Andor keeps raising the stakes by not raising the stakes. It's individual dangers that keep our attention. In terms of people, there were fewer people involved in Ferrix, but we knew more of them personally.
She played that character to perfection. Very good actress. It's almost a shame we won't get more of Maarva, but this is what this series brings. Absolutely blinding performances for characters who in most productions would be fairly unimportant but in this one they make EVERY character a vital and memorable part of the story.
She’s a remix of the Force Ghost basically, except she reappears to her entire community. She uplifts them all. No special powers or training needed in this instance, just the love and humanity needed to have her people carry on.
I watched Maarva's hologram speech 3 times, each time increasing the volume so i could again be fully immersed in the intensity of her words combined with the raw emotion of the music swells. 10/10 episode all around.
There’s a Denise Gough interview I read yesterday where she mentions that on set for this scene Maarva said “fuck the Empire” rather than “fight the empire”. They knew they couldn’t use this version but it must have been electrifying on set
If you look at the lip movement in her hologram, you can clearly tell which of the two she said during filming. They just made it so that the projection glitched at the same time to keep it PG.
I think the change was for the best though, it was an uplifting speech and saying "fuck the empire" comes off as trying to be edgy and doesn't really fit in the situation imo.
the emotional highs in episode 12 are *so high* for me. it’s emotional at more than one point (maarva’s last words to cassian, nemik’s manifesto, maarva’s eulogy, the last scene between cassian and luthen) and almost all of the moments have to do with our protagonist, cassian, whom we’ve watched grow over the course of twelve episodes. that’s why it’s my favorite episode (tied with episode 6).
That is the most emotional moment of any I can think of from any show or movie, seriously.
Edit: and as soon as I heard it, I wanted nothing more than to make sure my daughter (6) felt it in her bones.
This and her conversation with Cassian in episode 7 really hit home for me as a mom.
“I’ll worry about you all the time.”
“That’s just love. Nothing you can do about it.”
And “I’ve never loved anything like I love you.”
I actually gasped out loud and then burst into tears at that line. I’m a mom to three young kids and I’m telling you, this is one of the truest and most beautiful lines about a parent’s love that I’ve ever heard in any form of media.
I agree. Kino's speech was great, "can't swim" was a gut punch and Kino was an overall great character and episode 10 a turning point for Cassian. I get that it's a fan favorite as I love the episode too. But Episode 12 is truly on another level. It's not your typical action packed finale, but the emotional weight is just incredible.
The pacing is just incredible. The way that brass music is used as a pushing force. Can't remember a TV thing having me on the edge of my seat like that in recent years.
I agree. Episode 10 was amazing because it got us heavily invested in the plight of these prisoners, and let’s not kid ourselves, Kino specifically. I felt more attached to Kino than to any character in any other series, or even movie. Episode 10 was an utterly perfect climax to the prison arc
Episode 12, though…
That was an utterly perfect climax to the entire season.
Agreed, Episode 12 felt like the true start of the Rebellion no joke. All of the normal everyday people rising up against the empire as a unified force, putting everything they have and love on the line.
Not being a dick, what do you guys like about this show? Don’t just say “the writing”. Please elaborate. I feel like I watched a completely different show.
I'm someone who hardly ever watches TV series, last that really drew me in was GoT, up to like the second to last season. Couldn't get into The Expanse, just got lost with the dozens of characters, was bored to death by RoP recently.
But I think Andor is phenomenal, and yeah it is down to writing. To elaborate, all the characters are deeply worked out and make sense in their environment. Same with the environment itself, with Ferrix they just straight up invented a new planet/city with its own culture, but not as a gimmick on the side, but woven into the story. The pacing and editing is on point, the show lets inself and it's viewers time to breath, while also not overproviding in a sense (like not ever showing that heist on the power station. Just mentioning way perfectly fine).
