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Episode 4 through 6 felt like stepping into the marrow of what this show wants to be. The pacing burned like a slow simmer, until episode 6 when the flame roared back to full blaze. For a few moments, we were forced to feel the unease, the fear, and face the small fractures that form when people come together for something bigger than themselves. This small rebel crew felt so vulnerable. Each of them carrying their own shadows. Their own doubts, losses, and convictions that only feel real when tested. It's not the clean, polished rebellion we're used to in Star Wars. It's chaotic and made up of ordinary people stretching themselves beyond what they thought was ever possible.Nemik dreamed of a manifesto, Vel carried the burden of command, Taramyn held his soldier's discipline. And then there is Skeen. At first seeming so hardened, possibly even the most loyal of them all. Someone whose cynicism was earned by loss. The story he told about his brother was a spark of raw humanity in the middle of all the mistrust. But it was all lies. All a guilty conscious working overtime. His betrayal cut deeper than any blast shot. It reminded me that not everyone who stands beside the rebellion does so out of true belief. Some carry their own hunger.And Cassian. Still insisting that he's only there for the money and even openly stating it when he felt the time was right. He held a mirror up to all of us. Reminding the viewer that sometimes... We don't' begin the fight for noble reasons. Sometimes we stumble into it, selfish or afraid, but the act of standing alongside others reshapes us in unexpected ways. By killing Skeen, he chose against the path of selfish survival that he insisted on. He hasn't given any noble speeches or grand gestures that truly define him. But in that single, irreversible decision he quietly told us: I won't be like him.Episode 6 floored me. My palms were sweaty the whole way through. The heist itself wasn't perfect, but desperate and human. Full of sacrifice and loss. Yet it was Skeen's betrayal that left a bad taste in my mouth. A reminder that rebellions are as fragile as the people who make them. That trust is both their sharpest weapon and their weakest point. On both sides.These episodes left me sitting with the idea that rebellion isn't born from clean heroics, but from fractured people making impossible choices. It's heavy. It's messy. It feels so real it aches. And now I can't stop wondering how many more crossroads it will take for Cassian to finally realize and accept that he was always meant to be a part of something bigger. Thank you for your support on Patreon!Relax and enjoy 🍿🌿LINK: https://youtu.be/wQr6bOPvXB8I watched this on Disney Plus

Files

Andor | Season 1: Episodes 1-3 | Watch Along

Welcome in! Grab a snack and get settled in 🌿 0:00 Intro 1:00 Episode 4 49:15 Episode 5 1:30:08 Episode 6

Comments

Richard

Love the verbiage in this write-up: "marrow' "simmer" "fractures" "stumbles" "reshapes" and then "trust is both their sharpest weapon AND weakest point". Nice dissection! I can't picture you being so eager for dissection in science class though lol. Some more action here and there in this group of episodes; honestly what I need to stay engaged - not that I don't appreciate good writing and character development, I love it. One of my favorite movies, 12 Angry Men, is all conversation and character development. Just for me at least, if I'm in the SW universe I need to feel it occasionally lol. The stealing of the payroll absolutely mirrors real world conflicts like the Revolutionary War where funds, supplies, etc were always a huge determining factor. Actually probably most wars, insurgencies, etc can be swung one way or another by those means. Oh and them not realizing the radio could be hacked haha. There have been a lot of looong-@ss comments for this show and BSG which made me realize I wanted to commend you for one specific thing: when content creators get a metric ton of subs, it’s easy for individual members to feel lost in a sea of humanity. You work very hard (probably TOO hard) to make sure that doesn’t happen; you’ve made me feel very valued on your channels and that's one of the most important things for any human, to feel valued. I really appreciate it and I’m sure your other members feel the same when you reply to so many comments. The point being, you're probably already at a stage where smoke is coming out of your CPU as you frantically type away at 300 words a minute trying to keep up with and answer long comments here and on YouTube - I just wanted to say it's OK sometimes if you can't get to all the comments. We'll understand, truly! Even Cassie and other well-known reactors get to very few comments so you are truly unique. Hopefully you find all the discussion invigorating (from some of the comments you've made it seems as though you do!) I say this as I hypocritically type a long comment . . . whoops :D

The Dingo

Buckle up buttercup! Said it before, it'll get more intense still

David Fürstenberg

Let me introduce you to Senator Mon Mothma. You've seen her before in Return of the Jedi. Played by a different actress there, of course. Here, played by Genevieve O'Reilly. We even saw her briefly in Revenge of the Sith, and there are even deleted scenes with her in the movie. EDIT: I completely forgot that she was also in Rogue One. Return of the Jedi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFadMn0EuO0 Revenge of the Sith deleted scenes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WGKy5JbXss https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLEgbN0AUn4

