Carolyn Petit<\/strong>: Last week I said that I really hoped Cassian would get to play a more active, central role in this chunk of episodes, and he certainly did, but I\u2019m gonna kick things off by sidelining him anyway because I want to start with our boy Syril. <\/p>\nI have to admit, the first 15 minutes or so of episode 4 really had me going. I thought we might see that petty fascist fuck undergo a profound awakening, that maybe his experiences on Ghorman had opened his eyes to the evils of the Empire and provoked a moral crisis within him. They got me good with him telling his mother that she\u2019s been watching too much \u201cImperial news\u201d\u2014I love the idea of the Empire having its own propagandistic media arm, it totally makes sense that it would, and I know so many folks who have seen their own parents be brain-poisoned by exposure to Fox News so his concern rang true for me\u2014only for this to be revealed as part of the long, elaborate con he\u2019s running with Dedra. <\/p>\n
Did y\u2019all think there might be some good somewhere deep in Syril, or was I the only one naive enough to fall for it?<\/p>\n
Zack Zwiezen<\/strong>: I also bought it for a bit. And I have some thoughts on that which I\u2019ll mention later, but yeah, I was like \u201cOkay, maybe he\u2019s better!\u201d Nope.<\/p>\nI loved the one resistance guy who was listening in on his call, remarking on how terrifying his mother sounded. Made me chuckle hard.<\/p>\n
Ethan, did Syril trick you like us? Or did you see through it.<\/p>\n
Ethan Gach<\/strong>: I was totally hoodwinked, just like the na\u00efve bourgeoisie turned budding rebels Ghormans Cassian chides later on. <\/p>\nI did appreciate the time spent showing us his new art deco office. Parts of the brief-case carrying Mise-en-sc\u00e8ne are very reminiscent of Mad Men. Ghorman is quiet beautiful, and the romanticism of its underground freedom fighter movement cuts an interesting contrast with Bix and Cassian\u2019s claustrophobic safe house on Coruscant.<\/p>\n
ZZ: <\/strong>I think it was really smart of Gilroy and co to make Ghorman basically space France and show the rebels as the French Resistance. It immediately conveyed what was happening here without having to spend too much time explaining the details.<\/p>\nCP:<\/strong> Yes! The show is very deft with its kind of revolutionary politics shorthand, cluing us in to the ways it draws on historical events and famous thinkers while still being believably rooted in Star Wars.<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\nAnd to Ethan\u2019s point, one thing I really appreciated across all three of these episodes was Andor\u2019s <\/em>use of physical space and real sets. Having that plaza on Ghorman with its hotel and caf\u00e9 and twillery showroom helped make everything there feel more concrete, from the bellhop\u2019s story about remembering the Tarkin Massacre to the action of that tragic covert op at the end. <\/p>\nAnd while Ghorman was often sunny and open, Bix and Cassian\u2019s safehouse was, as you say Ethan, claustrophobic, the lighting there often reminding me of what we see in Deckard\u2019s apartment in Blade Runner<\/em>, very urban and gray. The show is a visual treat in addition to everything else, and for me it makes such a difference that it doesn\u2019t rely too heavily on the kinds of (admittedly pretty effective) techniques that The Mandalorian <\/em>often employed.<\/p>\nZZ: <\/strong>I really loved that Ghorman was a big set. I didn\u2019t realize how much I miss Star Wars <\/em>having big sets filled with aliens and people in the background. By the end of the three episodes I felt like I understood that part of the planet\/city and could probably walk around it and not get lost.<\/p>\nEG:<\/strong> Yea you got a lot of your silly aliens this week Zack. However, Mon Mothma is no Nancy Pelosi when it comes to whipping votes.<\/p>\nZZ:<\/strong> I was so happy to see all those alien senators and weirdos. That\u2019s Star Wars,<\/em> baby. And yeah, poor Mon Mothma. The reveal that the person she\u2019s talking to and trying to get a vote from is Ghorman\u2019s own senator. Damn.<\/p>\nCP:<\/strong> Those Ghormans are in a tight spot, no doubt about it.