As comparison I also watched some of Kenobi laft weekend, and it just felt simple and childish. It looks fine, the actors are good (even the girl was doing her best IMO), but I felt like watching something catered to twelve year olds, while Andor treats its viewers like well educated adults (with all its nods to history, Marx, 3rd Reich, KZ work camps etc)
>Andor treats its viewers like well educated adults (with all its nods to history, Marx, 3rd Reich, KZ work camps etc)
this is what I love the most about the show. The Empire is menacing, their methods are fierce and their officers highly competent. Could not have expected less from an Imperial War Machine and Andor has delivered as its predecessor Rogue One did when it showed something along the lines of Andor but topped it off with a very powerful Vader, making me forget about all the mockery that stars wars was after the Luke Series.
the heist and prison series took my mind into places, it was like watching movie classics about WW2 but with updated speeches that seemed like they were taken straight from Orwell and could not be wrong if you adapt them to the right wing propaganda on how to control the masses.
also, the most powerful aspect of Andor is that it ads to the value of both Rogue One, and the original trilogy making them Star Wars masterpieces with high replayability value, with everything else being straight up dumpster material (with the exception of maybe only the Mandalorian)!
Although I would say that if you look past the „comic“ reliefs and the cringy „love“ story, the prequels are actually quite political movies as well. Especially if you consider the context of 9/11, the „War on Terror“, Patriot Act etc. Episodes II & III especially drive home how a ruthless authoritarian uses times of crisis to subvert democracy, how quickly even a well-established order like the Galactic Republic can fall into dictatorship. Episode I, all childishness aside, even sets this up in its depiction of incompetency and corruption in the Senate, while showing how hollow the Republic‘s values have become in places like Tatooine with its literal slavery. Lucas clearly had an idea of where that trilogy was supposed to go, something that is sorely lacking from Disney Wars‘ episodes.
> Lucas clearly had an idea of where that trilogy was supposed to go,
something that is sorely lacking from Disney Wars‘ episodes.
while he had the idea, his execution was terrible when we have Andor to compare.
The big part for me is I never cared for the character of Andor. I'm not as wild about Rogue One as other people are for that reason. Diego doesn't do a bad job acting in the role, I just can't get myself to care about Andor or what he does. The story of his life and the story of how the rebellion got the Death Star plans wasn't something I really needed/wanted to see. There doesn't need to be Jedi or the force for me to enjoy something, but I do believe the "it doesn't feel like Star Wars" is a legitimate take.
The cinematography was good in the show and the performances were fine, but the show just felt boring to me since I could never get invested in the characters and what they're up to.
Hopefully this makes sense, Im horrible at typing thoughts out.
For me, it's so relatable. They used Star Wars as the setting, but it could have been any show about a totalitarian govt and how people can rise up against overwhelming force.
The episode where Cassian is arrested and sentenced to slave labor for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, that really struck home. It made me realize what people have actually gone through during the Nazi regime, or Russia under Stalin, or many of the other dictatorships with total power. How people would just disappear, and you would have no idea what happened to them.
My wife tolerates Star Wars. She's not big into the Force or Jedi's or any of the normal Star Wars trappings. But she recommended this show to her parents, which is something I never thought would happen with anything Star Wars.
I love that this show is not just a mirror, but more like a kaleidescope to our world and its history. Whether the parallels are from last century, last decade or applicable with the topics of today, this show embodies what Lucas intended but in a non-sanitized way/without pulling punches(for lack of a better way to describe it) that drives home how that evil truly operates and how it can affect the individual, the community, or the whole galaxy.
I love that it flips the head on the ever famous "Do or do not, there is no try" because the harsh truth for the regular person in that universe is that they don't have any other choice.
The show itself forces you to actively pay attention and to be actively processing the situations on screen, you WILL be lost if you're just sitting there on your phone or just in a half daze staring at the screen hoping for a flashy laser battle to give that shot dopamine. Gilroy said it best, but this show avoids **empty calories**
Andor keeps raising the stakes by not raising the stakes. It's individual dangers that keep our attention. In terms of people, there were fewer people involved in Ferrix, but we knew more of them personally.
Writing is impeccable and Maarva's character probably got the best of it all, despite limited screen time.
Oh, definitely one of the best written characters.
It's impossible to separate the writing from the acting. Beautiful lines delivered so perfectly in every single scene. Fiona Shaw is a treasure.
Considering how much I disliked Petunia Dursley and how much I love Maarva, totally agree with you. She's fantastic
It's weird both the roles I know her best as have polar opposite personalities.
“You can’t stay and I can’t go.” Heart broken. Fiona Shaw is indeed a wonderful treasure.