Dude Longcouch

This is a nice surprise, I wasn't expecting this until Sunday. The "Eye of Aldhani" event is one of my favorite parts of the show, it's just so beautiful and mesmerizing. And the way it's seamlessly integrated into the narrative, serving as a distraction for an imperial heist and also an important commentary on the Imperial treatment of indigenous peoples and their complete disrespect for their customs and culture. You can draw a lot of parallels between it and real life fascist regimes, and how the oppression of indigenous peoples doesn't always start with guns and camps, but with a "softer" kind of violence. Not to get too serious here in a Patreon comment of all places, but, well, that's kinda what the show is about after all. Hmm, to binge all of these tonight, or spread them out over the long holiday weekend... I don't think I have the willpower to wait :p

Chris

- The axe forgets but the tree remembers. Now it's our turn to do the chopping. - The pace of oppression outstrips our ability to understand it... it's easier to hide behind 40 atrocities than a single incident. - Surprise from above is never as shocking as one from below. BARS. Show gives us that, plus a heist movie, a crazy space light show battle, sudden death and betrayal, a family farce at Syril's house, an excoriating critique of fascism, and a detective show at the ISB. Oh, and the birth of maybe the most famous revolution in fiction. Jfc. Btw--I think it's unclear whether Skeen's story was true. It may still have been true, and his line "I don't have a brother" is indicative of him saying something like "I've buried that part of my life, it's in the past, and all I care about now is moving forward and getting what I can for myself." I think it's left deliberately unclear, but I actually prefer this reading of it because it still helps explain a bit how he ended up on a team like this in the first place.

Chris Chatham

Is Cinta a child murderer? I wonder each time I watch #6.

Steve Mercier

Loooooooooooooooooooooove this show. My favorite Star Wars anything. And easily one of my all time favorite television shows. Good shit. Really enjoying your reactions.

Other Chris

Andor on Friday? How did you know it was my birthday? What a pleasant surprise!

Marty McGee

Yep I enjoyed the first 3 episodes, but these cemented the show for me. Get ready because the back half of this season is some of the best tv ever!

M1 Maz

This is getting so good! Really loved episode 6 and all the build that led to it. And I think it highlighted so much how difficult a rebellion is. How easy it is for everything to fall apart, and to give in to selfish motivations. Like you pointed out, I think Andor learned a lot about who he is in these three episodes, and what's really important to him. So excited now to see where this goes next! I also love the tone shift in this series as a whole to put us deep in the trenches trying to claw our way out against the imperials with these characters. I really felt that the first time we saw the Tie fighters fly over the hill. In the main movies, the Tie's were always just the fodder, and were so unassuming. But the sound design when the first one showed up in Ep 4 really made us feel how much more powerful the empire is compared to the rebels. Everything about the vibe of this series so far has been amazing!

M1 Maz

Happy Birthday!!

Calu

Great job Kali. Tony Gilroy and his brother are masters at building tension with storytelling and dialog. I never understood how some people argue this show is too slow when so much happens in every episode. This is about character building, and making you relate to them and understand their motives, instead of flashy shoot-em-ups or sword fights between people you don't care about. Well, they also give you the flashy part at the end, but by then you are so much more invested that it hits you ten times harder. BTW, not sure if you recognized Mon Mothma. She has been opposing the empire from the inside since it started - she was close friends with Padme when they both joined the senate - and eventually becomes the leader of the Rebel Alliance. You have seen her in Revenge of the Sith, Rogue One, A New Hope and Return of the Jedi. All but once played by the excellent Genevieve O'Reilly - she also voices her in the animated shows (Clone Wars and Rebels) - but Andor is the first time her character story is truly brought to the forefront.

Lars G

Perrin and Mon Mothma have a difficult relationship. He is to be fair a Senators spouse, it's pretty much his job to be social and advance his wife's politics. He's there to look good, tell funny jokes and charm people at parties while Mon Mothma tries to persuade them to vote for things she wants them to vote for. He's definitely not meant to be the most sympathetic character, but you'll find out more about their marriage.

