There is a scene in episode 7 of Andor it shook me.
It starts off weird. Cassian Andor, our titular anti-hero, having pulled off an impossible heist on the Galactic Empire, was doing what any reasonable criminal would do next: partying in what can only be described as “Space Ibiza”. Getting drunk at night, lounging at the beach by day. A strange atmosphere for a universe generally composed of space wizards who clash with laser swords.
While lounging, Cassian – a bystander in a crime he is not involved in – gets arrested by a Stormtrooper and is interrogated on the spot, accused of participating in a crime he merely witnessed.
Anyone watching this scene who has been interviewed by a rogue cop almost certainly had a knot in their stomach. Cassian, polite and open, frantically tries to stay out of trouble as he is slowly ensnared by a calculated series of leading questions, which leads to him being imprisoned for a crime he did not commit. It is a scene that is both brutal and disconcerting in its veracity. What initially looks like a parody slowly turns into something horrifying. The result seems hopelessly inevitable: it’s what happens when you allow fascism to flourish without recourse.
It’s funny, but Andor – a spin-off show centered on a character from a spin-off movie – is literally the first “thing” in Star Wars it showed us that the Galactic Empire is a real fascist regime which is, at its core, very bad. In a universe where the bad guys are supposed to be space Nazis, that’s kind of weird.
But it’s also why Andor continues to be a surprisingly great TV show. If you’re not watching it already, you absolutely should. He reigns.
Andor rules because it’s a show obsessed with the little things in its universe. Star Wars has always been a story of gigantic events, gigantic space battles with galaxy-altering consequences. But at no point in a Star Wars movie did I get a real sense of what Luke Skywalker and Co. were actually fighting for; or what the rebels were rebelling against.
Darth Vader was bad because he dressed in black and strangled guys. That’s it. The Emperor, on the other hand, had a pale pasty face and a creepy laugh. Sure, these people blew up planets and slaughtered young people, but that’s pantomime villain stuff. In Andor, the villain is the slow, unassuming slide of fascism, making the series one of the most compelling things Disney has produced since acquiring the Star Wars license in 2012.
It’s a show obsessed with the little things, the details of the grind. We see apartment buildings, broken robots, disappointed mothers having dinner with their adult children. We watch the impacts of bureaucracy in action, shitty little work meetings, office bitch sessions. We watch families bicker over breakfast, torment each other over guest lists, and simply partake in the mundane things of everyday life. Strangely, it’s fascinating.
I’ve often criticized Star Wars for obsessively filling in the gaps in its own timeline and making its once-grand universe small. The construction of Andor’s universe is different. It dials in tiny details in a way that makes the world of Star Wars feel authentically lived in. By weaving the stories of these lesser characters into the grand narrative, we come to feel the enormous magnitude of the larger conflicts. It’s not a Star Wars story, it’s just a little story that takes place somewhere in this universe. It’s awesome.
But beyond those top-notch concepts, Andor is simply a show that’s good at nearly every aspect of its production. Sounds great, well written. Not a single line of dialogue feels overworked or awkward. It also packs a number of top notch performances.
Denise Gough – who plays Dedra Meero, a member of the Imperial Security Bureau – brilliantly captures corporate anxiety in high-stakes meetings where one wrong word can cost you your job. And, as this tweet saysthere’s not a crime I wouldn’t commit if Stellan Skarsgård asked me gruffly if I wanted to “fight those bastards for real”.
Andor takes Star Wars to a place he’s never been. It sounds more like a John le Carré novel with blasters than a space opera. And as someone who literally once ended a Star Wars rant/article with the words“that’s Star Wars enough for me thank you” is a welcome change.
If, like me, you’ve found yourself exhausted by the exploits of Luke Skywalker and Co., I urge you to reconsider. Andor, regardless of Star Wars baggage, is one of the best shows of 2022. I’m as surprised as anyone.
#Star #Wars #Fatigue #Shouldnt #Stop #Watching #Andor