the prison break.
I was thinking the same...how about Disney giving us the backstory of Lutheran in a separate spin-off series...ie what made him ignite the rebellion etc etc. Darn, Andor has opened up a whole new world of material. Something about Lutheran says his backstop is worth a read.
I agree with the idea that Gilroy won’t tie up every loose end. It’s more fun to imagine where things might go.
“It feels so good to love Star Wars again.” Really hit home for me. This show, as you said, is NOT the Star Wars we grew up with. It has, as Yoda said, ‘grown beyond.’
It's funny how one projects their own politics into this. I'm an immigrant who escaped communism and dictatorship. So I recognize a lot of what happened on the show. In fact, my mother, who is an activist, is very much like Marla. The government tried to use her father's funeral as a trap to catch her.
But to claim that the Empire is implementing "far right" policies shows that you don't really know what that is. I'm as far right as they come. What does that mean? It means I want to dismantle government power as much as possible. If I was king for a day I'd shut down 95% of what the federal government does. I'd clamp down on politicians getting in bed with corporations (a problem in both parties) and I'd dismantle our military/industrial complex to a pre WW2 level. That is what "far right" looks like to me. It's a toothless federal government that has little presence in our lives. Nemicks manifesto is much libertarian than "progressive."
This show is about fighting tyranny and those that want to control us.
I think its important to say many Disney series are cutting corners with development these days, but Tony Gilroy has stated that he loves development, and he's an old school guy who tends to go by the usual filmmaking standards, so it means there was extensive development and they took time to make this, and slipped it under the radar instead of pushing it to the finish line in hurry. Development matters, and Tony Gilroy and his team put the work in. Who knows how many edits the script got, how many meetings were had? It took time, effort and money and they did it.
I completely thought you were being sarcastic talking about the disgrace that is The Last Jedi at the beginning of the video. I completely disagree with those sentiments. Hell, as bad as Solo was, it was leagues better than TLJ.
Although, I wholeheartedly agree with you about Andor and Rogue One.
Same I thought he was being sarcastic. Completely agree Solo shouldn’t have been a film honestly it should’ve been a television show. Sequels I’ll always awful but Andor has made me love Star Wars again.
Could not have said it better. Well done.
What bit me and got me hooked was the pacing and character development and lack of glamour. I also appreciate that they haven't thrown K2 at us. Everything that happens, we have to wait for, and it's worth the wait.
Just be honest....Rian Johnson is a solid director but TLJ was a messy movie. Directors have bad movies sometimes, it's okay to admit it. TLJ was the beginning of the current downward spiral. Luckily Andor is climbing out of it and saving Star Wars for those who have seen it.
Hot take, Johnson is anything but a solid director. Guy's portfolio is not only fairly short, is also not that impressive. People preach he is director of best rated Breaking Bad episode... but they never mention he also is director of worst rated episode. Looper? Movie is a mess.
Star Wars still has a long way to go if you browse the many Star Wars lore channels and judge by those and their commenters. Also, Andor seems to be the minimum of what a story in any setting should be. To quote, "Characters? It has them". That doesn't mean Andor is bad, just that it should be the standard and the standouts should be surpassing it. Regardless, I have noticed one important victory: Andor is advertised with Disney Plus to draw in new subscribers. Hopefully this means someone on the marketing team gets it.
I am thinking the praise of Last Jedi and Rian Johnson was sarcasm? I hope
**chefs kiss ** well said i couldn't have said it better
the depth of thought and clear detail as to why Andor is one of the best shows this year, the writing and performances really had me coming back every week
There's something we never get to see that I've recently become fascinated by. They always show us behind the scenes and how the effects are done and casting the actors. In the DS9 documentary 'What We Left Behind' one of the framing devices they keep cutting back to is the head writers in a room breaking the first episode of a hypothetical 8th season. It was interesting to see the glimpses of how an episode is broken into segments and what is left in and out. Then She Hulk came along and we got a very brief look inside their writer's room which also had random phrases on whiteboards all round the room as a way to create stories.
In the last few days there's been some drama around the upcoming Marvel series 'Echo' and the fact it's going to be delayed by at least 6 months to a year. The showrunner talks about how she came on as a co-producer but was made executive producer. She'd worked on 'Better Call Saul' and made a point to say that the way they broke their stories there was completely different to how it was done at Marvel and that there was actually far less time to figure everything out because they were on a schedule that meant things needed to be shooting soon. Having had these looks inside how a series is created has made me so curious how many different ways there are to break a story or a season arc, why the schedule or premiere date is given either before the show will be ready or on a date that means they're going to have less time when there's really no reason for it to be so. I mean, you have a show like Andor that they've worked on for a couple of years now and even though they knew they were getting a second season that won't be out for a full year to give them time to do it well. Then you have things like Book of Boba Fett which are made so quickly in a way where it's very obvious they rushed it as well as not having the story fully developed before they began filming so plot points sometimes just end or amount to nothing even when they do conclude. Why isn't everything created in a way that at the very least allows the writers to come up with the entire season and the basic beats and stories for each episode before putting it into production.
Makes me think of 24. Only a single season of 24 was fully broken down before they began filming. It was season 4 I think because that came after the WGA strike so everything was delayed which gave them extra time. Every other season they would have maybe 3 or 4 episodes head start and they'd be shooting multiple episodes at a time to keep up with the production schedule so if they came up with an idea that needed to be seeded earlier it was too late to go back. Especially for a show that's playing out in real time and everything needs to track perfectly it's insane that they had to crank out episodes with such a small buffer between filming and the episode going to air.
OK, I'm done now. You can go on with your life if you made it to the end. Congratulations.
In the case of Star Wars, _Book of Boba Fett_ and _Obi-Wan_ started out as movie scripts. Around _Rogue One_ Disney announced a series of movies, including those, as well as _Solo, Ashoka,_ and a few others. Then for some reason(s) we can only speculate about they got shelved. Anyway, _The Mandalorian_ became a hit and the movies became shows they started pumping out fast. You can clearly tell in _Book of Boba Fett_ and _Obi-Wan,_ they're severely stretched out with lots of filler that goes nowhere, tonally inconsistent, and oddly paced and structured.
_Andor_ is the first show that tells a meaningful story instead of trying to sell me more Baby Yoda merchandise. It makes me kinda worried for _Ashoka_ tbh but we'll see.
What he said!! All of it! 100% 👏👏👏 And I'm so very excited that they're making a second season!
Don't ever, and I mean ever, praise that shipwreck of a movie that was Episode 8 ever again.
Brillant video but especially brilliant exposition and choice of words.
Like Andor.
Andor truly is “a new hope”
Andor (and now X-Men '97 as well) proved that Disney is capable of a higher form of entertainment by ironically doing nothing and just letting the creative people create!