RP

Awesome Reaction. Pro tip, E7 is a bit of a bridge episode, 8-10 can be seen as a trilogy. 🍻

McShades

This is Star Wars for adults. Something a lot of fans wanted even for the prequels. Although George did gives us a mature story for the prequels (with the political plotting) he just couldn't help but put in stuff for 12 year old's also, IE: Jar Jar. which is Georges prerogative, it is his creation... But I do like that someone made a mature Star Wars story with Andor and Rogue One.. IMO...

SaxyGuy

Fun fact: Dedra Meero (the female imperial officer investigating the stolen starpath box) is the voice of Yennefer in the Witcher 3!

kaliwali

What!! That's awesome! I didn't even realize 👀 Looks like I gotta replay Witcher 3 now.. lol

kaliwali

Ahh! So sad I'm seeing this now so I couldn't wish you a full Happy Birthday 😅🤣 But Happy Birthday! Hope it was a good one!

Robert da Spruce

Well, that slow burn you were enjoying was a actually the fuse to a powder keg! 😊 I love the way they set up the heist! The slow and deliberate pace leading up to the crime really ramped up the impact when the action started I agree with you about Andor. He likes to think he’s a selfish, uncaring, always looking out for #1 kind of person. But he definitely has a moral compass Karis could see that as well. Which is why he wanted Andor to have his Manifesto. He recognized a kindred spirit. And even if he didn’t make it, he knew in Andor’s hands his thoughts and ideas would survive I also liked the way they weave in locations from the Star Wars universe. Corusant. They mentioned Kessel, and even said something about construction ramping up on Scarif. Where we all know from Rogue One I’m glad you’re all in on the show. Looking forward to the next round!

Nadeem L

I am really, REALLY loving your reaction, thank you. Andor is one of my favourite shows, like ever. It's up there with Breaking Bad, Succession...etc. I mean the characters are so real, Andor, wow, and so fascinating to me; Luthen. I am so happy you appreciate it - and though eps 4 and 5 are lead ups, their slow burn buildup was stewed to perfection honestly. One of the most fascinating things is how they portray the Empire. How an oppressor thinks and acts. We all think they sit around thinking about how to be evil, but in reality, like Andor says, they truly dont care, dont care who they hurt, how they do it, and that normal everyday people are simply 'nothing' to them. The moment Skein started talking about betraying them he signed his death warrant, and though it wasnt explicitly said in the show, if Skein is willing to betray all of them, well there's nothing to stop Skein from shooting Andor the moment they landed on that moon he spoke about, should Andor have gone along with Skein's plan - the moment he started saying all those things, you simply couldnt trust him with your life. Very, VERY excited for the next three and the rest! Thank you for the fantastic reactions again!

Phil Stubblefield

I enjoyed this trio of episodes much more than the first. There was still arrogance, greed, and deceit, but the setting wasn't nearly as dark. A few notes: * I love the visuals of the huge concrete housing structure where Syril Karn's mother lives on Coruscant. The scale is so grand, and yet the plain gray concrete makes it feel so much more run-down that one would expect of the galactic capital. * In contrast, Senator Mon Mothma's home is stunning! The white lattices and bonsai trees project wealth and ease. * I love watching Stellan Skarsgård flip between characters. What a fine actor! * I'm not sure where they're taking Syril Karn. Will he switch sides to the Rebellion after recognizing how the little the Empire cares about people like him? Or will he continue trying to enforce what he thinks of as law and order, oblivious to the hand holding his leash? * Wow, they had me completely fooled about what would happen to each of the rebels. Nemik was the most amazing of them, so I should have realized that he would die. Skeen told us the heartbreaking story about his brother... which was later revealed to be a complete lie! But as soon as he confessed to the truth and suggested that he and Cassian split the money and abandon the others, I kinda thought Cassian would put a hole in him. * And I love the final poignancy: Nemik died for the cause, and it is his manifesto that will presumably change Cassian's heart.

kaliwali

I love this comment, thank you so much! I do find all of these discussions very invigorating, even when the comments get long lol. I'm also guilty of writing a few essays myself. I never want folks here to feel just like a number. We get enough of that IRL. So hearing that you feel valued makes it all worth it! I never want this community to forget that we bond over these stories and adventures. It's one of my favorite things about why I do what I do. I hope one day to be as big as the other reactors like Cassie and whatnot! That would be incredible and a goal that's high on my list. But my hope is that even if I do reach those heights, you'll still find me connecting with the community here in some capacity because it's what I look forward to the most after I drop a new reaction! As for the Revolutionary War parallels here. Yes, you're spot on! History really does echo in these stories and it makes them feel very real in many ways. Can't wait to see more!