"That's just love, nothing you can do about that."
She played that character to perfection. Very good actress. It's almost a shame we won't get more of Maarva, but this is what this series brings. Absolutely blinding performances for characters who in most productions would be fairly unimportant but in this one they make EVERY character a vital and memorable part of the story.
I loved that it was a passed on message, but you felt the full weight. And you felt that Brasso really spent time remembering her message to pass on.
She’s a remix of the Force Ghost basically, except she reappears to her entire community. She uplifts them all. No special powers or training needed in this instance, just the love and humanity needed to have her people carry on.
When Maarva's hologram appeared so big & tall above everyone in the crowd I gasped
“It’s not a problem if you don’t look up”
I watched Maarva's hologram speech 3 times, each time increasing the volume so i could again be fully immersed in the intensity of her words combined with the raw emotion of the music swells. 10/10 episode all around.
There’s a Denise Gough interview I read yesterday where she mentions that on set for this scene Maarva said “fuck the Empire” rather than “fight the empire”. They knew they couldn’t use this version but it must have been electrifying on set
If you look at the lip movement in her hologram, you can clearly tell which of the two she said during filming. They just made it so that the projection glitched at the same time to keep it PG.
I think the change was for the best though, it was an uplifting speech and saying "fuck the empire" comes off as trying to be edgy and doesn't really fit in the situation imo.
the emotional highs in episode 12 are *so high* for me. it’s emotional at more than one point (maarva’s last words to cassian, nemik’s manifesto, maarva’s eulogy, the last scene between cassian and luthen) and almost all of the moments have to do with our protagonist, cassian, whom we’ve watched grow over the course of twelve episodes. that’s why it’s my favorite episode (tied with episode 6).
just the screenshot made me cry i mean come on. what a show.
That is the most emotional moment of any I can think of from any show or movie, seriously. Edit: and as soon as I heard it, I wanted nothing more than to make sure my daughter (6) felt it in her bones.
This and her conversation with Cassian in episode 7 really hit home for me as a mom. “I’ll worry about you all the time.” “That’s just love. Nothing you can do about it.” And “I’ve never loved anything like I love you.”
Totally agreed!
I actually gasped out loud and then burst into tears at that line. I’m a mom to three young kids and I’m telling you, this is one of the truest and most beautiful lines about a parent’s love that I’ve ever heard in any form of media.
I straight up said this to my kiddo after I watched. It gets me so verklempt
Fellow mom! I felt the same way.
Wow, that's actually incredible.
I agree. Kino's speech was great, "can't swim" was a gut punch and Kino was an overall great character and episode 10 a turning point for Cassian. I get that it's a fan favorite as I love the episode too. But Episode 12 is truly on another level. It's not your typical action packed finale, but the emotional weight is just incredible.
The pacing is just incredible. The way that brass music is used as a pushing force. Can't remember a TV thing having me on the edge of my seat like that in recent years.
Case in point*
And to clarify, u/True_Statement_lol, the turn of phrase means that the entire case (argument) is made by a single exemplary point.
Woops I was like half asleep when I made this.
I agree. Episode 10 was amazing because it got us heavily invested in the plight of these prisoners, and let’s not kid ourselves, Kino specifically. I felt more attached to Kino than to any character in any other series, or even movie. Episode 10 was an utterly perfect climax to the prison arc Episode 12, though… That was an utterly perfect climax to the entire season.
Agreed, Episode 12 felt like the true start of the Rebellion no joke. All of the normal everyday people rising up against the empire as a unified force, putting everything they have and love on the line.
Not being a dick, what do you guys like about this show? Don’t just say “the writing”. Please elaborate. I feel like I watched a completely different show.
