Main cast: Diego Luna (Cassian Andor), Stellan Skarsgård (Luthen Rael), Genevieve O’Reilly (Mon Mothma), Denise Gough (Dedra Meero), Kyle Soller (Syril Karn), Faye Marsay (Vel Sartha), Varada Sethu (Cinta Kaz), Elizabeth Dulau (Kleya Marki), Kathryn Hunter (Eedy Karn), Alastair Mackenzie (Perrin Fertha), Anton Lesser (Major Lio Partagaz), Rupert Vansittart (Chief Hyne), Alex Ferns (Sergeant Linus Mosk), Alex Lawther (Karis Nemik), Sule Rimi (Lieutenant Gorn), Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Arvel Skeen), and Gershwyn Eustache Jnr (Taramyn Barcona)
Director: Susanna White
Alright, things are heating up in Aldhani! Oh wait, my mistake, as Andor is turning out to be excitement-adverse.
Yes, Luthen Rael has our hero join the rebels at the planet Aldhani and… er, they talk a lot. Andor, going as Clem, gets introduced by Vel Sartha, Rael’s contact on the planet, to his new buddies: Arvel Skeen, Taramyn Barcona, Karis Nemik, and Cinta Kaz.
The whole thing has me thinking of the prologue of the Star Wars: The Old Republic MMORPG, which takes quite a long time for the player character to get off their origin prologue to go out and do things.
This episode is the same: the whole thing is a protracted “Hi, I’m the new guy!” introduction and orientation sequence that has me wondering why we need an entire episode to get to know these people.
It’s not like the new team mates are explored well here. The only one that is halfway noteworthy is Taramyn Barcona, because he is the only one that doesn’t immediately accept Clem’s presence without question.
Oh, and Diego Luna shaves off the beard. I have to say there is a noticeable improvement in Andor’s appearance as a result.
Meanwhile, there are some scenes of the meanies growling and scowling at one another, which will probably lead to something big down the road. As of now, I’m just watching and wondering whether I should take notes or something because these scenes all look important, but I can’t put my finger as to why.
This can be extrapolated to the entire episode too. It’s just so very “Oh yeah, Andor is doing stuff… secret stuff that may or may not be important down the road!” from start to finish.
The whole thing is watchable, and while a slow pace isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it needs to give me a reason why everything is taking its own sweet time to develop—especially when this show doesn’t give me any compelling reason as to why it is moving as the pace of a drugged snail.
Here’s the thing: the dude is dead. His greatest story had been told, so whatever happens in this show would pale in comparison unless it gives me a good reason as to why I should care about this fellow’s past… and so far, it hasn’t done so.
Hence, there is an overall “Why should I bother again?” vibe hanging over the whole show, and dragging things out with filler episodes after filler episodes isn’t going to give me any urgent impetus to keep watching.
In other words, this show needs to kick ass and take prisoners, but right now, it is just taking its time and doing its thing, all the while never giving me any good reason to want to care about what will happen next.