<\/p>\n The show is very deft with its kind of revolutionary politics shorthand, cluing us in to the ways it draws on historical events and famous thinkers while still being believably rooted in Star Wars. <\/span><\/aside>\nZZ: <\/strong>At least they live in a very walkable city with lots of nice cafes Though, based on how easily Bix and Andor get around in the dreary depths of Coruscant, I think that giant city is walkable, too. I was also excited to see what, I think, is our first on-screen bodega in Star Wars.<\/em><\/p>\nEG: <\/strong>I kept wondering how anyone picks what bar to go to on a single-city planet.<\/p>\nCP:<\/strong> Yes! In fact that\u2019s one of the things I love about Andor <\/em>in general. By being focused so much on the lives of relatively \u201cordinary\u201d people\u2014sure, people who get swept up in revolutionary struggle but not Jedi or bounty hunters or what have you\u2014it\u2019s informing our understanding so much of what life is like for ordinary people in the galaxy. Oh look, they have bad daytime TV shows! Oh look, they watch sports (podracing) when they should be doing their jobs!<\/p>\nThat to me is way more interesting territory to explore about that \u201cgalaxy far, far away\u201d than, I don\u2019t know, more details about the life of Boba Fett.<\/p>\n
ZZ: <\/strong>Yes, the moment where Bix woke up to a crappy morning talk show was very relatable.<\/p>\nEG:<\/strong> Saw Gerrera, on the other hand, feels like he needs his own animated spin-off. Forest Whitaker creating a more compelling Star Wars<\/em> in less than 15 minutes than most of the new trilogy.<\/p>\nZZ:<\/strong> Ethan, let me introduce you to Star Wars Rebels<\/em> and Star Wars Clone Wars. <\/em>But yes, Saw was great in these three episodes. It was also nice to finally find out why he was so fucked up in Rogue On<\/em>e. We had theories and half answers. Turns out: Dude was huffing space jet fuel and getting wicked high. That\u2019s fun. Good for him.<\/p>\nCP:<\/strong> Forest Whitaker is such an incredible actor, and I was so glad to see him finally get to bring the full force of his talent to this role. <\/p>\nI admit I only know Saw from Rogue One <\/em>and now Andor <\/em>(not counting his little appearance in Jedi: Fallen Order<\/em>), and I\u2019ve always wanted to understand what drove him better, and have a better handle on his politics and on what he brings to the struggle. Part of me felt that his presence in Rogue One <\/em>could be interpreted as kind of a warning, that little neoliberal tsk-tsk of \u201csure everyone, fighting fascist oppression is good but you don\u2019t want to go too far with it.\u201d <\/p>\nBut in Andor<\/em>, because it can take the time to flesh out characters like Luthen, Saw, Kleya, Mon Mothma, and others, all of whom have their own ethics and perspectives, it\u2019s not as big of a deal to me if Saw is a little out there at times.<\/p>\nEG<\/strong>: I could use one or two more VFX shots to better establish scope of his insurgency. Show me the battalion pieces on a chess board.<\/p>\n\n<\/p>\n<\/span><\/p>\n
Two Tubes!<\/figcaption>Image: Lucasfilm<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\nCP: <\/strong>Also, what a great little ragtag band of freedom fighters he\u2019s got with him. Give it up for Two Tubes!<\/p>\nZZ:<\/strong> Two Tubes!<\/p>\nOnce again, I think this chunk of episodes really did a fantastic job of showing us that the rebellion isn\u2019t this unified thing that we see eventually in the OG movies.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s still messy, spread out, disorganized, and sometimes directly at odds with each other and their methods. And I hope by the end of the series we see them coming together just in time for the Rebels\u2019 first big victory against the Empire as seen in Rogue One.<\/em><\/p>\nAlso, can we talk about how great Kleya is?! She\u2019s been one of the best parts of the show since season 1, but I feel like these three episodes, in particular the party sequence, gave us more Kleya and I\u2019m happy about that.<\/p>\n
