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), Alex Lawther (Karis Nemik), Sule Rimi (Lieutenant Gorn), Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Arvel Skeen), and Gershwyn Eustache Jnr (Taramyn Barcona)
Director: Susanna White

I forget that Andor exists. That’s the embarrassing reason why there is a big gap between reviews when it comes to this show.

Yes, I can tell it is a pretty good show, compared to pretty much every other other Star Wars shows and movies in the Disney era, but that’s a very low bar to step over if we want to be honest here. It’s currently devoid of the lazy, annoying girlboss tropes and the passing off of one’s sexuality and skin color as the entirety of that person’s personality that plague so many offerings of Disney and most other studios these days.

However, Andor seems to lack any hook or excitement to hold my attention in an iron grip.

In fact, I’d go as far as to say this show doesn’t need to exist. 

Let’s see: I know that Cassian Andor will die in a heroic sacrifice. Prior to that, he would have a family and lose that family, hence setting off his angry vengeful brooding hero mode. Therefore, I know that this show will likely lead to these developments. So… what’s the point of this show? Does it have a hook, a plot, a direction?

So far, all I can see is that every episode is a slow account of Andor’s day by day adventures as he bounces from one thing to another, interspersed by flashbacks to his childhood, as well as scenes of other characters doing things. Yes, but why should I care again? To date, the show has never given me any credible answer, so I don’t think anyone can blame me for keeping to forget to tune in to the next oh-so-exciting episode.

I mean, let’s take a look at The Axe Forgets.

Syril Karn is still whining about how he got demoted and embarrassed due to something that happened 400 years ago, oh wait, four episodes ago, and his mother offers to ask his uncle to help him get a new job. That’s nice, but is this getting anywhere? Who is this guy and why should I give a damn about him again?

As Clem, Andor is trying to overcome the suspicions of his new crew, something that is taking forever to unfold, and then finally they all go pew-pew at things 500 years into this episode, and people tell their backstories and Andor makes some dramatic statements about how being afraid and losing one’s nerves are different, or something. Meanwhile, Rael starts having doubts about the wisdom of recruiting Andor for his super secret mission. Again, is all this going anywhere? This is the fifth episode and I am still not enthused to care about any of these people or what they are doing.

Mon Mothma’s daughter is being a rebellious tart. Who cares?

So, what happens in this episode? People do something, characters continue to talk a lot about things that are still just sort of there, and the whole series has moved about an inch in terms of plot development. Oh sure, the characters talk a lot about themselves, probably too easily as “character development” in this episode is mostly of the “explosions happen, and after the close call we bond, and then we’re buddies now” pattern, but all that babbling doesn’t do anything to hide the fact that these characters are shallow pools to begin with.

In the end, this is another watchable episode but… sheesh. Andor is indeed one of the more technically superior Star Wars shows on Disney+ that at the same time gives me no reason to care for its existence. Best show ever, indeed.