kaliwali

I remember Mon Mothma, but I really appreciate bringing me back into the Star Wars movies so I could connect those dots again. Thank you!

kaliwali

The Eye of Aldhani was a whole stunning experience! I found myself just as mesmerized as the people watching it in the show haha. And you nailed it: the way it is woven into both the heist and the commentary on imperialism/indigenous oppression is one of the reasons why Andor feels so raw and rich! That "softer" violence you mentioned hit me hard.. You're so right. And it's so true to history and real life.

kaliwali

That's a tough question, but a true one. I think whether or not she is feels intentionally left in the gray? But it does force us to sit with the cost of rebellion, how far people are willing to go when they believe the stakes are survival. She is terrifying and tragic at the same time.

kaliwali

Glad you're loving it as much as I am!!

kaliwali

The writing in this show does not miss! It gives us poetry and gut punches in the same breath. I love how you laid out the mix of genres we get too. Andor really does feel like five shows stitched into one yet somehow they work so beautifully together. And yeah, Skeen.. I like your interpretation a lot. It makes his story feel less like a flat-out lie and more like a broken truth that he weaponized in the moment. But whether it was real or not, it says something about how desperation can twist someone completely.

kaliwali

I've loved Skarsgard so much in everything I've seen with him. His talent just booms through ever single time. I'll have to watch GoT sometime. I watched the first season back when it was coming out on HBO and I don't 100% know if I finished it or not.. It would be fun to watch it with everyone here.. Especially if Skarsgard is in it!

kaliwali

It really does feel like there is SO much happening in every scene. I'm guessing here but I think the "slow burn" critique just comes from the fact that it isn't nonstop blaster fire. Instead there is 'so much' happening through character building, silence, and dialogue you actually need to pay attention to. And when the action does hit, it feels seismic. Thanks for the Mon Mothma breakdown, also! I recognized her name, but couldn't really draw back from the previous movies since I have only seen them one time and I feel like she is was mentioned briefly. Makes sense now that you explain her story wasn't really brought to light until Andor. So thank you!

kaliwali

Yeah that's definitely what I started to realize. He is a Senators spouse and lives that social frivolous life.

Dude Longcouch

Skarsgard is not in GoT, but Anton Lesser is - he's the guy playing Major Partagaz in Andor (Dedra's boss)

kaliwali

"that slow burn.. was actually the fuse to a powder keg!" 🤣 um.. YES! The build-up made the explosion of it all hit so much harder. I love how patient the show is with tension, because it seriously makes the difficult moments feel very earned and satisfying. I can't wait to dive into more! This show is incredible ✨

kaliwali

Thank you! I'm excited you're enjoying these! It means a lot, especially since Andor is very high on your list. I completely agree, the characters feel so lived in. Luthen especially! He is absolutely magnetic. And Cassian's layers just keep surprising me. I love what you said about the Empire. It's scarier when you realize it's not just about them plotting cartoon villainy. It's about their indifference. That "they don't care" attitude is chilling because it does feel real. You're also dead on about Skeen and mirrored my own thoughts coming out of episode 6. Even if Cassian agreed, there is no trust after that point. Especially if he disagreed. The second he showed his hand, he made himself a danger that needed to be dealt with quickly. And looking back on that scene now, Cassian's sharp instincts immediately felt for his gun at the first hint of betrayal. But he kept letting him talk, letting him explain before he ultimately pulled the final stop. Can't wait to watch more! Thank you for sharing your thoughts!!

kaliwali

I really enjoyed reading your breakdown of these episodes! It felt like a little mini recap and many of your thoughts were my own at the time hehe. It's funny because I'm coming here from your BSG replies where you did the same thing 🤣 These episodes really did balance tension, tragedy and purpose so so well. I'm so hooked on this show!

Paul Walker

Man, I'm gonna sound like a Stellan Skarsgård obsessive mentioning him so much in your comments but I honestly believe Luthen Rael my be my favorite of his performances (at least in English). Knowing he suffered a stroke a few years ago and is still capable of performances like this are a credit to his talent!!!

Anthony

++ was going to say that

AdmiralZhou

This is one of my favorite arcs in the whole series. Love the build up

kaliwali

I had no idea he recently suffered from a stroke. He is INCREDIBLE. I know I've only just begun this show, but I wouldn't be surprised if coming out of it I feel the same way about his Luthen role!

Paul Wright

Sorry for my late response, been catching up, but I found out Lesser is playing Ollivander the wand shop owner for the HP TV show