Trailer for the series "Andor" (Lucasfilm, Disney Plus)
The most widespread convention about "Endor" (whose 12th and last episode of its first season aired today, Wednesday, on Disney Plus) right from the beginning is about its diversity in the "Star Wars" universe.
It's a brave difference because it strikes right at the center of the imaginary scale between fans of the franchise and those whose eyes roll out at the very mention of the name.
There are no lightsaber battles, strange creatures from around the galaxy, there are very few characters with hoods and dramatic cloaks and the action is moderate and sporadic.
This is also why it can be viewed in isolation from any other work in this universe, a very rare feature in a world where everything is connected to everything and cultural "homework" is becoming more and more common.
In other words: "Andor" takes the mature and dark parts of "Star Wars" and wants to put them in the center.
This choice automatically alienates her from her automatic fan base.
People who come to works from this world with a desire for spectacular action, lightsabers and the continuation of the dichotomous struggle between light and darkness.
On the other hand, it is not buzzworthy or subversive enough to generate a wave among those who initially did not intend to watch the series with the name "Star Wars" associated with it.
As far as rating success is concerned, you can't worry about it, since it has already been renewed for a second season.
Therefore, the more interesting question is whether its innovation also makes it better objectively, and of course relative to other works in the universe in which it takes place.
Looking for recommendations or want to recommend new series?
Just want to talk about TV?
Join our group on Facebook,
Shofar Broadcasting
Great humanity.
"Andor" (Photo: Disney)
The diversity of "Andor" comes from its origins.
It is a prequel to the Rogue One prequel, which featured the mission that led to the Death Star plans being captured by the Rebels in the opening minutes of A New Hope - the first Star Wars film.
Like "Endor", "Rogue One" was much more solid than other works in the franchise, devoid (almost) of lightsaber battles, and focused much more on the "little people" who were almost completely absent from the fateful battles between the Jedi and the Sith.
The thing is, to turn "little people" into heroes requires something that "Rogue One" and now "Andor" had trouble doing: make the viewers emotionally attached.
Not to the tragedy of the mission he set out on, not to the sacrifice for the common good, but to the man himself, the one who won that an entire series be named after him.
Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), who in the future will become a spy who will lead the team that will leave without returning to Scarif, begins his journey here as an independent rebel who does not even want to define himself as such.
He wants to live his life in a world that is closing in on him under the heavy boot of the imperial occupation.
This preoccupation with conquerors and conquered, with the terrible injustices and the blurred gray lines that are constantly being crossed, makes "Andor" a thought-provoking series.
There is a great humanity in her that is constantly pulsating under the surface, sticking out from under the big boot and trying to grow to push it off her.
But Cassian himself, the man who ties all the characters and stories here together, the man who is supposed to embody this developing fire of rebellion, is simply a boring man.
More in Walla!
"Atlanta" ends her life with a puzzling and unnecessary choice - and still with her head held high
To the full article
Having a hard time blowing the whistle.
Diego Luna, "Andor" (Photo: Disney)
Part of the reason for this boredom is Luna himself.
He struggles to imbue Cassian with that iconic rebel vibe, and in the case of "Star Wars" you don't even have to look far.
It probably includes the largest of them.
Cassian seems to be suffering all the time, at a loss for words, his ability to express his emotion crashing time and time again in the face of moments that could have become much stronger if only he had transcended them.
But no less than Luna, the writing of the character itself is also boring.
After 12 episodes, there is very little we know about Cassian that we didn't already know about on a personal level.
Yes, he is brave.
Yes, people connect to his natural leadership, but these are almost clichés in relation to a series that seeks to appear so deep.
Cassian isn't the only one suffering from this emotional fog.
Over the course of 12 episodes, "Andor" introduces a huge number of characters, and one after the other they fall into the same weaknesses of their hero: a politician who manages power struggles in high society, a gang leader who leads a dangerous sabotage mission at an imperial base, the team she leads to the mission, junior officials and senior government officials The Imperial, and many more.
Yes, they all ultimately contribute to the grand narrative of conquerors and conquered, but as individuals most of them are gray and common.
In the case of some of them it is not really clear why we should be interested in their difficulties (Man Muthama), in other cases relationships are confusing and then cut off without return (Val and Cinta) or conduct some kind of strange vendetta that never comes true (Cyril Karan).
More in Walla!
"The Walking Dead" became a scripted reality cliché: she became a zombie
To the full article
An excellent and promising cast, but the connection is not satisfactory.
"Andor" (Photo: Disney)
It seems as if Tony Gilroy, the creator of the series, was so focused on building this oppressive world and the touches of espionage that he is so well known for after the "Bourne" movies, that he forgot that we should care about each of these people separately and not just together.
It's a little unfair, but that's how stories work: there are heroes who represent countless others and they must be distinct enough for us to care, cheer and cheer for them.
Moreover, the fact that "Andor" spends so much time on political struggles on both sides of the struggle only makes it technical and even more desperate for an emotional-personal connection that refuses to come.
This is also the reason that when she already tries to arouse him in her last and charged chapter, it is not really clear why we should shed a tear.
This technical structure made "Andor" itself uneven.
Episodes where almost nothing happens compared to exciting episodes, like "One Way", where Endor leads a rebellion in one of the Empire's terrible labor camps.
Characters who disappear for long episodes and then return, and also (somewhat unpleasantly) solutions that are too easy - like the amazing ease with which Andor locates a key character in the last episode of the season, just to produce the big showdown that prepares season two.
Of course, all of this does not cancel out the very good things that "Andor" did manage to do: its futuristic film-noir design, the consistent build-up of tension and the deceptions and twists that characterize the spy genre, its very ambiguous message about the costs of conquest on both sides.
She is probably saving quite a bit for the future as well.
More in Walla!
"Battle Favors": There is no other series that can do what it did
To the full article
An unmistakable message.
"Andor" (Photo: Disney)
"Andor" is a series that includes many ingredients and good intentions that are seasoned with an excellent and promising cast, but somehow the connection between all of them fails to produce the gourmet dish that it seeks to be.
She is neither bad nor bland, although she could have easily shortened herself, but somehow all this only increases the feeling of failure.
With a little more care in the construction and selection of its stories and characters, it could have been the work that shakes "Star Wars" from its slightly childish tone and sets it on a new path.
In practice, this is a very light hit in the wing.
culture
TV
TV review
Tags
Andor
Star Wars
TV review