CP:<\/strong> Yes. I\u2019ve always sort of gotten the feeling that she\u2019s doing more to drive things forward for the Rebellion than the show has let on, but here we finally really saw the steel and determination in her, both in her holding her own against Luthen in arguments and in her actions at the party.<\/p>\nZZ:<\/strong> The scene where she is squeezing the hidden mic so hard that her hand starts to bleed was one of the best moments in show. That whole sequence was so tense, too.<\/p>\nEG:<\/strong> And then Luthen saying how much is face hurt from smiling.<\/p>\nCP: <\/strong>It was tense, the show building to climactic points on multiple fronts and then playing them against each other. I\u2019m fully on board with the three-episode release structure at this point, because it really does seem like each of these clusters has its own internal conflicts that pay off in the third episode while also contributing to the season in bigger ways.<\/p>\nZZ: <\/strong>Agreed! Speaking of that moment with Luthen and Kleya, I wanted to shout out the \u201cWe should have killed Krennic\u201d comment.<\/p>\nIt was nice to see them both laugh and joke together. But it also felt like Luthen might be a bit of a hypocritic, with his stance against relationships in the rebellion. I wonder if by the end of this season he\u2019s going to have to reckon with how much he cares about Kleya.<\/p>\n
I can almost imagine a scenario where Kleya sacrifices herself to some Imperial asshole to save Luthen from getting caught, taking the fall and in the process scarifying her life and freedom for the cause.<\/p>\n
EG: <\/strong>I assume the link up with Rogue One means Luthen is not going to make it. Speaking of people who don\u2019t make it…<\/p>\nZZ:<\/strong> I think Luthen can make it. Just because he\u2019s not there doesn\u2019t me he\u2019s dead. And are you are talking about Bix?<\/p>\nEG:<\/strong> Cinta!<\/p>\nCP:<\/strong> Okay, yeah, let\u2019s talk about Cinta.<\/p>\nZZ:<\/strong> Ohhh right right. I guess she isn\u2019t making after being shot dead. <\/p>\nI was so happy to see her back in this episode. And to have her go out like that was heartbreaking. But I don\u2019t agree with some who say her death was handled poorly. I think like Brasso, her death was an example that nobody is safe in a rebellion and death can come quickly. Heroes don\u2019t always get big moments. Sometimes they just die quietly because of a dumb kid or a single trooper. <\/p>\n
EG:<\/strong> She\u2019s always been the most laser focused on the cause, and puts it above even her relationship with Vel. Her loss seemed fittingly chaotic and self-inflicted, but I think she also knew that was a possibility and made the choice anyway, unlike some of the rebels who still have only one foot in that world.<\/p>\nZZ:<\/strong> I do wonder how she\u2019ll react when she finds out (if she does) that Andor said no to helping which put her and Cinta into this spot.<\/p>\nCP: <\/strong>I saw the critique raised that her death was a textbook example of the \u201cBury Your Gays\u201d trope, but while I think being aware of such tropes can be useful for perceiving larger patterns that repeat\u2014sometimes innocuously, sometimes harmfully\u2014across popular media, I personally don\u2019t care to criticize Andor specifically for having Cinta die. <\/p>\nShe was a character we cared deeply about, she\u2019s one of many characters who have died (and no doubt more will yet), and I feel the show earned that moment, which, as you suggest Zack, may have repercussions in the episodes to come.<\/p>\n
ZZ: <\/strong>Totally. And look, its not like Star Wars <\/em>has a good track record (in live-action at least) for representing LGBTQ+ characters. So I do have empathy for people who finally saw themselves in Star Wars <\/em>in a way that is so rare in this franchise, only to have one of them killed like that.<\/p>\nCP: <\/strong>Absolutely.<\/p>\nZZ:<\/strong> But I also agree that the death had meaning, will likely be one of many to come, and might factor into future events. So I\u2019m not sure it is a negative example of the trope. <\/p>\nSomething we also don\u2019t see much in Star Wars<\/em>: Sex. Or well… the moments before sex. Syril and Dedra\u2019s moment in her apartment. \u201cTurn off the lights.\u201d<\/p>\nCP:<\/strong> Hahaha, when we finally do get a prelude to sex it\u2019s the most awkward prelude imaginable between the most awkward people imaginable.<\/p>\nZZ:<\/strong> I really wonder what… that <\/em>looks like.<\/p>\nCP: <\/strong>It\u2019s interesting in a way to contrast their relationship with the one between Cassian and Bix.<\/p>\nBoth are brought together to some degree by common cause but Cassian and Bix\u2019s connection feels so much more warm and human, even though there\u2019s tension and conflict there sometimes. <\/p>\n