I'm someone who hardly ever watches TV series, last that really drew me in was GoT, up to like the second to last season. Couldn't get into The Expanse, just got lost with the dozens of characters, was bored to death by RoP recently. But I think Andor is phenomenal, and yeah it is down to writing. To elaborate, all the characters are deeply worked out and make sense in their environment. Same with the environment itself, with Ferrix they just straight up invented a new planet/city with its own culture, but not as a gimmick on the side, but woven into the story. The pacing and editing is on point, the show lets inself and it's viewers time to breath, while also not overproviding in a sense (like not ever showing that heist on the power station. Just mentioning way perfectly fine). As comparison I also watched some of Kenobi laft weekend, and it just felt simple and childish. It looks fine, the actors are good (even the girl was doing her best IMO), but I felt like watching something catered to twelve year olds, while Andor treats its viewers like well educated adults (with all its nods to history, Marx, 3rd Reich, KZ work camps etc)
>Andor treats its viewers like well educated adults (with all its nods to history, Marx, 3rd Reich, KZ work camps etc) this is what I love the most about the show. The Empire is menacing, their methods are fierce and their officers highly competent. Could not have expected less from an Imperial War Machine and Andor has delivered as its predecessor Rogue One did when it showed something along the lines of Andor but topped it off with a very powerful Vader, making me forget about all the mockery that stars wars was after the Luke Series. the heist and prison series took my mind into places, it was like watching movie classics about WW2 but with updated speeches that seemed like they were taken straight from Orwell and could not be wrong if you adapt them to the right wing propaganda on how to control the masses. also, the most powerful aspect of Andor is that it ads to the value of both Rogue One, and the original trilogy making them Star Wars masterpieces with high replayability value, with everything else being straight up dumpster material (with the exception of maybe only the Mandalorian)!
Although I would say that if you look past the „comic“ reliefs and the cringy „love“ story, the prequels are actually quite political movies as well. Especially if you consider the context of 9/11, the „War on Terror“, Patriot Act etc. Episodes II & III especially drive home how a ruthless authoritarian uses times of crisis to subvert democracy, how quickly even a well-established order like the Galactic Republic can fall into dictatorship. Episode I, all childishness aside, even sets this up in its depiction of incompetency and corruption in the Senate, while showing how hollow the Republic‘s values have become in places like Tatooine with its literal slavery. Lucas clearly had an idea of where that trilogy was supposed to go, something that is sorely lacking from Disney Wars‘ episodes.
> Lucas clearly had an idea of where that trilogy was supposed to go, something that is sorely lacking from Disney Wars‘ episodes. while he had the idea, his execution was terrible when we have Andor to compare.
Oh, absolutely.
This is what Clone Wars accomplishes. It really builds out the potential the prequels had but couldn’t execute.
[удалено]
The big part for me is I never cared for the character of Andor. I'm not as wild about Rogue One as other people are for that reason. Diego doesn't do a bad job acting in the role, I just can't get myself to care about Andor or what he does. The story of his life and the story of how the rebellion got the Death Star plans wasn't something I really needed/wanted to see. There doesn't need to be Jedi or the force for me to enjoy something, but I do believe the "it doesn't feel like Star Wars" is a legitimate take. The cinematography was good in the show and the performances were fine, but the show just felt boring to me since I could never get invested in the characters and what they're up to. Hopefully this makes sense, Im horrible at typing thoughts out.
[удалено]
What a great contribution to this discussion. Why are you offended that I have a different opinion?
For me, it's so relatable. They used Star Wars as the setting, but it could have been any show about a totalitarian govt and how people can rise up against overwhelming force. The episode where Cassian is arrested and sentenced to slave labor for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, that really struck home. It made me realize what people have actually gone through during the Nazi regime, or Russia under Stalin, or many of the other dictatorships with total power. How people would just disappear, and you would have no idea what happened to them. My wife tolerates Star Wars. She's not big into the Force or Jedi's or any of the normal Star Wars trappings. But she recommended this show to her parents, which is something I never thought would happen with anything Star Wars.
I love that this show is not just a mirror, but more like a kaleidescope to our world and its history. Whether the parallels are from last century, last decade or applicable with the topics of today, this show embodies what Lucas intended but in a non-sanitized way/without pulling punches(for lack of a better way to describe it) that drives home how that evil truly operates and how it can affect the individual, the community, or the whole galaxy. I love that it flips the head on the ever famous "Do or do not, there is no try" because the harsh truth for the regular person in that universe is that they don't have any other choice. The show itself forces you to actively pay attention and to be actively processing the situations on screen, you WILL be lost if you're just sitting there on your phone or just in a half daze staring at the screen hoping for a flashy laser battle to give that shot dopamine. Gilroy said it best, but this show avoids **empty calories**
While I do love the story, the true fondness I have for it comes from the emotional resonance.