Star Wars: Andor

[Thor]

This is now up there with the best television has to offer. What a fucking series this is. 

[Benny]

Incredibly, this episode seemed even better than the last one. I practically

 

Spoiler

punched the air when Space Smeagol finally revealed how many guards were on each level. The way everything was shot and delivered this week was just pitch perfect.

 

So many things to pick apart but in particular:

 

The interrogation scene was terrifying. The attitude of the interrogators, to the way the torture device was described and administered. The whole idea that there was a race that the Empire wiped out who were able to transmit frequencies of sound waves that could cause terror and mental damage to humans, and that the empire captured the very last of their children's screams to use for torture. Just fucking horrifying.

 

It's a concept that is just far nastier and more believable than the cartoonish and obvious evil you normally see in Star Wars: it goes a lot deeper than that and evokes the kind of existentially monstrous things that actually are done in the real world, by people just like that horrible grinning man.

 

And that was just that one part!

 

[FishyFish]

41 minutes ago, Benny said:

Incredibly, this episode seemed even better than the last one. I practically

 

  Hide contents

punched the air when Space Smeagol finally revealed how many guards were on each level. The way everything was shot and delivered this week was just pitch perfect.

 

So many things to pick apart but in particular:

 

The interrogation scene was terrifying. The attitude of the interrogators, to the way the torture device was described and administered. The whole idea that there was a race that the Empire wiped out who were able to transmit frequencies of sound waves that could cause terror and mental damage to humans, and that the empire captured the very last of their children's screams to use for torture. Just fucking horrifying.

 

It's a concept that is just far nastier and more believable than the cartoonish and obvious evil you normally see in Star Wars: it goes a lot deeper than that and evokes the kind of existentially monstrous things that actually are done in the real world, by people just like that horrible grinning man.

 

And that was just that one part!

 

 

Also,

Spoiler

that horrible little moment after Bix's torture where the imperial guy says he'd like to hang Salman Paak ("or what's left of him") to show the locals who's in control. There's a barely concealed look of desire on the guys face as he says it.

 

So much is said with subtleties in this. A look, or a twitch of a facial muscle does so much work.

[Benny]

I also quite enjoyed

 

Spoiler

Evil Dale Cooper's barely contained arousal at wanting to be a lickspittle servant to the iron fist of Order, and of being dominated and despised by one of the Space Gestapo. Still, let's not kink shame.

 

[mrsnrub]

I cant say I wasnt a bit disappointed in Andor. I love Star Wars and have done since my childhood in the early 80s, but this just has no fizzle for me. Star Wars was always the more fantastical, Lord of the Rings in space kind of film whereas grounded gritty reality was better left to bladerunner etc. This just doesnt feel Star Wars to me at all. There has been like what, two blaster fights or so thus far? 

While I appreciate they wanted to take a different tack I dont think they have taken the right one, but others are enjoying it so its just my view.

My anticipation was high too, I even visited Cleveleys to get my pictures taken at the seafront where they filmed the bits where he was arrested. 

Its a pity I didnt really get as much out of it as I hoped, I can see what they were going for but just for me, it doesnt quite hit the right notes. I am glad however others are really loving it, its good to have variety and Im not saying it shouldnt have been made, just it isnt for my taste.

Tales of the Jedi on the other hand was superb.

[ZOK]

Mate, this is most properly Star Wars thing anyone has ever done since the original trilogy. And it’s as good as the original trilogy.

 

I loved the music at the end of episode 9, a great mood piece.

[Sabreman]

Spoiler

Interrogation door closing homage on point.

 

[SpagMasterSwift]

Was the music during the Andor logo different or has it always slapped?! 
 

Regarding the prison stuff 

Spoiler

I think the doctor said that they made a mistake by putting the released prisoner onto another floor rather than it being deliberately done. But now they’re going to cover the whole thing up.

 

Dedra’s plan to kill the rebel pilot and the ease with which she signs off on the hanging was pitch perfect. Syril stalking her is just so fucked up, they’re relationship is gonna make us squirm.

 

What was Andor doing in the loo, cutting through a pipe?

 

[fragglerock]

I guess just to show he was doing escapy stuff, tho not explained what the pipe would do when cut. I guess the thing was to show he had been at it a lot and had made little progress at whatever it was.

[Scribblor]

10 minutes ago, ZOK said:

Mate, this is most properly Star Wars thing anyone has ever done since the original trilogy. And it’s as good as the original trilogy.

Better.

 

But everyone's opinion is different. We don't need to say someone's doing something wrong because they don't like what we like.

 

Visiting Cleveleys though? That's wrong. Even if they set the best tv show ever made there, I couldn't recommend going. The only reason ever to go was the WHSmiths that sold C64 games, and the arcade that had some SNK games and SFII, but both those reasons are gone now.

[Thor]

Syril Karn has one of those faces you want to punch.

[Girth Certificate]

Spoiler

Noise torture from Guantanamo Bay administered by a man chuckling about genocide, Tory baying and shouting at Space PMQs and an old man euthanised like a dog in a scaving criticism of the prison industrial complex.

in a Star Wars series on the Disney Content Box.