Thematically, this week\u2019s episodes reminded me a lot of one of my all-time favorite shows, The Americans.<\/em> On that show, the central couple\u2014Russian spies posing as an American couple\u2014always had to put on phony identities and disguises and engage in deception and performance on multiple levels. And on this week\u2019s Andor <\/em>episodes, we had Cassian take on a totally fake identity and deal with complications in his relationship, while Dedra and Syril are also engaged in these layers of deception for their operation. <\/p>\nAnd in that dynamic, Dedra seems to be operating at one level of deception beyond Syril; to him, they\u2019re partners of a sort, but I feel like to her, maybe he\u2019s just a pawn.<\/p>\n
ZZ: <\/strong>Speaking of Syril, I do want to call out that the actor who plays him mentioned in a recent behind the scenes video<\/a><\/span> that Syril doesn\u2019t really know what\u2019s going on. This is something that the show also mentions. And the actor suggests that if Syril was to learn the trurh about Ghroman and being used like that, he might not like it. I wonder if that\u2019s a hint that perhaps Syril will turn before the show ends. <\/p>\nCP:<\/strong> I\u2019m not sure if I hope you\u2019re right or wrong there, Zack. Part of me wants to see him redeem himself in some way, and part of me just loves to hate him for the sniveling fascist that he is.<\/p>\nBefore we wrap up, I also want to mention Cassian and Bix\u2019s little excursion. It\u2019s funny to find an execution like that romantic but in a way I did. Cassian is devoted to Bix, and will gladly blow up a motherfucker for her. It was one more thing that made the dynamic between the two of them such a wonderful contrast with the kind of clammy, off-putting energy that pulls Dedra and Syril together.<\/p>\n
ZZ: <\/strong>Yes! I loved that ending. I also appreciated how the show trusted us to connect to dots on how they found him, etc. And that moment where she sits the evil space-Nazi doctor in his torture chair and gets her revenge was great. <\/p>\nI especially like that last minute reveal of Andor. At first I was like, wait is she going rogue? But no, they are a great couple, he trusts her, and they get shit done. It goes against what Luthen worries about. It turns out having someone on your side, someone you love and trust, can be a strength in a rebellion. <\/p>\n
CP: <\/strong>That\u2019s exactly right. And in a way I think this ties into the larger arcs of Star Wars<\/em> as well, such as the Jedi focus on a lack of attachment or love as seemingly a state to be pursued. We\u2019ve seen the toll that can take. <\/p>\nUltimately, what are all these characters fighting for, from Luke Skywalker to Cassian Andor to Saw Gerrera and Luthen and on and on? Not for themselves. Many of them know they probably won\u2019t make it. You fight for each other, and loving other people should, it seems to me, be at the core of that. I think you\u2019re right that even Luthen will come to realize this to some degree before all is said and done.<\/p>\n
ZZ:<\/strong> Stellan Skarsg\u00e5rd mentioned in that same behind the scenes video I mentioned earlier, that Luthen checking on Bix is an example of him having empathy. And he points out that Luthen has to have empathy because that\u2019s the entire point of a rebellion. You care about others so much you are willing to die for them to save them. That\u2019s empathy. Luthen is cold at times. But he does care. <\/p>\nAnd I\u2019m excited to see more of him and the rest of the gang next week!<\/p>\n
.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Another Tuesday, another drop of three new Star Wars: Andor episodes. This time in the Rogue One prequel series, Bix and Cassian dealt with the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":94158,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[159],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-94157","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gaming"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94157","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=94157"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94157\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/94158"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94157"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=94157"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=94157"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}