Elliot Kessler

“Andor” has some issues, particularly with pacing. But when this show hits, it knocks it out of the park. This is one of those fantastic episodes filled with emotion, unforgettable character moments, and high-stakes tension. If this show can maintain a fun and exciting story like this episode presents, then the last two episodes of this series should hit home very well. If not, the series will likely fall apart, and there won’t be anyone to talk about it with, which has been one of the most annoying problems with the show.

Focus

This show is big, weaving multiple storylines to create an epic space thriller. I love big stories. They’re fun and have a lot to offer to various audiences. This series is no exception. It hands out to its audience a lot, and I love that.

The problem is that the episodes are often not focused. They spread in many directions, and the characters don’t have clear goals for the individual episodes. They have their long-term goals, sure. But those won’t pay off until the end of the season or even the end of the series, and we have to wait a long time for that. The characters need goals for each episode to keep the audience engaged and make the episodes stand out and feel more exciting.

Since the show juggles so many subplots, it has difficulty prioritizing them. Some episodes that focus on one subplot should be focused on another, while others are left in the dust. It’s not easy keeping a story this large focused, but it is possible. “Andor” does not do it well, and it is certainly something that can be improved in the later seasons, but I am still glad we are getting such a big story.

Characters

“Andor” is a character-driven story. There is no doubt about that. It wouldn’t be “Star Wars” without great characters, but “Andor” goes all in on that beloved aspect of this franchise. The characters of this series are masterfully crafted, most with unknown backstories that exist only as a file on some writer’s computer. I love that we don’t know everyone’s backstory. They all have backstories, and it is apparent in the series, which is fantastic. However, we don’t know what they are because we don’t need to. If someone’s backstory isn’t necessary to the series, then it isn’t explained, which saves time and creates intrigue for the character, fueling the audience’s curiosity.

The character interaction is my favorite part of this show. Every conversation has meaning. Not one word of dialogue is taken for granted. Every conversation is like a fencing match. There are attacks, parries, and counter-attacks. At no point does the dialogue feel unnecessary or exposition-heavy. It all feels natural and stems directly from the characters’ personalities and beliefs.

Most stories, especially recent ones from Disney, feature a lot of bad and/or unnecessary dialogue. It always feels a little something like this:

“As you know, the only way we can defeat the Dark Lord is with the Sword of Light,” said character A.

“Yes,” said character B. “But, as we have learned, we cannot reach the Sword of Light unless we awaken the princess with true love’s kiss.”

“Well, I hope you brought some breath mints,” said the comic relief.

This form of dialogue is lazy, uninteresting, and, unfortunately, common. I see it mostly in movies, but it is also increasingly present in books. It isn’t creative. It’s pointless. Its only reason for existing is to convey essential information to the audience even though that information can be figured out through context clues by the audience. “Andor” stays away from this dialogue style, which is terrific.

The Prison Story

I wasn’t the biggest fan of the prison story. It felt forced and unnecessary, but I changed my mind after this episode. It is filled with emotional and internal conflict, especially with Andy Serkis’ character, Kino Loy. Loy has become one of my favorite characters in the series, which (spoilers!) is unfortunate since it doesn’t look like we will be seeing him again.

I loved how the breakout was written. It was tense and exciting, and there was no way of knowing who would survive. Although, that comes to my one complaint about the whole sequence. We first met Melshi in “Rogue One,” but they put him in the prison storyline of this show, which was a fun little nod for fans of the movie like myself. However, because I have seen “Rogue One,” I know that he isn’t in danger because he isn’t going to die (until Scarif, that is). But the writers do an excellent job with him since we don’t spend too much time with him and focus primarily on Cassian and Loy.

Community

I love “Star Wars” as do many other people. It’s a fun and exciting franchise filled with endless possibilities. There are tons of other “Star Wars” fans like me, but I can’t find anyone talking about this show or “Tales of The Jedi.” There are the occasional breakdown videos I come across, sure. But everyone seems more focused on season three of “The Mandalorian” and “Ahsoka,” which aren’t even releasing this year.

I enjoy being part of this community of fans, but I’m not sure why no one is talking about these phenomenal shows, especially “Tales.” These are excellent additions to the story of “Star Wars,” I expected fans to pounce on them and begin sparking conversations when they were released since we haven’t received much “Star Wars” content lately.

But I haven’t seen much. There are the occasional YouTube videos, as I said, and sometimes I come across a meme talking about one of the two new shows, but there isn’t much other than that, and it’s kind of sad. I don’t have a lot of people in my life that I get to talk to about the things that I love, like this franchise, so writing about these shows and discussing them with others online is something I love doing. I wish more people appreciated these shows, so we had more to discuss.

Thanks for reading! Have a fantastic day.