 

 

[SonOfSoAngry]

The only bad thing about Andor so far, is that it encouraged me to try watching Rogue One. Which was a mistake.

[Mogster]

I can definitely understand the view that this isn't Star Warsy enough if you're after the usual action adventure stuff. However, there's already eleven movies and at least seven TV shows that should service that requirement. I love that this is doing something different, and it's doing it spectacularly well.

[ZOK]

48 minutes ago, SonOfSoAngry said:

The only bad thing about Andor so far, is that it encouraged me to try watching Rogue One. Which was a mistake.

 

Why? Rogue One is excellent.

[Bucky]

54 minutes ago, SonOfSoAngry said:

The only bad thing about Andor so far, is that it encouraged me to try watching Rogue One. Which was a mistake.

I have similar view of Rogue One.  The first three times I watched it I actually fell asleep in it.  It's not without its moments, but the TV show is much better.

 

I thought Episode 9 was more of a ratcheting than Episode 8's total tonal shift.  But it's still great and the set-up for next time is really exciting.

[Girth Certificate]

Somebody had to pick through this looking for something they could turn into Lego sets  

 

 

[Pob]

1 hour ago, Girth Certificate said:

Somebody had to pick through this looking for something they could turn into Lego sets  

 

 

Narkina 5 prison labour project:

[Benny]

Has anyone noticed

 

Spoiler

That the title screen music has been slowly changing over the course of the series? This week I was surprised how the tempo seemed to have increased quite a bit. So now I'm wondering if it's been evolving each episode.

 

Edit: ah I see someone else has noticed.

[Pob]

Yeah, it's different every week but always the same melody I think. The music is brilliant across the board isn't it?

[Benny]

Last week's Tangerine Dream style fest was particularly great.

[Jammy]

Just caught up with this week’s. Brilliant again. They’ve captured dystopian 70s/80s sci-fi so well, allied it to the war dramas of a similar era like Secret Army and Colditz, and written a grown-up story for the original Star Wars generation who are now in our 40s and 50s.

 

I can fully understand there are people that will hate it because it’s not light enough in tone though.

[MardiganX]

Only a show that is as beautifully crafted, paced and scored as Andor could take the most boring sounding sentence and make it a "Fuck YES!" moment.

 

Next week is going to go bananas just like the 3rd episodes of the previous arcs so really cant wait for it.

[Thor]

Is next week's the finale?

[MrCarrot]

2 minutes ago, Thor said:

Is next week's the finale?

I think there are still three more episodes to come, including next week’s.

[Vulgar Monkey]

Even then, honestly the only bad thing I can say about this show is that I dread the inevitable cliffhanger that'll be coming.

 

At best, they might avoid something as extreme and clear-cut as a 'cliffhanger' cliffhanger, but I'm sure there'll have to be at least a few threads left un resolved to be picked up later.

 

Basically I just want S2 right now.

[SpagMasterSwift]

The 3 episode arcs are a bit f'ed up now right?

 

Spoiler

Episodes 1-3 Leaving Ferrix arc

Episodes 4-6 The Heist arc

Episodes 7 Stand alone return to Ferrix

Episodes 8-10 Prison arc?

Episodes 11-12 AMAZING SEASON FINALE!!!!111SYRILGETSDATASS!!!

 

[jonamok]

Holy hell, I can’t believe it’s still getting better with each and every episode. That was simply astonishing telly. Dark and bleak as fuck, yet every frame a sheer delight. Each story arc is utterly compelling, zero filler.
 

Feels like a bit of a fever dream that this exists, tbh. If it can keep this quality to the end it will be up there with the best TV series ever made. Which, on paper, is absurd. But here we fucking are.

[The Bag]

23 hours ago, SpagMasterSwift said:

Was the music during the Andor logo different or has it always slapped?! 
 

Regarding the prison stuff 

  Hide contents

I think the doctor said that they made a mistake by putting the released prisoner onto another floor rather than it being deliberately done. But now they’re going to cover the whole thing up.

 

Dedra’s plan to kill the rebel pilot and the ease with which she signs off on the hanging was pitch perfect. Syril stalking her is just so fucked up, they’re relationship is gonna make us squirm.

 

What was Andor doing in the loo, cutting through a pipe?

 

they’ve been changing the music across the episodes to reflect the feel of the episode.  It’s the same score but performed/arranged differently.  Like episode 7 is very triumphant, performed on strings (sounds like synth strings), episode 8 & 9 is electronic, discordant, uneasy.  It’s a nice touch.

[jonamok]

The missus is convinced the device they use on Bix is an homage to Kate Bush’s ‘Experiment IV’.

 

Quote

We were working secretly for the military
Our experiment in sound was nearly ready to begin

It was music we were making here until
They told us all they wanted
Was a sound that could kill someone from a distance

 

From the painful cries of mothers to a terrifying scream
We recorded it and put it into our machine

She might have a point.